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Upgrade this year’s holiday stuffing with my Herby Mushroom Croissant Stuffing. Buttery croissants, cozy herbs, caramelized wild mushroom, kale, and Gruyère cheese take classic stuffing from bland and boring to flavorful and completely delicious. Even stuffing haters love this casserole. It’s just as good as a holiday side dish as it is a meal. Prep this stuffing in advance and then bake up just before you’re ready for dinner for super easy holiday entertaining.
Stuffing has never been a highly cherished Thanksgiving side dish for my family. I know that sounds crazy, since stuffing is one of the most classic Thanksgiving sides there is. But for whatever reason my family has just never been all that into it. In the last few years however, I’ve had to cook Thanksgiving for a lot of non family members. And because I love to please all, I knew that my Thanksgiving menu needed to include a good stuffing.
I’ve tried more classic recipes, but never found anything I absolutely loved.
Until this year. When I had the idea to swap out dry bread for buttery croissants, my views on stuffing changed immediately. Stuffing can be good, delicious actually. You just need to make it with croissants. Oh, and cheese…
Of course.
When I was thinking up this year’s Thanksgiving menu, and brainstorming stuffing concepts, I had just made a recipe that used croissants as the base. I had a ton of day old croissants left over, so I decided to do a quick stuffing test run with the ingredients I had on hand.
Pretty much immediately, I knew the recipe was going to be good. I mean? Croissant stuffing? With wild mushrooms and kale and Gruyère cheese?
It’s basically a meal on its own, and it’s all things delicious.
Like most stuffing recipes, you want to be using dry bread.
The key here is to toast your croissants up in the oven to dry them out a bit before adding any broth to them. This helps them hold up while baking, and gives them a nice crispness.
While that’s happening, caramelize the mushrooms with butter, fresh sage, thyme, and a good amount of kale. I love using a good mix of vegetables in my stuffing to give it color, flavor, and texture. The warming sage and thyme pair perfectly with the earthy mushrooms and kale. It’s one of my favorite fall combos and perfect for a Thanksgiving meal.
Once your croissants are toasted, toss them with the mushroom mixture, add cheese, and then bake.
Nothing too fancy, but the use of croissants is such an upgrade from the classic stuffing. And I have to say, everyone loved this dish. I ended up serving the leftovers to my family and they ate it multiple nights in a row. The verdict was two thumbs up all around, and everyone agreed that the croissants are a game changer.
Already excited to serve this pretty stuffing on Thanksgiving next week for the family we have coming into town.
FAQ:
Can I use store-bought croissants?
Yes—day-old is ideal. If they’re very fresh, tear and toast briefly so they dry out for better texture.
How do I know I’ve added enough stock?
When you squeeze a handful of the mixture it should hold together but not drip. In the pan, there shouldn’t be visible pooling.
How can I keep the top crispy when reheating?
Reheat covered until warm, then uncover to finish so the top re-crisps. A quick broil at the end helps—watch closely for color cues.
What mushrooms work best?
A mix (cremini + shiitake/oyster) brings savory depth. Slice thicker and brown in batches so they sear instead of steam.
PS. If you’re looking for a little different stuffing option, check out this oldie but goodie…Buffalo Cheddar Beer Bread Stuffing.
If you make this stuffing be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Herby Mushroom Croissant Stuffing
Ingredients
- 12 cups roughly torn, day old croissants (about 12-16 croissants)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 3-4 cups mixed mushrooms, torn if large
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 cups roughly torn Tuscan kale
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 2-3 cups low sodium chicken, turkey, or veggie broth
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.2. Arrange the torn croissants in the baking dish and lay 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced butter over the croissants. Transfer to the oven and bake 5-8 minutes, until the croissants are lightly toasted.3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil In a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onions and cook until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add the celery and mushroom, and season with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden, stir and continue cooking until the mushrooms have caramelized, 3-5 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, kale, sage, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally until the kale has wilted down, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.4. In a very large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups broth and the eggs. Add the toasted croissants and the mushroom/kale mixture + all the butter left in the skillet, gently toss to combine. If the mix seems dry, add additional broth, 1/4 cup at a time until all the bread is moist. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish. Top evenly with cheese. 5. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and check for dryness, if needed drizzle over extra broth, 1/4 cup at a time, to keep things moist, then continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until the stuffing is golden on top. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
If I’m serving 14 people, do you think it will all fit in the 9×13 casserole dish?
Hey Jen,
I used a 9×13 baking dish for this recipe, which will make 8 servings. If you want to double the recipe you will want to use 2 baking dishes. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Tested this out tonight for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! I think I will add a little more of the croissant next time as mine turned out quite moist! Even the non mushroom lovers liked it.
