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These biscuit mix cheesy sausage balls are a holiday staple as an appetizer and grace many a table for holiday breakfasts! Only three ingredients are needed to 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. 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 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. 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 on 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 swear I’m moving to Vancouver Island. I can’t take this anymore.
I went on 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 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 a 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 it being doubled and you having four 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 balls. I don’t guarantee that they will 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 might also have to add 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!
If you want a good side to go with this recipe, why not try my favourite, excellent Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Smokies?
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
Sausage Balls Recipe (Classic Bisquick Sausage Balls)
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Course
- Appetizer
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 24 sausage balls
- Calories
- 176
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
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!
Recipe Video
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.
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Roberta Hite says
Okay, but needed zip. Also needed to spray baking sheet before putting them there.
Leslie says
I like to brown my sausage so there’s small bits of sausage bites in the balls.
Ana Earl says
Sausage Balls is yummy!
Bethany says
A wonderful bite of nostalgia! Definitely add the milk. It makes a huge difference. I didn’t have chives, so I added pepper and garlic. Delicious!
Scott C says
I put a 1/4cup of parmesan.
Debera Owen says
Thank you for the base recipe. I had not heard about the milk before. Makes a world of difference! Thank You! I diced red bell pepper and chives in and it was so pretty!! For Christmas morning!
Bob Vitale says
Making these tonight for a Brown’s game. I added the 1/4 C of milk for the consistincy of a meatball. It made all the difference. I would add it to the recipe. I can get the 1lb package of any brand you need, here in the States. Thanks for your time, I love people like you.
Scotty says
I use hot sausage 2 cups fancy shredded cheese out of bag add 2 tablespoons diced jalapeños not juice 1.5 cups bisquick and just enough water to form balls.
Mary says
I make these with ground venison, so I definitely add the milk. They come out great every time!
Kathy Hicks says
I’m putting everything bagel seasoning in mine for a Woman’s club meeting in February. Sharing the love
Dana says
176 calories per ball? Thank you
Tammy says
These sausage balls are awesome dipped in hot pepper jelly.
MamaBee says
That’s also how we love them!! Crawfish pepper jelly is our favorite!
Jackie says
Sounds wonderful. I’m just wondering how cream cheese and paprika would taste in these?
Nathan says
Greetings. I believe you are quite possibly thinking of meatballs heated in grape jelly and chili sauce. There are a number of variations on the recipe, but it’s almost always grape jelly combined with something savory. I plan on doing a batch of those after I make the sausage balls with some Italian style meatballs I picked up for exactly that purpose.
Nathan says
This was in reply to Kelly who who asked about adding grape jelly or any other jelly…
Karlynn Johnston says
Hey, this is the original recipe, the new one has spices added to it. So if people are looking for the original 1950’s flavor, this is it. You can totally add spices!
Jane says
I’ve found that using all natural ir low sugar jelly not sugar free with Splenda because some people it’s like a laxative makes the dish better. It’s just too sweet with regular jelly for me. Also maybe because I’m diabetic and some others are too but everyone like it better too!
Valerie Burch says
YES! This recipe uses the ingredients my mom always used since I was young (I’m now 70), only we called it the 1-2-3 recipe. 1 pound sausage, 2 cups shredded cheese (16 oz), 3 cups Bisquick. Love making the dough in the mixer! We never did that! I’m getting ready to put them in the oven now. Can’t wait!!
Paula says
Hi Karlynn. I’m a little late to the party but you said that you couldn’t find sausage in bulk 1lb packages in Canada. I live in Ontario so it could be a regional thing. (When I first moved to Ottawa from Southern Ontario you couldn’t get Lay’s Potato chips or Vernors gingerale.) My Mum, myself and pretty much everyone I know, have always used Maple Leaf Natural Sausage. It comes in a “tube” shape and is found in the frozen food section. I have purchased it at Walmart and Metro although I imagine any large franchise grocer should carry it if available in your region. This is also what we use in our cabbage roll and turkey stuffing recipes. Hope this helps. Paula
Gaye says
You left out the spices – rosemary, parsley and Parmesan. I made these for Thanksgiving and no one liked because they were so bland.
The original recipe is on Bettycrocker.com.
Karlynn Johnston says
Hey, this IS the original recipe, the new one has spices added to it. So if people are looking for the original 1950’s flavor, this is it.
Matt says
Gaye, you left out spices.
Alissa Catalano says
Question- is it bad to make ahead and reheat in morning? Or would it be better to make the mix ahead and then bake in morning. We have to be somewhere by 11:30 so it’s just going to add a lot of stress to my morning if I do it all then. Thanks for any advice.
Judy says
I would make ahead. No need to reheat…. just as good at room temp.
Jane says
I make mine on Christmas Eve for Christmas morning breakfast along with homemade Chex mix. It became a tradition when my kids were little because they wouldn’t eat breakfast Christmas morning. They best in the microwave easily and are great! I made some using 4x the recipe last year for 5 people and they were gone in 3 days! Easy breakfast for kids busy with Christmas presents lol.
Shannon says
So can you make the balls and then pop them in the oven the next day? Did you try that?
Debera Q Jackson says
Definitely can do the night before and pop them in in the morning. I let them rest on the counter to warm up first, makes a bit fluffier that way.
Bamalady says
Absolutely the best! I did add chives to the second batch and is awesome. I did another batch using turkey sausage w/taco seasoning, added green scallions and a couple dashes of cayenne. This too was an exceptionally good!!
