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The best savory caramelized onion croissant stuffing! This stuffing is sure to become a family favorite as it tastes 1000 times better than the stuff you get in a box! Made with buttery croissants, caramelized onions, and aromatics!
A major unintentional lesson I learned making caramelized onion croissant stuffing: Leaving a frozen stick of butter on the hot hood of your car for 20 minutes brings it to that perfectly softened temp without the hassle of letting it sit for hours 😂
It’s that time of the year when I can’t tell if my head is screwed on straight anymore! Between prepping for our first Friendsgiving in the new place (meaning we’ve still got a few scattered boxes we’re working our way through) and making all the Thanksgiving food, I am at the point where I forget sticks of butter on the hood of my car! Luckily for me, it didn’t melt entirely, and I brought it in and used it to caramelize the onions for today’s caramelized onion croissant stuffing!
Two recipes inspire today’s caramelized onion croissant stuffing: my caramelized onion dip and my caramelized onion strata — is it obvious we really like caramelized onions? This is my untraditional take on my favorite stuffing or dressing recipe.
What is croissant stuffing?
‘Stuffing’ or ‘dressing’ as it’s more commonly known when it’s not stuffed inside a turkey is made with celery, aromatics, chicken stock, and most importantly, day-old or stale or toasted white, sourdough, or cornbread. I’m using croissants to make today’s stuffing recipe because croissants are made with layers of butter, making them ideal for a stuffing recipe.
What do you need to make a caramelized onion croissant stuffing?
- butter and oil
- onions
- croissants
- celery
- mushrooms
- fresh sage and thyme
- chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- eggs
- garlic powder and onion powder
- parsley
- pecans
- Gruyere cheese
How to caramelize onions:
- Start by melting the butter and olive oil together in a large skillet or sauté pan. When melted, add the thinly sliced onions and allow them to cook for 5 minutes stirring so that nothing sticks or burns.
- Then, season them with sugar and stir to combine. Lower the heat to low and let the onions just hang out for 35-45 minutes; you want to be sure to stir every 5-7 minutes though so that they aren’t burning or browning too fast.
- When done, season with salt and balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.
- At this point, you can allow the onions to cool completely and then refrigerate them for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to a month!
How to make croissant stuffing:
Once the onions are done, you will have this ready to bake in no time!
- Prep your oven to 350ºF and spray your baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Then, grab a baking sheet and place the torn croissant pieces on the baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Place the baking sheet in the oven and allow the croissant pieces to crisp up about 5 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When the oil is hot, add the celery and allow it to cook and soften. Then add the butter and cook the mushrooms until they brown on the outside — season with fresh sage and thyme. Then, remove the pan from the heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, chicken stock, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, parsley, and a big pinch of black pepper. Whisk to combine. When the veggie mixture has cooled a bit, add it to the egg mixture along with the caramelized onions, croissant pieces, pecans, and the shredded gruyere. It’s important to make sure the veggie mix, onions, and croissants are at room temperature. Otherwise, you run the risk of scrambling the eggs!
- Pour the prepared stuffing into the baking dish, cover with foil, and allow for it to bake for 30-40 minutes or until the stuffing is set. You can uncover the baking dish around the last 10-12 minutes to help brown and crisp up the croissants on top!
My tips for making the best croissant stuffing:
- Take your time caramelizing the onions. I encourage you not to make the caramelized onions and the croissant stuffing on the same day. This recipe is made so you can prep some of it in advance.
- Use fresh herbs; it makes all the difference!
- Be exact about the croissants! Using too many or too few will result in an imbalance of chicken stock. This recipe works best when you use exactly what’s written.
- I highly recommend prepping everything ahead of the day you plan on serving this: caramelize the onions, chop the veggies, let the croissant become a day or two old.
What do you suggest serving with croissant stuffing?
- herb roasted thanksgiving turkey
- homemade cranberry sauce
- green bean casserole
- cheddar mashed potatoes
- garlic butter brussels sprouts
- creamed corn
- sweet potato casserole
I sincerely hope you enjoy this croissant stuffing recipe; it one of our faves, and I’m hoping it’ll become a new family tradition for ya!
Savory Caramelized Onion Croissant Stuffing
Ingredients
Caramelized onions:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large onion cut in half, then thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons EACH: sugar AND balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Croissant Stuffing:
- 10 large or 15 small croissants, torn into pieces (21 ounces total)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 stalks celery finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 12 ounces Crimini or shiitake mushrooms or a mix of both
- 1 tablespoon of EACH: chopped fresh sage AND fresh thyme
- 2 ¼ cups low sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon EACH: salt garlic powder, AND onion powder
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- 1 ½ cup shredded gruyere cheese
Instructions
- CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS: Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and let saute for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. Sprinkle the sugar on top and stir to combine. Lower the heat to low, and allow for the onions to cook for about 30-45 minutes or until they soften and caramelize. Season with salt and add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan and allow the onion to soak it all up. Remove the onions from the heat. Allow to cool completely then store in the refrigerator if you’re doing this a few days ahead of time. You can also make and freeze them a month ahead of time.
- PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray your casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside. Place the torn croissants on a large baking tray in a single layer. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and place in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp up and dry out a bit. Remove from the oven and allow for the croissants to cool.
- SAUTE: Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the celery and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until it starts to soften. Then kick the heat up to high, add the butter and mushrooms and continue to cook for 6-8 minutes or until the mushrooms soften and caramelize. Season with the fresh sage and thyme and cook for an additional 30 seconds, then remove from the heat and allow for the veggies to cool completely. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, chicken stock, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh parsley, and a generous pinch of black pepper. When the veggies have cooled, add them to the egg mixture along with all the butter in the sauté pan, the caramelized onions, and the torn croissants. Then stir in the pecans and the shredded gruyere.
- BAKE: Carefully dump the stuffing mixture into the prepared casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the stuffing is set. Remove the foil during the last 10-12 minutes to help brown and crisp up the croissants on top. Allow to cool for several minutes before serving.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Can the Gruyère be omitted?
I made this for Christmas this year while I was trying an all new menu (elk chops and quail, lobster mac n cheese, with this croissant stuffing, cheese polenta, pomegranate molasses carrots, and grand marnier cranberry sauce) and I have to say it was the best stuffing I’ve ever had. I found it was the thing I kept going back for out of everything on the plate. I made everything the night before and then all I had to do Christmas day was pour in the liquid ingredients and pop it in the oven.
We had guests over after Christmas a couple days later, did precooked ham with this leftover stuffing and they inhaled it, no leftovers anymore. Asked for the recipe.
This is going into our family meal rotation. THANK YOU.
I started making this for Thanksgiving 3 years ago. My menu may change from year to year, but this stuffing will always be on it
When do you add the croissants to the rest of the mixture before baking?
This was amazing! New favorite stuffing recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Nikki! Appreciate you circling back to leave a review 🙂
Can’t use mushrooms, but otherwise I love this recipe idea! Any thoughts on a substitute?
I used spinach and it worked out just fine! DELICIOUS
Hi Marzia,
Can this be made with something besides mushrooms?
Hi Marzia,
Can this stuffing be made without eggs?
Hi Bindi! I haven’t tried it without eggs, and I’m thinking it’ll definitely need some kind of binder. Maybe you can try using flax eggs in place? I’d love to know how it goes if you decide to give it a try!
Thank you so much! I will let you know.
Lovely Receipe!!
Thanks for sharing