Easy Holiday Sausage Balls

You’ll love these delicious 4-ingredient easy holiday sausage balls! Based on the original sausage ball recipe by the Bisquick company, these little pops of savory are perfect for a quick and easy holiday appetizer! Serve them by themselves or with savory cheddar cheese wafers!

Some folks call these “3-2-1” Sausage balls because of the original recipe which calls for 3 cups Bisquick, 2 cups cheese and 1 pound of sausage. This recipe is similar, only I add a little ground pepper.

These savory appetizers are a perfect complement to your appetizer cheeseboard, tailgate party or as a breakfast snack! Make a batch of these and serve them on New Year’s Eve (the protein will assist in making sure everyone gets home safely!)  Roll your cheeseballs into one or two-bite size, or make some ahead and pop them in the oven if unexpected company shows up!

What Kind of Sausage Do I Use?

Any ground sausage works great for these two-bite appetizers! This recipe calls for sage-seasoned ground pork; however, you can use plain, hot, or sweet ground Italian sausage. If you want a sage flavor, but cannot find sage sausage, add ¼ teaspoon of ground sage to the baking mix.

Ingredients for Sausage Balls

Holiday sausage balls require four simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen:

• Bisquick Baking Mix
• Sausage (ground with sage, plain ground, or ground italian sausage: hot, sweet or mild)
• Cheddar Cheese
• Ground pepper

At first glance, you’ll notice there’s no egg in the recipe, which seems odd because it is a binding agent in many recipes. But the oil from the cheese and sausage work in tandem with the baking mix and the result is a semi-crunchy, cheesy ball of delicious!

How to Make 

The easiest way to make sausage balls is to dump all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse it until well blended. The sausage takes a while to separate, so be patient for about 5 minutes. After that, simply scoop out a tablespoon or two, smash it into your palm and squeeze. You’ll feel the mixture soften and when that happens, shape it into a ball.

I did not have success “rolling” the bisquick mixture into balls-the baking mix kept falling off. I recommend you put a dollop in one hand, press both palms together until you can feel it soften, then gently shape into a ball. Place these easy holiday sausage balls on an oiled baking dish and bake at 375ºF for 18-20 minutes.

Can I Make Easy Holiday Sausage Balls in Advance?

These appetizers are perfect for preparing ahead of time! To refrigerate raw, uncooked sausage balls, make them and place them in the fridge (covered) for up to three days. When ready to serve, remove and bake.

If you want to freeze raw or baked sausage balls, wrap securely in a freezer bag. When ready to prepare or serve, remove them from the freezer and allow to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Cook raw, frozen sausage balls about 50 minutes at 375ºF; bake cooked sausage balls (wrap in foil) at 375ºF for about 25 minutes.

The internal temperature of the center of the sausage ball should reach a minimum of 160ºF on a meat thermometer.

What Kind of Dipping Sauce Do I Serve?

The traditional sauce for holiday sausage balls consists of a mixture of mayonnaise and mustard (1 cup to 1 tablespoon), however, I really like to serve these easy holiday sausage balls with a little honey mustard sauce. 

Feel free to serve these easy sausage balls without a sauce, too! Either way, they’re delicious and filling!

Easy Holiday Sausage Balls

Quick and easy, these 4-ingredient sausage balls are a savory combination of sausage and cheddar cheese! Make ahead or freeze!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Sausage Balls

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Manipulating the dough and forming balls:: 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 30 cheese balls (depending upon the size you form)

Calories: 100kcal

Author: Anecia Hero - SmartyPantsKitchen

Equipment

• Food Processor

Ingredients

• 3 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (buy a 16 oz. block then shred)
• 1 lb. Sage Pork sausage (you can use plain or ground Italian sausage)
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF; lightly oil baking sheet or baking sheet lined with parchment (spray parchment paper with oil)
• Combine Bisquick, ground pepper and sausage in food processor; pulse until blended
• Gradually add shredded cheddar to mixture; pulse between each addition of cheese
• Pour mixture into large mixing bowl
• Use a tablespoon to measure two tablespoons of mixture; place in the palm of your hand
• Using the other palm, smash the dough mixture until you feel it begin to soften
• Once it's softened, shape into a ball
• Place on oiled baking sheet or oiled parchment paper
• Bake 18-20 minutes or until internal temperature is at least 160ºF

Notes

At first, this grainy dough seems impossible to "roll" into balls; do not give up. Warm the dough mixture in your palm (put some in your left palm and press your right palm over the dough; you'll begin to feel the mixture soften)

At this point, shape it into a ball using your fingers, not by "rolling it in your palm"--it falls apart every time if you try to "roll."

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