These Keto Sausage Balls are just like the traditional sausage balls grandma used to make. A great appetizer, perfect and quick snack, breakfast, or game day treat this is Southern finger food at its finest.
Sausage and Cheese…Yes, please! These Keto Sausage Balls are one of our all-time favorites. They remind us of childhood as they were present at any cookout, holiday, or church potluck.
Sausage balls, in our opinion, are the perfect finger food. What could be better than a mashup of meat and cheese that tastes a bit like bread? The answer is obviously nothing 😉 This easy recipe is just the perfect snack!
This great recipe is as simple as the classic Bisquick sausage balls, just with less sketchy ingredients and a lot fewer carbs. In addition to being keto-friendly, these are gluten-free as well. Baking them in our trusted cast-iron skillet for an ultimate crunchy exterior is the icing on the cake.
We think we just need to start making a batch of these on the weekend to have them on hand all week. They'd make an easy grab-and-go breakfast, what do you think? We love a good meal prep for keto recipes, it makes staying on track that much simpler.
We really love these warm but they're equally delicious served cold or at room temperature. You really can't go wrong with this Keto Sausage Ball Recipe!
Do you have about 25 minutes to spare and these ingredients? Read on to learn how to make a batch of your own today!
First, Are All Sausage Balls Keto?
Unfortunately no, Bisquick or other similar biscuit mixes are a common ingredient in most recipes for regular sausage balls you'll find online making them a no-go for the keto diet. And those mixes often contain some sketchy ingredients, such as Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil. And according to the Environmental Working Group:
Partially hydrogenated oils are made from refined oils, like soybean and cottonseed oils, by subjecting them to a hydrogenation process. Depending on the extent of hydrogenation, the resulting oils can contain up to 60 percent trans fat (Tarrago-Trani 2006).
That's one good reason to avoid the pre-packaged mixes, another reason could be the carb count. 2 cups of Bisquick (which is what most recipes call for) has more carbs than 18 Oreos. Wow!
Other sausage ball recipes that are low carb sometimes use ingredients like cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, green onions, or even pepper jack cheese, but our recipe stays true to the classic recipe we love.
Can You Freeze these low carb Sausage Balls for later?
Yes, these keto sausage balls can be frozen. And you've got two options to do so:
- Option 1: Make a batch and freeze any leftovers in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw them out and warm them as needed. They'll stay good in the freezer for at least 2 months.
- Option 2: Make a batch but freeze the uncooked sausage balls. Pro-tip: freeze the keto sausage balls in a single layer on a covered baking sheet or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. That way, each sausage ball freezes individually, instead of being frozen together in a clump. After they are frozen, about 3-4 hours later, transfer them to a freezer-safe container for up to 4 months.
How to reheat from frozen
To reheat simply pop a few into your oven and bake at 400° for about 10-15 minutes.
Ingredients in keto Sausage Balls
These sausage balls have just 4 common ingredients:
- Hot breakfast sausage - any ground sausage that has red pepper flakes and sage will be perfect. See our notes below if you need to make your own
- Almond flour - some recipes use coconut flour but we find that coconut flour makes these sausage balls way too dry
- Baking powder
- Cheddar cheese - extra sharp cheddar cheese and freshly grated is our go-to, some folks also use parmesan cheese but we like ours with just cheddar
How awesome is that?
Pro Tip: using a small cookie dough scoop to make the little balls makes much less mess than using your hands!
Step-by-step cooking instructions
The best way to make keto sausage balls has just 2 steps!
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until combined. Divide the mixture into 28 balls and place in a 10" cast iron skillet (or baking sheet if you don't have a skillet) and bake for 25-30 minutes until the sausage balls are golden brown and cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 160° F.
How to make the best sausage from scratch
You'll need the following ingredients to make spicy sausage:
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1.5 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground poultry seasoning (sage, marjoram, thyme - Italian seasoning will work in a pinch)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl or use a food processor for a quick blitz.
Making your own sausage is also a great way to control the heat. Especially if you have kiddos at home who don't tolerate spicy foods.
Do I have to use a cast-iron skillet?
Nope! You can totally use a baking dish or baking sheet pan to make these keto sausage balls. Though, if you don't have a cast-iron baking sheet, we highly recommend it! It gets food so crispy and works great for recipes like this one. Some folks like to use their air fryer but we haven't tried it so if you do, leave us a note in the comments below!
Nutritional Information
As always, you can find a full breakdown of the nutritional information per serving at the bottom of the recipe card. These keto sausage balls have 2 grams of net carbs per serving, that's only 1 g net carbs per sausage ball!
