These easy-to-make cream cheese sausage balls are perfect as an appetizer, game-day food, or breakfast buffet item. Eat them plain, or try them with your favorite dipping sauce.
Use Cream Cheese for Tender Sausage Balls
Some traditional sausage ball recipes can be a bit dry, so I tried making these with cream cheese to add moisture. I was immediately won over because they are soft, tender, and not dry at all!
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls: Change the Flavor
The best thing about this recipe is that you can make it as written and have delicious sausage balls. However, if you want to try a new flavor, just swap out the cheddar cheese for pepper jack, for example. Or add herbs and seasonings such as rosemary, paprika, or honey mustard to change the flavor. In fact, you can substitute hot or Italian ground sausage for mild sausage.
By the way, if you like flavored sausage balls, you might love this Pimento Cheese Sausage Balls recipe.
Use a Cookie-Making Scoop
Once you add all the recipe ingredients, mix them by hand as this is the easiest and quickest way to combine them. Then either roll the balls by hand or use a cookie scoop to form them. Tip: If using a cookie scoop, spray it with a cooking spray before scooping, and the balls will release more easily.
Space the sausage balls approximately an inch apart from each other to ensure they cook properly. Although they don’t spread out a lot during cooking, you don’t want them so close that they cook together.
Serve Cream Cheese Sausage Balls Warm or at Room Temperature
Bake these sausage balls for 22-24 minutes, or until they are golden brown (or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F). Serve them right out of the oven or at room temperature. Later, store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Reheating Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
To reheat, place them in aluminum foil and heat at 300°F for 15 minutes. Then check them and heat them for a few additional minutes if needed.
An Interesting Note about Baking Mix
Baking mix is one of the four ingredients in this recipe. Did you know that around 1930, a chef developed a baking mix for train travel? The story goes that one night, a General Mills salesman traveling by train asked for a late-night snack. In short order, the chef delighted him with quickly prepared biscuits made from a baking mix he had in cold storage. Afterward, General Mills worked to create a similar product that did not need refrigeration. Today, that product is Bisquick.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork sausage (mild or hot)
- 1 ¼ cups baking mix (Bisquick used in this recipe)
- (1) 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large baking sheet with sides.
- Break up the pork and place it into a large bowl. Add the baking mix, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese.
- Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together. Use a 1-inch cookie scooper (sprayed with cooking spray) to scoop out the mix and place approximately (50) 1-inch balls on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature is 145°F. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.