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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
These cheesy Sausage Balls are a perfect appetizer to whip up for a Superbowl Party or holiday gathering. They’re easy to make and ready in under half an hour! Try adding them to your finger food line up this holiday season.
Try making your own Homemade Bisquick™ to use in this recipe. Add some Fried Pickles or Party Pinwheels to your appetizer buffet. For more ideas, check out these 10 Easy Holiday Appetizers Everyone Will Love.
Reader Review
I’ve made this recipe, as written, several times and they are so good.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This recipe is incredibly easy, especially if you make use of a stand mixer. Bonus: You don’t have to get many dishes dirty, so cleaning up afterward will be easy too.
- Total Time: These sausage balls will take you approximately 25 minutes to prep and bake. That’s almost as quick as frozen appetizers that you could find at the store.
- Variations: You can use a different type of ground meat, like ground chicken or turkey. Add some Italian Seasoning. Try a mild mozzarella, a zingy aged cheddar, or a Monterey Jack with hot peppers instead of regular cheddar cheese. There are so many options here. Try pairing these meatballs with a Chili Cheese Dip or some Sweet Chili Sauce if you like spice. Or make some Homemade Ranch Dressing if you like a mellower sauce for dipping.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a baking sheet, and a mixing bowl or stand mixer. Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat would be handy for keeping the balls from sticking to the pan. You might also like to have a cookie scoop on hand to make perfectly round meatballs.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Ground Pork Sausage: Plain, spicy, or seasoned. Use whatever you like best.
Bisquick: You can use brand name, generic, or homemade biscuit mix.
Shredded Cheese: A sharp, aged cheddar will give the most flavour, but you can use whatever you like best.
Chives: These are optional but delicious.
How To Make Sausage Balls
This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F.
- Mix the ingredients together and roll the mixture into 24 golf ball-sized balls. Space evenly on baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for making Sausage Balls
Make it Easier: If you have a stand mixer, try mixing your ingredients up in there. You’ll save yourself some work and get an evenly-mixed meatball mixture.
Make Your Own: Do you know how easy it is to make your own biscuit mix? Try this recipe for Homemade Bisquick™ and find out all the different ways you can use the mix.
Pairing Suggestions: Make some Tzatziki Sauce or Beer Cheese Sauce to dip these meatballs in. Try Cranberry Jalapeno Dip if you like a bit of heat. Serve these sausage balls with an assortment of other appetizers, or make with your favourite side dish for a whole meal.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: Cooked meatballs will be fine in the fridge for 3-4 days in a sealed container.
Freezer: Freeze uncooked meatballs spread out on a layer of parchment paper and then put in a freezer safe bag or container once firm. Defrost and cook as needed. Cooked meatballs can be frozen and reheated later on as well. They will probably hold together fine without freezing separately.
Safe Cooking Temperatures
Both Health Canada and the USDA recommend an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F). Use a meat thermometer to be sure.
More Delicious Bisquick Recipes
Biscuit mix is great for so many different things!
Try Bisquick™ Waffles , Blueberry Muffins, or Cinnamon Rolls for an easy breakfast.
Make some Bisquick Dumplings to add to your favourite soup.
For an easy dessert, check out this recipe for Bisquick™ Strawberry Shortcake.
Meat, cheese, and biscuit mix in ball form. How can you go wrong? Try making these sausage balls for your next party and let me know how they turn out.
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Sausage Balls Recipe (Classic Bisquick Sausage Balls)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 2 cups biscuit baking mix, (Bisquick)
- 1 tablespoon freeze dried chives, ( optional)
- ¼ 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!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Shelly says
I am trying this recipe out tomorrow morning, so thank you for the wonderful idea. As for the 1 lb sausage, I get mine at Metro, Safeway and sometimes Walmart. I live in Ontario , but I do not know if this is recent or not as I also shop across the border sometimes. But now I do go to those three stores to get it here in town.
Thank you again.
RCSGuy says
If you want to make these sausage balls healthier, replace typical biscuit flour with CarbQuik low carb flour. Then use hot turkey sausage instead of pork sausage. Also, as suggested only use cheddar cheese that you shred yourself. The shredded bagged cheese is waxy and lacks flavor.
