This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.
These biscuit mix cheesy sausage balls are a holiday staple as an appetizer and also grace many a table for holiday breakfasts as well! Only three ingredients and you have a delicious snack or side dish. Can you tell that I have a box of Bisquick® to use up? These Bisquick® Sausage Balls are a classic recipe and are so easy and delicious to make! If you are looking for another recipe, try my Bisquick® Quiche Recipe, it’s another classic!
Quick & Easy Sausage Balls Recipe
OK, I’m not grown up at all, I keep snickering over the name of this recipe, I admit it. I have the mind of a 14 year old boy – my son is probably more mature than I am, let’s face it. That said, while I may snort over the name of this recipe, sausage balls are delicious.
After that last sentence I give up, I can’t even write seriously about this recipe. Mike and I have spent the whole day making dirty jokes while I was making these sausage balls.That’s what happens when you are stuck together working as a team, you feed off each other, even when it means you’re acting immature.
Let’s get serious about those sausage balls now.
This is a classic Bisquick® recipe that is extremely popular around the holidays and with the holidays coming up I thought it was high time I gave these a try, not to mention I have a box of Bisquick® that I was supposed to take out to the trailer at the lake – and I need to use it up before it goes stale. We totally were screwed out of a decent August here in Alberta, between the fires in BC smoking up the air Calgary and Edmonton and the weather generally being weirdly hot and cold, we made it out to the lake ONCE – and we stayed inside the trailer the entire time. It was so smoky we couldn’t see the lake.
This is also my backyard this recent September 13th. I am NOT making this up, my friends. I feel totally ripped off this summer between the smoke and the SNOW (it’s actually still summer until September 22nd).
I live where it snows in the summer. I’m moving to Vancouver Island, I swear. I can’t take this anymore.
Onward to the baking that I did when it was snowing in summer. These sausage balls are the kind of food that one should start baking in the winter, rich, decadent comforting carb loaded goodness. The recipe makes a perfect 24 golf ball sized sausage balls and they will fit on a large baking sheet together perfectly, as you can see below. 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?
You are going to need the raw, ground pork sausage for the traditional sausage balls recipe however the sky is really the limit. You can use a mild Italian sausage, a maple syrup sweet breakfast sausage or even a hot spiced sausage, the only caveat is that it HAS to be ground sausage. It cannot be a cooked smoked sausage.
My kitchen hack?
Use your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Using your mixer to make these sausage balls made this recipe SO EASY that I can see this recipe being doubled and you having 4 dozen sausage ball snacks in no time at all! I also think it does a better job of working the ingredients together than mixing them by hand would. You then simply get a tablespoon and get your golf ball sized dough balls ready to rock!
The other secret to these is not dropping them onto the sheet, you can roll them into nice uniform shaped balls. I don’t guarantee that they are going to stay that shape as the pork fat and cheese fat will melt and change the shape of these, but mine came out pretty darn uniform.
Karlynn’s Tips & Tricks for Making Sausage Balls
- Don’t use 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.
- You can definitely change up the type of cheese to whatever flavor you prefer, but a sharp old cheddar is delicious!
- If the batter seems dry, add in a 1/4 cup of milk.
- If your sausage isn’t that greasy, you also might have to add in milk.
- Here in Canada we don’t usually get the 1lb packs of spiced ground pork sausage (if we do, please let me know where, I have been looking!) and I simply took breakfast sausages out of their casings and used that instead. That seemed to be a little dryer than it should be, so I added in 2 tbsp of milk to help. I would add in the 1/4 cup next time for sure.
- Add in some spices like cayenne if you want – I LOVED mine with the chives! I would use fresh minced green onion in my next batch for sure.These are easy to customize.
And that dip? It’s my new Creamy Sweet Chili Sauce and it is my new favorite dip! You can literally use that on anything, chicken wings, salad, veggies and more. It was awesome with these sausage balls!
Stay tuned for more Bisquick® recipes in the next week or two, I still have a ton left that I need to use up! And that’s before the one at the trailer comes home this weekend, since we have to pack up the trailer at the lake way early this year. Sigh. Maybe we will get an early nice spring?
Happy Baking!
Love,
Karlynn
PIN THIS RECIPE to your Appetizers Board and Remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!
Thanks to ads on this website, readers of The Kitchen Magpie are now sponsoring 2 families a month through the Edmonton Food Bank. Learn how you can help here.
Learn to cook like the Kitchen Magpie
Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky
A Modern Baker’s Guide to Old-Fashioned Desserts
The Prairie Table
Suppers, Potlucks & Socials: Crowd-Pleasing Recipes to Bring People Together
Subscribe to The Kitchen Magpie on YouTube
One click and you'll get notified of new videos added to our YouTube account!
Sausage Balls Recipe (Classic Bisquick Sausage Balls)
These biscuit mix (Bisquick ) cheesy sausage balls are a holiday staple as an appetizer and also grace many a table for holiday breakfasts as well! Only three ingredients and you have a delicious snack or side.
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Course
- Appetizer
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 24
- Calories
- 176
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 2 cups biscuit baking mix
- 1 tablespoon freeze dried chives ( optional)
- 1/4 cup milk (if needed)
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 350 °F.
-
In a large bowl, combine the ground sausage, biscuit baking mix and shredded cheese.
-
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!
