These are the BEST sausage cheddar balls! Think: traditional sausage balls made with Bisquick BUT sub pimento cheese for the cheddar. The result is a delicious meaty, flavorful quick snack bite that comes together in half an hour and is absolutely perfect for tailgating or a Christmas party. You will LOVE these.
Yes yes yes, classic recipe with a tiny twist that makes it so much better. The best kind of variation on a theme, truly!
First, traditional sausage balls: If you're new to the art of sausage cheddar balls, let me introduce you: a magical combination of sausage, Bisquick, and cheddar that some how form a dough that puffs up beautifully into bite-sized, tons-of-flavor sausage balls. (my version of classic Southern sausage cheddar balls is really yummy!)
In this version, we keep everything the same but add pimento cheese instead of cheddar cheese and LETMEJUSTTELLYOU, the extra moisture from the pimento cheese and flavor from the spices and pimentos is absolutely to die for.
There are a few tips and trips to make these perfectly every time, but the benefit of cooking with baking mix like Bisquick is that this recipe is really, really foolproof. The sausage balls can be made in advance, eaten at room temperature, warmed up, truly lots of options to make this recipe work for whatever you're making it for.
Ingredients
- Bisquick or other baking mix - I've used almost every store brand out there and they're all pretty similar and work great in this recipe.
- Bulk Sausage or raw sausage removed from the casings - one pound. I strongly prefer Italian sausage over breakfast sausage in this recipe, BUT the classic southern recipe uses breakfast sausage. Choose your own adventure!
- Pimento Cheese. Homemade or store-bought, totally your choice. My classic pimento cheese recipe is truly perfect if I do say so myself (and I used to sell it by the gallon when I owned a catering company!), but your favorite recipe or storebought version is all you need here. When I make my own I make a double batch and have some for, you know, pimento cheese, and some for these sausage balls. YUM.
Flavor Variations
YEP YEP YEP, you can absolutely change up the flavors here or make these sausage balls spicy! We have tons of great pimento cheese flavors in the South, two of my favorites for pimento cheese sausage balls are jalapeno pimento cheese and blue cheese pimento cheese. Choose your own adventure!
Step by Step Instructions
- Super simple instructions here! Once the ingredients are measured in a large bowl, mix everything together using your hands to form a cohesive dough.
- Mixing the dough may take a few minutes, but be patient and keep at it, it will feel like you're pressing the biscuit mix into the pimento cheese and sausage. Everything will eventually come together like in this picture, promise.
- When the dough comes together, form the sausage ball mixture into bite-sized balls. They'll puff up a bit in the oven but not a ton. I go for 1.5 inches, but no need to be too precious about it. Pro Tip: The only important part is that the sausage balls are mostly the same size for even baking.
- Place the balls on a baking sheet 1 inch apart, and preheat the oven to 350F. (see below for make-ahead notes!) Bake the sausage balls for 17-20 minutes until they're golden brown, then let them cool just slightly before eating.
Quantity Note: This recipe makes 40-50 1.5 inch sausage balls. Feel free to double the recipe if you're feeding a crowd, or make the balls bigger or smaller based on your preference. For 1 inch sausage balls, reduce the baking time to 15 minutes. For 2-inch, 22 minutes or so will do the trick.
YUM YUM YUM I wish you could smell this picture. The ultra savory sausage and pimento cheese with the almost-creamy baking mixture is just so, so good.
Troubleshooting and FAQ
A few things could be at play here! Different batches or brands of pimento cheese could be causing dry balls (omg I am so sorry), and if a low fat sausage is used that could be the culprit. If you think your dough is REALLY too dry, and you just can't get all the Bisquick to mix into the sausage and pimento cheese, you can add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to help the dough come together.
Additionally, overcooked sausage balls may be a bit dry. If you're unsure, bake 2-3 sausage balls first to see how they turn out, and decrease the cooking time by 2-3 minutes if they seem dry.
That said, pimento cheese keeps these sausage balls moist, so they'll probably turn out perfectly and you'll be the snack hero!
Traditionally, cheddar! I love using super sharp cheddar in pimento cheese, but havarti, fontina, and colby jack all work well in pimento cheese.
Make Ahead and Leftover Storage
- Make Ahead: These can be made in advance up to 2 days and kept on the counter in a storage bag or container. They won't be quite as fresh, but they're still very good! You can also make these early in the day, leave them out at room temp uncovered, and serve them at room temperature.
- Reheat: If you've made the pimento cheese sausage balls in advance and want to reheat them, stick them in a 300F oven for 5 minutes or until they're hot and slightly crispy on the outside to bring them back to life.
- Freezer: You can make these in advance and freeze them, then bake them freshly when you'd like to serve. To do this, make the dough and form the balls, then place them in an even layer on a plate or baking sheet. Freeze the balls just like that, then 6 hours (or whenever you remember they're there, let's be honest), transfer them to a freezer bag. To bake from frozen, follow the instructions in the recipe, 350F for 20 minutes, but add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time until the sausage balls are deeply golden brown.
- Leftover Storage: Leftover sausage balls keep nicely covered on the counter for 2-3 days.
Other Easy Appetizers to consider
I like very unfussy appetizers that can be made in advance and don't need to be reheated - here are some of my other favorites.
Mainly, yum. This is one of those perfect snackable bites that is filling, savory, and so, so simple to make. I love to keep batches of these at the ready for tailgating and holiday parties, and to send home with folks as gifts is a very nice touch.
If you tried this Pimento Cheese Sausage Balls Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Have fun with all the "holiday ball" jokes!
Recipe
Pimento Cheese Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups bisquick or similar baking mix
- 1 pound bulk sausage, see note
- 2 cups prepared pimento cheese see note
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray, parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine the ingredients in a large bowl with your hands. This may take some time; keep working the dough until all the baking mix is moistened by the pimento cheese and sausage. It will work, pinky swear.
- Form the dough into 1.5 inch balls and arrange them on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. You will need to bake these in batches or use multiple baking sheets.
- Bake the sausage balls for 17-20 minutes until nicely golden and puffy. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. YUM.
David Farley says
I added 1/4 chopped jalapenos.
Very tasty sausage balls.
Pairs well with spicy mustard.
Lindsay says
That's a great addition, I'm so glad you liked them!
David Farley says
I added 1/4 cup chopped jalapeno.
Was a sticky mess to mix. Worth it to have a very tasty sausage ball. Paired well with spicy mustard.
Liz says
So yummy! I was looking for an easy tailgate recipe for a pre-game brunch. These sausage balls were a huge hit and there were no leftovers!
Amy says
These were crazy good! Should have made more!
Claudia says
Loved this recipe! The pimento cheese adds such a nice touch to the sausage balls—definitely making these again.
Genevieve says
I love pimento cheese, and these sausage balls look delicious and make a perfect appetizer!