Sausage Balls
Bite-size sausage balls made with breakfast sausage, baking mix, and sharp cheddar, baked until browned and served warm.
Updated: Nov 9, 2026
Why you'll like it
- Ready in about 35 min.
- Serves 12 — easy to halve or double.
- Easy level — everyday equipment only.
- Storage, freezing and reheating covered below.
This Sausage Balls recipe takes 35 min and makes 12 servings. Sausage balls combine bulk breakfast sausage, baking mix, and shredded sharp cheddar into bite-size rounds that bake in about twenty minutes.
Helpful guides
Instructions
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment or coat it with cooking spray. A lined pan keeps the balls from sticking to cheese that melts out, which makes cleanup quick.
Stir the baking mix, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne together in a large bowl. Add the shredded cheddar and toss it with the dry mix so the cheese is coated and does not clump into one mass.
Add the sausage, milk, and chives and mix with your hands just until no dry streaks remain. Overmixing warms the fat and makes the balls dense, so stop as soon as the mixture holds together. Do not rinse the raw sausage, since washing splashes bacteria around the sink.
Roll the mixture into balls about one inch across, roughly forty of them, and set them an inch apart on the prepared pan. Rinse your hands with cold water every few balls so the mixture does not stick to your palms.
Bake eighteen to twenty minutes, until the balls are browned and a thermometer inserted into a center ball reads 160 degrees F. Check two or three balls, since pan position changes how quickly they cook.
Rest the pan five minutes before serving, then move the balls to a warm platter. They firm as they cool, and the short rest keeps the cheese from running out when you lift them.
Troubleshooting — fixes, not repeats
- If the mixture is too dry to roll, the baking mix was packed or the sausage was lean. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until it holds, since a crumbly mix bakes into dry balls.
- If the balls spread and flatten, the fat was too warm. Chill the mixture fifteen minutes before rolling and work with cool hands so the balls keep their round shape.
- If the balls taste greasy, the sausage was high in fat or the oven ran cool. Use a parchment-lined pan so excess fat drains, and bake at the full 375 degrees F so the structure sets before the fat renders out.
- If the cheddar does not melt smoothly, it was a low-moisture block shredded on a coarse grate. A finer shred blends into the mixture and melts evenly through each ball.
Make it your way
- Spicier version: For a spicier batch, use hot breakfast sausage and add a minced jalapeno with the milk.
- For a sharper flavor, swap half the cheddar for pepper jack and drop the cayenne.
- For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free baking mix measure for measure and confirm on the label that it contains leavening.
- Keep the one-inch size so every version bakes in the same eighteen to twenty minutes.
Storage & reheating
Cool leftovers within 2 hours, then refrigerate in a covered container and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat only the portion you will eat until steaming hot throughout — poultry and reheated rice should reach 165°F (74°C).
Reheat at 350 degrees F for eight to ten minutes, or in the microwave for twenty seconds per ball, until steaming.
To freeze, spread cooled balls on a sheet pan, freeze until firm, then bag them for up to two months.
FAQ
Can I use a different sausage?
Yes. Any bulk pork or turkey breakfast sausage works once the casings are removed. Turkey sausage is leaner, so add an extra tablespoon of milk and cook until a center ball reaches 165 degrees F.
Why did my sausage balls turn out dry?
Dry balls usually come from a lean sausage, packed baking mix, or a long bake. Measure the baking mix by spooning it into the cup, mix only until the dough holds, and pull the pan as soon as a center ball reads 160 degrees F.
Can I freeze the dough instead of baking it?
Yes. Roll the balls, freeze them on a sheet pan until firm, then bag them for up to one month. Bake from frozen at 375 degrees F for twenty-four to twenty-eight minutes, adding a few minutes because the centers start cold.