This Keto Sausage Balls recipe is a family favorite. If you visit our home during the holidays, you're in for a treat.
I can't wait for you to make this recipe. I am sharing it with you because I know how much you will love it.
This Christmas will be the second year without my mother-in-law.
If you have your mom and mother-in-law in your life, please give them a big hug. Make sure the people in your life know you care for them.
I hate seeing negative family memes on Facebook. What I wouldn't give to have squabbles with the family members we've lost. Don't take the people in your life for granted!
Beverly was like a mom to me, and this time of year is bittersweet. She loved Christmas.
One of the things I loved about spending the holidays with her was her cooking. She would make the most wonderful and delicious food.
She served a few traditional foods each year, and I grew to love those. They were foods that were not a tradition for me growing up.
Can the Almond Flour Be Substituted?
Yes! You don't have to use almond flour in your keto recipes, you can always replace the almond flour with coconut flour if you are allergic to almonds.
You can also try using pork rinds if you're feeling adventurous.
Can't eat Almond Flour? No problem! Try out Keto Coconut Flour Sausage Balls Recipe here!
Man, I would light up with excitement when I opened her fridge.
There sat my gift, pistachio salad I didn't have to share. Yep, she would make a dish just for me.
Look, when I say dish, I mean Tupperware bowl! 😉 She hooked me up!
I only had pistachio salad when she would make it for me. Every year I would forget about it, but she remembered.
Before she came into my life, I didn't know what I was missing.
Recipes like peanut butter balls, pig pickin' cake, and sausage balls were new to me. They are a permanent part of my menu now.
I wish I could introduce you to Beverly.
She was one of the greatest women I've known.
Today this recipe is in memory of her.
2020 Update:
Beverly would be proud. Our family has adopted this recipe as a holiday tradition!
That's great news for anyone who plans to serve these at a party. If you loved the original Bisquick sausage balls will love this recipe!
📖 Keto Sausage Balls Variations:
Try hot sausage or sage sausage for a different taste!
🥘 Keto Sausage Balls Ingredients:
- 1 lb. Breakfast Sausage ( I love Jimmy Dean)
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Cup Almond Flour
- 8 Oz Cheddar Cheese
- ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon Butter (or Coconut Oil)
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
🔪 How To Make Keto Sausage Balls
- Preheat oven to 350
- Add eggs and spices to a large bowl. Then beat until the ingredients are combined.
- Add all other ingredients to the egg mixture.
- Using a cookie scoop and your hands, roll the sausage mixture into 20-25 sausage balls (I made 23)
- Place sausage balls on a cookie sheet
- Bake for 16-20 minutes
- Store in a sandwich bag or covered bowl in the fridge.
These are best served at room temperature.
💭 Tips for Making Low-Carb Sausage Balls
- Easily reheat in the microwave or oven (350 degrees for ten minutes).
- These savory snacks, or savory fat bombs as some call them, are great for holiday parties, baby showers, and potlucks!
- Use parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean-up!
- If you want to prep a large number of cooked sausage balls for a party, it's ok to freeze them.
Q: Why are my sausage balls too dry?
A: One reason may be the mixing.
My best tip is to make small batches. Mixing each batch separately is the easiest method. It gets more difficult to mix if you have too many ingredients.
If you used pre-shredded cheese, you might end up with dry balls (come on now, grow up!)
How Long to Cook Sausage Balls?
Sausage balls must be baked for 16-20 minutes for best results.
Q: Can you or should you pre-cook the sausage?
A: Do not pre-cook the sausage; it will change the entire recipe and not for the better.
Q: How long can I leave raw sausage balls in the fridge?
A: If you want to prep the recipe without cooking, please freeze them! Freezing the balls is the safest option and will give you the best recipe!
Q: How do you make sausage balls without cheese?
A: You don't! Just kidding! Just make the recipe without the cheese. Without cheese, the sausage balls will be smaller but still just as tasty.
