Make your next holiday dinner extra memorable with this favorite croissant stuffing! Flaky, buttery croissants are baked to perfection with a medley of fresh herbs, onions, garlic and celery in a custard-like filling to make one dish that's full of those classic stuffing flavors. Plus, this recipe only requires about 20 minutes of hands-on prep time, and you can prepare it ahead of serving.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Delicate, flaky croissants in every bite: French bread and cornbread are the typical stuffing stars, but it sure is hard to beat the rich flavor of a croissant. The croissants instantly upgrade your traditional stuffing with a gourmet touch.
That custard-like texture: For the most luscious side dish, this stuffing recipe is designed to show off custard filling that envelops those buttery bites of croissant — similar to a savory bread pudding.
Make ahead for easy holiday entertaining: With all the side dishes served on Thanksgiving and Christmas, entertaining is much easier when you can prepare your recipes ahead of time. We have a simple option here for doing just that to keep you from feeling overwhelmed. This is one super easy holiday dish.
Ingredients
Croissants: Try to buy them ahead of your prep work to allow them to sit out before cooking. This stiffs them up a bit to better absorb the custard base.
Chicken stock: I love the flavor of chicken stock, but if you need to make the stuffing completely vegetarian, opt for a vegetable stock instead.
Fresh herbs: We use a trio of cozy herbs — fresh sage, thyme and rosemary — to give this dish that classic Thanksgiving stuffing flavor.
Heavy cream and eggs: These two ingredients are what give this moist stuffing that custard-like texture.
Poultry seasoning: This is available as a pre-made spice mixture. You can find it in the spice aisle of just about any grocery store, or you can make your own homemade poultry seasoning.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: We tear the croissants into bite-size pieces and allow them to sit uncovered on the counter to dry out (photo 1). Overnight is best, but we can do this for about eight hours if necessary.
Step 2: In a large skillet over medium heat, we melt some butter and then cook the onion and celery until softened. At the very end, we add some fresh garlic, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds (photo 2). We remove the skillet from the heat and reserve.
Step 3: Now we whisk together the eggs, chicken broth, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, fresh herbs and poultry seasoning in a large bowl (photo 3). When that becomes one cohesive mixture, we stir in the vegetable mixture.
Step 4: From here, we pour the egg mixture all over the torn croissant pieces and stir to coat well (photo 4).
Step 5: Now we spoon the stuffing mixture into a prepared baking dish and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes.
And just like that, we have our perfect stuffing for our Thanksgiving menu. Serve with some roast Christmas chicken or braised turkey legs as well as your favorite cranberry sauce, smoked Gouda mashed potatoes and a big helping of mac and cheese, and you have yourself the ultimate holiday meal. Isn't Thanksgiving food the best?
Make-Ahead Directions
Like promised, let’s review these convenient make-ahead directions.
- To start, we still want to dry out the croissant pieces and make the vegetable mixture and egg mixture as outlined.
- However, we store the three components separately. The croissants are fine at room temperature, but we’ll keep the vegetable mixture and egg mixture in their own airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to two days.
- When we’re ready to bake, we stir the vegetables into the egg mixture and let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to help it bake more evenly.
- Now we pour the egg mixture over the croissant cubes in a large mixing bowl, spoon the stuffing in a single layer into the pan and bake in the prepared casserole dish as directed.
And there you have it — a simple way to prepare make-ahead stuffing.
Recipe FAQs
Plan for one large croissant per cup. This means 12 croissants, but you’re welcome to buy an extra couple to be on the safe side. And, hey, if you don’t need the extras, that means you have croissant snacks.
While I love the flavor fresh herbs add, you can use dried herbs if you prefer. The general substitute is 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
That’s the best part of the holidays, right? As long as you keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the stuffing should keep for three to four days.
Variations
Make it a cheesy stuffing with 1 cup of shredded cheese. White cheddar, Gouda or Gruyère cheese are delicious options.
Add your favorite meat. Cooked bacon and breakfast sausage are common add-ins for stuffing.
Use more vegetables. Caramelized onions, earthy mushrooms and green onions make wonderful additions.
