Make Ahead Stuffing Muffins

stuffing muffin with dried cranberries surrounded by more muffins on a counter

These vegetarian muffins are the perfect way to make stuffing in advance in individual portions. Save yourself time, kitchen space, and stress on Thanksgiving or Christmas with this easy recipe!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings muffins

Calories 86kcal

Author Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

Equipment

2 muffin pans

Ingredients

10 cups sourdough bread cubes about ½-inch pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter can sub olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
3 ribs celery sliced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms diced
1 apple diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dried cranberries I recommend a reduced sugar variety
3 eggs
1.5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
¾ cup milk any kind

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

If you have the time and remember, cut the bread you are using into cubes and let it sit out on trays on the kitchen counter overnight to get stale. If you don't do this, you can easily toast the bread in the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spread the cubes onto baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and toasted but not rock hard.
Increase the oven to 350 degrees F. If you have silicone muffin trays or silicone liners, use those. If not, use paper liners and generously grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray. You will need two muffin trays. Alternatively, you can bake the muffins in two batches if you only have one tray.
Prepare the stuffing mixture. Warm the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, mushrooms, and apple. Cook for 10 to 13 minutes until tender. About halfway through the cooking time, stir in the garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Remove the stuffing mixture from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the dried cranberries.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, broth, and milk.
Pour the wet ingredients over the bowl with the rest of ingredients. Stir well to make sure all of the bread gets wet. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the bread softens.
Spoon the stuffing into the prepared muffin trays. It's helpful to push everything down into each muffin cavity with your fingers after filling them. This helps the muffins stay together. You want to fill each cavity all the way to the top but not overflowing.
Bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops are golden brown. If you are baking both trays at once, rotate the trays halfway through the cooking time to promote even baking.
Let the muffins cool for at least 20 minutes before taking them out of the trays. Ideally, they should finish cooling on racks after that. The muffins are delicate when warm, so it's helpful to let them finish cooling before transporting to storage containers. This helps prevent them from falling apart.
Enjoy right away or see notes for storage and reheating.
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Notes

Substitutions: You can use store-bought stuffing cubes for this recipe if preferred. However, they are often pre-seasoned so you may need to omit or reduce the amount of seasonings you add.
Storage: If making in advance, keep muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. After the muffins cool, wrap each one in plastic wrap. Place in a single layer in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheating: Reheat in a muffin tray or on baking sheets for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees F until warmed through.

Nutrition