Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls are not your ordinary sausage balls. Made with Bisquick, pork sausage, cheddar cheese and cream cheese. The perfect appetizer!
YOUR MOMMA’S SAUSAGE BALLS (BUT BETTER!)
The sausage ball has evolved some over the years but the basic recipe is almost always the same. Sausage. Bisquick. Cheese. This particular recipe adds cream cheese to the mix to amp up the creaminess and flavor of the original Bisquick sausage ball recipe. Trust me, make a double batch because they will go fast!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
When I first made this recipe, the sausage balls spread quite a bit and got a little too well-done on the bottoms. So, I decided to chill the formed sausage balls before baking. I also decided to use parchment paper on the metal baking sheets because it not only helps with sticking but with clean up as well. They turned out perfectly cooked after they had been chilled.
This is totally a taste preference. I like hot sausage (especially since its not that hot) but you could use breakfast sausage, sage sausage and even Italian ground sausage.
Yes, you sure can! Before you cook them, you’ll need to stick them on a baking tray and flash-freeze them before packing them up. That way they don’t stick together in the bag you pack them up. Place them an inch apart on a wax paper-lined baking tray and stick in the freezer for an hour or two. Then remove and place them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. When ready to eat, follow baking directions below (adding on a few minutes since you are cooking from frozen.)
Absolutely! You can make cream cheese sausage balls with the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix you can buy in stores. You would use the the entire box of the mix. Don’t forget to add the seasoning packet in too.
Yes! Check out my Air Fryer Sausage Balls recipe on how to do that!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground pork sausage – we prefer a hot sausage. I’ll be honest, I don’t think it’s actually that hot and I am pretty sensitive to spice so if you want it to really have a kick of heat, add in about 1/2-1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- cream cheese – you need to make sure this is softened enough so that it will mix in properly with the other ingredients. See my post on How to Soften Cream Cheese Quickly.
- Bisquick baking mix – if you prefer, you can even make Bisquick Mix from scratch.
- shredded cheddar cheese – you can have a lot of fun with the cheese. Try switching it up with Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or even Pepper Jack for some spice.
HOW TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE SAUSAGE BALLS:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together sausage and cream cheese. Note: This is easiest combined with an electric mixer. If you don’t have one, you can always get in there with your hands because you want this combined well. Your hands may get messy but they will do a good job. Add in baking mix and stir until combined. Then add in cheese. Feel free to be generous with your cheese measurements if you love cheese like I do. Stir until combined.
Scoop up meat mixture and form into 1-inch balls. I like to use my small spring-release cookie scooper. But you can eyeball these as you make them. The cookie scooper just helps keep them a more uniform size. But use whatever works for you here.
I like to roll them up with my hands to make sure they get more smooth and circular but it’s not absolutely necessary.
Line them up on the baking sheet. Then pop the baking sheet in the fridge for 10 minutes. Once they are chilled, bake for about 25 minutes. They should be firm to the touch and golden brown on the outside.
I thought they were delicious with some Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: March 2012
Updated photos & republished: Mar 2020
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 1 pound hot pork sausage
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups Bisquick baking mix (see notes)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together 1 pound hot pork sausage and 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened (note this can be done in a bowl with a hand mixer or by hand as well.)
- Add in 2 cups Bisquick baking mix and stir until combined.NOTE: Do not pack down your measuring cup when measuring the Bisquick. You will end up with too much and it will make the sausage balls come out dry. Measure it just like flour is supposed to be measured. Spoon it into measuring cup until full (do not pack it down.)
- Then add in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Feel free to be generous with your cheese measurements. Add more if you like more. Stir until combined.
- Scoop up meat mixture and form into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet. I find this easiest with a spring loaded cookie scoop. If they don't come out round enough, you can just roll them around in your hand a bit.
- Then pop the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to chill (this will help keep them from spreading out while baking.)
- Once they are chilled, bake for about 25 minutes. Then serve!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- DO NOT PACK your measuring cup with the mix. I know this is tempting to measure straight out of the box but you will end up with too much mix and the sausage balls will come out dry. Take a spoon and scoop it into the measuring cup until full. Do not pack it down.
