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.
You'll love this recipe!
- These savory appetizers are a perfect complement to your appetizer cheese board, 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!
Here's what you need:
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!
Here's how to make 'em:
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.
The first time I made these sausage balls, 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.
The warmth from your hands helps them soften and form into balls.
Expert tips:
Do I cook the sausage first?
No. Combine raw sausage in the food processor and pulse. Then add the cheese and pulse again.
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.
Make 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.
Dipping sauce:
Dipping sauce: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!
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and a rating! I love to hear from you! Thank you!
Easy Holiday Sausage Balls
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 uncooked 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 at 375ºF for 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)
- Use 1 heaping tablespoon per sausage ball; this results in a "two-bite" appetizer!
Amy says
We enjoyed this recipe very much. Only addition we made was adding 1/4 cup of milk. Seemed to add a bit more fluff like texture to the Bisquick. YUM!
Anecia says
Thank you for sharing this idea! They are a bit tricky to form into balls and the addition of milk seems perfect!
Julie B says
Yum!!!!! I added pepper flakes because we are spicy kinda folks.
Anecia says
What a great idea, Julie! Thank you for sharing!
Voula says
These sausage balls look AMAZING! Can't wait to try them out!
Anecia says
Thank you! They're a bit tricky to form into balls, so be sure and read the blog instructions! Happy Holidays:)