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These biscuit mix cheesy sausage balls are great for game day, holidays, or when you feel like something different to enjoy. Only three main ingredients are needed for a delicious snack or side dish!
Karlynn’s Recipe Rundown: Sausage Balls
- My version of this recipe is simple: it uses three ingredients.
- They are always a crowd-pleaser. They’re a hit at potlucks, parties, and family gatherings.
- Tons of dipping options! These are delicious when dipped in various sauces and dips (which I’ll provide). Play around and get creative!
Quick & Easy Sausage Balls Recipe
These Bisquick® Sausage Balls are a classic recipe and are so easy and delicious to make! If you want another recipe, try my Bisquick® Quiche Recipe; it’s another classic! This is a classic Bisquick® recipe that is extremely popular around the holidays.
As you can see above, the recipe makes 24 golf ball-sized sausage balls, which will fit perfectly on a large baking sheet. I like a good recipe that a) uses only one bowl and b) fits onto one baking sheet. That’s my kinda recipe!
What kind of pork sausage do I use?
For the traditional sausage balls recipe, you will need raw, ground pork sausage; however, the sky is the limit. You can use a mild Italian sausage, a maple syrup-sweet breakfast sausage, or hot spiced sausage. The only caveat is that it has to be ground; it cannot be cooked or smoked sausage.
Sausage Ball Variations
Keep in mind that using pork sausage is NOT mandatory. Plenty of other options, such as turkey or chicken sausage, will work wonderfully if you are trying to reduce the calories in this appetizer or you don’t eat pork. You will need to add milk to the recipe to make up for the lack of grease from the lean sausages however.
Recipe Notes
- Use your stand mixer with the paddle attachment to make things easier: you can double the recipe and the mixer can handle it easily. It does a better job of working the ingredients together than mixing them by hand.
- Do not drop them on the baking sheet; roll them into uniform balls to help them maintain a more dip-worthy shape.
- No shredded cheese, please! Resist using bagged shredded cheese in these. You need the moisture that comes with freshly shredded block cheese. The cheese shreds in the bag are dry, and you will end up with a dry product.
No Bisquick? No Problem!
My homemade Bisquick is just as delicious. All you need is all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and butter (or vegetable shortening).
Sausage Ball Making Tips and Tricks
- Can you use any type of cheese? Yes, you can change up the kind of cheese to whatever flavor you prefer, but a sharp old cheddar is delicious!
- Batter too dry? If the batter seems dry, add in a 1/4 cup of milk.
- Can’t find ground pork sausage? You can take breakfast sausages out of their casings and use them instead. That sausage seems to be a little drier than it should be, so add 1/4 cup of milk.
- Spice things up! Add in some spices like cayenne if you want—I LOVED mine with the chives! I would definitely use fresh minced green onion in my next batch. These are easy to customize.
Freezing / Storing / Reheating
- Storing and Leftovers: For maximum freshness, these should be placed in your fridge in an airtight container. An airtight container ensures they don’t pick up any fridge smells (such as onions or other items you may have in the produce drawer). They will last 3-4 days.
- Freezing Sausage Balls: These can be frozen. I like to use my vacuum sealer to ensure they last as long as possible without freezer burn. Place them in a single layer on a flat surface and freeze them solid before sealing. Alternatively, you can also store them in an airtight container, with parchment paper between each layer, so they do not freeze together. They can be frozen for 3-4 months before declining in flavor and freshness.
- Reheating: These are very easy to reheat. Place them in the oven at 350°F for approximately 10-15 minutes until heated.
Sausage Ball Dips
The dip pictured above is my new Creamy Sweet Chili Sauce and it is my new favorite dip! You can use it on chicken wings, salad, veggies, and more. It was awesome with these sausage balls!
Some other great dips that work with these:
If you want a good side to go with this recipe, why not try my favorite, excellent Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Smokies?
Happy Baking!
