Bisquick Sausage Balls {3 Ingredients!}
Bisquick sausage balls only need three ingredients: Bisquick baking mix, bulk sausage, and sharp cheddar cheese. This sausage balls with Bisquick recipe makes crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside bites that you can freeze raw and bake straight from the freezer before a holiday party. Serve them warm with honey mustard dip.
It took me over a decade of living in the South to try my first sausage ball.
Now, Bisquick sausage balls are a permanent feature of our holiday meal plan. My favorite way to eat them is warm, fresh from the oven, with a cup of honey mustard dip.
Why This is the Best Recipe
Here is why I think this is the best Bisquick sausage balls recipe, and why it has earned it’s keep on our holiday table:
- Just 3 Ingredients: Bisquick baking mix, bulk sausage, and sharp cheddar cheese are all it takes. There’s no mixer to pull out.
- Easy to Make: If you can stir and knead with your hands, you’re ready to make this dish.
- Freezer Friendly: Freeze the sausage balls raw, and then bake them straight from the freezer when guests are on their way.
- Awesome Texture: Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these sausage balls are totally snackable.
What IS a Sausage Ball?
If this is a new-to-you recipe like it was for me, here is the quick version.
A traditional southern sausage ball is a savory bite-sized appetizer made from Bisquick baking mix and bulk sausage that is held together by lots of shredded cheddar cheese.
The texture is crispy on the outside and light and chewy on the inside. The sausage bakes up nice and tender in the oven.
Even though you use the same Bisquick baking mix you’d use to make pancakes, sausage balls are not sweet. They are most definitely savory.
This version has no eggs and no cream cheese. The shredded cheddar is what holds everything together.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need 3 ingredients to make this recipe:
- Bisquick Baking Mix: The 20 oz sized box will be plenty.
- Bulk Sausage: I used mild Italian sausage but hot Italian sausage would add tons of flavor.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Do NOT buy the pre-shredded cheese. It has a powdery coating that prevents it from holding the sausage balls together properly. You’ll definitely want to hand grate two 8 oz bricks of sharp cheddar cheese.
Optional Extras:
- Milk: I used 1 tablespoon of milk to help my sausage ball dough roll together smoothly. I think they might have been fine without it, but it is a handy extra to have on hand.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: I couldn’t find hot sausage at the grocery store and we do like things with a little heat so I added 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the mix, too.
Mix the Sausage Ball Dough
Add the bulk sausage and Bisquick mix to a large mixing bowl.
Use a box grater or food processor to grate the bricks of cheddar cheese.
It is going to look like an insane amount of shredded cheese but that is a big part of what glues the sausage balls together.
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The best way to mix the dough is to use your hands. I like to work with cooking gloves for a recipe that requires this much kneading.
Pinch the cheese and sausage together to help break up the sausage.
Continue to stir and knead and mix until everything comes together in one large ball like this:
Roll the Sausage Balls
Line up baking sheets and line them with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
Pinch off portions of the sausage ball dough and roll them into 1-inch sized balls. Line them up on the prepared baking sheets like this:
Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bake the pans of sausage balls for 15 – 18 minutes or until they are golden brown on top and cooked through.
Make Ahead and Freezer Tips
Freeze them raw: Roll the sausage balls, then freeze them raw for up to 1 month. Store them in an airtight container in the freezer.
Bake from frozen or thaw first: You can bake them directly from frozen or thaw them in the fridge overnight before baking.
Bake the day before: You can also bake them the day before your party. Reheat them on one big pan in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve Bisquick sausage balls hot, fresh from the oven, with a cup of homemade honey mustard dip for dunking.
If you want to offer your friends more options, you might also want to pair these with my raspberry mustard dip or this spicy raising cane sauce.
These would make an excellent football party snack, a Christmas potluck appetizer, or the appetizer table before Thanksgiving dinner.
They are definitely a popular southern recipe for good reason.
More Sausage Appetizers
Sausage is such a budget-friendly protein to use for delicious appetizers. Don’t miss these other family favorite recipes:
Bisquick Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups Bisquick baking mix
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage hot or mild
- 2 (8 oz) bricks of sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 – 2 tablespoons milk optional
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional, see notes
For Serving:
- 1 batch honey mustard dip
Instructions Start Cooking
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray them with cooking spray. Set them aside.
- Add the Bisquick baking mix, bulk sausage, and shredded cheddar cheese to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly combine all the ingredients until it forms one large ball.2 1/4 cups Bisquick baking mix, 1 pound bulk Italian sausage, 2 (8 oz) bricks of sharp cheddar cheese
- Use a spoon to scoop portions of the sausage mixture and roll it into a 1-inch ball. If the balls won't roll smoothly and are cracking, add just 1 tablespoon of milk to the mixing bowl and knead it into the sausage mixture. You may use up to 2 tablespoons of milk if the mixture is really dry but be careful to not moisten it too much or the balls won't hold their shape.1 – 2 tablespoons milk
- Line the rolled balls on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 15 – 18 minutes or until lightly brown.
- Serve the sausage balls warm with honey mustard dip for dunking.1 batch honey mustard dip
Recipe Notes
How to Adjust the Spice Level:
We love spicy sausage balls made with hot sausage. When I can’t find it, I’ll buy mild or sweet Italian sausage and add 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to the mix. If you like things extra spicy, you could add the crushed red pepper flakes to the hot sausage.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
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About Tiffany
Tiffany is a home-cooking enthusiast, three-time cookbook author, and creator of the sites Peanut Blossom, Peanut Blossom Book Club, and Don’t Just Fly. She believes that family dinner can be manageable, fun, and — most importantly — tasty. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and two daughters and can often be found baking a loaf of bread with her beloved bread machine, reading a good book, or planning her family’s next adventure.
We have been making these for decades, that’s how much we love them! The last time I made them, about 2 months ago, my husband wanted me to make 2 lbs of sausage, twice the recipe! It was probably a good idea, they we gone in days! I did it two batches, I figured them together would be too hard to mix together. I wonder though, if you could use a stand mixer to mix it?
We always remembered the recipe as 2, 1, 1. Two cups Biscuit, 1 lb each of sausage and cheese. I’ve seen recipes for both 2 cups and 2 1/2. I just add more until the mixture feels right, using milk or Fat Free Half and Half.