Expert Tips
Set out the torn croissant pieces: Day-old croissants work best, so I like to tear them into pieces the night before assembling. If you don’t quite have overnight, try to take care of this step in the morning and then assemble at dinnertime.
Toast bread for a crisper texture: For an even crisper croissant, bake the torn croissants in a 350-degree oven on a large baking sheet for about five minutes until toasted. This is optional. I don’t usually take this step because I like the texture as is, but it’s a good step to take if you prefer a crisper topping. However, don't skip this step if you don't have time to leave out croissants.
Keep the mixtures separate if making ahead: Wait until right before baking to make this croissant stuffing if you’re preparing the dish ahead of serving time. You don’t want the dry bread to absorb too much liquid before baking.
Perfect Pairing
Considering that this is likely part of a complete meal for the holiday season, I recommend pairing drinks that complement the whole dinner. For a beer, a bière de garde is perfect. This beer is especially tasty with the earthy flavors of the fresh thyme, sage and rosemary, which makes this beer great with the stuffing as well as your favorite turkey.
If you prefer sipping on wine, a pinot noir is a classic wine pairing for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Like the bière de garde, pinot noir is great with those herbal flavors.
Of course, this is a celebration, so you may also love a little bubbly with your meal. You can enjoy a straight glass of Champagne or whip up this French 76, a delightful sparkling wine cocktail. With such a big meal, the French 76’s bubbly finish and fresh lemon juice keep your palate refreshed and cut through those heavier dishes.
Your Thanksgiving table isn’t complete without this favorite croissant stuffing. It’s the perfect side dish for enjoying the flavors of this year’s holiday season.
Cheers!
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📖 Recipe
Favorite Croissant Stuffing
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 12 cups torn croissant pieces about 12 large croissants
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves grated or minced
- 2 beaten eggs
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Allow the croissant pieces to sit out uncovered eight hours to overnight in a large mixing bowl to allow the bread to dry out and stiffen. (If you don't have time to do this, see notes for an alternative.)
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until softened, about four to six minutes, stirring occasionally. In the last 30 seconds, add the garlic, stirring constantly.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, stock, heavy cream, sage, rosemary, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Once it becomes one cohesive mixture, stir in the vegetable mixture.
- Pour the egg mixture over the torn croissant pieces in the large mixing bowl. Stir to coat well.
- Spread the croissant stuffing into a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- To make ahead of time, prepare the vegetable mixture and egg mixture as directed but store in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to two days. Remove from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before baking to take off the chill. Assemble and bake as directed.
- For an even crisper croissant, bake the torn croissants in a 350-degree oven on a large baking sheet for about five minutes until toasted. This is optional. I don’t usually take this step because I like the texture as is, but it’s a good step to take if you prefer a crisper topping. However, don't skip this step if you don't have time to leave out croissants.
- Wait until right before baking to make this croissant stuffing if you’re preparing the dish ahead of serving time. You don’t want the dry bread to absorb too much liquid before baking.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
MathRocks says
I haven't made this, but it looks like it would be fantastic. I have a question though. Our family's traditional stuffing has ground sausage and chicken breast in it. Could I add that to this recipe, and if so, how much of each do you think should be used?
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Hey there! While I haven't personally tried it, I don't think that should be a problem. I've made a cornbread stuffing with sausage in the past in the same size dish. For that recipe, I used 1 pound sausage, which is about 2 cups, but since you'd also be adding chicken, I'm thinking you could use ½ pound sausage for an equivalent of 1 cup and then 1 cup chicken breast.
Ann says
I am terrible at making homemade stuffing, always turns out watery. Love the idea of making it with croissants! I did a test run since we're hosting for Thanksgiving, and I wanted to nail the stuffing. Turned out so good! I'll be using this recipe.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I'm so happy this worked out for you!
Amy Liu Dong says
I love how good and tasty this dish is. It is so easy to make and everyone in the house loves it! I'll have to keep this around for the holidays.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Sounds like a lovely idea!
Jamie says
Delicious stuffing! I made a roast chicken for dinner and served it with this stuffing. Really loved the flavor the fresh sage added.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I really think the fresh herbs add a little extra pop!