3 Ingredient Bisquick Sausage Balls

Name: 3 Ingredient Bisquick Sausage Balls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb tube hot bulk breakfast sausage (uncooked); 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese; 2 cups dry Bisquick baking mix

Jump to Recipe Save Print Recipe

These Bisquick sausage balls with 3 ingredients are the easiest ever! Surprisingly tasty and always a hit, this recipe for classic Southern sausage balls is simple to make and delivers perfectly moist (not dry!) sausage balls every time.

If you ever need to bribe someone, or just want to impress your friends, sausage balls are the way to go.

Why this recipe works

My sausage balls recipe works for 2 reasons. First, there are only 3 ingredients. This recipe is easy to shop for and all the ingredients can be purchased well in advance to have on hand. They can even be frozen for long-term storage.

This second reason this recipe is so good is – again – because of the 3 ingredients… AND their proportions. No cream cheese, which can make sausage balls come out flat. And not too much Bisquick, which will make sausage balls some out dry (I have seen recipes calling for 3 cups which is way too much). Simply follow my directions and tips, and you will have deliciously perfect sausage balls every time.

About the ingredients

Bisquick baking mix. You know the stuff, and you find it with the pancake mixes and breakfast stuff. If not available, you can make you own and there are recipes for homemade Bisquick. Note that I have not made Bisquick myself, so I can’t promise the result.

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese. In a perfect world, we would buy a block of cheddar and shred it ourselves to have luscious strands of cheese not coated in anti-caking agent. But this isn’t a perfect world and I fully admit to usually just buying a bag of shredded cheese.

Bulk sausage. Find bulk sausage in those odd tubes with the breakfast sausage and bacon. I prefer Hot sausage. These sausage balls have a teeny kick, but they are NOT spicy. If you want them spicy, you’ll have to add tabasco or cayenne. I find either Jimmy Dean or Odom’s Tennessee Pride Hot sausage work equally well for sausage balls.

How to make Bisquick sausage balls

Not gonna lie, but making sausage balls takes a little elbow grease.

So, here is what goes down: we put the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and start mixing with our hands. It is going to seem dry dry dry and you are going to question yourself and your life choices, but do not despair. Just continue to knead and mix. Eventually, the Bisquick works its way into the fat of the sausage and it all comes together to form the dough.

Just have faith. And mix. This step takes about 5 minutes.

Once the dough comes together, form into ~1-1/2 balls and place on a rimmed bake sheet. They should be roughly the size of a whole walnut shell. Bake at 350F for precisely 15 minutes and enjoy.

TIP! Letting the sausage come to room temperature before mixing the dough reduces the mixing time.

FAQs

Why are my sausage balls dry?

Dry sausage balls happen 1 of 2 ways: by overcooking or by adding too much Bisquick. To measure Bisquick correctly, spoon it into the measuring cup without packing it (same as if measuring flour). To avoid overcooking, cook for just 15 minutes. If in doubt about doneness, use a thermometer to check for 155°F internal temperature. Every Single Time I have questioned if they were done and just cooked longer, they ended up overcooked.

How do you tell if sausage balls are cooked?

After 15 minutes cooking, sausage balls should be golden and gently sizzling. To check for doneness, break a sausage ball open and make sure the sausage is no longer pink. Alternatively, use an instant-read thermometer to check for 155°F (68°C) internal temperature.

Can you refrigerate uncooked sausage balls?

Yes. Sausage balls can be formed a day or 2 in advance and refrigerated until cooking. When ready to cook, remove the balls from the refrigerator, and set out on the rimmed bake sheet to take the cold edge off while the oven preheats.

What goes well with sausage balls?

When I make this sausage ball recipe, I typically don’t serve them with a sauce. But if you are desirous of a dipping sauce for your lovely sausage balls, I recommend honey mustard. That’s what I serve my smoked sausage balls with and you can find a honey mustard recipe there. Ranch, spicy ranch, brown mustard, and queso dip are other options.