Sausage balls. Have you ever heard of them?
If you are from the South, there is a strong chance you have and grew up eating them around the holidays and at any potluck. Personally, I grew up eating them at my best friend Lindy’s house. Her dad, Coach Davis, was also one of my track coaches in high school. He would always make us his famous “sausage balls” when we went over to their house for breakfast and I could still eat a whole batch of them myself.
I’m not certain of Coach Davis’s exact recipe (so if you’re reading this Coach, don’t get angry) but I am pretty sure it contained the following ingredients: Bisquick, pork sausage, milk and cheese. There were likely a few other ingredients in there, but from my food-loving memory, that’s how Coach made them and they were absolutely delicious.
Because this recipe was a childhood favorite of mine, I wanted to recreate it using healthier, cleaner ingredients for my kiddos and I had some fun throughout the process! While these Gluten-Free Sausage Balls aren’t paleo or Whole30, as I am pretty sure if I even tried to make them Whole30 they’d be considered SWYPO and against the rules. Plus, when I did try to make them using paleo flours, they got way too dense and just didn’t taste quite right. Recreating them as healthy as possible, while still keeping their true flavors that I grew up eating, was important to me so I ended up choosing (after countless attempts) Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour and I am so happy with how they turned out. I highly recommend making these at the beginning of the week to have a grab-and-go breakfast or even as a make-ahead appetizer or side dish for a Thanksgiving or holiday party coming up.
For a dairy-free and gluten-free version, these Gluten-Free Sausage Balls are truly fantastic! The flavors brought back so many fond memories of my childhood friends and spending time with their families. I was so lucky to have friends with families that were so kind and generous to me growing up! I hope these bring back similar memories for those who grew up eating them as well.
For another gluten-free breakfast idea, try my Gluten-Free Ham and Cheese Quiche!
Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Sausage Balls

Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (you can sub 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese)
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped about 5 sprigs
- 4 tbsp ghee (melted and cooled slightly) (to keep Dairy Free, sub vegan butter)
- 1 lb bulk pork breakfast sausage
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1/2 cup nutpods original dairy-free creamer (you can sub whole milk here)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free baking flour, baking powder, salt, nutritional yeast, baking soda, thyme and melted ghee. Stir until it turns into a crumbly, dough-like texture.
- Using your hands, add the pork sausage into the bowl by breaking into smaller pieces. Continue to use your hands to work the pork into the flour mixture until evenly combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, creamer and dijon until well combined. Pour into the sausage mixture. Using the back of a fork, work the contents in the bowl (by stirring and mashing) until they are well combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop (about 1 tbsp) drop sausage ball mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Using damp hands, go back through and roll into balls.
- Place in the preheated oven and cook until the pork is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and enjoy!
54 Comments
Liv
April 15, 2022 at 3:00 pmWhat’s the difference between this recipe and the sage/sausage balls? Love this recipe, by the way! Super yummy and my four year old nephews gobble them up!
Alex
April 18, 2022 at 4:13 pmDifferent flavors and slightly different textures. The pork and sage breakfast meatballs are a true meatball and also dairy-free, while the sausage balls have cheese and have almost a biscuit quality to them thanks to the flour, etc. that is included to sub the Bisquick that is traditionally used.
Hannah
January 12, 2022 at 6:33 pmThese are delicious. I used turkey sausage to cut down on the fat. It needs some sort of dipping sauce to go with it.
Jamie Martin
January 2, 2022 at 3:11 amLove these! Dipped in a hot pepper jelly…wish there was a paleo version of hot pepper jelly, yet to find one…if anyone could do it, it would be you!
Megan
December 15, 2021 at 10:03 pmHi Alex! I made these last year and they were amazing but I can’t remember how many sausage balls it made! Do you know roughly how many balls this makes?
Alex
December 20, 2021 at 12:51 pmI think it makes 18-24 balls.. I haven’t made in awhile I need to remake to count!
