This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls are savory little bites made with pork sausage, Bisquick, and sharp cheddar. The cream cheese is what keeps them soft instead of dry and crumbly. They mix up in one bowl and bake in under 30 minutes.
More Easy Party Bites: Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies | Grape Jelly Meatballs | Cranberry Brie Bites
Before You Get Started
Sausage balls have a reputation for turning out dry and crumbly. These few things are what keep that from happening.
- Use block cream cheese — Full fat, softened, straight from the block. Whipped and low fat versions add water and loosen up the mixture.
- Use a stand mixer — The mixture is thick and sticky, and a spoon will not work the cream cheese through evenly. A hand mixer or your hands both work too.
- Line the pan — Dark metal pans run hot and scorch the bottoms. Drop the oven 25 degrees if that is the pan you are using.
- Keep them all one size — About an inch across. Uneven balls means some are burning while others are still raw in the middle.
Sausage Balls are a holiday party staple around here. Find more of my favorites in my Festive Christmas Appetizers collection.
RECIPE OVERVIEW
How to Make Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
The whole thing happens in one bowl. Here is what to watch for at each step.
1. Preheat and prep the pan
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicone mat, or non stick foil.
- Do not skip this: Sausage balls stick, and the cheese that leaks out will weld them to a bare pan.
2. Mix everything together
Add the sausage, cream cheese, cheddar, Bisquick, seasonings, and milk to a large bowl. The sausage goes in raw, straight from the package.
Shred your own cheddar cheese if you can, since bagged shreds are coated to keep from clumping and never melt as smoothly. Colby jack, pepper jack, and mozzarella all work here too.
Mix on low with a stand mixer or hand mixer until you cannot see streaks of cream cheese, or dig in with your hands. The mixture will be thick and sticky, and that is exactly right. If you are a little short on cream cheese, an extra tablespoon of milk makes up the difference.
- Use country or breakfast sausage, not plain ground pork: Plain ground pork does not have the fat content this needs and the balls come out dry. Hot sausage or a pinch of cayenne gives you a spicy version.
3. Scoop and shape
Use a cookie scoop for even portions, then roll each one lightly between your palms into a one inch ball.
Set them close together on the baking sheet but not touching. They hold their shape as they bake rather than spreading, so you can fit far more on a sheet than you would with cookies.
4. Bake until golden
Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the outsides are golden brown and the centers are cooked through.
If you are using a dark metal pan, check them at 18 minutes and drop the oven to 350 degrees next time around.
5. Serve warm
Give them a couple of minutes to set up, then pile them on a platter with fresh parsley and a dipping sauce alongside.
They are best warm but still good at room temperature, which is part of why they work so well for a party.
Serving these for breakfast instead? A bowl of my Homemade Sausage Gravy makes an unexpectedly good dipping sauce.
No Bisquick? Make Your Own
Out of Bisquick, or just not a fan of keeping a box around? You can mix up your own biscuit mix from things you already have.
Combine 6 cups of flour, 3 tablespoons of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a food processor. Pulse in 1 cup of butter or vegetable shortening until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.
Use 2 ¼ cups for this recipe and store the rest in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Gluten free Bisquick swaps one to one: Use the same 2 ¼ cups and everything else stays the same.
Serving Suggestions
We are a dipping family, so these almost never go out on their own. Homemade BBQ Sauce is the house favorite, but ranch (or my Jalapeño Ranch Dressing) and Honey Mustard both get finished off just as fast. Set out a few small bowls and some fancy toothpicks and you are done.
A batch of these makes about 40 balls, which is enough for 8 to 10 people picking at a table with other food out. Doubling works with no adjustments beyond using two baking sheets and rotating them halfway through.
More for a holiday spread: Bacon Ranch Cheeseball | Baked Brie with Jam | Cranberry Meatballs | Bacon Cheddar Pinwheels
Storage Tips
Storage, Freezing, Make Ahead
These are one of the easiest appetizers to get ahead on, which is most of the reason I keep making them.
