Sausage Balls with Cream Cheese

All hail these Sausage Balls with Cream Cheese! Seriously, y’all. When I say these are the BEST sausage balls, I’m not joking.

If you’ve been to a football tailgating party on game day – EVER – you’ve had these meaty bites of goodness, right? And you know that it’s really hard to quit popping these sausage balls in your mouth. They're the perfect little bite!

Well, I have a secret I’m sharing today…they’re the most amazing perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, too!

Why I love this sausage balls recipe

I love these sausage balls because they have a blend of amazing seasonings that are already in your pantry.

And we’re combining spices along with tender, juicy ground pork sausage and cream cheese, which basically makes everything in life that much better. 

Unlike some recipes, these cream cheese sausage balls don’t use Bisquick mix or biscuit mix. Chances are you have everything in your pantry already as these are sausage balls with flour instead of a baking mix.

You can make these appetizers ahead of time. It's the best thing when you have ready to serve appetizers in the freezer!

I love when I can put our simple ingredients from the fridge and pantry to use!

Ingredients in sausage balls with cream cheese

ground pork sausage: regular or hot sausage - your choice. I used an unseasoned blend because we have the spices going on. But if you want to use spicy sausage or another variety, give it a try. You’ll see Jimmy Dean and his friends hanging out in the refrigerator aisle

cream cheese: adding cream cheese makes sure that everything holds these delectable sausage bites together. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so it blends easily. If you forget to set it out ahead of time, there’s a cream cheese shortcut here.

all-purpose flour: for binding. I used unbleached all purpose, but to make these gluten free, you can use a gluten-free all purpose flour.

baking powder: to keep these sausage balls lighter

Spices including smoked paprika, dried thyme, ground black pepper, onion powder, sea salt: the spices that give the whole recipe extra flavor

unsalted butter

sharp white cheddar cheese: All I need to hear is cheese and I’m drooling. If you can’t find white cheddar cheese, any sharp cheddar cheese or any cup shredded cheddar cheese can work. Some pepper jack is fun if your friends can stand the heat!

About the cheese: I will say the results are best when you shred your own cheese, because the cheese is in its purest form.

Call me a purist, but sometimes shredded cheese has additives to keep it from sticking together and it can add a texture to recipes.

Just my two cents!

How to make sausage balls with cream cheese

Step 1: Get your supplies ready. This means you preheat your oven, get out your ingredients, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remember, we want the cream cheese to be softened, so take it out of the package and give it a start now.

Also, be sure to use a rimmed baking pan for this recipe. We need sides to contain any drippings of goodness.

Step 2: Grab your favorite large mixing bowl. We all have our favorite, don’t we?

Use a spoon or your very clean hands to combine the pork sausage and cream cheese. 

In a separate mixing bow, combine your dry ingredients like the flour, baking powder and spices. You’ll cut in the butter, which basically means using a pastry blender or fork, you’ll work the butter into the dry ingredients. 

You don’t need to use a food processor or stand mixer for this. Not only would that be overkill, but you’d also have more dishes to wash. Not good, amiright?

Step 3: Add your flour mixture and your cheddar cheese to the sausage mixture. You know the drill by now - mix well!

Step 4: Grab your favorite cookie scoop (mine is the medium OXO cookie scoop and it makes about 1 ½ inch balls). Today we’re putting it to work for sausage balls! Scoop the balls, and place them on the baking sheet. If you want perfectly shaped sausage balls, you can use your hands to gently roll them before placing them on the baking sheet.

Side note: I don’t mean to be juvenile but I’ve never giggled so much as I have writing this recipe out. It’s a lot of ball talk if you know what I mean. 

Sorry, I can’t help myself. Ahem 😉

Step 5: Bake, baby! You’ll pop these into the oven for 18-20 minutes until the sausage balls are browned. Check to make sure they’re done all the way through by using a meat thermometer. They should be at a temp of 160°F. 

Serve them warm and it you’re using them in a party setting, you can even pop them into a preheated slow cooker set to the warm function.

Eat and enjoy.

Repeat. 

FAQ’s

Can I make these sausage balls ahead of time?

Yes! One of my favorite entertaining secrets is the make ahead appetizer! You can cook them ahead of time and reheat when you’re ready to serve.

Or, following the sausage ball recipe (in the recipe card below) through step 5. Then, store the unbaked sausage balls in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking and serving.

How to keep sausage balls warm

I like to make the sausage balls, then pop them into a slow cooker set on low. They'll keep without drying out for several hours.

How to reheat sausage balls

If you're just reheating a few sausage balls, you can add the cooked sausage balls to the microwave and give them about a 30 second reheat.

If reheating a batch, you can reheat them in the oven. Set the temperature to 325 and baked until warmed through.

Can I freeze these?

Yes, you can do that too!

Simply place the unbaked sausage balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer for about an hour, or until they’re frozen solid.

Place the frozen sausage balls in a freezer safe container (like a ziplock bag or other container) and store in he freezer until you are ready to bake and serve them. 

I’ve made sausage balls from frozen, too!  Just add a few minutes to the bake time to allow them to cook all the way through. 

The frozen sausage balls will last up to 6 months in the freezer.

How easy is that?

What should I serve with sausage balls?

These are great as is, or you can serve them with a side of honey mustard or ranch dressing for dipping.

I hope you'll give these delicious cream cheese sausage balls a try! Leave a recipe review or comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

If you love these, you'll love my sausage breakfast bombs, too!

Other Delicious Appetizer Recipes

• Hot Reuben Dip
• 3 Ingredient Pretzel Bites
• Pull Apart Cheesy Bacon Bread