- This is easiest combined with an electric mixer. If you don’t have one, you can always get in there with your hands because you want this combined well. Your hands may get messy but they will do a good job.
- I was able to get about 64 sausage balls from this recipe.
- To freeze: Stick them about an inch apart on a wax-paper lined baking tray and flash-freeze them for a couple of hours before packing them up. That way they don’t stick together in the bag. Then remove from tray and place them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. Then, when ready to eat, follow baking directions above (adding on a few minutes since you are cooking from frozen.)
- Want a fun switch up? Try using Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix instead of Bisquick. And instead of shredded cheddar cheese, try switching it out for pimento cheese spread or other favorite flavors of cheese.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
It is Christmas Morning and I just made these for my family to eat on all day. They are DELICIOUS!! Thank you and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
These came out perfect! Much better than my old recipe. I really like to use sage sausage. I should’ve tripled the recipe though because they couldn’t get enough lol
Could you make a big batch of these (baked in the oven) then transfer to a crock pot for party day serving or will they continue to cook and get too hard or too greasy??
I have done this a couple of times and learned along the way. Your concern about the balls continuing to cook is legit even on “keep warm” setting. I now add a small amount of water to the bottom and a wire rack or wadded up foil balls to keep the cooked balls above the water. The moist low heat helps keep them warm and moist for quite some time. But because the inside walls of crock transmits heat as well as the bottom, any balls that sit against the side to long (toward the bottom of course) can get a bit “well done”. As a rule, they still get eaten!!!
Hope this helps!
These are great even after they have cooled. No need to keep warm.
My family loves sausage balls, especially this time of year. I made this sausage balls recipe, and they were delicious! My whole family loved them. Thanks for the recipe and the tips.
When you reheat them, what temperature and amount of time do you suggest?
Can these be made the night before and baked in the morning???
Yep 🙂
If making them the night before, would you just leave them in the fridge to chill until the morning?
Thank you!!
love these. They turn out perfectly every time. it’s a must during football season!
These came out perfect! So moist and flavorful! That cream cheese makes so much difference from my usual sausage ball recipe. Another time I made them, I took your idea for the Cheddar Bay biscuit mix and added the seasoning packet to it as well. Very good!
Delicious and very easy!
This is a great change to the standard recipe I’ve used for years (without cream cheese)! Makes it much more moist and tasty! Thanks!
These are very tasty. I used spicy hot sausage in the recipe. They would be great with a dip. Any dip suggestions???
Above I talk about using honey mustard (that’s my personal favorite) but you could even do a simple ranch. 🙂
We love it with buffalo sauce!
I use pepper jelly and also pineapple salsa for a change
use breakfast sausage and make a white gravy for dipping
Super easy and very flavorful. I used pepper jack and cheddar cheese.
I made these sausage balls for a home concert. Nothing left on the tray! I loved them so much, I immediately ordered your cookbook and signed up for your e-mails. Anne Hodde
Hi! Can you cook them and freeze what’s left to heat up later on? Rather than freezing them from the raw stage. Thanks!!
Yep!
They are really good. My family loves them.
So good and super easy! My kids love taking these in their lunches.
This recipe is delicious!
I will never make these any other way again! That cream cheese makes a huge difference from your normal Bisquick & cheese sausage balls!
These were awesome. I have only ever tried the old school recipe & made dry balls! I happened to have a box of Red Lobster cheddar biscuit mix so that’s what I used & followed the recipe exactly & they were perfect! This is my new go to recipe for sure!
Used Regular mild sausage. Excellent flavor and just a little kick.
I’ve never made these with cream cheese but thought I’d give it a try. You show nutrition info at the bottom of the recipe but no serving size. How many sausage balls is considered a serving for this info?
So looking forward making the new version today. The old version we always used hot Italian sausage. Also I found after you have it all mixed up take a small cookie sheet and spread mix out on it about 1 1/2 inches thick and throw in freezer for about 10 to 15 min. Makes it so much easier to make the sausage balls.
