by Holly
Sausage Balls are easy, cheesy and oh so delicious! With only 3 ingredients (sausage, biscuit mix and cheese), they’re a great addition to any party menu!
Like Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Smokies, these can be made ahead of time, require very little prep and are always one of the first things to go!
Ingredients for Sausage Balls
I love easy appetizers like Buffalo Chicken Dip and Rotel Dip. These easy sausage balls are the perfect tasty little morsels to add to your snack table.
You need just 3 ingredients:
Sausage I use regular sausage but you can use any kind in this recipe. A hot spicy Italian sausage is great too!
Cheese Sharp cheddar (like I use in pimento cheese) adds the best flavor. Shred your own cheese from a block instead of buying pre-shredded.
Biscuit Mix Biscuit mix is a mixture used to make homemade biscuits. If you don’t have biscuit mix, combine 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup shortening. Pulse mixture in a food processor until shortening is incorporated.
Bisquick sausage balls will definitely hit the mark! They’re crisp on the outside and tender on the inside with a cheesy goodness throughout.
How to Make Sausage Balls
Having only 3 ingredients, these sausage balls insanely easy to prepare!
- Combine biscuit mix, sausage and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Mix thoroughly (it can take a while for the mixture to seem moist and uniform).
- Roll into balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake and enjoy!
To Make Ahead of Time
Sausage balls can be prepared ahead of time. Simply mix and roll into balls, cover and refrigerate. Proceed with the baking as directed.
How Long To Cook Sausage Balls
- Fresh If you are baking the sausage balls when they are freshly made, they will take about 20 minutes in a 350˚F oven.
- Frozen When baking from frozen, add an additional 8-10 minutes to the cook time (30 minutes total).
If you are unsure, use a meat thermometer and bake until the internal temperature reads 165˚
Tips
- Use any kind of sausage, spicy Italian sausage will add a nice kick
- Use a scoop to make preparation easy
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese, shred your own for best results
- If your mixture seems dry, add a bit of milk to moisten
Variations
- add diced jalapenos to the mixture
- add cream cheese (4 oz) to the mixture
- add a packet of ranch dressing mix
- add a packet of taco seasoning (or homemade taco seasoning)
Dips
My absolute favorite dip for these Sausage Balls is found in the recipe below. The grainy dijon mustard provides just the right amount of zing to complement these tasty little appetizer balls! You can use any sauce you love!
Can you Freeze Sausage Balls?
Yes, these sausage cheese balls can definitely be frozen. Place them on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer them into a freezer bag. They will stay fresh in your freezer for up to 6 months – if your family doesn’t sneak them up before then!
More Make Ahead Appetizer Recipes
- 5 Minute Taco Dip – Easy!
- Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Ball
- Bacon Cheddar Dip
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
- Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Crisps
- Easy Shrimp Ceviche Recipe
Sausage Balls
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 48 balls
Course Appetizer
Cuisine AmericanIngredients
- 2 cups biscuit mix
- 6 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
Dip
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon grainy dijon mustard or regular dijon
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine all dip ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F
- Combine biscuit mix, cheese and ground sausage in a bowl. Mix thoroughly until mixture is moist and holds together.
- Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, form into balls.
- Place onto baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Enjoy seeing recepies that can be made on a budget
Thanks Karie! Hope you enjoy them!
How long is safe to leave the large ball in the refrigerator before baking into the smaller balls?
Raw sausage can be refrigerated 1-2 days before cooking.
I Ann a little hot sauce for some moisture and heat
I use cheese whiz in my sausage balls.
Under biscuit mix, there seems to be some content missing.
Sorry about that, I’ve updated it.
Everyone seems to rave about them. I found them to be gross. They are way to dry for us. Even with the dipping sauce it was dry. I can see this due to the bisquick. Oh well
Sorry to hear that Mm. We find these to be so yummy!
What is biscuit mix. Never herd of it in Australia. Is there an alternative?
Julie, biscuit mix, such as Bisquick, is a flour based mixutre that can be used to make various baked goods, including biscuits, pancakes and even crust for chicken pot pie. You can find a homemade bicuit mix here, and you can see biscuit mix by checking out these options on Amazon. Hope that helps!
Man, these are GOOD! I don’t know if I used too much Bisquick, but I had trouble mixing everything together. A couple of tablespoons of water solved that problem. The taste almost reminds me of biscuits and gravy.
