Simple and savory, these crispy cornbread dressing fritters are the most delicious way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. Paired with a creamy cranberry dip, they make a perfect snack or appetizer. Move over turkey sandwiches, these fried cornbread stuffing balls are the new holiday leftover indulgence.

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I’m a big fan of leftovers.

No shame in my game!

But after the holidays, even I can get tired of them.

Eating the same thing for days on end can just be too boring, even for my simple tastebuds that love all the flavors.

Never one to consider wasting food, that’s when I have to get creative.

Luckily, I grew up in the South where I learned just about anything can be made better by deep frying it.

So that’s just what I did turning my leftover stuffing into crispy cornbread dressing fritters.

Golden brown with a perfect panko crunch on the outside, then insides were soft & cheesy.

I paired them with a delicious creamy cranberry dipping sauce turning our traditional Thanksgiving leftovers into a fantastic new snack or appetizer.

Ingredients Needed

To make these delicious deep fried cornbread stuffing bites only requires a handful of ingredients.

Same with the delicious creamy cranberry dipping sauce!

You’ll need:

For The Cornbread Stuffing Fritters

Cornbread Stuffing – You’ll need roughly three cups of cold, leftover cornbread stuffing. We use this crockpot cornbread & sausage stuffing.
Cheese – Shredded cheddar cheese, it adds a delicious texture and tang to the center of these stuffing balls.
Flour – Plain, all purpose flour- this acts as a barrier ensuring the egg coating sticks without seeping into the stuffing and ensures the crispiest crunchy coating.
Seasoning – A blend of poultry seasoning & freshly cracked black pepper give a little extra flavor to the leftover stuffing.
Eggs – Two large eggs, beaten
Milk – To thin the egg mixture, you can use any fat level- but don’t try to sub half & half or cream.
Bread Crumbs – This recipe requires panko bread crumbs as they yield the crispiest crunch when fried. Be sure to use the plain variety, and not Italian seasoned ones.
Oil – We use canola oil for this recipe, but you could also use vegetable oil for frying these fritters.

For The Creamy Cranberry Dip

Cranberry Sauce – Leftover whole berry cranberry sauce works best for this dip. We use this Instant Pot cranberry sauce.
Mayonnaise – Make sure to use real mayonnaise and NOT miracle whip.
Mustard – Dijon mustard, any variety. You could use smooth Dijon or the course ground kind.

How To Make

Fritters may sound funny, but they taste delicious and are pretty easy to make.

Start by prepping your oil.

It will take time time to heat, and while it does you can be getting the sausage mixture ready.

Add 2 – 2 1/2 inches of oil to a large heavy bottomed skillet, or to a deep fryer.

Heat the oil to 375F.

If using a pot instead of a deep fryer, I highly recommend using a candy thermometer to keep an eye on your oil temperature.

While the oil’s heating, put the cold stuffing and shredded cheese together in a large mixing bowl.

Using a sturdy spoon, stir together until the two are evenly combined.

You could also use clean hands and mix it together like you would meatloaf, whichever way works best for you.

Roll the cheesy stuffing into 2 – 2 1/2 inch balls. Sit the balls on a clean plate, and continue until all the stuffing mixture’s been used.

Set them aside, and get the assembly line ready for dredging and coating the fritters.

Add both the eggs and the milk to a bowl, whisking them together until evenly combined. Set aside.

In a separate bowl add the flour, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Stir them together until combined, then set aside.

Add the bread crumbs to a plate.

Arrange the two bowls and plate in a row- first the flour, then the egg mixture, and finally the bread crumbs.

Working with one stuffing ball at a time- first roll it in the seasoned flour to evenly coat, then roll it in the egg mixture until completely coated, and then finally in the panko bread crumbs until completely coated.

Set the ball on a waiting plate, and repeat until all the cornbread dressing fritters have been coated and are ready to be fried.

The oil will be hot, and you won’t want any to splash when adding the cornbread dressing fritters.

I recommend using a spider strainer or slotted spoon to add them to the oil.

Fry them in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan, this will make turning them easier too.

Carefully add 4-5 cornbread stuffing balls to the hot oil.

Fry them for 1-3 minutes, turning over halfway through, until both sides are golden brown & crispy.

Again using a slotted spoon or spider strainer, transfer the fried cornbread dressing fritters to a waiting plate lined with paper towels.

They’ll drain off excess grease while they sit.

Continue until all the cornbread fritters have been fried.

In a small bowl add all of the cranberry dip ingredients.

Stir them together until evenly combined.

Serve as is with the cornbread dressing fritters, or cover and chill before serving.

Storing

Leftover (or extra) cornbread stuffing balls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Any longer and the panko coating will begin to turn soggy.

I highly recommend making them fresh, but if you have extras and you want them to taste freshly made then reheat them using an air fryer.

TIPS & TRICKS

Don’t over crowd your skillet or fryer! It’s best to fry these in batches of 4-5. It makes turning them easier, and helps ensure they cook more evenly.
You can serve the cranberry sauce at room temperature or chilled.
Open a ball to test how hot the center is before biting into them to be safe. Fried foods can be hotter on the inside than they seem.
Using an air fryer to reheat these will have them tasting just as crisp as when freshly fried.

Other Easy Recipes Using Thanksgiving Leftovers

Don’t get burnt out on your holiday leftovers!

These golden brown, crispy cornbread dressing fritters are tastiest way to give new life to leftover stuffing.

Looking for other easy recipes using Thanksgiving leftovers?

Try these:

If you’ve tried these CORNBREAD DRESSING FRITTERS, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Cornbread Dressing Fritters (Deep Fried Cornbread Bites)

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine: American, Southern

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

Servings:

Calories: 732kcal

Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us

Ingredients

For The Cornbread Fritters

3 cups cold leftover cornbread stuffing
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup flour
2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs beaten
2-3 tbsp milk
2 cups plain panko bread crumbs
canola oil for frying

For Cranberry Dipping Sauce

3/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add about 2 - 2 1/2 inches of oil to a heavy bottomed skillet, or deep fryer. Heat the oil to 375°F.
While the oil's heating, add the stuffing and cheese to a mixing bowl. Mix them together until evenly combined. Roll into 2 1/2 inch balls, and set them aside on a clean plate.
Add the eggs and milk to a bowl, stirring together to combine. Set aside. In a separate bowl combine the flour, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Set aside. Add the bread crumbs to a shallow plate, and again- set aside.
Roll the balls in the seasoned flour, then dip them in the egg mixture, and then transfer them to the breadcrumb plate- turning to evenly coat. Set them aside on a clean plate, and continue until all the cornbread balls have been properly coated.
Using a spider strainer, or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the cornbread dressing balls to the hot oil and fry them for 1-3 minutes- turning them halfway through until both sides are golden brown.
Remove the deep fried cornbread from the pan and transfer to a waiting plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess grease. Repeat until all the balls are fried.
In a small bowl, whisk all of the dip ingredients together. This can be served at room temperature or chilled with the cornbread dressing fritters.

Notes

Don't over crowd your skillet or fryer! It's best to fry these in batches of 4-5. It makes turning them easier, and helps ensure they cook more evenly.
You can serve the cranberry sauce at room temperature or chilled.
Open a ball to test how hot the center is before biting into them to be safe. Fried foods can be hotter on the inside than they seem.
Using an air fryer to reheat these will have them tasting just as crisp as when freshly fried.