Q: What are the best cheeses to use in sausage balls?
A: Sharp cheddar cheese, Parmesan, and mozzarella (for Italian style), cream cheese
Q: What kind of sausage do you use in sausage balls? Or what's the best sausage?
A: Mild Pork Sausage, Sage Pork Sausage, Hot Pork Sausage, Italian Pork Sausage
Q: Can you make these without baking powder?
A: Yes, I never saw a need for baking powder in this recipe.
Keto Sausage Ball Dips To Try:
You can always use standard keto dips like mayonnaise, cheese dip, spinach dip, or mustard, or get super crazy and test out this appetizer with our Keto Hot Crab Dip (don't knock it until you've tried it!).
Keto Sausage Balls Nutrition Information:
This is for 1 serving (1 sausage ball)
Calories: 124 | Total Fat: 11g |Protein: 6g | Carb Count: 1
These are high in both saturated fat and calories.
Please be careful with these.
They are easy to overindulge in. That's one of the reasons I save them for the holidays. I know that I will have lots of people around to help me eat them.
Keto Sausage Balls
This recipe is a new take on an old classic. Savory sausage balls are perfect for the holidays. There are so many ways to change these up and make them your own. If you are looking for a savory fat bomb to meet your macros, this recipe is perfect for you. This is a crowd-pleaser that is kid-friendly and keto-approved.
If you want to introduce your child to the world of cooking, but aren't sure where to start, I recommend this recipe. Kids love helping in the kitchen, and mine can make this one on their own now. The bonus is that I don't always have to make them, but always get to eat them! 😉
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Breakfast Sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Cup Almond Flour
- 8 Oz Cheddar Cheese
- ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon Butter (or Coconut Oil)
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Add all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Using a cookie scoop and your hands roll sausage mixture into 20-25 sausage balls (I made 23)
- Place sausage balls on a cookie sheet
- Bake for 16-20 minutes
- Store in a sandwich bag or covered bowl in the fridge. My mother in law would leave them sitting out at room temp, but I just can't do that.
Notes
Refrigerate after serving. I place paper towels in the bottom of a bowl and then add the leftovers and seal it up good. They don't last long around here so I'm not sure how long they keep. We eat them within 2-3 days. You can also use a Ziploc bag to store them.
Don't forget to try new things (add hot sausage or sage) try a different cheese. There are so many awesome ways to eat sausage balls!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
25Serving Size:
1 Sausage BallAmount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 294mgCarbohydrates: 2gNet Carbohydrates: 1gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 7g
📋Keto Holiday Recipes To Add Your Menu:
Do you have gluten-free family recipes you only eat for the holidays? Please share it in the comments; I would love to try it!
Brandee says
So good! Tender and moist...way better than the traditional sausage ball made with biscuit/pancake mix. This is going into the permanent breakfast rotation. Thank you!
bonnefaye says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I might have missed this somewhere but is 1 serving = 1 sausage ball? Thanks!
Sarah says
That's my ? What makes a serving?
ketosizeme says
Sorry yes, 1 ball is 1 serving! Editing that now!
Tami Rutland says
Can you post the sausage ball recipe?
Barbara Scott says
Can you make them withoutthe cheese??
ketosizeme says
Hi Barbara! You can try, but you may want to double up on the butter so they aren't too dry. Let me know if you try it and how they turn out.
Jessica says
Wondering how these turned out with no cheese? Would like to cut this down to less cheese but don't want to waste the other ingredients if someone else has already attempted.
Wanda Carlisle says
I cut the Cheddar Cheese in half and they were still moist. You may be able to cut it more and it be fine.
Willow Y. says
Made these this morning... DELICIOUS!!!
Michelle says
Hi. I have a sensitivity to almonds. Do you think another gluten-free flour substitute could work with these?
ketosizeme says
Possibly coconut flour, but I will have to try the recipe before I know how it tastes. I will get back to you on this!
ketosizeme says
I made these with coconut flour! You can get the recipe here: https://ketosizeme.com/keto-coconut-flour-sausage-balls-recipe/
Keyana Medina says
I just made these for my family and all six of them loved them! That's rare for my picky eaters (my husband included).
ketosizeme says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear it!
sherry says
Can I use flax meal instead of almond flour?
