Non Greasy Sausage Balls With Flour

Barbara Curry
by Barbara Curry
60 servings
35 min

This non greasy sausage ball recipe is made with flour and no Bisquick. They’re a classic favorite at our house. Less greasy than the traditional recipe making them perfect for game days, brunch, and holiday get togethers.

A platter of sausage balls with some holiday napkins in the background.

Sausage balls have always been a treat in our house around the holidays. Everyone loves them for breakfast but they are just as delicious as appetizers for parties or get togethers.

The Bisquick recipe for sausage balls was on the back of the box of Bisquick when I was growing up. My mom used Bisquick for everything. I don’t really like the idea of using processed foods if I can avoid it, so I recreated a sausage ball recipe without Bisquick.

If you read the ingredients on the box, it’s flour and shortening and some chemicals. I decided that I should be able to use flour with a little butter and baking powder to get the same results.

Three sausage balls on a grey napkin with a coffee cup next to it.


We were all thrilled with the results. Using flour with a little butter instead of shortening made the same delicious sausage balls but they were less greasy. I first tried baking them on a wire rack on a cookie sheet but you don’t need it; there was hardly any grease that dripped through.

Not only were they not as greasy but the texture was so much better than the Bisquick version. They were almost biscuit like.


If you’re going to serve this at a party, get some helpful tips along with 25 delicious game day appetizer recipes to choose from.


Why you’ll love sausage balls

  • They’re a tasty finger food appetizer that can be eaten hot or room temperature!
  • The sausage adds a lot of flavor to the melty cheese
  • They aren’t greasy
  • Great for breakfast, brunch or apps!
A sausage ball torn in half.

What you’ll need

The ingredients for Sausage Balls
  • Sausage – this needs to be uncooked so it mixes into the flour and cheese to form balls, any breakfast sausage will work. I love Neeses.
  • Cheddar cheese – take the extra minutes and grate the cheese yourself so it melts better. If you’re using a food processor, grate the cheese first.
  • Flour – this helps bind the ingredients, if you want to make them gluten free follow the recipe for sausage balls with almond flour.
  • Butter, salt, baking powder


How to make sausage balls from scratch

Step 1

Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor or large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and process until combined or use a pastry cutter.

Dry ingredients for sausage balls in a food processor.
Dry ingredients for sausage balls in a stand mixer bowl.

Step 2

Add uncooked sausage and process until well combined. If you don’t have a food processor, use your hands or a stand mixer to combine. I used my hands for years and they turned out beautifully.

Sausage ball mixture in a food processor.
All the ingredients for sausage balls in a stand mixer.

Step 3

Use a small ice cream scoop to form into balls and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Once the ingredients are combined, you can roll them into balls, but it’s quicker and you will get prettier shaped sausage balls if you use a small ice cream scoop.


Step 4

Sausage balls on a baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes until browned.

Baked sausage balls on a cookie sheet.

Pro tip: You can mix the ingredients with your hands, but if you have a mixer, I highly recommend letting it do the work! It binds all the ingredients and then you just scoop out perfectly shaped balls.

If eating them for breakfast or brunch, try serving them with a crustless quiche or with a slice of honey oat bread or add some pimento cheese for a truly Southern addition.

The worst thing about making sausage balls has always been getting all the ingredients combined. The only way I knew to do this was to use my hands. But this time, I was making the flour butter mixture in the food processor and just dumped the cheese and sausage in and OMG, it was perfectly blended and I didn’t even have to get my hands dirty.

A sausage ball being removed from a platter.

I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of the food processor before. If you don’t have one, then try putting it in a stand mixer and mix it together or you can use your hands to combine the ingredients.

Put a food processor on your Christmas list if you don’t own one, this is my second one which I’ve had for at least 20 years. I had to replace one of the parts that I broke, but it’s still going strong.


More ways to use a food processor

I couldn’t live without my food processor. I use it to make biscuits, pie crusts, date balls, cheese crackers, macaroni & cheese, and chocolate Oreo balls to list just a few. It’s great for slicing potatoes for baked au gratin potatoes, or making the topping for peach crumble.Of course it’s ideal for grating cheese or making pesto. I could go on and on.

It’s one of just a couple of appliances I could not live without. It makes a great wedding or graduation gift and of course is perfect for Christmas.


Can you microwave sausage balls

NO!! Don’t microwave them, you’ll get rubbery sausage balls. That doesn’t mean I haven’t done it in a pinch, but they are so much better if you can warm them in the toaster oven. I use my toaster oven all the time, I don’t think they sell it anymore but it’s similar to this toaster oven.


FAQs and tips

Can you make sausage balls without a food processor?

You can use a strong mixer or your hands to combine the ingredients. A hand held mixer will not be strong enough.

What’s the best way to reheat sausage balls?

Place them in an oven at 350º for about 5 minutes. Don’t microwave.

How can you make these low carb or keto?

Substitute almond flour and make keto sausage balls.

Why are my sausage balls dry?

If you are using very lean sausage, you may need to cut back on the flour.

Can you prep sausage balls ahead of time?

What’s nice about these is that you can make them in advance and freeze them before cooking. You can also freeze them after they’ve cooked and warm them up. If re-warming, sprinkle with a little water and bake at 350º until warm.


Need more Game Day recipes

Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Short Rib Chili

Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe

Pimento Cheese Dip


More finger food appetizers

  • Try making some mini croque monsieurs with puff pastry if you’re in the mood for a french appetizer
  • Savory puff pastry pinwheels
  • Family favorite mushroom cream cheese balls
  • Hard to resist cheesy crackers


If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag and tagging me @butterandbaggage.


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Non Greasy Sausage Balls With Flour
Recipe details
  • 60  servings
  • Prep time: 20 Minutes Cook time: 15 Minutes Total time: 35 min
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Ingredients

  • ▢ 2 cups flour
  • ▢ 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • ▢ 2 tablespoons butter cold
  • ▢ 1 lb. sausage uncooked
  • ▢ 8 ounces cheddar cheese grated
Instructions

Preheat oven to 400º. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add flour, baking powder, salt and butter to a stand mixer or food processor and mix until butter is incorporated or pinch the butter together with your fingers until it is incorporated into the flour. Add grated cheese and mix. Add sausage a little at a time and mix until it comes together
Using a 1 tablespoon ice cream scoop, form into balls and place on prepared rack.
Bake for 15 minutes until slightly browned on the outside. Serve warm.
Tips
  • If you want a low carb version, try Sausage Balls with Almond Flour
  • If making pimento cheese sausage balls, substitute cheddar cheese for 10 ounces of pimento cheese.
  • You will get the best results if you grate the cheese instead of buying pre-shredded cheese.
  • Use a stand mixer or food processor to combine the ingredients.
  • For perfectly shaped balls, use a small ice-cream scoop.
  • You can refrigerate the balls prior to baking or freeze once they have been baked.
  • To reheat, sprinkle with water and bake at 350º for 5-10 minutes.
Barbara Curry
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Comments
  • Brenda Traughber Jerles Brenda Traughber Jerles on Oct 30, 2022

    I can't believe I never thought to make sausage balls in the food processor! I have always done it by hand! Thank you so much! I am so using this method for Christmas this year.

  • Cso51108026 Cso51108026 on Nov 21, 2022

    Have you tried this with turkey or chicken sausage??? I'm so stoked to try this - it's a Christmas morning tradition!!! :) ~Chrissie

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