These easy sausage cheese balls are the perfect appetizer, they’re packed full of savory flavor! Try serving Bisquick sausage balls at your next party!
I like to make hearty appetizers to feed a crowd such as pigs in a blanket, bacon wrapped smokies and these sausage balls.
We’re heading into holiday party season and I wanted to add more appetizer recipes. I wanted something that incorporated the flavors of cheese like in my beer cheese dip and meat like my cranberry meatballs. So I made these easy sausage cheese balls. You can use this easy recipe to serve a crowd. These Bisquick sausage balls will be the first thing to disappear off the food table, they’re that good!
These meatballs are perfect for holiday appetizers or for game day. For more ideas, check out my favorite game day recipes and Christmas appetizer recipes like homemade Chex mix, jalapeno popper dip, bacon ranch dip or bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers.
Sausage Cheese Ball Ingredients
To make sausage cheese balls you will need pork sausage, Bisquick baking mix, cheddar cheese, onion, garlic powder, milk, black pepper and parsley.
How Do You Make Sausage Cheese Balls?
To make this sausage cheese balls recipe first place pork sausage, biscuit mix, shredded cheddar cheese, diced onion, garlic powder, milk and black pepper in a large bowl. Next, stir everything together. Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls. Then place the uncooked sausage balls on a sheet pan or baking sheet and bake them until browned. Remove them from the oven and sprinkle them with parsley. Serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Sausage Balls
- You can stir the ingredients together by hand or use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- I like to use a tablespoon measuring spoon or a cookie scoop to get the same amount of mixture for every ball. You want all your sausage balls to be about the same size so they cook through at the same time.
- Make sure to use a rimmed baking sheet or sheet pan so that any dripping grease doesn’t go into your oven.
- You can place a wire rack on your sheet pan to help the bottom of the sausage cheese balls to get crispier.
- I recommend shredding your own cheese. The pre-shredded cheeses often have anti-caking agents and the cheeses don’t melt well.
- Feel free to place aluminum foil on your sheet pan for easier clean up.
- You can double this recipe and make more batches of the sausage balls.
Quick Tip
This recipe is made with pork breakfast sausage, it comes in rolls near the bacon at the grocery store.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, like any meat dish, you should refrigerate these meatballs after you cook them.
If you want to make a meal of these sausage cheese balls, they pair well with garlic mashed potatoes and candied carrots.
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Flavor Variations
These sausage balls are fantastic as-is; however, you can modify them to suit your own taste.
- Sauce: Sausage balls go great with dipping sauces like honey mustard sauce, homemade BBQ sauce, bacon ranch dip and my fry sauce.
- Turkey: You could use a turkey breakfast sausage for this dish for a lighter appetizer.
- Cheese: You could substitute all or half of the cheddar cheese with other cheeses. Try mozzarella, Monterey Jack cheese or similar mild cheeses that melt well. You could also add in some parmesan cheese shreds.
- Spicy: If you like a spicy meatball, feel free to use hot pork sausage or add a little cayenne pepper. You could also make the regular recipe with pepper jack cheese. You can add a little minced jalapeno into the mixture as another source of heat.
- Sweet: For a sweeter cheesy meatball, add 1/4 cup maple syrup to the mixture and omit the onion and garlic powder.
You can enjoy these meatballs as snacks, appetizers or even a main course. These sausage cheese balls are definitely going on my holiday appetizer menu, you can’t stop at just one!
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Sausage Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 2 16 ounce rolls pork sausage such as Jimmy Dean
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose baking mix such as Bisquick
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup grated onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Optional garnish: chopped parsley
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Place the sausage, baking mix, cheese, onion, garlic powder, milk and black pepper in a bowl; stir until thoroughly combined. A stand mixers works great for this!
- Roll the meat mixture into 1 inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with parsley if desired and serve.
Notes
- This recipe is made with pork breakfast sausage, it comes in rolls near the bacon at the grocery store.
- You can stir the ingredients together by hand or use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Make sure to use a rimmed baking sheet or sheet pan so that any dripping grease doesn’t go into your oven.
I love these sausage appetizers! I am actually making them on New years eve.
These sausage balls were a nice change from regular meatballs. My family loved them so I am sure I’ll be making them again!
Any dipping sauce suggestions?
I serve these with my honey mustard sauce! https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/honey-mustard-sauce/
Do you think these could be made in the air Fryer? If so, how? Haha
Yes cook at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes!
Is the pork sausage you used a sage or Italian style?
I use the sage breakfast style sausage but either will work!
Hi! Can you prepare these the night before and bake them the next day?
Yes that’s fine!
Do you serve them warm or cold?
These are best served warm!
I don’t eat Pork, but do you think it would work with Turkey Sausage?
Yes that should be fine!
Can I use complete pancake milk instead of bisquick , I don’t have that?
I haven’t tried it but I think it could work!
I rarely have garlic powder. May I use fresh garlic?
Yes that’s fine!
These are so yummy I now always double the recipe so I get some too!
Will definitely make these again. They were gobbled up on Father’s Day and I regret not sneaking more of them!
My family loves these cheesy meatballs!
These are the best ever! When I make them they do t last long!
We will be making these again and again! Loved how easy it was!
These look so crispy and delicious! The perfect summer appetizer
My husband loves these and wants them for New Years Day TV watching!
Great recipe. I make this often for Potlucks. I do add some chopped celery
Delicious! I made these and I’m taking them to the teachers’ Christmas party! If I can stop “tasting them!”
I am wondering if these could be rolled ahead and frozen before baking?
I’d probably bake them first, then freeze, thaw and warm back up!
Yes they can. I just did it. Much easier if you mix baking mix thoroughly into sausage before adding cheese. I use 1 lb sausage to 2 cups baking mix and 1 C sharp cheddar. Roll to walnut size. Baked for 25 min.
Thank you!
great recipe, like the meatball concept. This recipe is exactly what I pack in my stuffed mushrooms. Precook meat with onion and mushroom stems then mix with the rest and stuff in mushroom caps and bake at 400 10-15 minutes. next time I am cooking into meatballs!! Thanks for the idea