Jennifer says
Made these tonight they are so damn good thank you!
Lisa says
Can I sub Coconut flour dor Almond flour..
Deana says
what spices did you use?
Cortney says
Can these be frozen for later??
Danelle says
Do you melt the butter first? If not how do you mix the butter into the cold ingredients?? Lol
Mary says
These are so delish and an easy run-out- the-door-to eat-in-my-car-quick-breakfast. My concern, and I hope I'm just reading this wrong, but there can't possibly be 124 calories in one ball, can there? What size ball are we talking here? The ones I made were just small meatball size. I have been eating four at a time before I saw nutritional content. What size is the calorie/carb count based on?
Wendy Roach says
I put all the ingredients in MyFitnessPal and made a recipe of it. I used the ratio of 24 balls per the recipe. It has 113 calories per ball and .7 carbs per ball. I'm sure it's all the cheese and fatty sausage causing the high calorie count. This is a great recipe for those eating low carb though. Looks yummy. Can't wait to make it.
Jenn says
I ran it through my fitness pal at 12 servings (I plan on making patties) using turkey sausage and they ended up being 186 cal, 14 fat, 2 carbs and 15 protein
Travy says
How many servings does this make?
Tricia says
I have a question, I am not a huge parm cheese fan, what could I substitute for that?
Amy says
These were wonderful!!! Thank you for the recipe!
ttliggz says
This is probably a dumb question, but I am not that great of a cook. I have to follow the exact recipe LOL.. Does it matter of the butter is melted or not?
ketosizeme says
That's not a dumb question! I do usually melt the butter for this recipe!
ttliggz says
Thank you! I made them today and they don't look as golden as yours. They look more like hamburger meatballs. LOLOL!! They taste great though.
Leigh Sadler says
I take mine out at about 13 mins and let them finish cooking on the hot cookie sheet. I have a really hot gas oven.
Toni says
Has anyone tried crushed pork rinds instead of almond flour??
Julie says
I used crushed pork rinds for a batter on chicken and pork before frying. Found the recipe online. Have not tried it to replace almond flour.
Sharon says
These are really good. I will definitely be making these again, and again, and again.
Theresa says
So I refuse to pay for almond flour, that being said this is how I made them. I added a pound of turkey italian sausage and doubled everything else except the cheddar cheese, topped with keto marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. They were really good, a little salty probably because of the sausage. I will definitely make them again. Thanks for the recipe!
Sue says
I thought they were good but way to salty for me... I am on a salt restricted diet so my questions is does it have to have the 1/4 tsp salt. I think the grated Parmesan is salty enough. I find recipes using it salty. It makes a big difference when you are not use to eating hardly any salt.
Heidi says
I use garlic powder instead of salt.
Amanda says
Dumb question....you don't cook the sausage first, right? I'm about to make these, and it looks like raw sausage in your pics, so I'm assuming it's like a meatloaf mixture!
ketosizeme says
Right! The sausage is raw. Sorry I've been out for a while and just saw this. I'm sure you've made them by now, hope you enjoyed them.
Amy says
Do you brown your breakfast sausage first? Or do you mix it with the other ingredients in raw form?
ketosizeme says
The sausage is raw when it goes in the oven.
Kim says
Has anyone froze these after they were baked? Looking for things to send with my son to college for a quick breakfast? Thank you!
ketosizeme says
Hi Kim! These are great for freezing and eating later!
connie says
I think I know the answer to this question, but I just want to be sure. Do we use the grated parmesan cheese than comes in the jar with a green lid? (Kraft does anyway) Or is this fresh grated cheese?
ketosizeme says
You can use either. When I'm in a rush I use Kraft, when I have extra time I use the fresh stuff because it tastes so much better.
