These epic vegetarian stuffing balls are made with a unique twist – they’re stuffed with delicious brie and cranberry sauce! Cooked in just 15 minutes in the air fryer or 20 minutes in the oven, these stuffing balls are made with sage and onion stuffing, vegetarian sausages, and diced apple.

These easy vegetarian stuffing balls are a delicious way to elevate stuffing to a whole new level by introducing some cheesy goodness. They’re perfect served alongside a roast dinner alongside crispy roast potatoes, honey garlic carrots, vegan pigs in blankets, and balsamic brussel sprouts.

However, these cheesy stuffing balls are also a great way of using up any leftover vegetarian stuffing you have for the next day. They can be served alongside a main meal, or simply enjoyed as a savoury snack – dipped into gravy or more cranberry sauce!

Ingredient Notes & What You’ll Need

For this recipe, you’ll need a mixing bowl to combine all the ingredients together, and cheese grater to grate the apple, and a small bowl to mix up the stuffing and hot water. To cook your vegetarian stuffing balls, you’ll either need an air fryer (I love my Swan retro air fryer which I was kindly gifted by Swan) or you can bake your stuffing balls in a baking dish.

Here are a few notes on the ingredients used in this recipe – make sure you scroll down to the recipe card for the exact quantities and step-by-step instructions.

• Vegetarian sausages: I used the Richmond vegetarian sausages for this recipe. Simply break them up into the mixing bowl, and then use your wooden spoon when mixing the ingredients to ensure they’re fully broken apart.
• Sage and onion stuffing: I used store-bought sage and onion stuffing for this recipe (the Paxo brand, which you simply mix with 425ml of boiling water and a knob of butter). You could definitely make your own stuffing from scratch, but this saves time if you’re making lots of other side dishes, too!
• Apple: The sweetness of the apple pairs perfectly with the savoury stuffing and the sausages. I would recommend grating it into the mixture instead of dicing it.
• Seasoning: A simple blend of salt and black pepper is all I use here.
• Brie: Dice your brie into 1 x 1 cm cubes ready to go into the stuffing balls.
• Cranberry: A small spoonful of cranberry sauce adds a wonderful festive sweetness to this recipe and pairs perfectly with the brie.
• Cooking spray: If you’re air frying your vegetarian stuffing balls, you might want to spray them with a little cooking spray to ensure they get extra crispy.

Potential Substitutions for These Vegetarian Stuffing Balls

If you can’t source a particular ingredient, here are a few potential substitutions:

• Use any vegetarian sausages you prefer/can find. If they have a ‘skin’, peel these off before breaking apart the sausages.
• Use cooked onion, sage, and homemade breadcrumbs instead of a store-bought stuffing mix if you prefer. You may need to add an egg to the mixture to help it bind together.
• Use camembert or even mozzarella instead of brie for the same metly goodness!
• Omit the cheese altogether for regular vegetarian stuffing balls.

How To Make Easy Cheesy Vegetarian Stuffing Balls

Here’s how to make your cheesy vegetarian stuffing balls with some process photos – again, the full recipe card is at the bottom of this post with the exact quantities and instructions paired with them.

Step 1: Mix up your vegetarian stuffing mix

First, combine your store-bought sage and onion stuffing with a knob of butter and 425ml boiling water. Then, break your vegetarian sausages apart into a large mixing bowl, add the stuffing, apple, and seasonings.

Mix together until everything if fully combined. At this point, you could simply tip the vegetarian stuffing into a baking dish and baking for 20 minutes Or, you can continue to either make stuffing balls or the cheesy stuffing balls.

Step 2: Prepare your brie and cranberry sauce

Cut your brie into 9 1x1cm cubes, removing some of the rind as you do. Top each cube of cheese with a little cranberry sauce (0.5 – 1tsp) so you’re ready for stuffing the stuffing!

Step 3: Roll the stuffing into 9 patties and stuff with the cheese and cranberry

Wet your hands a little to avoid the stuffing sticking to your hands, and then roll your stuffing mixture into 9 balls. Flatten each ball, one at a time, into a patty shape and then add the cranberry and brie to the middle (cranberry side first). The shape the vegetarian stuffing into a ball around the brie.

Repeat for the other eight stuffing balls!

Step 4: Cook your stuffing balls

If you’re using an air fryer, cook your stuffing balls for 15 minutes at 200C, spraying them with a little cooking oil first. Alternatively, you could bake them in a preheated oven at 200C for 20 minutes.

FAQs

Can you reheat these stuffing balls?

I would recommend prepping your stuffing balls until just before cooking them, and waiting to heat until you are ready to eat them. I don’t think the brie cheese will do too well being cooked, cooled, and then reheated again.

Can I freeze these stuffing balls?

Brie isn’t an ideal cheese for freezing – its texture changes and may not taste the time. However, you could prepare these vegetarian stuffing balls without the cheese and then freeze them before the cooking stage. Defrost them fully in the fridge before you cook them.

Can I make these cheesy vegetarian stuffing balls with leftover stuffing?

Yes, absolutely. These cheesy stuffing balls are perfect for using up leftover stuffing!