Recipe Notes
Tips & Tricks
- Don't use 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.
- You can definitely change up the type of cheese to whatever flavor you prefer, but a sharp old cheddar is delicious!
- If the batter seems dry, add in a 1/4 cup of milk.
- If your sausage isn't that greasy, you also might have to add in milk.
- Here in Canada we don't usually get the 1lb packs of spiced ground pork sausage (if we do, please let me know where, I have been looking!) and I simply took breakfast sausages out of their casings and used that instead. That seemed to be a little dryer than it should be, so I added in 2 tbsp of milk to help. I would add in the 1/4 cup next time for sure.
- Add in some spices like cayenne if you want - I LOVED mine with the chives! I would use fresh minced green onion in my next batch for sure.These are easy to customize.
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Made this recipe?
Share a photo of what you made on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thekitchenmagpie or hashtag it #thekitchenmagpie.
Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
Denise Flournoy says
Perfect, easy, and deliciious just follow the recipe. I did not add or change a thing. Just mixed by hand and they do freeze well.
Brenda says
Try them with green chilis or finally chopped sweet peppers.
David Skelton says
LOVE these!!! My mom used to make these only at Christmas time, and now I’m making them every 2 weeks!!
Molly says
What dip(s) do you serve these with? Can’t wait to try them!!
Thelma says
LOL
GT says
I may have finally found the excuse I have been needing to justify buying that Kitchen Aide mixer i have been wanting! I love these but cannot say the thought of hand mixing them excites me… LOL
Brenda says
Use disposable gloves. Cleanup is much easier.
Eddie says
I have them in the oven right now,they are smelling so yummy🌺
Sam says
I made these today. When i had gone to the store, I thought they needed 8oz of cheese, but realized it was a pound. I was making two batches at once. I used pepper jack for one pound, mild cheddar for 8 oz and mozzarella for the other 8 oz. I also threw in 4 oz of goat cheese that kind of tasted like feta. They were really good. The last time I made them, I tried different cheeses. One with sharp cheddar, one with Pepper Jack, and one with cream cheese also. My family chose the pepper jack unanimously. (I am the only one who eats pepper jack around here by the way.) They were all surprised that they chose that one, but they did.
Sherry says
Great ideas…I am baking some now with different cheeses.
C.H. says
This, by far, is the easiest, best tasting sausage ball recipe I’ve ever had. So simple. I did add the milk which I think makes the difference in how moist they are and how moist they stay! Thanks for sharing…looking forward to trying these with a variety of spices.
Sue says
These look super, I will be trying them for our family zoom Christmas Eve “party”
We sure do have raw, sausage meat available here in Alberta, Maple Leaf Natural Sausage Meat is available in the meat freezer at Sobeys, Save On, Superstore, Co Op…. It is breakfast sausage without the casings. It is packed in a plastic tube. A staple in my kitchen.
Claire says
These sound so yummy, I’ll have to try them!
As for the sausage, if I plan ahead I go to the Farmer’s Market and pick up some flavoured ground meat there. Little pricey, but delicious.. Otherwise I’ve started taking the DIY approach. 1 lb of ground pork, sausage seasonings (lots of recipes out there, mine is usually a generous amount of poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and some fennel, maybe more sage if you like that). Use anywhere you’d use sausage meat. I’ve also done this with ground chicken/turkey for a lighter option. I might try to make it with that!
Katherine says
These are great! And adding chopped green onion made these super-great.
S. Weber says
Only used half pound of shredded cheese and had no issues. I live in Canada and had no issues finding ground sausage tubes in the freezer section of my grocer. Had to add a couple sausages minus casings to add up to a pound of meat. Flavoured with onion salt and the chives and these are so amazing. Will make every year now for Christmas
Jordan says
Very good! I’ve tried several different recipes and this is the best!!
Sandy Rosenberg says
These are delicious! Any tips on how to keep the shape?
Bree says
Put your mix in the fridge for about 30 min before forming balls – fats from sausage and cheese will harden, making the shape easier to keep. Work fast and with a melon baller (or some such kitchen tool, place on cookie tray that has been lined with parchment paper – get it in the pre-heated oven quick. The outside will cook quickly and hold the shape.
Sheri says
When mine go flat, friends call them sausage cookies. Not a bad name!
Kelley Horner says
How does it freeze? Would I be able to freeze the dough prior to cooking it
Steve Smith says
Made it with homemade venison/pork sausage. Added a touch extra milk. Just two of us so I divided and froze about 1.5 lbs. Delicious. Going to try a couple different dipping sauces next time.
bree says
Alt recipe calls for cream cheese for moisture. Might try it with a 1/4 c cream cheese instead of milk.
Michelle says
Can you make these a day ahead?
Karlynn says
They are best made the day you eat them, texture and moisture-wise!
timothy says
if you can’t find “hot sausage” you can always try looking on amazon
Jeanne Thompson says
OMG! That tip about using the mixer is a game changer! Thanks!
Kathy says
I use sweet Italian sausage when I make mine
JoJo says
I’ve made these several times since last thanksgiving and they are always a hit! I add hot sausage, and the green onions so delicious
Serve with sausage gravy
Very welcome each time and everyone’s request
C. says
I cooked my sausage and microwave the cheese. I add cooked sausage and melted cheese to dry mix. They keep the ball shape. It can be frozen after baking.