Mmmm, biscuits and gravy! That sounds yummy Dyan! So happy you enjoyed them.
Do you serve them warm, or cold, or does it not matter?
I serve them warm, but I bet they would taste amazing room temperature!
What is biscuit mix, we don’t have this type of thing in the UK. Our biscuits are sweet not savoury
Biscuit mix, such as Bisquick, is a flour based mixutre that can be used to make various baked goods, including biscuits, pancakes and even crust for chicken pot pie. You can find a homemade bicuit mix here, and you can see biscuit mix by checking out these options on Amazon. Hope that helps Cheryl!
Hi Holly, I’m from Australia. What is this ‘biscuit mix’ please?
Sarah
Biscuit mix, such as Bisquick, is a flour based mixutre that can be used to make various baked goods, including biscuits, pancakes and even crust for chicken pot pie. You can find a homemade bicuit mix here, and you can see biscuit mix by checking out these options on Amazon. Hope that helps Sarah!
Hi Holly can I make these a day ahead and store them before cooking or do I need to freeze them? Thank you I enjoy your website and wonderful recipes! Happy holidays!
One day in the fridge should be okay, any longer and I would freeze them. Enjoy!
Mine went flat like cookies. Thoughts on what I did wrong? I followed the recipe.. I think. Lol
Did you use biscuit mix such as Bisquick and real cheddar cheese? Was your sausage raw?
I’m checking to see if there’s an error in amount of bisquick and cheese. I have made these since the 70’s and use 2 cup bisquick and 12oz cheese to one pound sausage.
The ratios in the recipe are the ratios I use. There are many variations of this recipe and it can certainly work well with different amounts.
Hi! Do you serve these warm in a crock pot?
I haven’t but it would work to keep them warm (if they were baked first).
I just made these sausage balls and they are indeed very tasty and look exactly like the photos. The only thing I have to say is that there was nothing to bind the three ingredients together! There was no way I could have formed balls out of just the cheese, bisquick and sausage, so I added about 2/3 cup of milk. Was the sausage supposed to be cooked before it was mixed with the other two ingredients?
The sausage should be raw. When you first start mixing the ingredients it’ll be a bit crumbly but once you work it a bit, it all comes together. I’ve added a video for your reference.
Best trick I’ve ever found for these is to use the dough hook on my mixer. Gets them right past the crumbly stage
Great tip Lynette!
Sounds amazing, but as someone that has to watch sodium, how many balls are a serving?
The nutritional information is per sausage ball.
Are you using a breakfast sausage like Bob Evans or Jimmy Dean, or Italian sausage? Just wondering because of the type of cheese you’re using. Cheddar/breakfast sausage or you could possibly do mozzarella/Italian sausage. Maybe a marinara sauce with the Italian version. Either way, I think it would be fantastic. Versatile for a brunch or a cocktail party. I’m always looking for new recipes like this one. Thank you!
You could mix and match any type of sausage/cheese with this recipe!
Sounds like a marinara sauce would also be tasty!
I agree Stacy! Yum!
Il sorry i do not kno what biscuit mix is.woukd toi post à posture please
Claire, this link will show you some biscuit mix. Hope that helps!
It is usually called bisquick, or other brands, in box where flour is, these are delicious.
I use Jimmy Dean Sausage, Country mild or hot, 1lb. , 1 lb. or 8 cups Colby/jack cheese, and 3 cup’s bisque looks, we love them, turns out perfect every time
Can these be frozen ahead of time? If so, do you freeze them before or after baking them?
You can freeze them before baking. Enjoy!
I first had these about 40 years ago. They were delicious then and delicious now. As an alternative to the ranch dip, try with a sweet chili sauce.
Yum! I’ll have to try the sweet chili sauce for sure!
These look AMAZING, and I’ve brought a pound of sausage out of the freezer to try them.
Have you tried browning them after baking either in a skillet or deep frying, for extra crispy goodness?
The texture is more biscuit-like inside as the biscuit mix absorbs the juices from the sausage. I haven’t tried browning them, but do find the come out pretty crispy. Let us know how it goes if you try it!!
They are great! Second time to serve them today. They seem to be crunchy to me.
They came out a little “squishy” when I made them; hard to pick up with the fingers…even after an extra 10 minutes in the oven. So I did deep fry them. Which made them extra crisp and certainly solved the problem of them being too soft to handle.
And they are super-tasty!
Glad you enjoyed them Erik!