We think that's it! Now you know how to get the best results for your homemade sausage balls that the whole family will love! The key is using hot sausage and we bet you're going to love this easy recipe for your next party as they are the perfect appetizer or even as a meal-prep option for busy weeks!
Did you give this recipe a try? Leave us a comment below and let us know how they turned out!
Check out The Best Keto Appetizers For Any Occasion for more low carb appetizers and low carb recipes.
Keto Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 1 lb hot breakfast sausage we opt for pastured pork
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients until combined. Divide the mixture into 28 balls and place in a 10.5" cast iron skillet (or baking sheet if you don't have a skillet) and bake for 25-30 minutes until the sausage balls are golden and cooked through.
Cass says
What do you mean by Hot Breakfast Sausage?
Alex Lester says
Hi Cass, hot breakfast sausage is a style of sausage that typically has sage and red pepper flakes added to it. It can be found at most grocery stores or you can use any breakfast sausage you like.
Lona webb says
Can you substitute an eight of of Almond flower with coconut flower?
Cast Iron Keto says
We're not quite sure what you're asking but typically, no we don't recommend substituting flours as the recipes haven't been tested any other way than written.
Heidi says
Is that only 1.3 carbs per serving for 2 pieces? I love these!! I've made them before & will do it again soon. Great for breakfast & I might have even had them as a snack! LOL
Alex Lester says
Yes! 1.3 net carbs per serving which is 2 sausage balls.
Cindy says
Are these served hot or cold?
Alex Lester says
Either!
CTYonit says
These are going to rock our next church potluck! A handful of us at church do keto and this is just what we need to add to our (secret section) of the spread.
BTW if you ever have trouble finding pastured sausage, I use this gal's recipe (tweaked a bit for the ultimate keto sausage)
https://happymoneysaver.com/homemade-sausage-patties-recipe/
ALso just wanted to say--I love the name of your blog.
Keep On Keto-ing On!
Alex Lester says
Thanks for the link, glad to hear you are enjoying our recipes!
Sherry says
I made a batch of these (modified) for New Year's Eve - big hit! Nobody could hold at 2 sausage balls, but we survived the night if not the morning weigh-in!
Alex Lester says
Awesome to hear that!
Andrea says
Holy shit are these delicious!! I was looking for a keto sausage recipe that didn't contain eggs as I was out, and man-o-man did I hit the jackpot with this one! My entire family loved it and I like your idea of serving them for breakfast. Thank you!!
Alex Lester says
Thrilled you guys loved them!
Dirk A. says
Excellent. As a southerner, we're issued sausage ball recipes with our birth certificates. This really scratches the itch when I can't bring myself to eat eggs again. I do add a half teaspoon of garlic powder because I always have and I drop a little maple wood smoked onion hot sauce on them because my sausage wasn't very spicy. Great recipe. We'll be doing it for Super Bowl.
Alex Lester says
That hot sauce sounds awesome!
Susiewithkids says
Made these for Super Bowl. Only change was not spicy sausage since I can’t do nightshdes. Yummy! ? Will definitely make again. Thanks!
Nancy says
Can I substitute the shredded cheddar with a shredded cheese mix, or would it mess with it holding together? My husband recently brought home a HUGE bag of the shredded mix for my Keto diet (so sweet of him trying to be helpful!) but I am going to have to use it quickly or divide it up and freeze it.
Alex Lester says
Sure!
Lamr says
Sweet! I just got my hands on Penzeys Breakfast sausage seasoning. I am going to make two batches (ground pork & ground chicken) and freeze the leftovers.
Betty says
Yummy. Made these a few months ago, and made again today. They're going in the freezer for a pre-Thanksgiving snack. Love your recipes!
Keto On says
This recipe is better (yes, BETTER) tasting that the original Bisquick version!! I ate way more than two but who counts calories any more anyway?? Who would have thought that almond flour's infinite capacity to absorb liquids & fats would knock this one out of the park?
Ian Hicks says
I've made these more times than I can count at this point and I love them more with each bake! Can't beat how easy they are to whip up, either—always great to have on hand.
Dustin says
Actually I did pre-ground pork for a great lunch, it tasted great and was quite weird for the taste buds.
Nancy says
I love these sausage balls! I make them all the time.
nancy says
Yummy sausage balls.
Becky Vigus says
Could these be made in a cast iron pan on the stove? I only have a toaster oven and my pan doesn't fit. If not, I will use a cake pan. Thanks
Cast Iron Keto says
I would go the cake pan route and bake them in the toaster oven, hope this helps.
Kris. O says
used a mixture of vermont white and mild cheddar. Being a southerner ...these are a holiday staple. Having a member who is on a low carb diet, this was worth trying. Very very very close to my long time go to recipe. We will be making these again. I used hot breakfast sausage! yum