Hannah
December 27, 2021 at 9:45 pmWith a 1 TBSP scoop, I make 48. We make these every week! Yum!
Joy
November 23, 2021 at 4:44 pmI LOVE these! I’ve made them so many times, and they are always a crowd pleaser! Is there a way to find the nutritional facts on your recipes…especially these? Thank you so much!
Jill Russell
November 25, 2021 at 6:38 pmMy fitness pal (the app) has a ‘create a recipe’ option and you’re able to break down the macros by Typing in all ingredients + serving amount! But sometimes the defined dish recipes are already added in if you search for them 🙂
Catherine
June 15, 2021 at 8:53 pmDo you know if these freeze well? Thanks!
Alex
June 16, 2021 at 12:50 pmThey do!!! 🙂
Kelly Fowler
November 20, 2021 at 7:59 pmcan you freeze pre-cooked and then cook as needed
Alex
November 22, 2021 at 5:48 pmYes!!
Becki
May 7, 2021 at 10:50 pmhey there! My daughter doesn’t do gluten/grains, dairy OR nightshades (potatoes) and most gluten-free flours have potato starch in them… Do you think there would be a variation with cassava that would work? I would try almond, but I am allergic to almonds. So tough with multiples allergies! UGH! I may try full fat coconut milk instead of nut pods, but was wondering if changing the flour to something grain/gluten/and potato/rice-free would not turn out. Thoughts?
Alex
May 10, 2021 at 12:05 pmhi Becki! I originally tried so hard to make these paleo/grain-free… but was having a hard time and never got the right concotion. I really need to try again soon!!
Julie Frakes
August 1, 2021 at 2:44 amDoes it work with the coconut milk?
Alex
August 1, 2021 at 3:37 pmyes i does!
Esmeralda
May 24, 2021 at 5:24 pmHi Becki! I wonder if this recipe would be of benefit. Personally sorghum, millet flour and tapioca starch are nice alternatives. This sausage ball recipe could work with this biscuit recipe just add the sausage. I think coconut milk would work. Allergy free Alaska has a good biscuit recipe you might want to try. https://www.allergyfreealaska.com/gluten-free-biscuits/
Sally Cummings
April 30, 2021 at 2:49 pmLove this recipe!! I usually triple it which gives me some slight difficulty mixing it – used potato masher this time and helped so much!
Laura B.
March 30, 2021 at 7:00 pmGreat for meal prep! These are dangerous in our house because they are so tasty!
Katy
February 20, 2021 at 1:12 pmI love this recipe! I live in Georgia and grew up eating sausage balls around Christmas. My husband and I love them and they are a go-to about once a month. I sub in milk, cheese and dried thyme. They are so good I have to beg my hubby not to eat them all in one day so we can have them for breakfast at least one more day. 😂
Alex
February 21, 2021 at 1:41 pmHaha I’m so glad! So hard not to eat them all
Dee
February 7, 2021 at 10:12 pmAnother perfect 5 star recipe by Alex! I used to look up recipes on Pinterest and other Google searches, but between DD blog and cookbook, I don’t need to look anywhere, as every recipe has been a complete hit! These sausage balls leave nothing to be missed in flavor or texture. When going gluten and dairy free, you always think you’ll miss certain things, but Alex always knocks it out of the park with substitutions, that you don’t even notice they are “healthy”. Moral of the story- just make anything from her blog and cookbook, you won’t be sorry 🙂
Megan
December 30, 2020 at 12:25 pmWhat do you pair these with when doing Whole30? Or do you just eat these straight for breakfast?
Alex
December 30, 2020 at 5:44 pmHi! While these Sausage balls are Gluten-Free, they are not Whole30 compliant as they are not grain-free.
Allison
December 23, 2020 at 8:01 pmAlex!!!! This recipe is AMAZING. My family grew up making sausage balls for every holiday occasion – it is a staple in our family. Like we fight over how many we get and who gets the last one, and my mom always makes so many and keeps them in the freezer too. All that to say, I just made this recipe hoping that they would be just as good and cleaned up, and WOW. I am so impressed, you nailed it!! I am so thankful for you and the way you clean up recipes I know and love!