Love,
Karlynn
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Sausage Balls Recipe (Classic Bisquick Sausage Balls)
Ingredients
- 1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 2 cups biscuit baking mix (Bisquick)
- 1 tablespoon freeze dried chives ( optional)
- 1/4 cup milk (if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F.
- In a large bowl (or in your standing mixer bowl), combine the ground sausage, biscuit baking mix and shredded cheese and chives.
- Form into 24 golf ball sized balls and place on baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and the sausage is cooked through entirely.
- Remove and serve hot!
Sue Cartlidge says
What could I use instead of the biscuit mix please? I’m in the UK…many thanks x
Daniel O'Connell says
I’ve been making these for over 20 years, I have never ever had one person who didn’t love them, I use 2 cups of Bisquik, 2 cups of shredded Cheddar Cheese and one pound or Jimmy Dean bulk sausage, I have to add a bit of water to the mix and keep my hands wet to stop the balls from sticking to my hands, I have used spicy sausage a time or two and I bake at 425 until I see them starting to brown, easy peasy
Zach says
I’ve made this recipe, as written, several times and they are so good.
Kenneth Van Derveer says
I saw the photo of your backyard, and it reminded me of why I left Alberta. 2 feet of snow dumped on us IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY. In Red Deer we had no power for 2 weeks. Then in the winter I turned my radio on for the weather reports, and the broadcaster was giving a warning…DO NOT SLAM YOUR CAR DOORS, BECAUSE THEY CAN SHATTER LIKE GLASS AT -50.
Snow in July and -50 in winter = a one way trip back to Ontario (for me).
Those darn Chinooks confused the heck out of me, too. I would be outdoors on Christmas day in shorts and a t-shirt, and on Boxing Day it would be -30.
Sharon says
can I use ground ham for the balls?
Vicki says
I love your recipes! Keep them coming, please 😋
Merry Christmas to you and yours! ☺️
Kathy-Anne Carr says
I have saved the recipe to try as an appetizer for Christmas. I did find a package of pork sausage meat at No Frills. It’s Maple Leaf in one of those plastic tubes, for anyone in Ontario.
I’m going to attempt to make it gluten free for my sister-in-law. I’ll let you know how that works out.
Have a lovely festive season and keep the recipes coming.
Frankie says
Thanks for telling about finding the meat in a tube that’s what I prefer ( usually Jimmy Dean in the USA)
Alison says
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but I must say this has been the most entertained I’ve ever been reading comments! All together now: “if you don’t have anything nice to say…”
Karlynn Johnston says
Hahaha imagine how much fun I, as the website owner, have while I read the comments! I’ve been doing this so long that I have almost 30,000 comments on this website and some have been real doozies! The ones I delete are quite….interesting….
Pat says
Where is the recipe for the dip ? I’m all set to make the sausages balls and dip tomorrow. Thank You
Pat
Susi Willis says
Agreed! AND the sausage balls are baking in the oven right now
Faith Laughlin says
Made this tonight just like the recipe was wrote. No extras. Turned out fantastic!
Barbara Roman says
Recipe is chewy. Wasted good sausage and cheese. You should check the official Bisquick recipe for Sausage-Cheese Balls to get it right, “3” cups Bisquick to 1 lb sausage, with 1/2 cup milk and 1 lb grated cheddar, plus 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2t rosemary, 1 1/2t fresh parsley or 1/2t parsley flakes. Thanks for wasting my time and money. Wish I had checked Bisquick first!
Faith Laughlin says
Made this tonight just like the recipe was wrote. No extras. Turned out fantastic!
Sue Minton says
I found Karlynn’s recipe exceptionally delicious and SUPER EASY!! I think you were in a compromising mood when you wrote your comment to the author of several cookbooks! How many have you written and published?
My precious mother said if you can’t say something nice DON’T say anything at all!!
Sally says
Cool down Barbara
Laura Hancock says
Wow. So unnecessarily nasty.
I have made this exact recipe and had no issue with it. Perhaps it’s operator error.
