Cheesy Green Chile Sausage Balls will make your traditional sausage ball recipe sing with the addition of savory green chiles! A simple mixture of sharp cheddar cheese, canned diced green chiles, ground pork sausage and biscuit mix, this sausage ball recipe is easy and outlandishly good!
You’ll also love my Creole Sausage Ball recipe for a little spicy kick. And try Crock Pot Cranberry Meatballs and Whiskey Peach BBQ Meatballs for more party goodness.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sausage balls are a classic party appetizer that are ALWAYS a big hit!
- This recipe takes their classic flavors up a notch with the addition of green chiles. Green chiles aren’t spicy, but the way they complement the sausage and cheese is off the charts good!
- 4 ingredients– that’s all it takes to make Green Chile Sausage Ball perfection!
- They’re versatile– these little guys are a party staple, but they’re also a hit at potlucks, lifesavers at snack time, an awesome side dish with soups and superstars at brunch.
- Serve them with orange marmalade for a holiday flavor combo that is truly ah-mazing!
Sausage Ball Party Essentials
Sausage balls are already one of the easiest appetizers to make, but having the right tools to make and serve them can make that job even easier. For me, that means not so messy because I don’t have to mix them completely by hand. Here are my go-tos!
- ground meat tool– for breaking apart ground meat when browning it in a pan; I find it really useful for breaking apart the uncooked ground sausage in this recipe and blending in the biscuit mix and cheese before I give it all a final thorough mix with my hands.
- mini mesh strainer– just the right size to strain the diced chiles quickly and efficiently without losing any through the holes
- cocktail toothpicks– I really like the bright, colorful acrylic balls on the ends- total sausage ball party vibes.
- Acacia wooden serving trays– Their 14×5.5 inch size makes them perfect for all sort of serving needs.
- heavy duty cookie dough scoop– just the right size for scooping sausage balls (1 tablespoon size) so that all your delicious appetizer bites are the same size. It’s cleaner, neater and helps not to overwork the mixture!
- small gold dip bowls– ideal for sauces and dips; the perfect size to serve a bit of orange marmalade or remoulade for dipping with a touch of shine!
Recipe Ingredients & Overview
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- biscuit mix- I like to use Bisquick or Pioneer Baking Mix.
- sharp cheddar cheese- Monterey Jack is a yummy option with the chiles.
- ground pork breakfast sausage- We like the hot variety.
- canned diced green chiles
How To Make Green Chile Sausage Balls
Mix. Drain the green chiles in a fine mesh strainer, pressing them down to get out as much liquid as you can. Then mix all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Scoop. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie dough scoop, scoop out equal portions of the sausage mixture, gently roll and place, evenly spaced on a greased baking sheet. (This recipe makes 34-36 sausage balls.)
Bake. Place in a preheated 375°F oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the sausage balls or golden brown.
Serve. Remove from oven and use a spatula to place the sausage balls onto a paper towel to remove any excess grease. Trim away any crispy cheese that formed around the bottom edges, if you don’t want that. Place on your sausage balls on a platter or in a bowl and serve!
Tips for Making the Best Sausage Balls
- If you don’t want to buy a whole box of biscuit mix just to make sausage balls, I get it. Look for the one serving size pouches sold on the baking aisle of your grocery store (Pioneer brand usually has these). The pouches make one batch of biscuits and contain just the right amount of biscuit mix for this recipe.
- Room temperature sausage is the easiest to mix and work with when making sausage balls. Just be careful not to overwork the mixture and break down all the fats in the meat.
- To that end, using a cookie scoop is key to not overworking the mixture, making the task less messy and making sure you get uniform sausage balls every time.
- Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil, then spray it with non stick spray for easy clean up. You can also use a 2 piece broiler pan so that the sausage balls don’t have to sit in the drippings.
- I use my kitchen shears to easily trim away any excess melted cheese.
Can I Freeze Sausage Balls?
Absolutely! To freeze unbaked sausage balls, place them in paper muffin cups where they aren’t touching each other in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. If you need to layer them in your container, place sheets of wax paper between the layers. Bake frozen at 375°F for 20-25 or until golden.
You can freeze baked sausage balls the same way. Thaw before reheating covered in foil in a 350° until heated through.
Can I Make Them Ahead of Time?
Sausage balls are great recipe to make ahead of time. Simply prepare them one day in advance by mixing the ingredients and rolling the balls. Place them on your baking sheet, cover tightly and refrigerate. Bake as directed in the recipe, adding 5 minutes or so to the bake time since they will be chilled.
More Classic Party Appetizers You’ll Love
- Baked Jalapeño Artichoke Dip
- Southern Pimento Cheese Ball
- Louisiana Shrimp & Crab Deviled Eggs
- Southern Cheese Straws
- Air Fryer Natchitoches Meat Pies
- Classic Wasabi Mayo Dip
Green Chile Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups biscuit mix
- ½ cup canned diced green chiles, drained
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray.
- Drain the green chiles in a fine mesh strainer, pressing them down to get out as much liquid as you can. Then mix all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie dough scoop, scoop out equal portions of the sausage mixture, gently roll and place, evenly spaced on a greased baking sheet.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the sausage balls or golden brown.
- Remove from oven and use a spatula to place the sausage balls onto a paper towel to remove any excess grease. Trim away any crispy cheese that formed around the bottom edges, if you don't want that. Place on your sausage balls on a platter or in a bowl and serve!
Notes
- If you don’t want to buy a whole box of biscuit mix just to make sausage balls, look for the one serving size pouches sold on the baking aisle of your grocery store. The pouches make one batch of biscuits and contain just the right amount of biscuit mix for this recipe.
- Room temperature sausage is the easiest to mix and work with when making sausage balls. Just be careful not to overwork the mixture and break down all the fats in the meat.
- Using a cookie scoop is key to not overworking the mixture, making the task less messy and making uniform sausage balls every time.
- Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil, then spray it with non stick spray for easy clean up. You can also use a 2 piece broiler pan so that the sausage balls don’t have to sit in the drippings.
- I use my kitchen shears to easily trim away any excess melted cheese.
These were really good and so easy. I was hesitant to use orange marmalade for dipping, but I’m so glad I did. Everyone loved them!
Hi, Tammy! Yay! I am just tickled to hear this! Thank you!
Hi, Tammy! Yay! I am just tickled you served them with the marmalade! It’s so delish!
What is the ground meat tool used for? I don’t see it in the recipe instructions.
Hi, Nita! Check out the meat tool description under the sausage ball essentials graphic in the post. This is a great recipe. Hope you make it soon!