A few hours ahead: Mix and scoop the balls onto the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Let the pan sit out while the oven preheats, then bake as directed.
Weeks ahead, raw: You can freeze them unbaked, but do not go past a month. Thaw fully in the refrigerator and bake all the way through. Pork is less forgiving than most things here.
Months ahead, baked: Flash freeze first. Cool them completely, spread them on a baking sheet, and freeze for an hour before transferring to a freezer bag. They keep about 6 months. Thaw fully before reheating.
Leftovers: Cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Reheating: Bake at 375 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes until heated through. In a hurry, wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave 30 to 60 seconds. The damp towel is what keeps them from drying out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my sausage balls dry?
Almost always the cream cheese, or the lack of it. Traditional sausage ball recipes are just sausage, cheese, and Bisquick, and there is nothing in there holding moisture once the fat renders out. A full block of cream cheese plus a splash of milk fixes it.
The other culprit is overbaking, so pull them as soon as the outsides go golden.
Why did my sausage balls turn out flat?
The mixture was too wet or too warm. If you added extra milk, softened the cream cheese in the microwave, or let the shaped balls sit out on a warm counter, they will slump as they bake. Chill the scooped balls for 15 minutes before they go in and they will hold their shape.
Why are the bottoms burning?
Check your pan first. Dark metal absorbs more heat and scorches the bottoms while the tops still look fine, so lower the oven 25 degrees when you use one. Glass and light colored pans stay at 375. Ovens also run hot by 20 degrees or more, so an oven thermometer is worth it if this keeps happening.
How many does this make, and can I double it?
One batch makes roughly 40 one inch balls, enough for 8 to 10 people alongside other appetizers. It doubles cleanly with no changes to the ingredients. Use two baking sheets and swap their positions halfway through so everything browns evenly.
More Easy Party Appetizers
- Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket
- Buffalo Ranch Meatballs
- Jalapeño Popper Dip
- Fried Pickles
- Crab Dip Cheese Ball
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 16 ounce package ground pork country sausage
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 1/4 cups Bisquick
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 3 tablespoons milk
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish if desired
- Optional: barbecue sauce, ranch, or honey mustard for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicone mat, or non stick foil and set aside.
- Combine the sausage, cream cheese, cheddar, Bisquick, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, parsley, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer on low, or mix with your hands. The sausage goes in raw. Mix until no streaks of cream cheese remain.
- Shape the mixture into one inch balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, close together but not touching.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Check at 18 minutes if using a dark metal pan.
- Serve warm, garnished with fresh minced parsley if desired, with your favorite dipping sauce alongside.
Notes
- Cream cheese: Full fat and softened, straight from the block. Whipped or low fat versions add water and loosen the mixture.
- Mixing: The mixture is thick and sticky. A stand mixer, hand mixer, or your hands all work better than a spoon.
- Sausage: Country or breakfast sausage only. Plain ground pork does not have enough fat and the balls come out dry.
- Cheese: Shred it off the block for the best melt. Colby jack, pepper jack, and mozzarella all work in place of cheddar.
- Dark pans: Dark metal scorches the bottoms. Drop the oven to 350 degrees F and start checking at 18 minutes.
- Sizing: Keep them all about an inch across so they finish at the same time.
- Short on cream cheese: An extra tablespoon of milk makes up the difference.
- Bisquick substitute: Combine 6 cups flour, 3 tablespoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup butter or shortening in a food processor until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Use 2 ¼ cups here and refrigerate the rest up to 3 months. Gluten free Bisquick swaps one to one.
- Make ahead: Scoop onto the pan, cover, and refrigerate up to 8 hours before baking.
- Storage and reheating: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days. To freeze, flash freeze baked sausage balls on a sheet pan for an hour, then bag for up to 6 months (raw, 1 month). Thaw fully, then reheat at 375 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes or microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel for 30 to 60 seconds.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
This was so light! I’ve made sausage balls for years, and hubby loved them. I have never made with cream cheese – but he loved these too maybe even more! They are so light – not like my old ones. We did change a couple of things (from old recipe). We use hot sausage always – and I added about 2 tbspn of Texas Pete wing sauce. These are definitely a keeper! I will make these in the future for all the future holidays and weekends! Thanks for this recipe!