Hayley Rico
December 23, 2020 at 12:02 amMy store doesn’t have the 1 to 1 gluten free, just Bob’s Red Mill gluten free will that work?
Alex
December 23, 2020 at 2:02 pmI haven’t yet tried it using that flour so I can’t say for sure, I am sorry
Katy
February 20, 2021 at 1:02 pmI use the King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour and it works great. Maybe your store carries that one instead?
Courtney
December 20, 2020 at 5:15 pmWhat is the recommended way of storing these / reheating? Thanks!
Alex
December 24, 2020 at 6:51 pmI personally store mine in a air tight container. Then just pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds or so on the go. They aren’t near as good reheated, but they still are yummy
Chelsea
December 20, 2020 at 5:00 pmWhat do you think about using almond flour in place of the gluten free flour for a lower carb option?
Thanks! LOVE your recipes!
Alex
December 21, 2020 at 12:06 pmI really tried to make these Grain-Free and they just were so dense and didn’t turn out right.
ELON
January 14, 2021 at 2:44 amWe made these with almond flour and they are FIRE! They taste like sausage biscuits from McDonalds – so good!! We used the country sausage from The Fresh Market in their display case!!
Erika
December 17, 2020 at 7:13 pmCan I substitute a flax egg here? Or would something else work?
Alex
December 17, 2020 at 7:18 pmyes, that should work just fine here!
Savannah
December 15, 2020 at 12:25 amAmazing sausage balls! I have missed sausage balls since going gluten free and these taste like the real thing! I normally do cheese instead of nutritional yeast and skip the nut pods and they still turn out good!
Kim Cassady
December 22, 2020 at 3:43 pmTo clarify, you do not add any nut pods and they are still good? So no milk at all? I am making these for Christmas Breakfast and don’t want to mess up lol!!! 🙂
Allison Witt
December 28, 2020 at 4:32 pmDid you try making these without nutpods? We made them exactly as the recipe and they were so amazing, but I want to take them to someone who has a nut allergy, so trying to decide if I can just leave that out or if I need to replace it.
Alex
December 28, 2020 at 9:53 pmyou can sub heavy creamer or milk!
Allison Witt
December 31, 2020 at 5:22 pmExcept that they are also allergic to dairy. 😬
Angela
December 2, 2020 at 1:43 pmMade these today and the are delicious!
Ana
November 26, 2020 at 4:43 amAnything you can substitute if you don’t have fresh thyme leaves? 🙂
Alex
November 27, 2020 at 2:14 pmyou could use dried thyme if you have that!
Savannah
November 25, 2020 at 4:07 amHi Alex! Can you make the mixture the day before, then ball and bake when you plan to serve them?
Alex
November 25, 2020 at 4:16 pmyes! 🙂
Jessica
November 24, 2020 at 7:58 pmMade a batch of these today. SO YUM!!!!
Alex
November 24, 2020 at 8:40 pmSo glad you love them!
Michelle
November 23, 2020 at 4:26 pmAny suggested seasonings to add if you can only find regular pork sausage vs “breakfast pork sausage”?
Alex
November 24, 2020 at 12:57 amIs it just plain ground pork, or “pork sausage”
Becky
November 21, 2020 at 8:46 pmIf you didn’t need this to be gluten free could you use the same amount of regular flour? Not sure if it’s equal parts. Thanks!
Alex
November 28, 2020 at 2:17 pmI haven’t tried it with Regular flour; however I think it would work because the GF I use is a 1:1 ratio swap with regular flour.
Kim Cassady
December 22, 2020 at 1:27 amCan you use normal butter or does it need to be ghee?
Alex
December 22, 2020 at 1:52 ambutter would work, and it’d be delightful!