Low Carb Stuffing Chaffles are filled with all the familiar flavors of a classic Thanksgiving stuffing. Both dried and fresh herbs are used for maximum flavor. Chaffles are a great way to get the flavors of stuffing without all of the carbs. Use them to replace stuffing on the big day or as bread to make sandwiches with all of that leftover turkey!

Well, here we are. Thanksgiving is just about a week away and I’m sliding into home with a low carb option. Who’d have thought that would be happening this week?

I just sent out a list of Thanksgiving favorites to my subscribers. It was full of appetizers, sides, pies, cakes, bars and even ice cream. There wasn’t a low carb option among them.

Actually, I take that back. I think the Endive Spears with Sweet Potato, Bacon and Chives was on the lower carb side. I love that app. It’s soooo pretty! And it has plenty of layers of flavor packed into a small bite.

Like many others who are cooking Thanksgiving dinner, I’ll have all the appetizers, sides and desserts covered on my menu. It’s definitely classified as a splurge day in my book.

But, everything doesn’t have to be a total splurge. It’s nice when there are options to create some balance to the meal.

Based on the popularity of my recent  Basic Chaffle post…I was thinking that some of you might appreciate a low carb option for stuffing.

I’m not suggesting that you replace your traditional stuffing with a tray of chaffles, but maybe you have a guest that has to watch their carb intake.

Or, maybe you want to make one of those gobbler type sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving, but you don’t want to double your carbs by eating the stuffing as well as the bread. And yet, you want that stuffing flavor…

That’s what these Low Carb Stuffing Chaffles are all about. Flexibility and flavor.

If you missed my post about chaffles here are a few bits of introductory information…

What is a chaffle?

A chaffle is a cheese waffle. In its most basic state, it is two ingredients: an egg and cheese. It has recently become a very popular low carb bread choice.

How can you use chaffles?

Really, let your imagination be your guide. They’re great as a sub for bread. I love using them in place of a hamburger bun.

You can also eat them as a waffle. You’ll see in my chaffle post how I use maple extract to really bring that waffle flavor home.

What kind of cheese should I use to make a chaffle?

You can use any variety of cheeses and flavorings to make your chaffle of choice. When you want the cheese to be more neutral, use finely shredded mozzarella. If you want the cheese flavor to shine through, use a more flavorful cheese, like cheddar.

Today, we want a neutral cheese, so we’ll be using mozzarella.

If you want more info on chaffles…head on over to the basic chaffle post.

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Can I make a chaffle in a regular waffle iron?

Yes. However, I happen to love making them in this tiny waffle iron, the Dash Mini {aff. link}

It’s relatively inexpensive, takes up little room in my kitchen and I don’t have to dirty my large Belgian waffle iron when all I’m making is two chaffles.

Oh…and it heats up in a flash. I hate waiting for things to preheat. This iron heats up in just minutes.

When making them in the Dash, one recipe makes 2 chaffles. The wells in the Dash are shallower than in a typical waffle iron.

When making chaffles in a typical waffle iron, I would still make 2 chaffles with the recipe, but I would spoon half the batter into just the center of each of 2 large wells. No need to spread it around. Just let it cook in the center of the wells.

How to Make Stuffing Seasoning

Let’s start with the dried herbs. I’m going with a classic mix and using sage, thyme, marjoram and parsley. These are the types of herbs I use when I make a traditional stuffing.

You can use any form of dried herbs. I happened to have ground sage, but everything else was in a dried leaf form.

It’s all good. Use what you have.

For the dried leaf herbs, I like to rub the leaves between my fingers to break them up a bit and release some of the oil that might be left in the leaves.

Measure them into a small bowl and whisk them to combine.

You’re going to have more than you’ll need for the recipe. I considered giving you the tiny measurements that would make just enough for one recipe, but it was getting kind of crazy.

Make it once. Have some left over for future chaffles. It’s a win/win in my book.

*Short cut tip- If you don’t have an herb and spice pantry with all of these dried herbs and don’t want to invest in them, try subbing poultry seasoning. It has many of the same herbs.

Can I make this recipe using only dried ingredients?

I have made versions of this recipe using only dried ingredients. I started my testing using celery salt and celery seed. This works, but you have to be careful because the cheese in the chaffle already has salt.