Sarah says
So excited to come across this recipe.!! I'm not a fan of parmesan cheese can I leave it out or subsitute it for something else?
Berdell says
made these yesterday and they are great even my great grand daughter likes them so a double thumbs up
Pat says
Wonderful, first sausage balls I've ever really liked.
Melissa says
Perfect recipe. Love these and so excited to have them this Holiday Season... and beyond!!! 😀
Lisa says
Thanks for this recipe! I've made these several times and they're a hit with our keto and non-keto friends! The first time I made them according to the recipe, but I've been omitting the butter/coconut oil ever since because they were too mushy/oily. Perfect consistency without the butter/coconut oil!
Wendy says
I was so excited to try these - and made them this morning. I laid out all of my ingredients and started adding them to the mixing bowl. However, I got to the "8 oz cheddar cheese" and thought it said 8 oz cream cheese. I misread it twice! Went over to my fridge and pulled out cream cheese. Mixed it all up and realized my mistake. Rather than throwing out the batter, I quickly doubled the recipe so that I was only adding 4 oz of cream cheese to the recipe. Baked them, and crossed my fingers that they would come out ok. And boy were they delish! Melt in your mouth good! I have a ton of sausage balls to eat before I can try the original recipe. But wanted to share - in case anyone wants to throw a little cream cheese in theirs. So good!
Wren says
@Wendy, thanks for that “mistake”. I wanna try that next time. cream cheese makes almost anything better.
Marilyn says
These were really good - my husband loved them. I did add a little crushed red pepper as we like things spicy. I do think instructions should say to turn the balls over half way through cooking. Mine did not brown on top after 16 minutes. I did turn them over at that point and cooked for another 4 minutes, but think they were a little over-cooked. We had them as a dinner with a veggie side.
Jenn says
Awesome!! I accidentally used mozzarella instead of Parmesan but they delicious anyway. I’m
Looking forward to making these for my Christmas Eve party. Thank you!!
Cailyn says
Thank you! Just found this recipe in time for my first KETO Christmas. Yippee to ditching the Bisquik My southern sister liked them too. Her suggestion for true southern sausage balls is to use hot (spicey) pork sausage.
❤️
Michelle says
I made this recipe this morning. I used fresh grated cheddar, since pre-shredded cheddar in the package has added hidden carbs (corn starch). I used a table spoon scoop and was able to get 37 balls on to my pan. Can't wait to pull them out of the oven and try them! Sausage balls are a MUST on Christmas at my house. Going Keto is not going to change that!
Gina says
How many of these do you usually eat at a time? I am new to Keto so I am still learning the process.
Charlene says
I made these for a watch party last night because several of us are following Keto and they were a hit! I made half in the oven and half in the air fryer. Delicious!! The air fryer helped them keep their shape where the oven ones had a crispy cheese bottom. Both were awesome!
David says
Thank you for the recipe! I used 1 lb of Tennessee Pride Hot Breakfast sausage and a pound of ground beef and just doubled everything else except maybe a bit less on the salt and baking powder. Came out great!! What a great snack right out of the fridge!!
Becky says
We loved this recipe! Made oversize rounds and cooked in the air fryer for 12 mins at 370. Delicious! Thanks for the post!
ketosizeme says
Awesome to hear! I just got an Air Fryer so I will have to try this. Thanks for the tip. 🙂
Rita Walker says
These are the best snack. Just made them and they are delicious. Thanks for sharing.
TheDude says
Seems to me that this recipe would make an awesome sausage pizza crust! Has anyone tried this?
Jennifer Crow says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I added a little cayenne for a touch of heat. I liked them better than the ones I grew up eating with Bisquick. I've been needing Keto comfort food and this hit the spot.
