Sausage balls are an easy-to-make, poppable, snackable, loveable recipe.

Pork sausage, biscuit mix, cheddar cheese, and milk meld together, then bake to a golden perfection.

tasty Sausage Balls with dip

You’ll Love This Easy Appetizer Because…

  • It’s a super easy recipe—3 ingredients and 3 steps.
  • Cheesy bisquick sausage balls can be prepped and frozen, or baked then cooled and frozen for easy entertaining.
  • Mix and match the cheeses and add zesty seasonings to create a new recipe every time.
pork , cheese , milk and biscuit mix with labels to make Sausage Balls

Ingredients for Sausage Balls

Sausage: You can use either breakfast sausage or mild or hot Italian sausage. Just like sausage rolls, this recipe also works with turkey sausage.

Biscuit Mix: Bisquick is ready-made, but a store-brand baking mix works too. If you don’t have any, make a homemade biscuit mix recipe!

Cheese: I love using sharp cheddar cheese as it has lots of flavor. Shred your own or use pre-shredded to make it quick.

Variations

  • Swap the cheddar for Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or a Mexican blend.
  • Add diced jalapenos or a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little bit of heat.
  • Use ground chicken or turkey instead.

How to Make Sausage Balls

  1. Combine biscuit mix, cheese, and ground sausage in a bowl (recipe below).
  2. Scoop it into balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Bake until golden brown.

Prep Ahead & Storage

  • Place uncooked sausage balls on a baking tray and cover with plastic wrap for up to 2 days or store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
  • If baking from frozen, add an additional 8 minutes to the cooking time.
  • Leftover sausage balls can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
close up of plated Sausage Balls

Delish Dipping Sauces

Every great appetizer needs a great dipping sauce! Serve these sausage balls with any of the folllowing:

Did you make these Sausage Balls? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below.

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
dipping Sausage Balls in sauce
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Sausage Balls

These sausage balls have a cheesy, savory flavor and the perfect bite-sized shape!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 48 balls
Author Holly Nilsson
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Ingredients  

  • 2 cups biscuit mix such as Bisquick
  • 1 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 pound ground pork sausage or Italian sausage
  • up to ¼ cup milk as needed

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine biscuit mix, cheese, and ground sausage. Mix thoroughly until the mixture holds together, adding up to ¼ cup of milk as needed.
  • Using a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop 1 tablespoon of sausage and roll it into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake the sausage balls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Video

Notes

If you don’t have biscuit mix, combine 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and ⅓ cup shortening. Pulse the mixture in a food processor until shortening is incorporated.
Do not use lean sausage for this recipe.
4.92 from 60 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 113 | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 45mg | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Appetizer, Pork
Cuisine American
Sausage Balls with one on a fork with dip and a title
savory Sausage Balls with a title
plated Sausage Balls with dip and writing
Sausage Balls cooked on a sheet pan and plated with dip with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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4.92 from 60 votes (51 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 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 well2 stars

  2. 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.

  3. 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!

  4. 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.

    1. 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.

  5. 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? 3 stars

    1. 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.

    2. Best trick I’ve ever found for these is to use the dough hook on my mixer. Gets them right past the crumbly stage5 stars

  6. 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!5 stars

      1. 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

  7. 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.5 stars

  8. 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?

    1. 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!!

      1. 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!5 stars