These classic Sausage Balls with Two Dipping Sauces are going to be the hit of your next get-together! They’re super simple to make and are perfect for the holidays, game day, or just a neighborly gathering. Try them dipped in my honey mustard or spicy horseradish catsup sauce. Yum!
Recipes for Sausage Balls have been around for years and years. I bet I’ve made them, along with a few variations, a hundred times. But I was never all that crazy about them.
I’ve always used the standard recipe (one pound of cheese, one pound of sausage, 4 cups Bisquick), and they just always seemed dry and like there was something missing. So, naturally, I started tinkering with the mixture.
I found that decreasing the biscuit mix and adding a choice of dips for the sausage balls made all the difference! I especially love them with the honey-mustard dipping sauce. Yum!
— This post was originally published on December 13, 2013. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: Oven
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Servings: 32
Primary Ingredient(s): Sharp cheddar, sausage, Bisquick
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“… it just wouldn’t be Christmas in the South without sausage balls. Love the dipping sauces!”
— Melissa
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- Better texture than the old standard, thanks to less biscuit mix and freshly grated cheese.
- Two quick sauces that each complement the sausage balls beautifully.
- You can mix it up really fast with a stand mixer or take the old-fashioned route with a wooden spoon and some muscle.
- They’re freezer-friendly, so you can always have a batch ready.
Ingredient Notes
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- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Be sure to grate the Cheddar yourself instead of purchasing the bagged, grated cheese. The starchy coating on the pre-shredded cheese will alter the texture of the finished sausage balls.
- Bulk Pork Sausage – Your choice of mild, medium, or hot. My preferred brand is Jimmy Dean.
- Biscuit Mix – I like Bisquick. Use your favorite brand.
- Dijon Mustard – My preferred brand of Dijon mustard is Maille. It has a milder, more mellow taste than others, in my opinion.
- Horseradish – Adjust the amount to suit your preference.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on pages 18-19 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
How to Make Sausage Balls
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pro Tip
For best results, you really must grate the cheese from a block using a hand grater or food processor. Just don’t even try to use the packaged, shredded stuff. It has a light starchy coating on it that prevents it from sticking together. That starchy coating will alter the texture of the finished sausage balls.
Mix the Sausage Balls
- In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the cheese and sausage briefly on slow speed. Add the biscuit mix a little at a time, increasing the mixer speed as needed.
Pro Tip
You can mix this dough by hand with a sturdy wooden spoon, but it’s a real workout for your arm. I have done it many, many times. That was before I owned a mixer with a dough hook. By the time I was finished, my arm was sore, and I was wishing I’d never thought of making sausage balls 😊
Roll Into Balls
- Roll the mixture into 1” diameter balls and place them on baking sheets.
Bake
- Cook for 15-18 minutes or until a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the pans.
Pro Tip
The sausage balls may be mixed and rolled, placed on the baking sheets, and frozen. When frozen, remove and place in plastic freezer storage bags. If cooking from frozen, allow several more minutes of cooking time.
Make the Honey Mustard and Spicy Catsup Dipping Sauces
- To prepare the dipping sauces, mix the ingredients (see the recipe card below) together for each of the sauces in separate small bowls. Stir until well blended.
Recipe Success Tips
- If you have a stand mixer, do use it for this recipe. It can be done by hand, but the mixer makes it so much easier.
- When measuring the biscuit mix for the recipe, spoon it into the measuring cup. I find that dipping your cup into the mix packs in too much.
- Be sure to use freshly shredded cheese in these, not the pre-shredded, bagged type.
- Try different cheeses and sausages — you might try a combination of sweet Italian sausage with part Monterey Jack and part Parmesan cheese, or really hot breakfast sausage with pepper jack and dip those in ranch dressing — make the recipe your own!
- If you don’t have access to bulk sausage in your area, it’s easy to remove the casings from any fresh sausage you like.
- Experiment with herbs and spices. Chives, parsley, and finely chopped green onions are great in sausage balls. Also, take the heat level up or down with the cayenne pepper.
How to Serve Sausage Balls
I always serve sausage balls at room temperature, so there’s no need for a warmer of any kind. They’re perfect for almost any informal occasion, whether it’s the winter holidays or a 4th of July party, and go over especially well at football parties! Offer them with other complementary dishes like Velveeta Sausage Cheese Dip, Oven Baked Buffalo Wings, Hot Artichoke Dip, and my Garlic Butter and Herb Popcorn, along with ale, beer, or wine of your choice.