New favorite! Way better than the original (don’t tell my Mama!) lol
I made a big batch of these today thinking I’d freeze for Christmas. My son came to visit today & he & my husband ate an entire batch. Said they were the best ever. Guess I’m making a few more batches tomorrow♀️ Thank you for this amazing recipe. Have never used cream cheese before but will be from now on!!!
Really good! Add garlic
We don’t usually deviate from traditional recipes we’ve followed for years… but tried this adding cream cheese for first time and chilling balls before baking… they came out moist and more golden and appealing. We were surprised and my taste testers (family) took note of the difference… thanks Brandie and will look to more of your recipes…
That made my day to read James! Thank you for taking a chance on it!
After seeing a coupld of concerns about the sausage balls being a bit dry (also something I’ve struggled with using my mother in laws recipe), I added a little red hot sauce and a little lite mayo. They were the best I’ve ever made! Not at all dry and full of flavor. Loved the idea of using the red lobster biscuit mix. I am no chef but my random additions really seemed to make a difference.
i’m thinking would be good to with diced onions mixed in it allso..trying it for 1st time in few days..thanks
Just be careful with raw onions. They will still be a bit crunchy since these don’t bake that long and I don’t know if everyone likes biting into raw crunchy onion. Maybe sauté them a bit first. 🙂
I made them with the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits, word of advice you will still need to add butter to the mixture like the box suggests. Otherwise, after using the package and small seasoning packet it is bone dry and won’t soak up all the powder. I probably should have added a little more cheese to it as well. They are baking now, fingers crossed they don’t come out too dry.
I’ve made them before with the bisquick and they came out really good. Obviously why I came back to make them a second time as a game day app.
I’ve never made them with cheddar bay biscuit mix. Interesting! Did you still add the cream cheese? And you’re saying you also need to add butter when using the cheddar bay mix? I’m dying to know how they turned out for you!
Delicious!! We loved it and made it with your honey mustard dressing for dipping.
Love this recipe but curious, how long you can freeze these for?
im baking these today can i freeze some of these after baking them will they lose some of the flavor after freezing thank you
You can definitely freeze them after baking. I don’t think they would lose any flavor though.
I made two different batches, one with regular cheddar cheese and the other with sharp cheddar cheese. The one with the sharp was the crowd pleaser.
This is a fabulous recipe.
I’m the guy that never follows the recipe (exactly).
I added diced onion , green pepper , and jalapeños.
these are the bomb !!
Merry Christmas
how long to cook in an airfryer thawed and if frozen. making these now looks yummy. thank you
I haven’t tested that I’m sorry. Perhaps someone else has and can comment
Made these tonight for a party for our church widows tomorrow Made them a bit smaller and cut the time down to about 13 minutes with a convection oven. Made sure to check to make sure the sausage was done. Also added about a half teaspoon of rosemary which I crushed Made an excellent added flavor to these delicious sausage balls!
Made them 4 a Xmas party last year. Got so many compliments on them & ppl asked 4 the recipe. Making again this year 4 more Xmas parties since they are easy & roughly inexpensive to make esp when you cab get the ingredients on sale.
Made these for Halloween party! I should’ve bought more ingredients to make another batch. So much better than the standard bisquick and sausage recipe. The cream cheese really adds something. Like you, I went with the spicy sausage that isn’t really spicy LOL Took your advice and served with some honey mustard and then I just bought a sour cream and onion dip and that was surprisingly good too. I found most people though didn’t really need the dip. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I’ve been using your recipe for years. Always make it for Christmas breakfast
Love these – the best sausage balls out there!
I think I’ve made these about 5 times already this fall LOL – yep, they’re that good!
The best!
How many pieces are considered a serving for the nutrition portion?
The nutrition information is strictly an estimate and for general informational purposes only. If you need the nutritional information for diet or health purposes, please use your own trusted nutrition apps. Just enter all the ingredient information to calculate.
If you haven’t tried, cook them in the air fryer! So good, great crisp, I froze them and take out the amount I want to cook.
That sounds wonderful Martha! What temperature and how long did you cook them for?
I would like to know also!
That comment is a few years old, I ended up testing it out myself 🙂 Here ya go! https://www.thecountrycook.net/air-fryer-sausage-balls/
Easy great recipe i made my 1st today. Thanks