Heather says
Hello Karen:
gross….rosemary in sausage balls? No thanks. Maybe you should try to bake you some balls of respectfulness, or grace, or anything that involves not being a jerk.
Donna Fleming says
I have made this recipe for over 40 years, but here in Texas, we always add salsa instead of milk. I use sage sausage, when I can find it – usually Jimmy Dean.
Susan Alexander says
It is much better with sage sausage!!!!
Maria Deaangelis says
Do you grease the cookie sheets or use parchment paper?
Heather says
Really enjoyed it. Used Spicy Italian Sausage removed from casing. Very nice flavour & simple to make. I’m sure the Bisquick recipe is nice too but, I’m pleased with the results of your recipe – and that’s all that counts. 😊 Thanks.
Karlynn Johnston says
You are so welcome! The spicy sausage would make these amazing for sure!
Jerry Zappa Carroll says
Can you make ahead of time?
How long do they keep.?
Thanks,
Jerry
Merry Christmas
God bless!
Joeleen says
Hey Karlynn,
You can find the sausage at Sobey’s in the freezer section. So far since I have moved it Canada, it is the only place I have found that has it.
Cindy S says
This one is my favorite recipe of all the ones I’ve tried! I do use a mixer to blend in the bisquick into the sausage really well, then I blend the cheese. I have found that the thick shredded cheese is best vs the thin shreds.
I would like to know, on the estimated nutritional values, is that per sausage ball or for a serving of two-three? Thanks!
Barbara Summers says
I loved the chives added!! I used only half the amount of Bisquick so it was not so bready and tasted more like sausage. Then we all loved them!!
MrM says
I didn’t like. Too much bread.
Cynthia says
what’s the best way to freeze the sausage balls?
Debbie Lively says
You can cook them and freeze them take out what u want bake 350 like 10-15 minutes
Debbie Lively says
I use 2 hot Owen sausage and 2 sage makes it so good
Donna Fleming says
I am a native Texan. This recipe started in Texas many decades ago. This is similar, except we use 3/4 the amount of Bisquick and add in 1/2 cup of Salsa instead of milk. I like the mild version, but a lot of people prefer hot. Without Salsa, it would be rather bland. I always use Sage pork sausage. I agree that it is better to grate the cheese instead of using packaged cheese.
Brian says
Put them in the freezer.
Camille says
Did you add any milk at all?
Deborah says
Do not use much bisquick , just enough to hold them together do sausage and cheese first mix well then add Bisquick a little at a time then roll up they are so much better with out milk bake 350 for 45 minutes at least
Deborah Martin says
Just out of curiosity, why do you not answer anybody’s questions? I myself was curious about the dip
Kindness is Free says
Sweet lady
Raven says
Preheat the oven to what I didn’t see it I could of misread
Camille says
It’s on the recipe
Kimberly says
350° F. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Debbie Lively says
350
Lauren says
don’t go to a blog and buy a cookbook then
Kimberly says
There’s a simple fix to your complaint. Use the “Jump to Recipe” link included at the top of every recipe shared if you prefer not to read the story.
Direct highlighted link to the Dip recipe was provided under “Tips & Tricks”. Easily found by scrolling past the story you didn’t want to read. Maybe that’s how you missed it.
Caroline says
These were delicious and I’m glad the author called out people that were too lazy to read 60 seconds into the recipe to find the link to the dip recipe ❤️
Phyl Kurysh says
Totally agree with you. If people are that darn lazy that they can’t look for themselves, then how in gods name are these people going to even make them? Geez settle down to the Karen’s and actually look and read the post! It’s all there. And I found the recipe for the dip easily. Click on it in the post and walla you got it! Does not take a rocket scientist!! Geez!!! Who are the rude ones here???
Sara says
Ranch dressing is the dip I am also going to put out hot honey
Peg Pahti says
If you take the time to actually read the post, you’ll find the link for the dip
Debbie says
Can you make the sauage balls the night before and cook them the next morning?
