Sometimes sitting at the Kid’s Table is the best seat in the house. The conversations are lighter and more full of laughter and giggles, the table decor is bright and colorful, and the food is visually creative. I mean, you can have a scoop of stuffing with mashed potatoes and gravy at the adult’s table OR you can have these gluten free + vegan Thanksgiving Stuffing Cupcakes. Sign me up! I wanna sit with the kids.

Inspired by my “Meat”loaf Cupcakes, I thought how fun it would be to turn Thanksgiving’s stuffing into cupcakes, topped with light and fluffy mashed potatoes, a well of vegetarian gravy and lightly sprinkled with minced parsley. Of course, I believe they needed to be topped with Mayflower Mast toothpicks, but that is always optional. I’ll never force anyone to pull out construction paper, scissors, and tape and get art-y…but I will strongly suggest it (wink). It’s a nice touch to the Kids’ Thanksgiving Table, don’t you think?

Turn your favorite holiday side dish into these adorably tasty and allergen-friendly Thanksgiving Stuffing Cupcakes for the kids in your life (or the kid inside of you)!

Thanksgiving Stuffing Cupcakes

Author: Fork & Beans
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Yield: 8 Stuffing Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Stuffing Cupcakes:

2 Tbsp. dairy free butter
1/2 yellow onion, thinly chopped
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary
½ tsp. sea salt
6 pieces of gluten free vegan bread OR 5 cups of cubed bread (I recommend BFreeFoods),
1 c. vegetable broth
1/4 c. aquafaba (the liquid brine from a can of chickpeas)

For the Mashed Potatoes:

2 potatoes, peeled, washed and cubed
2 Tbsp. dairy free butter
unsweetened dairy free milk
1/2 tsp. sea salt for taste

Other ingredients:

Favorite gravy
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced

Instructions

Fill a medium-sized pot with water and bring to a rapid boil. Add the cubed potatoes and allow to boil over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with light oil spray.
Cut the gluten free bread into tiny cubes.
In a large skillet, heat up the dairy free butter until melted over medium-high heat and add the onions and celery. Allow to soften for a few minutes. Add the garlic, herbs and salt and saute another minute.
Place the cubed bread inside the skillet and mix around to season. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the vegetable broth to coat fully. Remove from heat and allow to slightly cool enough to touch. Taste to make sure it has enough flavor to your liking. Add more salt if needed.
Using an electric mixer, froth up with the chickpea brine over medium speed until soft peaks form (will take no more than 1 minute). Fold into the stuffing until evenly combined. Distribute the stuffing mix evenly into 8 of the cups of the muffin tin. Be sure to gently yet firmly press the stuffing down into the muffin tin mold.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops become nicely browned. Allow to cool slightly before removing.
While the stuffing is baking, drain the water from the potatoes, returning them in the pot and add the dairy free butter. Mashed with the back of a fork just to break up the potatoes.
Add unsweetened dairy free milk 1/4 c. at a time until your potatoes are smooth. Depending on what brand/kind you use, this will vary which is why it’s important to do it 1/4 c. at a time. Make sure that they are still stiff enough to hold up on top of the stuffing cupcakes.
Add the sea salt (and more) to flavor to your liking.
Top the stuffing cupcakes with a scoop of mashed potatoes, creating a slight well in the center with the back of a spoon. Add your favorite vegetarian gravy and sprinkle with minced parsley.

Be on the lookout the next coming week, I will be posting tons more kid-friendly ideas that you can showcase this Thanksgiving at the kids’ table! In the meantime, add these fun additions to the table for a most festive celebration:

Fresh Fruit Cornucopias