It only takes 4 ingredients to make these delicious Cream Cheese Sausage Balls! They make a simple and easy dinner or appetizer. Pair these sausage balls with bbq sauce or another tangy or spicy dipping sauce.
These bite-size sausage balls are a hit all year round. I love to pair them with coleslaw or a fresh and tasty side salad for dinner. So grab that ground sausage, and let's get cooking!
This Cream Cheese Sausage Balls recipe is...
- Easy to prepare
- Made with simple ingredients
- Freezer-friendly
- Easily made gluten-free (by swapping breadcrumbs with gf flour)
- Great as an appetizer or main dish
How to Make Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
- Start by preheating oven and placing foil on baking sheet.
- In a bowl, mix up the sausage, breadcrumbs, and cream cheese along with the egg. Once well mixed, form mixture into balls.
- Place on baking sheet and cook as directed.
Full directions for these sausage balls are in the printable recipe card below.
Tips & Tricks for Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Softened Cream Cheese
I recommend allowing your cream cheese to come to room temperature. This will make it easier to mix. Otherwise, you might find that the cheese doesn't cream together in the mixture well and instead leaves clumps of cream cheese in the balls.
Breakfast Sausage
For this recipe, I used breakfast sausage. You can use any flavor of breakfast sausage you like! If you use a spicier sausage, just know it will carry a kick.
Mixing By Hand
You can mix these sausage balls with a stand mixer, or roll up your sleeves and mix these balls by hand. You will find that hand mixing allows all the ingredients to incorporate really well. Just like when making meatloaf, using your hands works best.
Variations to Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Gluten-Free Option
Reach for a gluten-free flour to replace the panko bread crumbs. You will find that it will work very similarly, and you won't notice the difference!
Add Shredded Cheese
Add ¼–⅓ cup shredded cheese to the mixture. Sharp, colby, or even a pepper jack these would add a nice flavoring to the sausage balls.
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls FAQs
How do you serve sausage balls?
You can serve up these balls as an appetizer on a stick with some dip. Or stuff them in a sandwich to make a tasty slider. Or eat them plain with a fork for a main dish. The options are endless!
How do you store leftover sausage balls?
If you happen to have extra sausage balls on hand, you can store them in the fridge for 3–4 days. Just warm them up in the microwave or the oven when you're ready to eat them again!
Can you freeze Cream Cheese Sausage Balls?
Sausage balls do freeze really well. Just allow them to cool first, then place them in a freezer bag or airtight container. You can freeze the sausage balls for up to 3–4 months. Reheating can be done in the oven or microwave.
Recipe
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 1 lb sausages medium
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup cream cheese 1 brick
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F, and line a baking sheet with tin foil.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sausage, panko, cream cheese, and egg.
- Mix ingredients until completely combined; you may need to use your hands for this.
- Form 20 equally shaped sausage balls from the mixture (they will be roughly the size of golf balls), and place onto prepared baking sheet.
- Bake sausage balls in preheated oven for 18–20 minutes or until fully cooked through.
- Serve Cream Cheese Sausage Balls warm.
Notes
- I served these sausage balls with a garnish of chopped parsley, but this is optional—just for looks, not for taste.
- This recipe is meant to be as simple as possible, so there are no extra seasonings in the recipe other than what comes with the sausage. For this reason, it is best to choose a high quality sausage that you enjoy the taste of.
- The texture of these sausage balls is very smooth and creamy.
- These sausage balls would be great served as an appetizer using sticks, as shown in the photos, but also in a sandwich or as a meal with some veggies on the side!
CM
Save yourself the aggravation, and switch out the tinfoil for parchment baking sheets. The sausage balls stick to the bottom of the tinfoil destroying the caramelized bottom of the ball.
Melanie
So easy - these are a great appetizer for company.
Martha Queen
in the oven now. I added handful of bagged and shredded Colby jack and cheddar cheese. Sure do smell good cooking.