These delicious vegan stuffing muffins are the perfect holiday side dish for anyone who loves crunchy stuffing! A fun alternative to traditional stuffing, these stuffing muffins are great for making ahead of time and freezing.

Hand grabbing a vegan stuffing muffin from a large white plate.

Homemade Vegan Stuffing Muffins

Every year for Thanksgiving (except not this year – thanks, 2020) I have Thanksgiving lunch with my dad and his family. Last year, he brought stuffing muffins to the party, and I was like…

wait what is that I’m into that oh yes this is a good idea ok

Unfortunately, the stuffing muffins weren’t vegan so I couldn’t eat any, but the idea is what got me excited. I fucking love stuffing. And if I could make stuffing into muffins, why wouldn’t I do that??? Hello, best Thanksgiving ever ft. cutest stuffing on the planet.

Well, Thanksgiving came early for me this year, because I got to recipe test these muffins twice and it’s been a pretty delicious last few weeks. These muffins have a nice soft interior and a super crunchy top, which I adore. I hope these stuffing muffins are a big hit at your dinner table!

Why you should make stuffing muffins

They are cute! Am I the only one who thinks muffins are cute? Whatever. They are.
They have a super crispy top. If you like crispy stuffing, these stuffing muffins will not disappoint. The inside of the muffins are nice and soft, but the tops of the muffins get dried out and very crunchy.
They are super easy to make ahead and freeze. Save some time in the kitchen on Thanksgiving day, and make these muffins ahead of time. These muffins will last several days in the fridge, and are also freezer friendly.
They are baked into individual portions. But of course, eat as many as you’d like – you aren’t limited to just one muffin.

Ingredients for Vegan Stuffing Muffins

Bread: a good quality bread with a nice crust. I used sourdough, but you could also use Italian or any bread you’d like. Sandwich bread works in a pinch, but the muffins don’t turn out as crispy.
Vegan broth: I love using Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Chicken Base for this recipe, but vegetable broth works too.
Apple: I like to use gala apples, but use any cooking apple you like.
Vegetables: celery, carrot, and onion.
Vegan butter: sub olive oil.
Thanksgiving holy trinity of spices: dried thyme, sage, and rosemary.
Salt + pepper

Dried sourdough bread cubes on a baking tray.

Step 1: dry your bread cubes

How to dry out bread for stuffing

First, cut the bread into cubes. You want relatively small cubes for this recipe, roughly 1/3 inch thick. Then, either:

Let the bread sit out overnight to go stale, or
Bake the bread cubes at a 300 F until dry and crunchy, about 40 minutes. Let cool before using.

Rehydrating dried sourdough bread cubes with vegetable broth for stuffing muffins.

Step 2: sauté the vegetables

In a large pan, cook the vegetables and spices until the veggies are soft.

Step 3: combine veggies, dried bread cubes, and broth

Add the dried bread cubes to the pan with the cooked veggies. Slowly pour in the broth, stirring as you pour to evenly dampen the bread cubes. Make sure the bread cubes are soft, but not wet. If they are too dry, add a little more broth until evenly moist.

Stirring dried sourdough bread cubes into cooked veggies and broth.

Like so like that.

Unbaked and baked stuffing muffins in a red silicone muffin tin.

Step 4: bake the muffins

Scoop the stuffing into a 12 cup muffin tin, packing it down and filling it just above the top of the cup.

Bake at 350 F in the center rack oven until the muffins are set and the tops are nice and crispy, about 40 minutes.

Let muffins cool completely before removing from the muffin tin, or they might break apart when you take them out. Use a butter knife to help loosen up the edges when removing.

Delicious crispy stuffing muffins on a cooling rack.

How to serve Vegan Stuffing Muffins

These stuffing muffins is the perfect side dish at any Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table. I think they would taste delicious served alongside my Vegan Lentil “Meatloaf” and topped with my Vegan Mushroom Gravy. Make it a whole holiday feast with a side of Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes, and an Easy Vegan Apple Galette for dessert.

Homemade vegan stuffing muffins on a large white plate.

Can Stuffing Muffins be made ahead of time?

Heck yes. I recommend baking them and storing them in the fridge or freezer until the day you plan to eat them. If you are planning to make them more than 4 or 5 days ahead of time, I would freeze them.

How long do leftover Stuffing Muffins keep?

Store stuffing muffins in the fridge for up to 5 days. These reheat nicely in the microwave, but lose some of their crispiness. To retain the crispiness, reheat the muffins in the oven at 300 F until warmed through.

Can you freeze Stuffing Muffins?

Yes! To freeze these muffins, wait until the muffins are completely cool, then throw them into a freezer bag. To reheat from frozen, bake muffins in the oven at 300 F until warm, about 12-15 minutes.

Fork cutting into a crispy vegan stuffing muffin.

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