Thank you so much Mavs Mom! Awesome feedback, thanks for stopping by.
Served as an appetizer on Christmas day and my family RAVED about them. “Don’t lose that recipe”, “You make the best appetizers”. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I froze ahead and reheated. Delicious!! Served with ranch, BBQ and blue cheese dips.
You are so welcome MNGail! Awesome feedback, thanks for stopping by.
These were delicious! Made them for an appetizer fir Christmas. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome gailani! Thanks for stopping by.
What is Bisquick?
Bisquick is prepackaged mix made up of a combination of flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening or butter. It’s found in most American grocery stores but can be homemade using a recipe that are readily available online.
Can I use ground pork instead of country pork?
I’m so sorry I missed your comment – I’m sure you’ve already made it, but I wouldn’t substitute with regular ground pork. The breakfast style country pork has a higher fat ratio and may not work as well.
can u freeze the sausage balls raw?
You can, but I wouldn’t do so for longer than a month, and make sure to fully thaw in the fridge and bake fully. Pork can be tricky.
Can you use gluten free bisquick mix? Thank you.
I have not worked with gluten free but I’m sure it will work fine.
This is a wonderful recipe! I add Parmesan cheese, a little onion/garlic salt, and MORE cheese! You can never have enough cheese! Hah! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You are so welcome Lori! Thanks for stopping by.
The cream cheese makes all the difference! I used sharp cheddar cheese & one hot & one mild sausage. Only had 1 1/2 cream cheese so I added an extra TBL spoon of milk. Perfect!
Awesome feedback Mary! Thanks for stopping by.
Much better than my old recipe. The cream cheese is a wonderful addition! Thanks!
You are so welcome wendy! Thanks for stopping by.
Made these today. I was craving sausage cheddar ball but hubby doesn’t like them usually because he thinks they are too dry. This recipe was not and he enjoyed them & said he would definitely eat them if I made them again. I made them according to recipe and used medium cheddar, mild breakfast sausage, and whole milk. Next time I think I will use sharp cheddar and hot sausage to make the flavor “pop” more – we usually don’t have these with any dipping sauce. Oh, I also used parchment paper to line the cookie sheet instead of foil – worked well and the bottoms of the sausage balls didn’t get too dark. Recipe is definitely a keeper & very versatile. 🙂
Hi Neko, thank you so much for sharing your feedback. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m thinking of making these for a Sunday morning breakfast for my family but they are asking for a good sausage gravy for dipping
Any idea or thought on that
Try our sausage gravy recipe: https://www.yellowblissroad.com/sausage-gravy/
I baked the sausage balls as directed but the bottoms were burnt. Corrected second batch by lowering the temperature and minutes. Same result. Burnt bottoms. Help.
Hi Grace, unfortunately without being in the kitchen with you, it’s hard to discern what went wrong. It’s possible that the oven temperature is off a bit (ovens can vary in temperature by up to 20 degrees or more) or that the size of the sausage balls differed from the recipe.
If they are burning.. you may be using a DARK metal pan which the recipes should always be lowered 25 Degrees F. Glass and light metal stay at normal temp *(Retired Foods and Nutrition teacher here)
This is different from standard cheese balls, but I going to try them for bridge. Sounds good. Hope so!
They are a little different and so much tastier!
Do need to in refrigerator after baked.
Yes, store any leftovers in the fridge.
Is the sausage precooked or raw when it’s mixed in?
It is raw, straight out of the package.
I just made these sausage balls using this recipe, the BEST ever! The milk (which I have never used) really helped them to be so easy to work with and yummy, if you have a stand mixer as mentioned in instructions use it! can not be overstated, makes it so easy and mixed thoroughly.
Thank you Jo Ann!