Hey Michelle,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try. I hope you have an amazing week! xTieghan
We’ve made this for multiple holidays now. It has become one of our favorite recipes! ❤️
If we want to use artichokes instead of mushrooms, do you recommend the marinated artichokes in the jar or frozen artichokes? If frozen can we use them straight from frozen or thawed? Thank you!
Any thoughts on bell peppers instead of mushrooms?
Hi there! I would probably recommend the marinated artichokes for a nice flavor! 🙂 xxTieghan
Hi! I’m looking forward to making this for thanksgiving this year, but was wondering if you think it would be ok to add sausage to it? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hey Katie,
Sure, sausage would be a great addition. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tiegan!
Really want to try this recipe this year! Do you have any other veggie recommend for mushroom sub? Thank you!
Hi there! You could use spinach, kale, maybe artichokes! Whatever you enjoy 🙂 xxTieghan
Hello! I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving! Can it be made ahead of time?
Never mind— just saw the notes! Thank you!
Hi there! Yes, it should work just fine! 🙂 xTieghan
So this looks DELICIOUS! However, I can’t do mushrooms. Can I substitute anything?
Hi there! I would maybe use artichokes, spinach, or your fave veggie! xTieghan
I’m going to make this for our Friendsgiving next weekend! Is it okay to sub spinach for kale? Not a fan of kale usually.
TIA! ☺️
Yes, you can definitely sub spinach for kale 🙂 xTieghan
I don’t usually leave reviews BUUUT had to in regards to the Herby Mushroom Croissant Stuffing. OMG!!! It was absolutely amazing, full of flavor and supper easy to make. You could taste all the different ingredients in each bite. Because of the croissants it had a buttery flaky texture mixed with just enough moist bread blended with the mushrooms (I used Baby Bella’s torn in chunks) and herbs. I didn’t have to use as much broth as suggested. Prob because my family was sneaking the croissants while I wasn’t looking. The Gruyere cheese was the perfect addition. I have never had cheese on my stuffing so I wasn’t sure about this part. Wow was I surprised. This is definitely a future fave and must have!
Hey Dawn,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Is there a way to make this dairy free?
My sis in law and I just made this for our family thanksgiving meal and it was the biggest hit on the table! It’s only a week later and I’m already making it again. Delicious, thank you!
Thank you so much Taylor! xTieghan
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit! Everyone loved it even my picky family members who don’t like mushrooms. The mix of flavors and textures – rich fresh herbs and carmelized onions and mushrooms with the crispy edged
croissants that remain buttery and moist on the bottom is pure genius. I also really like the proportion of gruyere – not overpowering, just, well,
Perfect. Thanks for a new a Thanksgiving crowd pleaser!
Hi Emily!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Okay, I don’t like stuffing (dressing) most of the time, but this I could eat all day. A couple notes:
“Croissant” is not a remotely specific unit of measure, and cups are hard with delicate pastries. I bought 12 of the “buttery” croissants my local store carries, and that was 6.5 too many! Apparently this recipe is calling for things that look more like crescent rolls than big croissants. Since weights work better than cups for things like this, I’ll say the weight I used was about 18 ounces (package weight for each 3-count container was 9.5 ounces, and I used 2 minus one end that didn’t fit in the pan).
Along the same lines, an 8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms is about 2 cups. I used 2 of those. A cup of kale weighs around 2.5 ounces, so a 5 ounce (commonly available) container of pre-cut works well. A cup of shredded gruyere is about 3.5 ounces…I shred my own cheese using my food processor since pre-shredded contains anti-caking agents that retard melting.
Otherwise, the recipe worked perfectly except that I thought it was a little salty using the recommended amounts, but my friends thought it was fine on the salt level, so all good. Just be a little conservative on the salt since you’re using salted butter and lots of salty stock (even low-sodium is salty). I’m particularly sensitive to overly salted things, so most people probably wouldn’t mind it, but I’ll cut back to 3/4 tsp next time.
Hi! I am sorry there were some complications with this, but I am really glad you loved it!! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Holy moly! This recipe is the da bomb!!!
I made this for our first ever Thanksgiving lunch and it was an instant hit! I couldn’t find any croissants in costco but they hd something called croissant breads and that worked just as well( in my opinion).
Recipe saved.
Thank you so much Sana! xTieghan
Wow.. this recipe is going to be on our thanksgiving table for many years to come! It was delicious! The only thing I changed was to mix the croissant and veggie mixture before adding the broth mixture. I only needed 1/8 c of the broth mixture so I do recommend changing the order of mixing things together at the end. Other than that it was pure heaven!
Wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you Laura! xTieghan
Best stuffing EVER – highlight of our Thanksgiving spread. Added sausage and cranberries – those croissants and mixed mushrooms are everything!!! Delicious. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much Kim! xTieghan