Make Ahead
- These sausage balls freeze well and can be cooked right from their frozen state. Allow a few extra minutes of time in the oven when cooking from frozen.
- To make the sausage balls ahead, place them on baking sheets and lightly cover with foil or plastic wrap. Place in the freezer until solidly frozen. Transfer to containers and keep frozen until ready to use.
- Make up a batch when you have a few extra minutes so you can keep them on hand to cook up at the last minute for unexpected guests!
More Recipes You’ll Like
Easy Sausage Swirls
Baked Mozzarella with Prosciutto
Easy Baked Fontina with Herbs
Warm Ham and Cheese Spread
Questions About Sausage Balls
Cooked sausage balls can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in plastic food storage bags or containers. Frozen cooked or uncooked sausage balls can be stored in the freezer for up to six months.
Other sauces that are great for dipping sausage balls are comeback sauce, ranch dressing, Jezebel sauce, remoulade, or a sweet chili sauce.
If you don’t have biscuit mix, you can easily make your own. Here’s a link to a great recipe.
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
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Recipe
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Sausage Balls with Two Dipping Sauces
Ingredients
For the sausage balls:
- 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1 pound pork sausage recommend: Jimmy Dean brand; use mild, medium, or hot according to your preference
- 3 cups biscuit mix recommend: Bisquick brand
For the honey mustard sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey
For the spicy catsup sauce:
- ½ cup catsup
- 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the cheese and sausage briefly on slow speed. Add the biscuit mix a little at a time increasing the mixer speed as needed.1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, 1 pound pork sausage, 3 cups biscuit mix
- Roll the mixture into 1” diameter balls and place on baking sheets.
- Cook for 15-18 minutes or until a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the pans.
- To prepare the dipping sauces, mix each sauce’s ingredients together in a small bowl. Stir until well blended.½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons honey, ½ cup catsup, 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 ½ teaspoon prepared horseradish, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Notes
- If you have a stand mixer, do use it for this recipe. It can be done by hand, but the mixer makes it much easier!
- When measuring the biscuit mix for the recipe, spoon it into the measuring cup rather than dipping the cup into the mix.
- Be sure to use freshly shredded cheese in these, not the pre-shredded, bagged type.
- The sausage balls may be mixed and rolled, placed on the baking sheets, and frozen. When frozen, remove and store in plastic freezer storage bags. If cooking from frozen, allow several more minutes of cooking time.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
I like to taste the sausage and I just use 1 1/2 cup bisquick
My sausage ball recipe call d for two much buswuick which made them really dry after I cooked them. Is there anything I can pour over them to make them not dry?
I think pouring something over them would make them wet and soggy — they have a lot of bread/biscuit dough in them. I’d serve them with plenty of dipping sauces — either the ones I have in my recipe or even something like ranch dressing.
Use the gluten free Bisquick and they came out great.
Great! Good to know, Mary.
Can Gluten free Bisquick be used in this recipe?
Can you use Gluten free bisquick in this recipe?
I haven’t tried that, Mary. Let me know how it works out for you.
Can you please tell me, would it be okay to make a big batch of your spicy catsup sauce and mix the cooked balls into it while it sits in a warmer? I have 200 sausage balls and prefer not to have the sauces on the side. Thank you so much.
Coleen -these sausage balls wouldn’t hold up to being mixed into a sauce in that way. The biscuit mix would become wet and gummy when sitting in a sauce.
Thank you for your quick response! Well, I guess it’s sauce on the side then. Can’t wait to try the spicy catsup recipe!
I choose not to eat foods readily available in natural form WITHOUT added extenders and emulsifiers which is what cellulose and guar gum, a bean, are used for in these products. I buy foods with as little processing and as few ingredients as possible. If you want to eat extra emulsifiers and extenders in your food, be my guest. Ice cream that doesn’t melt and pre-shredded cheese are gross to me. And if I’m going to eat cellulose, I’d rather have it in lettuce, not cheese.
I’m sorry if this was already commented on, but that powdery stuff on pre-shredded cheese is cellulose, which is made from wood pulp. My son won the county science fair about this subject and now I read EVERY label before I buy anything. I can’t believe what a difference shredding my own cheese makes in all of my recipes! Can’t wait to try this one.
Cellulose is found not only in wood pulp. It is an organic compound which is the main constituent of all plant cell walls and of vegetable fibers. Any time you eat a green plant or a vegetable you are consuming cellulose.