Maya says
Okay, I love the sausage balls i made form this recipe. But to be honest, i have been improvising practically every time: like, what does 8oz of cheese mean? Are we talking about volume or weight? Because that makes a big difference! And honestly making it differently every time, asi cant quite remember what i did the first time when it turned out so good?! ♀️
ketosizeme says
Weight. I use a food scale to weigh the ingredients.
Gilly says
These are wonderful! I skipped the parmesan simply because my tiny kitchen was full of stuff and my tired body didn't want to deal with it LOL! My husband, shortly after them coming out of the oven, asked if he could start eating them. I said yes and a moment later he walked into the living room, mouth full, with one in his hand and said "you need to eat this....now!" I kept saying "I'm glad you like them" he replies "no you don't understand, they're amazing!" So thank you for making him happy! Will definitely be making again!
Amy says
My family LOVES this recipe, thank you!! 🙂 Question: Do you think they can be cooked in a crockpot? I have limited oven options right now and only have a little toaster oven at my disposal (and a crockpot), so I'm considering trying them in the crockpot so I can cook more than 9 balls at a time. 😉 Any suggestions?
ketosizeme says
I would think so but I will have to try it out and let you know! Once I get back from vacation I will test it out and post an update!
Donna says
checking nutritional info - 1 sausage ball = 1 serving - 1488 calories per serving!!!! WHAT!!! LOL - that cant be right
ketosizeme says
Lol no that is wrong. I will go in and fix that! Thanks for catching it.
Kathy says
Has anyone tried mixing with ground beef?
ketosizeme says
You can make these with beef!
Teresa says
Recipe is awesome and easy! I tried it for the first time yesterday and I usually follow the recipe EXACTLY the first time. But yesterday, I only had a medium egg, I used fresh parmesan cheese (not grated...by mistake), and I used pink Himalayan salt and coconut oil. Even with these alterations it turned out great! I got about 28 balls from this recipe. I wouldn't put in the salt next time...enjoy!!
Mary says
This is a great recipe. Made these as sausage biscuits for breakfast. The only thing I changed was making them in muffin pan instead of balls. My family of men folk loved them along side a spinach fritata. So moist & flavorful! Will definitely be a go to recipe. Oh did I mention its easy too!
Sherry Hanamean says
Made these this morning and they’re almost gone. Did cut flour in half. These are now on my “to keep” list.
Lori foster says
Thank you for such a great recipe. I changed it up a bit : half the cheddar and doubled the parmesan. I also used a small cookie scoop and cooked them in an air fryer 6 min. per basket at 370--- the perfect 2 bite appetizer for my upcoming party. 50 balls
Mike says
If you make them traditional size you’ll get closer to 50-60.
Greg says
I made these today and they taste awesome! But, my keto balls came out flat and look like Italian Sausage Keto Cookies! What did I do wrong?
ketosizeme says
Lol, love the description! I'm not sure, to be honest. I don't smash mine at all and just scoop them with a melon scooper or cookie scoop and they are always round.
Stephanie says
First, these sausage balls are way better than the "original" way of making them. Thank you for making and sharing this recipe! And second...has nothing to do with the recipe but the beautiful words you said about your sweet MIL. It warms my heart to know that's the kind of relationship you both had. For me, I know that's the kind of MIL I hope to be one day when my babies grow up and start a family of their own; I hope they all feel like my daughters and I would be "mom" (and my hubby like "dad") to them too. :).
ketosizeme says
Thank you so much Stephanie. That is my hope as well. I never want my children's spouses to feel out of place in our home. I want them to know they are family. I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend. Stay safe 🙂
Michele Cogar says
8oz cheddar cheese... Does this mean an 8oz block or 8oz as on a cup?
Shasta Walton | ISSA Certified Specialist in Fitness & Nutrition says
An 8oz block
Larry says
I've never seen egg or baking powder in a sausage ball recipe: is it the almond flour that makes those necessary?
Shasta Walton | Certified Medical Assistant says
Most people use Bisquik to make sausage balls that already contains baking powder, and yes the eggs help when using almond flour (for taste and end result).