Sourdough Sausage Balls [Easy + No Bisquick!]

Please share!

Sourdough sausage balls are easy, use up sourdough discard, and are a crowd favorite for holiday parties or game day. They are a delightful combination of breakfast sausage, sharp cheddar cheese, and tangy sourdough. They’re delicious served warm or cold—so you can bake them up and serve right away, or make ahead for the next day’s gathering.

In my world, sausage balls are somewhat nostalgic. I grew up watching my mom (an amazing cook, by the way) make bisquick sausage balls, and I always looked forward to enjoying them at hosted parties. I was so excited when I had the idea to try making sourdough sausage balls, because Bisquick isn’t the healthiest to consume, especially if you’re committed to eating mostly clean, like our family is. And I’m always down for finding a way to incorporate my trusty sourdough starter into, well… basically anything.

These sausage balls are basically the perfect appetizer, seeing as they contain simple ingredients, are quick to make, and also extremely tasty. Easy appetizer recipes like this one are a great way to look like you put in a lot of effort, when in reality, they take less than 5 minutes to mix up and just 20 minutes to bake in the oven!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Clean ingredients: Unlike traditional Bisquick sausage balls, one of the best things about these sourdough sausage balls is that they’re made with clean ingredients. Choose an all-natural or pastured ground sausage and high-quality cheese, along with fresh-milled or einkorn flour for optimum nutrition.
• Uses up sourdough discard: For those times when you have extra sourdough discard sitting in the fridge, sourdough sausage balls are a tasty, filling way to use it up. One tray of these sausage balls uses up 100g, or 1 cup, of sourdough discard. 
• Easy and fast: Sourdough sausage balls are an easy recipe that requires you to mix, roll, and bake. You can get from start to finish in 30 minutes or less.
• Makes an impressive party addition: This sausage ball recipe is a total crowd pleaser not only in our home, but at gatherings and get-togethers. I love serving these sausage balls at holiday parties or special occasions.

Sourdough sausage balls ingredients

These sourdough sausage balls are made with simple, clean ingredients:

• All-purpose flour: I prefer using all-purpose einkorn flour for higher protein content and easier digestibility. I typically source mine from Thrive Market. But, you can absolutely use conventional all-purpose flour if that’s what you have on hand.
• Sourdough starter: Of course, we need our trusty sourdough starter! It can be in active or discard stage for this recipe.
• Cheddar cheese: I prefer a nice, sharp cheddar that I shred myself, but you can use pre-shredded cheese if you like. Feel free to experiement with other types as well: parmesan cheese, pepperjack cheese, or colby cheese would all make tasty additions.
• Ground pork sausage: Can’t have a sausage ball without sausage, right? Choosing a high-quality breakfast sausage is a must for amazing flavor.
• Baking powder: Gives each dough ball some puff and fluff when baked in the oven, without needing any rise time.
• Black pepper: Adds from flair and just the right amount of kick.

I personally omit the salt in this recipe because there is already so much in the sausage. But, if you like your sausage balls on the saltier side, feel free to add 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt.

And if you’re wondering why there isn’t any additional liquid added to this recipe, it’s because the fat content from the sausage and cheese adds the perfect bit of additional moisture to the dough.

Tips for making sourdough sausage balls

• I prefer to combine the mixture with clean hands, since the mixture is very thick and hard to stir with a spoon.
• Don’t be worried if the mixture seems a little dry before baking. The dough should just hold together, enough to form small balls.
• Try using a cookie scoop for evenly sized balls.
• Use parchment paper or a silicone mat over your baking sheets for easy clean up.
• For the classic flavor found in old fashioned sausage balls, use traditional pork breakfast sausage for the best results. Do not substitute for turkey sausage or your balls may end up too dry, crumbly, and/or tasteless.

Sourdough sausage balls: Step-by-step instructions

Making these delicious sourdough sausage balls could not be any simpler!

Preheat oven to 375F, and prepare an ungreased baking sheet (I like to use these silicone mats). Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl first: flour, baking powder, and black pepper. Mix well.

Shred your cheese if needed, then add the sausage, cheese, and sourdough starter. This is where I just start mixing with my hands! You will need to break the ground sausage up and thoroughly incorporate all the other ingredients throughout.

Once the ingredients are evenly distributed, roll the uncooked sausage balls into 1-inch balls and place them on the baking tray. These balls don’t spread much, so you can arrange them pretty close together, leaving little space between.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Like I mentioned before, these sausage balls are great served warm or at room temperature—so you can serve them right away, or wait until the next day.

Please share!