I found that celery salt made the chaffle too salty for me. Celery seed didn’t add salt, but I just preferred the fresh. If you want to experiment with the dried celery flavor options, I would add 1/8 teaspoon to the mixture.

I also tried versions using onion powder. This also works. If adding dried onion powder to the mix, I would add 1/8 teaspoon.

However, fresh ingredients really add a different flavor and texture to the chaffle.

If I were making this chaffle stand in for my stuffing, I’d spend the extra time to use the fresh ingredients (onion, celery and parsley.)

How much of the dried herb mix should I use?

I experimented with 1/4 teaspoon and a 1/2 teaspoon. We liked the 1/2 teaspoon measurement.

However, I did find once I served the chaffles with turkey and gravy, the flavors in the chaffle became much less prominent.

So, if you’re looking for the flavors to really shine through, you might want to increase that measurement. It all depends on the end use.

If you’re using it as bread for a sandwich, the amount of flavor is fine.

If you want it to stand out on a plate with lots of other flavorful foods, I’d go with a slightly heaping 1/2 teaspoon.

If you decide to skip the fresh ingredients and add the onion powder and celery salt/seed…you might want to use less since the dried onion flavor can be strong. It’s all going to be about your preference.

The Fresh Ingredients

Okay, raise your hand if you think of stuffing or of Thanksgiving whenever you smell onion and celery being sauteed in butter? So, I’m not the only one?

Well, I decided that my chaffle was going to need some freshness added. Yes, you can go the dried route as mentioned above, but I really loved the extra added texture and fresh flavor from the sauteed onion and celery.

So, I diced up some celery and onion and sauteed them in butter. And yes, it started to smell like Thanksgiving…

This was a good move. Everyone agreed that this added that flavor we were looking for in our stuffing.

Tip: If you only need celery and onion for this chaffle recipe, try just buying what you need from a fresh salad bar at the grocery store. It will cost practically nothing and nothing will go to waste. Another win/win. 

Then, I decided to add some fresh parsley. But, wait! Didn’t I already add dried parsley to the herb mixture?

Yes. Yes I did. I had both. I added both. Adding both is great, if you have both.

If you just have dried, just use the dried. If you have neither, I would opt for fresh. It adds lots of flavor, and again, a bit of texture.

Adding almond flour

You’ll learn from my basic chaffle post that adding almond flour makes the chaffle more bready. It is my chaffle of choice when I’m subbing it for a burger bun.

Since we’re making “stuffing,” it only makes sense to add the almond flour.

If you don’t want to own a full bag of almond flour, you can omit it. It will still work.

Oh, and for those of you with eagle eyes, for some reason (insert guilty look here) there’s no photo of adding the almond flour. Let’s just pretend there is…okay with you? Good. Moving on….

How to make Low Carb Stuffing Chaffles

The great thing about chaffles is that they are super easy to make regardless of the various versions you might dream up.

We start with the egg. Whisk it in a small bowl.

Then add the cheese. Before you whisk that up, I like to add the dry herb mix on top along with the rest of the ingredients (the sauteed celery and onion, the fresh parsley if you’re using it and the almond flour.)

This way, the cheese shreds help keep the dried herbs from clumping up in the wet egg mixture.

That’s it, kids. Take half of it and add it to the preheated waffle well. I like to spread it evenly to the edges.

Let it cook until it’s golden brown. It will take about 3-4 minutes. You’ll see the steam starting to subside when it’s almost done.

When it’s done, just repeat with remaining batter.

How to serve Low Carb Stuffing Chaffles

I like to serve them just like stuffing. Add turkey and gravy and go to town with it.

As mentioned above, it makes for a great flavored bread for a leftover turkey sandwich.

Or, how about a savory waffle to serve with breakfast?

Can I make chaffles ahead of time?

Yes. I never do because they can be made so quickly, but if you want to make them ahead…

Allow them to cool, place them in an air tight container and stash them in the refrigerator. You can reheat them in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds.

Or, to bring back some of the crispy exterior…reheat them in the toaster or toaster oven on a low setting.

You want to be careful with over reheating them. Remember, they are egg based and overcooked eggs get tough. So, heat them up, but don’t kill them.

Alrighty then, now that we’ve got a low carb option for stuffing, how ’bout you pass me a piece of some pumpkin pie? ;)

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