These keto sausage balls are made with almond flour, cheddar, and breakfast sausage for a low carb appetizer that tastes just like the classic Bisquick version. Just 1 net carb per sausage ball, they’re perfect for game day, parties, or easy meal prep. Serve them with my tangy dill mustard sauce that takes these from good to absolutely craveable.
My husband absolutely loves when I serve up, well, ANYTHING that involves sausage. The man loves it.
I used to make the standard sausage balls whenever we’d have a get-together, but the biscuit mix is obviously not a great choice for low carb, so when someone shared this recipe for keto sausage balls in my Facebook group, I had to make them.
They are seriously outrageously good and no one even guessed they were low carb. They taste just like the real deal and I knew I had to share the recipe with you.
These keto sausage balls are great for parties, game day, or even a quick lunch. I love the dill mustard sauce as a dip and, yes, I’ve been known to eat these cold from the fridge when a midnight snack attack occurs.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
It’s crazy easy. Mix everything in one bowl, scoop, bake. That’s it. No fancy techniques or complicated steps – just stir, scoop, and bake.
They taste like the real deal. Nobody will guess these are low carb. They taste like the classic version we all grew up eating at parties.
Perfect for any occasion. Breakfast, snack, appetizer, or late-night fridge raid – these work for everything. Plus they’re just as delicious hot, room temp, or cold.
How to make sausage balls:
This recipe is super simple! You basically just dump the ingredients in a bowl and mix!
You’ll need:
- breakfast sausage
- almond flour
- cream cheese
- cheddar cheese
- dried minced onion
- baking powder
- salt
Just throw everything together and stir well with a spoon – or just get in there and mix it up with your hands! That’s definitely the easiest way. 😉
Once your sausage mixture is all combined, use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out portions of sausage and roll it between your hands to form a nice, smooth ball.
Pop that on a baking sheet and bake these up for about 25 minutes.
You’re seriously going to love the flavor of these!
I can also confirm that they’re delicious warm from the oven, absolutely delicious at room temperature, and they make a good midnight snack straight from the fridge. Basically, these are good at any temp or time. 😉
Dip for sausage balls:
There are so many options here, including my homemade ranch or thousand island, but we really love to serve these with a homemade dill mustard dip with just a handful of ingredients.
You’ll need:
- mayonnaise
- sour cream
- stone ground mustard
- dill
Just toss this in a bowl and mix to combine!
This dip is heavenly and the mustard helps cut the richness of the sausage perfectly. They really complement each other.
Swaps & Tips
For the sausage: Any ground breakfast sausage works here (I usually grab whatever’s on sale). Spicy, mild, or sage flavored all work great.
Cheese swap: The cheddar is pretty flexible. Swap it for pepper jack if you want some heat, or try a blend of cheddar and mozzarella for something milder. I always prefer to shred cheese from a block myself, but a bag of shredded will work fine in this one.
No almond flour? I haven’t tested this with coconut flour, but if you try it, you’ll need way less (maybe start with 1/4 cup) since coconut flour absorbs so much more liquid. Let me know if you experiment!
Size matters: Using a medium cookie scoop keeps these uniform so they cook evenly. If you make them bigger or smaller, just adjust your baking time accordingly.
Make them ahead: You can roll these up to a day in advance and keep them covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. Perfect for party prep.
Dip preferences: Not into mustard? These are also amazing with ranch, or even dipped in sugar-free maple syrup for a sweet-and-savory breakfast vibe.
Storage:
Fridge life: These keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. They reheat beautifully in the microwave (about 20-30 seconds) or you can just eat them cold (they’re legitimately delicious either way).
Freezer friendly: Absolutely! Let them cool completely, then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet for about an hour. Transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 350°F oven for about 10-12 minutes, or microwave until heated through.
Make-ahead magic: Roll the balls and arrange them on your baking sheet, then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Pop them straight from the fridge into the oven when you’re ready.
More Low Carb Snacks:
Keto Peanut Butter Balls: Simple and sweet!
Low Carb Crackers: Perfect for munching.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs: I eat these cold from the fridge for a snack!
Keto Deviled Eggs: These guys are packing bacon and cheddar!
Veggie Dip: We always keep this dip and fresh veggies stocked for snacks.
Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Would you like to save this recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send it straight to your inbox so you can come back to it anytime!
By submitting you agree to receive this recipe and occasional emails. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ingredients
For the sausage balls:
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onions
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the dip:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon dill
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to drop balls of the sausage mixture onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dip and serve with the sausage balls.
- Store leftover sausage balls tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and calculated automatically – it’s an estimate, not a guarantee. Values can vary depending on the brands and ingredients you use, so if you’re tracking closely, I’d recommend calculating with your own preferred tool. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber and any sugar alcohols.
Wolf says
I made these to bring to an outdoor picnic and Christmas concert. (Rubbing it in, I’m in South Florida). Everyone loved them and one of my friends asked for the recipe! I didn’t mention they were low-carb. They cooled to room temperature when we ate them, and I liked them better than when they were warm. The real winner is the sauce! OMG! So simple and so good. I will use that with grilled meat or as a dip for cheese cube snacks.
I made them with cheap Aldi’s roll sausage and followed the recipe exactly, although I guessed badly and only got 14 balls from the recipe, so I had to cook them a lot longer, and turned them once till they were pretty well browned.
