These Cheesy Keto Sausage Balls are a crowd favorite, perfect for parties, holidays, or even a quick and satisfying snack. Made without the use of nut flour or Bisquick, these keto cheese sausage balls are low in carbs and full of flavor.
Why Keto Sausage Balls?
For those following a ketogenic diet, finding delicious and convenient options can sometimes be a challenge. Traditional sausage ball recipes often rely on high-carb ingredients like Bisquick, making them unsuitable for a low-carb lifestyle. These Keto Sausage Balls offer a fantastic alternative, delivering the same savory taste and satisfying texture without the carb overload. They are also popular with online casino players.
Key Benefits
- Low Carb: With just 1 net carb per ball, these are perfect for maintaining ketosis.
- Gluten-Free: A great option for those with gluten sensitivities.
- Easy to Make: The recipe requires minimal ingredients and simple steps.
- Versatile: Enjoy them as an appetizer, snack, or even as part of a meal.
- Freezer-Friendly: Make a batch ahead of time and freeze for later.
Ingredients
The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. Here's what you'll need:
- 1 lb uncooked breakfast sausage
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- Eggs and spices to a large bowl (if desired)
Ingredient Spotlight:
- Sausage: The most important ingredient. Use 1 pound of the highest quality, great-tasting sausage you can find. Jimmy Dean All Natural Pork Sausage is a great option, or Frans Fryers organic chicken sausage. You can use whatever uncooked sausage you like, chicken or pork. Just make sure you’re happy with the taste because that’s going to be the main flavor of your sausage balls. Feel free to experiment with different sausage varieties, such as hot sausage or sage sausage, to customize the flavor to your liking.
- Almond Flour: Used in place of traditional baking mix or Bisquick to keep the carb count low.
- Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar compliments the flavor of the sausage nicely, but you can experiment with any kind of cheese. One favorite variation is to add 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder and shredded parmesan cheese in place of the cheddar.
- Optional Additions: You can get creative and add other ingredients like cream cheese, fresh herbs, or spices to enhance the flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making these Keto Sausage Balls is a breeze. Follow these simple steps:
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until well combined. Using your hands, mix well. You can also use a food processor or stand mixer. If using a food processor, grate the cheese first and add almond flour, baking powder and process until combined. Add half of the sausage and process, then add the rest of the sausage and the egg and process until well combined.
- Mix: Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. For the best results you really need to mix this together with your hands. So wash your hands and get mixing!
- Shape into Balls: Using a spoon, scoop out mixture and roll in to 1" balls. Using a small ice-cream scoop, form into balls about 11/2 to 2 tablespoons in size. We use a small scoop to make sure all of the balls are an even size. I used a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and made 40 sausage balls.
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Place on a parchment paper or foiled cookie sheet about 1" apart. Cover your rimmed baking tray with a silicone mat or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Spray a broiler pan, or a cooling rack on top of a rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray. Both pan methods produce great results and all the fat drips down nicely. You’ll probably only need one pan for this recipe unless you double the recipe.
- Bake: Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until done throughout. Bake for 18-20 minutes until slightly browned. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned or internal temperature is 160 degrees F and nicely golden brown.
- Cool and Serve: Serve these keto sausage balls on a round platter with more dried parsley and paprika sprinkled on top. Additionally, you could even serve them with a dipping sauce or ranch dressing. Though I think it is not necessary due to the nature of the keto sausage ball being inherently greasy.
Tips and Tricks
- Cheese: If you use freshly grated cheese, it may pool at the bottom of the sausage ball.
- Mixing: One reason may be the mixing. My best tip is to make small batches. Mixing each batch separately is the easiest method.
- Don't overcook: Overcooking can dry out the sausage balls. Keep a close eye on them in the oven.
- Serving Suggestions: These are best served at room temperature. These sausage balls are a great appetizer with any dipping sauces you like. 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!).
- Reheating: Easily reheat in the microwave or oven (350 degrees for ten minutes). To reheat, microwave in 15 second increments until your desired temperature is reached.
Freezing and Storage
- Freezing: If you want to prep a large number of cooked sausage balls for a party, it's ok to freeze them. Another favorite thing about this recipe is how freezer friendly it is. You can freeze these before you cook them or after. If you opt to freeze these uncooked then you would flash freeze the uncooked sausage balls on a pan for 2-3 hours until solid then place in a ziplock bag. Cool them completely after baking and place them in the freezer on the baking tray. Once frozen, place them in an airtight container that is freezer safe or a freezer bag. If freezing, place in a freezer bag and store for up to one month.
- Cooking from Frozen: When your ready to cook just place the frozen sausage balls on the broiler pan or baking sheet and bake, adding about 5-7 minutes of cooking time.
- Reheating from Frozen: Or if you prefer, freeze after they’ve been cooked and just microwave them for a quick meal or snack.
- Storage: Store in a sandwich bag or covered bowl in the fridge. If storing in the fridge, place your keto sausage balls in either a plastic bag or a container with an airtight lid. Store in the fridge for up to four days. 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.
Variations and Substitutions
- Cheese: Don't forget to try new things (add hot sausage or sage) try a different cheese.
- Sausage: If you don’t want to use ground pork, you can swap it with ground chicken, pre-seasoned ground sausage, spicy sausage, turkey sausage, breakfast sausage or any kind of sausage you like.
- Nut-Free Option: 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. Can't eat Almond Flour? No problem! If you hate almond flour you can still use this recipe with 1 cup bisquick or 1 cup of any alternative baking mix.
- Additions: If so then go for it! If you hate almond flour you can still use this recipe with 1 cup bisquick or 1 cup of any alternative baking mix. Nothing else is needed unless you feel like playing around and getting fancy. One of my favorite variations is to add 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder and shredded parmesan cheese in place of the cheddar but shhh….that would be 4 ingredients so don’t tell on me. I also like to mix things up a bit and whip these sausage balls up with some cream cheese and fresh herbs. DELISH!
Common Questions
- 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: Can you make these without baking powder?
- A: Yes, I never saw a need for baking powder in this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
These keto sausage balls are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in various ways:
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
- Appetizer: Serve them as a crowd-pleasing appetizer at parties or gatherings.
- Snack: Enjoy them as a quick and satisfying snack between meals.
- Breakfast: Pair them with eggs or other breakfast favorites for a protein-packed start to the day.
- Lunch or Dinner: Add them to a salad or serve them as a side dish with your favorite keto-friendly meal.
A Holiday Tradition
This Keto Sausage Balls recipe is a family favorite during the holidays. It's a great way to enjoy a classic dish without compromising your low-carb lifestyle.
Important Considerations
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.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
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