Diane S says
I’m making these for the office tomorrow morning. We aren’t having an organized official Thanksgiving luncheon but a few of us are bringing finger foods and cookies to munch on during the day. I had this recipe somewhere but lost it over the years. Thanks for sharing!!
joanne says
made these sausage balls and followed directions but they stuck to the pan I had to scrape them out any suggestions
Doreen says
I always bake mine on parchment paper, no sticking
Mark A Ridley says
I use pam spray. I go pretty heavy on it because I like my bottoms to be crisp. It almost fries the bottom a bit. If you dont like that, lightly spray about 10 minutes before putting the balls on. Hope this helps.
danny says
what is the ingredients for the dip for the sausage balls.
Heather says
We just made a batch of your sausage ball recipe and it turned out perfect!! We made these all the time growing up & I have been craving them, so wanted to try a different recipe. Yours is similar, I did try adding the milk which made a huge difference!!! They are nice and fluffy inside and not so doughy. Thanks again! Yummy!
DeAnne Barber says
Several people have asked for dip recipes.
Our family favorite is Jezebel Sauce.
1 (16 oz) jar pineapple preserves
1 (16 oz) jar apple jelly
1 small jar prepared mustard
1 (5 oz) jar Horseradish
Start with 1/2 jar of horseradish and then add more if you like it more hot.
This is a great sauce for ham and turkey as well.
My family also loves to use it to dip “Pigs in a Blanket”
Deb says
I couldn’t agree more! No preshredded cheese and definitely add milk for moisture and snips of fresh chives. Absolutely delicious!
Terri Peacock says
These are the bomb!!! I tried to cut corners once and used bagged cheese and in my opinion they aren’t near as good. I use my stand mixer attachment to shred my cheese and it is definitely worth the few extra minutes.
Scottie says
Have you ever tried making them with the Red Lobster Cheddar Muffin Mix instead of Bisquick?
Linda says
Has anyone? Sounds delicious.
Sarah says
Just wanted to address the recipe and the comments since I’m waiting for my balls to bake lol! I’ve been making these for years and have never had a problem with prebagged shredded cheese. I’m pretty blown away at the suggestion to not use it. Please save your arms and time and just buy a bag (or two) of shredded cheese! I’ve only shredded it myself once – and there was no difference. To the person who asked in the comments if you cook the sausage first or leave raw – you leave it raw! It would never mix together otherwise. I’ve used egg(s) for moisture as well instead of milk! Cream cheese too. I also agree with whoever said 2 cups is too much of the bisquick – any recipe I see for sausage balls always calls for that much and I always cut it down – I want a sausage ball, not a biscuit ball! I always make 2 pounds of sausage and only use 3 cups of the mix. Any brand of a baking mix will work to the person who inquired about that as well! I’m using Pioneer as I type this. I know it’s going to seem like I’m pooping on this recipe, but I’m not! Just learned tweaks over the 20+ years I’ve been taking these to parties/events!
Barbara Baker says
Great recipe! Though, like you I prefer to use the pre-shredded cheese, bought in a jumbo bag, and then simply add a few more drops of milk, if needed. And I much prefer Pioneer over Bisquick. I’m sure most people appreciate your learned tweaks you’ve garnered over the years.
Kelly York says
Hi Sarah! I also have not had a problem with bagged cheese. I was wondering if you have ever heard of adding grape jelly? Or any jelly. I remember eating some years ago with grape jelly and the sweet/savory taste was delicious! Your thoughts?
Jackie says
how much bisquick would i use for this recipe? 1 cup?
JennyK says
I thought these were too Bisquicky. I would definitely make these again but reduce the amount of Bisquick to 1-1 1/2 cups. Otherwise, great simple fast appetizer and my guests liked them!
Marcy says
For the grape jelly question, I think u have these mixed up with another recipe usually served in a crock pot and are quite saucy. They usually consist of a bag of beef meatballs with grape jelly and chili sauce. Both are good appetizers but completely different flavor.
Steve says
What is the sauce that you dip the sausage balls in?
L Doug says
Is the sausage cooked before mixing or do you leave it raw?
Christy Rainey says
Raw
Heather says
I have the store brand baking mix here at the house, can I substitute that for the bisquik?
Karlynn Johnston says
If it’s literally the same as Bisquick you can substitute it no problem!
Heather Jordan says
Awesome! Thank u so much, making it now!😁
Gina R says
What is the dip you are using for the sausage balls?
Darlene B. Williams says
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Thai sweet red Chile sauce
Mike VanSant says
should the sausage be browned in a skillet before or do you add raw sausage to the batter before cooking?
Trista Brophy says
You mix it in raw and it cooks during the baking process.
Rosemary says
Any recipe for dips?
Michael Hein says
Very surprised by the high ratings. Made these for Friendsgiving, followed directions and found them to be quite bland and dry. Probably won’t make again, but would reduce the amount of Bisquick(biggest fans of this recipe) and add SOMETHING perhaps deseeded jalapeños, garlic or onions.
Darlene B. Williams says
I always use hot sausage and u can add other spices as well.
Trish says
Michael, I agree with you. 😊 I followed the exact recipe and the sausage balls were very bland and dry. I also made a dipping sauce, so they tasted a little better.
LeAnn says
Is that pork breakfast sausage or pork Italian sausage?
Trista Brophy says
You can use any type of sausage! Use breakfast or maple of you want a breakfast ball, or use Italian, sage, spicy, etc if you want this as an appetizer, side dish, or party food.