The almond flour flavor was very pervasive – more so when they were warm. Next time I will substitute the almond flour with ground pork rinds – as another chef mentioned it will also lower the. carb count.
I could see serving these with a low-carb alfredo sauce over zoodles…
Sherry says
Made these for our Saturday morning coffee group with reg flour as we were not avoiding carbs or gluten – a nice savory option to all of the baked goodies at the table and it was loved by all. (P.s. I swapped out the sausage for a locally made market chorizo. Yum. )
TJ says
Wow! I wanted something new to bring to my office potluck and found this recipe. The original is so nostalgic for me so I was hoping for something close. This is it! I did it just as you wrote it and I LOVE it. The sauce is also very good but personally I don’t need it. But I’ll be making more, including the sauce for the potluck and I think it’ll be a hit. Amazing job once again!! Thank you!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you gave these a try and enjoyed them so much! Perfect for a potluck! 🙂
Nicole says
What’s the carb count on these ?
Karly Campbell says
The nutrition info is in the recipe card.
Kelly says
Can I freeze these?
Karly Campbell says
I’m sure you could! I’d probably flash freeze them uncooked on a baking sheet and then transfer to a freezer bag until ready to bake. Not sure how long they’ll take to bake if going straight from the freezer though.
Samantha says
Has anyone done these in air fryer if so how long and temp please
Sandy says
I do them in an air fryer every time. I like the way they come out better than in the oven, more moist. I do the same temperature but almost half the time to cook.
Denine says
I. Love. This. Recipe.
I swapped the pork sausage for turkey sausage and I’m in love with this new snack. Thank you for sharing!!!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks, Denine!
Mary Ann says
Wow, these are so good! My husband really liked them too. I did add some shredded zucchini (raw, with the water squeezed out). We actually ate them for dinner. These would be great to eat anytime.
Karly Campbell says
Sounds tasty with the zucchini!
Jenn Z says
Awesome recipe. I lowered the carbs further by substituting Pork King Good Spicy Cajun Style Pork Rind Crumbs 1/2 cup for the 3/4 cup almond flour and it turn out perfect. Yum yum. Thanks for sharing!
Geri Apodaaca says
Did you cook the sausage before mixing everything together? Or is it done with uncooked sausage?
Karly Campbell says
You use raw sausage.
Margaret says
These are amazing! So satisfying and savory. Made them for New Year’s Eve. Nobody could believe they were low carb. They tasted better than the full carb version I normally make. I made up the mixture and refrigerated it for a few hours, then portioned with my small cookie scoop and baked. I like to use a extra sharp white cheddar and sage sausage (when I can find it). I put everything in the bowl and mix using my stand mixer, works great. I will be making these again this weekend for brunch. Thanks for the great recipe.
Karly Campbell says
So glad that you gave them a try and enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing, Margaret!
Yvonne says
Can Greek yogurt cream cheese be used as a substitute for regular cream cheese?
Yvonne
Karly Campbell says
Hi Yvonne! I’ve never worked with that ingredient, so I’m really not sure.
Edie says
These are very tasty and a bit different than traditional sausage balls! A little too salty for me. Next time I will leave out the salt as the sausage has enough.
Frances says
The balls were too salty! I would leave out the salt & add in something to absorb the salt from the sausage.
Sharon says
Can I make these and serve with pasta and sauce?
Karly Campbell says
These are not like traditional meatballs…they’re a bit drier, almost like a cross between a biscuit and a meatball. I wouldn’t serve these with pasta personally.
Kristy says
Looking at this recipe, I would say that if you used italian sausage you could probably serve them with pasta and sauce.
Amy B says
Planning to make these for a party and wondering about preparing ahead of time. Have you mixed the ingredients then night before then baked the next day?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Amy! I haven’t tried mixing them the night before, but I think it would work great. I can also confirm that they’re great reheated or served at room temperature. 🙂
Jayne says
I make sausage balls without any flour!
Vovo says
Another sauce that goes great with these is: mayo (Duke’s), dijon mustard and hot horseradish; garlic powder (optional). I just eyeball the amounts, but roughly 3 tablespoons mayo, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 teaspoon horseradish and couple of shakes of garlic powder.
Karly Campbell says
Sounds delicious!
Cindy says
Has anyone tried coconut flour instead of almond flour? Just wondering if someone’s tried it and if it would be the same.
Tracey Martino says
Someone on pinterest where this recipe is said they used coconut flour for allergy reasons and it was good.
Cindy says
Thanks!
Ciera says
What could almond flour be substituted for (allergy)?
Karly Campbell says
We’ve only made these with almond flour, unfortunately. I’m not sure what would work as a swap.
Pam says
They great without any flour…bonus tip…cook them in oven and then put on smoker for about 30….whole new sensation!!!
Karly Campbell says
Ooh, sounds delicious! Will have to try that sometime. 🙂
Erica B says
Sunflower seed flour and pumpkin seed flour both have a fat content and texture comparable to almond flour and are often used as substitutes. The flavor is a little different with either, of course, and sometimes they’ll turn baked goods green because of the chlorophyll in the seeds, but this can be prevented by adding a tablespoon of acid to recipes.
Carol Hessler says
Could you add sauerkraut to the recipe?
Karly Campbell says
I’ve never tried.