Description
Simple 5-ingredient sausage balls made with Bisquick, ground pork sausage, and sharp cheddar cheese. Perfect for parties, holidays, and any time you need an easy appetizer.
Ingredients
For the Sausage Balls:
- 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
- 1 pound raw pork sausage (Jimmy Dean Original is my go-to)
- 16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
Makes about 28 sausage balls
Substitution Notes:
- No Bisquick? Mix 2 cups flour + 2 teaspoons baking powder + ¼ teaspoon salt (I keep this combo in a jar)
- Cheese drama: Sharp cheddar or bust in my house, but my sister uses pepper jack and swears by it
- Sausage swap: Hot breakfast sausage if your crowd can handle heat, mild if you’ve got picky eaters
Instructions
Heat your oven to 350°F and spray that baking sheet like you mean it. I learned this lesson the expensive way when my first batch welded itself to the pan and I had to throw the whole thing out.
Everything goes in one bowl – Bisquick, raw sausage, grated cheese, milk, and seasonings. Roll up your sleeves because you’re mixing this by hand. Work it until it looks like really chunky cookie dough that sticks together when you squeeze it.
Use that cookie scoop to portion everything out, then roll each scoop into a rough ball. Don’t stress about making them perfect – mine look like lumpy golf balls and people still go crazy for them. Just press gently so they don’t fall apart.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until they’re golden brown all over. I always check at 20 because my oven runs hot and nobody wants little hockey pucks. They’re done when they don’t jiggle if you shake the pan.
Get these to people while they’re still warm – that’s when the cheese is all melty and the texture is perfect. If I’m throwing a party, I dump them in my slow cooker on the warm setting because cold sausage balls are just depressing.
Notes
- Grate your own cheese – the pre-shredded stuff has weird coating that makes everything gluey
- Room temperature ingredients mix better, so pull everything out thirty minutes before you start
- Don’t overwork the mixture or you’ll get tough sausage balls that nobody wants
- Light hands when rolling – you’re not making meatballs here
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American