Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls are savory and sweet, made with Italian sausage, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and gluten free flour, and ready in only 30 minutes for the perfect party appetizer!
I’m always looking for gluten free appetizers or the next perfect finger food! If you need more ideas, check out my Philly Cheesesteak Dip, Spinach Balls, or Gluten Free Onion Rings!
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls are my favorite appetizer, made with only 7 simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes! They’re quick and easy to make, stuffed with cheddar and cream cheese, and you can make them ahead of time and freeze them for later.
It’s really similar to making meatballs, and they hold together really nicely. Perfect for a holiday appetizer, family party, or a game night!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Sausage – I like to use sweet Italian ground sausage. I think the sweetness in the Italian sausage balances nicely against the cheese.
Cream Cheese – Cream cheese adds a really creamy texture and helps to keep everything from drying out.
Cheddar Cheese – I like to use sharp cheddar cheese because of the flavor. You can also use mozzarella cheese, or pepper jack cheese.
Gluten Free Flour – The flour helps hold everything together.
Salt and Pepper – You don’t need much more than this. Depending on the type of sausage you use, you may even be able to leave this out because your sausage will already be salty enough.
How to Make Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
- In a large bowl mix together all ingredients until they’re well combined. You can use your hands or a stand mixer.
- Using an ice cream scoop to measure 1-inch scoops, roll into balls and place in a prepared baking sheet.
- Place into a preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through. Cook to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Jacqui’s Tip! Use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to make your sausage mixture faster!
You’re using a very lean sausage. If you have a very lean sausage, you may need to add more fat to the mix. A tablespoon of olive oil may help. Be careful not to add too much.
Too much flour. If flour is the issue, you may need to mix more thoroughly to prevent pockets of flour. If you’ve added too much, you can balance it with a tablespoon or two of water (adding slowly while mixing to make sure the mixture doesn’t get too thin).
Shredded cheddar cheese. I recommend shredding your own block of cheese, because the anti-caking ingredients in pre-shredded cheddar cheese can have a drying effect.
They may dry out if you reheat them after freezing, but you really can’t beat the convenience. Especially if you’re going to reheat them in a sauce that can help add some moisture back. This is also great if you’re only reheating a few at a time for quick meals.
If you’re going to make them ahead of time for a party, I would freeze the raw sausage balls for best quality, so they’re cooking for the first time before you serve them.
Keep these delicious sausage balls from sticking by lining your baking sheet with parchment paper before baking.
What type of sausage should you use?
You can use your favorite type of sausage for this recipe. I used sweet Italian, but these would also be great with a spicy sausage. You can also use a savory or spicy sausage, mild sausage, pork sausage, turkey sausage, or a combo of sausage types.
Just make sure to get the ground sausage, or you’ll have to remove the casing. Also make sure your sausage is labeled gluten free if you need it.
Storage
Refrigerator. You can store these balls in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Frozen. After cooking, place in an airtight container and freeze for 2-3 months.
If you want to make them ahead of time, you can follow the recipe up until just before baking. Instead, place the cookie sheet with parchment paper into the freezer and allow the raw balls to freeze. Then store them in a ziplock bag in the freezer for 2-3 months.
When you’re ready to make them, you can transfer them directly to the baking sheet and into a preheated oven. Add 5-10 minutes to your baking time, or until they’re done.
Jacqui’s Tip! Try to keep the size around 1-inch balls. You want to keep them uniform, so they’ll cook evenly and finish at the same time. Use an ice cream scoop to help keep them around the same size.
More Recipes to Try
Tips and Tricks
- This recipe is commonly made with Bisquick mix, but I’ve found that the gluten free version is very sweet and I don’t love it for this recipe. So I’ve made these without bisquick.
- You can make these spicy by adding a teaspoon of red pepper flakes or 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you’d like it. You can also use hot sausage instead of sweet Italian sausage.
- If your balls are spreading out a lot when they’re baking, try adding more gluten free flour, or chilling them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before baking.
- This recipe makes about a dozen sausage balls. You may have more or less depending on what sized balls you make.
- You can use cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese (which is basically light cream cheese) interchangeably.
- You’ll see bits of cheddar in the balls after they’re done. If you don’t like the yellow look for your party appetizer, try white cheddar or mozzarella instead.
- For a different flavor, add some of my homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix!
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, no casing, gluten free
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Equipment
- 1 ice cream scoop
- 1 Sheet pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add all ingredients to a bowl. Mix together until well combined.
- Use your hands to roll 1-2 inch balls and place them on baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until sausage balls are cooked through.
Notes
- I use my hands to mix everything together, similar to meatballs. You can also use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
- The amount of balls this makes depends on the size you roll them.
- Make these spicy by adding a teaspoon of red pepper flakes or 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you’d like it. You can also use hot sausage instead of sweet Italian sausage.
- Follow the instructions up until all of the balls are placed on the baking sheet. Don’t bake them, instead place the sheet pan in the freezer.
- Once the balls are frozen, transfer them to an airtight container in the freezer. Store for 2-3 months.
- When you’re ready, bake as directed, adding an additional 5-10 minutes to the cook time, until they are cooked through.
Nutrition
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What are you dipping them in?