Abby Thornton says
I’d like to have the dip for the cheese sausage balls please. Thank you.
Martha Hinkle says
Can these be mixed up and refrigerated and cooked the next day?
Carolyn Gibson says
I have made these at Christmas time or New Years for many years. I pulverize an onion and add some garlic powder to the ingredient list. The liquid from the onion is all the liquid I need, but if you need more, you could just add a tablespoon or two of water. The baked sausage balls will keep in the fridge for a few days, and they freeze very well. Just pop them into the microwave to reheat.
WitchyPoo says
I married a Canadian and lived in Toronto from 1999-2005. During that time you could buy Jimmy Dean pound chubs at Loblaws and NO Frills. I prefer Tennessee Pride sausage, but Jimmy Dean will do in a pinch. Also, here in the South (Tennessee) we brown the sausage before adding it to the mix. Keeps the balls from being too “greasy” tasting.
Stephanie Ryckman says
Are the nutrition facts per ball?
Renee says
Not sure what happened with mine but they did not stay in a ball shape but rather spread out. Who knows what I did!?!
Jan Holloway says
I had that problem the first time I made them years ago. Bottom line, you Probably had too much moisture. The mixture should be super dry before you bake it. It should barely come together, be very stiff, and may even have a few flakes of loose flour in the bottom of the bowl. Roll the balls very tightly, and basically the flour will soak up the moisture as they bake and not fall apart. Good luck!
Beth McGowan says
What is the dip??
Kenneth Hunter says
Please, just the recipe, not the crude jokes.
kimberly e hixson says
A favorite recipe of mine – to make it even easier I use sharp cheddar blocks melted in a double boiler, and added in with the other ingredients to my stand mixer. Makes this a virtually no prep recipe.
Wayne Tidd says
I’m curious about the 1 jar of cheese whiz. 1 whole jar with listed ingredient amounts or did they have to be increased? Has anyone added garlic powder to this recipe and if so, approx how much.
Elizabeth English says
Here’s my famous dip for almost anything, raw veggie platter, chips, shrimps, etc. : in a bowl mix half mayonnaise and half sour cream. Add a few shakes of white pepper, plenty of powdered curry, some celery seeds, chopped parsley, stir it all together, and it’s ready to go. Easy Peasy!
Lydia says
Just made a batch. Did 1.5 times the ingredient list as I wanted 36 sausage balls. I have just rolled up ball # 70. It’s true that I made them more like ping pong balls than golf balls, but I still consider them HUGE. Delicious otherwise as the first batch is now out of the oven, but I think you definitely need to change how many this recipe produces.
Jane says
Hey Karolyn, plan to make them for book club Sunday. I’m in Edmonton and I just bought a tube of frozen raw pork sausage at Safeway. (And my sister just abandoned ship here and moved to an ocean-front just north of Qualicum on Vancouver Island…. if this winter turns out like last one I may move in with her!?)
Taryn Sims says
I made these using 1/2 container of pimento cheese and 1/2 bag of cheddar cheese and a few green onions with the second batch
Elizabeth Ward says
Oh Tara!!!! I was so glad to see your comment. We were just sitting here wondering how they would be with pimento cheese!!! We have some in the fridge that needs to be used so will be trying that tomorrow. Thanks again for the suggestion. I made these on a regular basis “back in the day”. We always cooked for birthdays where I worked. For the men’s birthdays especially we would do breakfast. Sausage Balls were always a huge hit (along with breakfast casseroles and biscuits and gravy lol).
Betty Gorman says
Thank you for the tip to use the mixer to combine the ingredients? what a
Time saver!! We look forward to exploring your site for other tips and receipes?
Richard King says
What a about the dip Recipe?
amanda says
what about making them ahead of time for a party and popping them in the oven day of to reheat them ?
Sandi Reed says
Oh it’s been years since I made these. Making for New Years eve. Quick and easy. Using sage sausage and feta for the sharpness with mozzarella for the creamy-ness. I’ll let you know. Also adding g some Savory. Need something green in them. Suggestions?