Deborah says
Yes u can
Brian says
Absolutely not
Cynthia O'Donnell says
These are so good. I add a little cayenne to the sausage balls and serve them with your sweet chili mayo and sour cream dipping sauce.
Don’t know if you are still looking for the 1 pound chub of sausage, but I did find it at Walmart in Calgary. It was in one of the center aisle freezers and was Maple Leaf brand.
Ashley says
I make these a lot. I never thought about the bagged cheese making them dryer. Now I know why sometimes they are dry and sometimes they are not 😊 Thanks! But sometimes if my mixture seems dry, or even just because I want to, I add a bit of cream cheese to it. I use regular breakfast sausage (very available here in Alabama) & season w a sprinkle of garlic powder & a generous shake of parsley.
LAS says
I want to use these at a brunch If I wanted to make ahead and freeze these would you bake first freeze then reheat in the oven or would you freeze them uncooked thaw and bake?
Melissa says
I’ve done it both ways. I just cook the ones I’m freezing a tad less so they don’t dry out when reheating if you choose to cook.
Brian says
I would freeze all the ingredients separately then thaw when ready, mix it all and bake.
Lillian Bas says
Wondering if you could cook these in the air fryer. I do meatballs (using 1/4 cup measure to make them) all the time in my air fryer and they come out beautifully in six minutes at 200C. I don’t even have to flip them.
Lori L Rhodes says
What is the dip you have in the picture with the Sausage Balls? Or what do you suggest?
Kimberly says
https://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/how-to-make-creamy-sweet-chili-sauce-dipping-sauce-fry-sauce/
The direct link is included in the post and is found under “Tips and Tricks” if you scroll down.
Hope this helps.
Cookie says
Lori, I found when I made them in the air fryer they turned out overcooked and dry, not good at all. I don’t remember the details about temperature and time, but I followed a recipe made for the air fryer for sausage balls. I went back to oven baked sausage balls!
Robin says
Karlynn, I’d use Johnsonville Ground Mild (or hot) loose Italian Sausage. It comes in 375 gram packages, which is almost, not quite a pound. It’s available in Canada. I often buy it. While it is in most stores, the loose meat is sometimes put in the frozen section to keep longer.
Anyway, these sound so good. Thank you.
Camille says
I loved the recipe! I added the milk and they were delicious.
Donna Fleming says
In my Mom’s recipe, she added 1/4 cup of Salsa instead of milk. Most of the Texans use Salsa.
adwoodard says
great idea! thanks for sharing!
Diane says
I made the sausage cheese balls using packaged shredded cheese and instead of milk I used about 4 heaping tablespoons of Ricotta cheese which added a sweetness to the recipe and I also took chives out of my garden and cut them in small rings about 4 tablespoons. These sausage balls were absolutely delicious, crusty brown on outside and soft and moist inside. Absolutely delicious.
Andrea says
I substituted diced bacon for the sausage, fresh diced chives and smoked paprika. Hands down one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! Perfect to make ahead and have as a quick breakfast throughout the week!
Michael says
My ex made these all the time. I haven’t had any in some years so I looked up a few recipes online and went with this one. I too used hot sausage so no need to add spices to get the heat. I don’t have a stand mixer, so I added a handful at a time of the grated cheese to the dry Bisquick and mixed until the cheese was well coated. Then added the sausage and mixed by hand. I’ll let the sausage come to room temperature next time. I did use the 1/4 cup of milk but will try the Worcestershire sauce next time. I wanted to cook them all (I got 30) at the same time so I lined a big pizza pan with foil. DON”T do that. They stuck to the foil and it was a pain to get the foil off the bottoms. The ones I cooked in a sheet pan turned out perfect with crispy bottoms. I wanted something I could take to work and reheat for breakfast so I froze a bunch.
Karlynn Johnston says
Awesome tips! Thank you for sharing!
Sandra Stanton-Parker says
Try using non stick foil. I believe in this stuff and also cookie baking sheets. Clean up is a snap and no problem with product cooking time.