Home » Appetizer Recipes » Cream Cheese Sausage Balls (+Video)

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls (+Video)

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!

closeup photo of stacked cream cheese sausage balls.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Why do I need to chill the sausage balls first?

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.

What flavor sausage is best for sausage balls?

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.

Can you freeze sausage balls?

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.)

Could I use the Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix?

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.

Can these be made in the air fryer?

Yes! Check out my Air Fryer Sausage Balls recipe on how to do that!

a stack of fully cooked sausage balls on a silver serving platter.

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.
Bisquick, ground sausage, cream cheese, cheddar cheese.

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.

collage of three photos: cream cheese and sausage in the bottom of a stand mixer; Bisquick mix added to sausage mix; shredded cheese added to sausage mix.

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.

collage of two photos: spring loaded scoop with cream cheese sausage mixture; rolling cream cheese sausage ball mixture in a hand.

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.

college of two photos: cream cheese sausage balls lined up on a baking sheet; fully cooked sausage balls on a baking sheet.

I thought they were delicious with some Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing.

fully cooked cream cheese sausage balls sucked on top of each other.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Originally published: March 2012
Updated & republished: Mar 2020

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls recipe.

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls (+Video)

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls are not your ordinary sausage balls. The cream cheese keeps them creamy and crazy delicious! So yummy (and easy!)
4.89 from 229 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 pound hot pork sausage
  • 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
  • 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.)
    cream cheese and sausage int he bottom of a stand mixer.
  • Add in 2 cups Bisquick baking mix and stir until combined.
    Bisquick baking mix added to the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • 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.
    shredded cheddar cheese added to sausage and cream cheese mixture in a bowl.
  • 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.
    spring loaded scoop with cream cheese sausage mixture.
  • Then pop the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to chill (this will help keep them from spreading out while baking.)
    cream cheese sausage balls lined up on a baking sheet.
  • Once they are chilled, bake for about 25 minutes. Then serve!
    closeup photo of stacked cream cheese sausage balls.

Video

YouTube 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.
  • 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.
  • Once cooked, they should be firm to the touch and golden brown on the outside.
  • 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.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 24g | Sodium: 832mg | Sugar: 3g

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.

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Recipe Rating




159 Comments

  1. im baking these today can i freeze some of these after baking them will they lose some of the flavor after freezing thank you

  2. 5 stars
    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.

  3. 5 stars
    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

  4. 5 stars
    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!

  5. 5 stars
    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.

  6. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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.

  7. 5 stars
    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.