Ron says
If I wanted to add frozen spinach into the batter, how much thawed & squeezed should I add?
sherrie stirsman says
I just made these and I added a package of dry ranch and a pinch of red pepper flakes and OMG! they are delicious too! thanks for the hint of adding milk, mine are not dried out!
Karlynn Johnston says
OH that sounds amazing! I am so glad that they worked out!
Posley says
If I mix up my ingredients for the sausage balls, can I cook some now and refrigerate the rest until later tonight?
Thank you
Daniel says
Cooked sausage balls freeze well. Also, shredded cheese is fine, just add more milk. Add the 1/4 cup first, mix, then add an extra half cup and finish mixing.
Sara says
You are absolutely hilarious. I thought I was just looking for a recipe that I wanted to cook on a Saturday morning. I read your facts about yourself and literally laughed to myself when I read ” I would rather burn my house down than have to clean it”. And I too have never met a cocktail that I didn’t like.
Karlynn Johnston says
Haha I am glad that you liked the facts! Cheers and Merry Christmas!
Kathleen Jory says
Thank you very much Karlynne and for your excellent suggestions using fresh grated cheese and little more milk. I will make these tomorrow for Friday gathering. I am going to try feta cheese in a batch for fun… although Feta is more dry….. Love your idea to move to Vancouver Island! We lived there and loved it. We now live in Salmon Arm and experienced the same summer~
Daisy says
I had these years ago and they were amazing so yesterday I told my guy about them and of course anything with sausage and cheese he’s all over it!!!!…..
as looking for dip recipes this morning I was thinking of a good breakfast gravy if you’re making these for your family on a Sunday morning
Sounds good to me…. any thoughts on that
Telisa Dyer says
If you’d like to have fresh smoked country sausage. You can order online at Rice’s country hams in Mt Juliet TN. Their sausage is to die for.
Tell them Telisa Dyer sent you ?
Doris Brenneman says
Woke up in the middle of the night, thinking I need one more item to serve at our Christmas get together. Sausage balls made with Bisquick and cheese popped into my head. Being years since I made them, I wasn’t sure if I still had the recipe. Thanks to your site, l found the recipe!
Dana M Joyner says
Your first paragraph had me cracking up! I’m glad I’m not the only one who giggles a bit on the inside when this recipe is mentioned. Thank you!
Karlynn Johnston says
Haha thanks!!
Jody Davis says
I have always done mine with cheeze whiz. It will help with the dryness. It had been to many years since I made mine that I had to look for a recipe to remember how much of everything. I came across yours, which now I remember mine, it is the same but with the cheese whiz. I use one jar of the cheese. Thank you.
Joe Hall says
First time making these with Cheese Whiz… I think we have a winner! Thanks again for the suggestion. I also chop some fresh chives into the mixture before rolling up the balls.
Suzin says
These look delicious. I’ve been looking for a Christmas Day appetizer. Thanks!
Kim says
Hi. Read your recipe here few weeks ago and it made me remember eating these long ago. I decided to buy some bisquick and make some. I looked up the original bisquick recipe and thought I’d let you know that it calls for 1/2c of milk. I thought this may be why you are having ‘dryness’ issues. But it also calls for 3c of bisquick where you use 2. They also claim they should be 1” balls which is kind of small. Anyway I thought you may want to consider adding more milk it would be justified.
Earlyne Wiebe says
Love your recipes. Will try these sausage balls next time friends come over. BTW, don’t move to Vancouver. Or Victoria. It snows there too seriously.
Karlynn Johnston says
Thanks Earlyne! I’d love to move by the ocean one day, snow or not….. I love the ocean!
Dana M Joyner says
Here in NC it’s going to be in the 70s tomorrow (December 2nd). Doesn’t feel wintery at all! I loved being up north but I know snow can be a hassle. XOXO STAY WARM! : )
Steve Willocks says
These are excellent dipped in Siracha.
Kevin Sean Casement says
Great timing. Have almost a whole box of Bisquick to use up from the trailer too. These sound delicious. I make my own ground pork sausage (different varieties but all variations on pizza style Italian sausage) so will likely use that. The creamy Thai chili dip sounds great as well. Will give it a try.