The cellulose used on cheese, in ice cream, and many other products comes from wood pulp, trees. No thanks.
A tree is a plant just the same as any other. They extract the cellulose from the pulp. You’re not eating wood pulp, just the cellulose from it. It would be exactly the same if they extracted it from lettuce. It’s all cellulose – plant material.
I would suggest that you put a light spray of pam or oil. The cheese sticks a bit and you may end up with foil and they were pretty dry on the first batch so I added a couple/three tablespoons of heavy cream in the second and they were less crumbly. I like the short list of ingredients!
I made these with a sauce of orange marmalade, spicy brown mustard, Greek yogurt, a touch of honey, some cayenne, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Delicious.
Sounds delicious!
I followed your recipe exactly as written and they are delicious. My mom makes them every year and she would always give me a few. They were never enough. Now I can make my own. Thank you so much for your tips and pictures. They really helped. My husband just ate about 6 and dipped his in Sirachi sauce. He loved them.
So glad you enjoyed them, Kimberly! I never thought about dipping them in Sriracha but that does sound good :-)
This lovely recipe reminds me of a recipe my cousin used to make. I love that it is a recipe so perfect for any party, or just to devour on your own:-) Yum, Hugs, Terra
Thanks Terra. Yes, these are great for parties or just for snacking. I often have some in the freezer and take out a dozen or so when we feel like a little snack.
These are totally new to me, I can’t wait to try these for Christmas. Because they make so many, what’s the best way to keep them warm, is a cock-pot appropriate or will they get too soggy?
Thanks.
Janine – these are served at room temperature. No need to keep warm.
Looks good. I just picked up some jalapeno flavored sausage, so I will give these a try. Also, the powder in shredded cheese is cellulose powder, AKA wood. That is why I shred my own.
I’d love to know how you liked these with the jalapeno sausage, Andrea. I’ve always made them with regular breakfast sausage.
Lana, that is the same recipe that I have used for years and years. It is the best one that I have found. I use the white cheddar cheese (Cabot brand lately). Seems to help it bake more evenly.
Good tip, Donna, on the white cheddar. I love this recipe, too. It’s a little more moist than the standard.
You know, some of these frozen individually, and then packaged in a festive container with cooking instructions would make very nice Christmas gifts for business associates! Yum.
Miss P
Oh yeah! That’s a great idea! The recipe makes about 64-65 balls, even more if you roll them smaller. You could package 18 or so as a nice gift. Good one!
What a fun appetizer!
Lana, it just wouldn’t be Christmas in the South without sausage balls. Love the dipping sauces! Pinning, Melissa
They are a staple, aren’t they Melissa! We thought the dipping sauces really added a lot. Enjoy!
Melissa, I agree with you…love the dipping sauces, EZ-Peazey & tasty! Lana, thanks for the ketchup sauce especially, I’m one who prefers ketchup with sausage. My husband prefers syrup on his sausage. Is that a hint that he would like sausage patties with maple syrup added? I’ve just this minute had a scathingly brilliant idea – I have a small bottle of maple syrup & haven’t found a use for it yet (part of a gift basket). Next time we have sausage patties here, I’ll make part of them with added-in REAL Maple syrup! They’ll probably brown nicely, too! It’s winter & we’re in a snowy area and this sounds like cozy food! I’ll let you know…
“Scathingly brilliant!” I’m guessing you grew up watching “The Trouble with Angels”! Wonderful movie. I think you might be on to something with the maple syrup. I’ve had these sausage balls on my radar to make for quite a while. A hint of maple might be nice as long as it doesn’t change the over all consistency.
I think I would like this dish!!! I ‘m going to put in in my t0-try list. Thank you so much:)
Hope you enjoy them.
THANK YOU! I buy these once in a while when I find them at the grocery store TN Pride makes them. I will be makes them and freezing them for that time you want something but don’t know what time.
My Christmas shopping is ALL done. My 83 year old mother is like a kid all the month of December she just loves Christmas. On Thanksgiving day I put her tree up and place 30 presents with dates to open on them under the tree. During the month of Dec she is up early to open a present. I do all the rest of my shopping online
So I get to sit back and enjoy the season
Gloria – I actually used Tennessee Pride sausage in this batch :-) Of course, any bulk sausage is fine, but these were extra delicious.
Smart girl. Love how you make December joyful for your mom.
Hi! Your post was from 5 years ago, and I hope you’re all in good health today too; had to comment bcuz I love your ideas…especially for Mom! Merry Christmas to you and yours! You have a great big heart!