This easy Bisquick sausage ball recipe is the perfect make-ahead party appetizer your guests won’t be able to resist! Deliciously cheesy and packed with savory ground sausage, you’ll have a batch ready to enjoy in just 30 minutes.
I’ll never forget the first time I made these Bisquick sausage balls for a Christmas party. My mom and I were brainstorming easy appetizers, and she pulled out this recipe from her old collection of go-to favorites. That first bite? Absolute heaven — crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and bursting with cheesy, sausage-y goodness! If you love sausage balls, make sure to check out our biscuits and gravy sausage balls for a fun spin on the classic version!
What Makes These Bisquick Sausage Balls So Addictive?
- Quick and Easy: Ready in 30 minutes with no special equipment needed — just mix, roll, and bake!
- Flavorful: Packed with spiced sausage, Italian seasonings, and lots of sharp cheddar.
- Crowd Favorite: Sausage balls are a nostalgic comfort food that are seriously irresistible!
- Hearty Appetizer: The perfect balance of tender biscuit and cheesy, meaty goodness.
- Make Ahead Friendly: Perfect for a party, you can prepare and freeze them in advance.
Looking for more hearty and easy party appetizers with meat? Try our baked ham and cheese sliders, easy grape jelly meatballs, or this hot crab dip!
Key Ingredients
This Bisquick sausage ball recipe is budget friendly and makes enough to easily feed a crowd! Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredient list.
- Bisquick: The original baking mix, and the foundation of many classic sausage balls recipes from childhood memory! (See the tips section below for how to make your own Bisquick.)
- Ground Pork Sausage: I like to use half regular and half spicy pork sausage, for a nice kick of heat. If you like a lot of heat, use all spicy pork sausage!
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Freshly grated as opposed to store bought, pre-shredded cheese will create a better texture.
- Milk: Adding milk will bring some moisture back to the ground sausage mixture.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Such delicious and hearty flavor in one condiment, and great with pork! I don’t recommend leaving this out.
- Italian Seasoning: All the perfect herbs and spices in one! Find pre-mixed Italian seasoning in the spice aisle.
What Kind Of Sausage To Use
You can use any variation of ground pork sausage, but I do not recommend using lean sausage as it can make the sausage balls dry. I like to use a mixture of spicy pork sausage and regular pork sausage as it keeps my sausage balls seasoned and flavorful with just the right amount of kick.
Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, and hot and spicy sausage all work wonderfully. The key is for the meat to be raw and ground, not cooked or smoked.
How to Make Bisquick Sausage Balls
Here’s a quick tutorial showing you how to make these easy sausage balls with bisquick. It’s as simple as mix, roll and bake! Please scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions or to watch the step-by-step recipe video.
- Mix the Ingredients: While the oven is preheating to 350°F, beat together all the ingredients – Bisquick, sausage, cheese, milk, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning – in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer, or just a spoon and some regular old elbow grease!
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- Roll Out the Sausage Balls: Roll the sausage mixture into golf ball-sized balls and arrange them on a baking sheet. I like to line my baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up!
- Bake: Bake until the sausage balls are golden brown and cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
- Serve: Transfer the balls into a serving dish or platter and serve warm alongside your choice of dipping sauce! See my serving suggestions below for ideas.
Chef’s Tips & Variations
- Homemade Bisquick: Making your own mix is so easy to do! Sift 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder, and 1/2 tablespoon of salt three times into a large bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup vegetable shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Tada! Use in this recipe or any recipe where Bisquick is called for.
- Avoid Pre-Shredded Cheese: Bagged shredded cheese is coated in preservatives that will dry out your cheese balls. For the best results, use freshly grated sharp cheddar!
- Add More Flavor: Add a teaspoon of garlic powder or onion powder for extra depth. They are also delicious with diced green onions or chives added!
- Cheese Options: Experiment with different cheeses, like gouda, smoked gouda, pepper jack cheese or smoked cheddar, for a unique twist.
Serving Suggestions
- Holiday Appetizer: Serve these sausage balls alongside some other Christmas appetizer classics like honey pecan cheese ball truffles, a pine cone cheese ball or easy crockpot bbq meatballs.
- Add a Dipping Sauce: We serve our sausage balls with dipping sauces like honey mustard, ranch, or creamy sweet chili sauce.
- Entree or Breakfast: They pair just as wonderfully with a side of mashed potatoes as they do biscuits and gravy for a holiday brunch!
Making Ahead
- Make Ahead: Place the uncooked balls onto cookie sheets and store them in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for up to 24 hours. Pop them straight into the oven, from the fridge, and bake as directed.
- Make Ahead And Freeze: Place the uncooked balls onto cookie sheets and freeze for 4 hours. Then transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake them, let them thaw for 1 hour and then bake as directed.
Storing, Reheating, and Freezing Leftovers
- Storing: Keep any leftovers you have stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: The oven or air fryer works best to restore the crispy texture. However, you can also reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds (or less) at a time to prevent overheating and drying them out.
- Freezing: Cool to room temperature and freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Easy Bisquick Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 3 cups Bisquick
- 1 lb ground pork sausage
- 1 lb ground spicy pork sausage
- 16 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Optional Dipping Sauces:
- Honey Mustard
- Creamy Sweet Chili Sauce
- Ranch Dressing
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer (or stand mixer with paddle attachment), beat together all ingredients.
- Scoop mixture with a large cookie scoop and roll with your hands into golf ball-sized balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space in between each one.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and the sausage is cooked through entirely.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
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More Easy Party Appetizer Recipes To Try
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What greenery did you use to garnish? Basil?
Fresh thyme!
I have made these with pork and everybody loves them, however my family doesn’t eat pork. Can these sausage balls be made with turkey sausage and does it change the baking time?
Hi J, yes you can use turkey sausage and no it doesn’t change the baking time! 🙂
Can you freeze before using and then just reheat?
I recommend cooking them, cooling them and then freezing them for serving at a later date.
I think your recipe sounds absolutely yummy and its obviously very easy to do. I may try it using the pork, but my family loves sweet italian sausage, so I’m going to attempt the Bisquik (haven’t used that in ages!) with it. Thanks for the recipe and the idea that came to mind. It’ll be on our entree menu!
This recipe is my kids…now grown and married…requests every year! I have to have sausage balls and iced sugar cookies at the holiday or my kiddos will feel shortchanged. I make several dozen ahead of time…not mentioned but these freeze well after baking too. They defrost…can heat a bit…and good to go. My kids grab their frozen freezer sausage ball treats on the way out the door…to have at their house for new year’s day. I use a mix of sage sausage and hot spicy together. Jimmy Dean is a good product…but liked using Bob Evan’s better. I may try sausage from Aldis or another discount store this year…just to help keep costs down.
These are so good! We loved the spicy pork in it! Definitely a family favorite!
These Bisquick Sausage Balls look so fun and tasty!
These were fantastic, will be making these again!
WOW!! These sausage balls are amazing!! The perfect holiday appetizer!!
Now I know what I will make it tonight! Yummy!
Delicious! My family loved these
What an elegant and easy appetizer for the holidays! Definitely saving for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
What other sausage can you use besides spicy sausage
You can use 2 whole pounds of regular ground pork sausage or split it into 1 lb regular and 1 lb spicy for mild spice flavor.
If you like things extra spicy, you can use 2 whole lbs of all spicy pork sausage!
Could I use buttermilk? I have leftover in the fridge to use up!
Yes, but may need a little milk to thin them out since buttermilk is thicker!
This looks great!!!