A kicked up take on the Southern classic cheese sausage balls without Bisquick… This easy sausage balls recipe is made from scratch and totally kid approved, a MUST for game day!
This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of Johnsonville Sausage; all opinions and text are my own. Thanks for supporting me and the brands I love!
No, I'm not from the South - I'm born and raised in the heart of Ohio. But these cheddar cheese sausage balls are totally one of my favorite small bites for game day!
Honestly, I didn't even realize sausage balls were a Southern thing until recently, but it all seems to make sense now... I first had them many years ago at a tailgate party hosted by a friend who was fresh out of the Navy. My best guess is that he picked up the recipe while he was stationed down South.
Regardless of how he came by it, I'm just SO glad that he introduced me to this delicious appetizer!
How To Make Sausage Balls Without Bisquick
If you're not familiar with sausage balls, they're typically a mixture of ground sausage, store-bought baking mix, and shredded cheddar cheese, which is a totally valid way to make them. But I prefer to make my sausage cheese balls from scratch:
Sausage
Okay, so I don't make the sausage from scratch... I buy Johnsonville Ground Italian Sausage. It comes in both mild and hot varieties, and both would be equally delicious in this recipe.
I picked up the mild ground sausage because it's all my store had in stock, but I would have absolutely gone for the hot variety if they'd had it. It all depends on your tolerance for spicy foods.
Shredded Cheese
I like a good sharp cheddar cheese in my sausage cheese balls, so I buy a block and grate it myself. One of these days I'll invest in a food processor, but for now I'm fine with grating it by hand!
I don't recommend using packaged shredded cheese for this recipe. Most pre-shredded cheese are coated in cellulose to prevent the shreds from clumping together. Unfortunately, this moisture-blocking ingredient prevents the cheese from melting evenly and can create a grainy texture.
Baking Mix From Scratch
For this recipe, there really is no significant time savings in using Bisquick versus just adding the individual ingredients. If you really want to, you can use 1 ½ cups of your favorite baking mix in lieu of the flour, salt, baking powder, and butter.
Personally, I like having complete control over the ingredients I use, and making sausage balls without Bisquick is just as easy. Either way, don't forget the pepper!
TARA'S TIP
Homemade Bisquick Recipe
For the best of both worlds, keep a batch of this homemade Bisquick on hand! Convenient and preservative-free, it substitutes 1:1 for any store-bought baking mix.
How to Make the Best Sausage Balls
- Shred Your Own Cheese - As I mentioned, packaged shredded cheese can produce an odd texture, so spend a few minutes grating a block of sharp cheddar.
- Use A Stand Mixer - Using a stand mixer on the lowest stage will incorporate all of the ingredients much more quickly and thoroughly, without getting your hands dirty.
- Portion With A Small Cookie Scoop - My cookie scoop is one of the most-used gadgets in my kitchen! Your sausage balls will turn out nicely uniform in size.
- Line The Pan With Parchment Paper - This is less about easy cleanup and more about preventing the bottoms from burning before the top is completely cooked through.
- Drain On Paper Towels - Transfer the cooked cheese sausage balls to a plate lined with paper towels before arranging them for serving to soak up the excess grease from the sausage.
- Make Ahead And Freeze - Make a batch of these sausage balls ahead of time and freeze them raw. You can then bake them as needed from their frozen state! Just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
Optional: Add Sriracha Sauce
I've always eaten my sausage cheddar balls with a generous squirt of Sriracha sauce on top. I just love the pop of heat and flavor! So I decided to try incorporating the Sriracha into my regular recipe for sausage balls. OMG, it turned out to be AMAZING!!
I still like to add extra sauce on top, but even my kids agreed that adding it before cooking made these sausage balls extra flavorful (and not TOO hot for their more sensitive taste buds).
Judging by how quickly they disappeared, I'll be getting requests to make them again for the Big Game on Sunday!
If you're cooking for a game day crowd, I highly recommend doubling or even tripling this recipe. These babies will FLY off the plate!
Printable Recipe ↓
Cheddar Cheese Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild Italian ground sausage
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (8-ounce) block sharp cheddar cheese - grated
- 3 tablespoons salted butter - melted and cooled
- ¼ cup sriracha sauce - (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add the grated cheddar cheese and toss to coat.
- Add the sausage and drizzle the butter and Sriracha sauce over the top. Mix until well combined. You can use your hands for this step, but I prefer to let my stand mixer do the work on the lowest speed until thoroughly combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, portion the mixture out and roll into 1" balls. Place the balls about an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake until the sausage balls are golden and cooked through, approximately 15-17 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and serve warm, preferably with additional Sriracha sauce for drizzling.
Recipe Notes
More Sausage Recipes To Try
If you like this sausage balls recipe, you might also enjoy these other delicious sausage recipes with bold flavor:
- Firehouse Sausage Chili
- Italian Sausage Spaghetti Pie Recipe
- 3-Ingredient Rotel Dip
- Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
Did you make this recipe?
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Susan B says
Recipe sounds great - but I could not locate the amounts for butter and sriracha. Guessed at them and hoping for the best. My mix was very dry but they are in the oven at this moment. Giving 5-stars in hopes that these turn out, they sound great!
July says
So YUM, my family are like it so much!
July says
So YUM, my family are like it so much!
Anna says
This dish is very attractive, want to eat right now!