Buffalo Cheesy Slow Cooker Sausage Balls
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This four ingredient recipe for Slow Cooker Sausage Balls is so easy to make! It’s the perfect party appetizer for Super Bowl, holidays, tailgate food or anytime! They’re also gluten free and low carb, at under 1 carbohydrate each!
There’s nothing I love more than a great slow cooker recipe with buffalo sauce!
Crock Pot Buffalo Mac and Cheese is one of my favorite recipes to make for dinner. Buffalo Cheeseburger Dip makes an appearance at almost all of my parties. And these Buffalo Cheesy Sausage Balls are a must-have on game day!
I’m constantly receiving requests to bring these sausage balls to parties. I’m happy to oblige because they’re seriously so easy to make and always a hit! I pop them in my “Cook and Carry” Crock Pot with a locking lid. This makes transporting them to a party so easy!
Table of contents
Step by step instructions
- Mix the ingredients. Combine ground pork sausage, cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese in a large bowl.
- Form the balls. Shape into 18-20 balls.
- Sear the outside. Place a large pot or dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Add the sausage balls and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cook the balls. Transfer them to a slow cooker, then pour the buffalo sauce over the sausage balls. Slow cook on low for 3-4 hours, or on high for 1-2 hours.
Frequently asked questions
- Can they be made the night before? Absolutely! You can mix all of the ingredients together, form the balls and sear them the night before. Refrigerate them overnight, then add them to the slow cooker with the buffalo sauce the next day.
- Can you freeze them? Yes. Follow steps 1-4 in the instructions, then freeze the sausage balls for up to 4 months. When you’re ready to prepare them, simply add them to the slow cooker with the buffalo sauce. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
- How do you reheat them? If you want to reheat them quickly, they can be reheated in the microwave on high for 1 minute.
- You can also add them back to the slow cooker on low to reheat them. Allow at least an hour for the sausage balls to be reheated all the way through in the slow cooker.
- They can also be reheated in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the sausage balls in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and into the oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Do they need to be refrigerated? Yes, any leftover sausage balls should be stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to reheat and serve them again.
- How long will they last in the refrigerator? Cooked sausage balls will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Tips and tricks
- I like to use a combination of one pound mild sausage and one pound hot sausage. Depending on your spice preference, you could use two pounds of mild sausage for less spice. Or you could use two pounds of hot sausage for more spice.
- The sausage will usually be labeled either as breakfast sausage or loose ground sausage. Italian sausage can also be used for a slightly different flavor!
- Instead of searing the meatballs in a skillet, you can bake them in the oven. Place the sausage balls in an even layer on a baking sheet and into the oven at 375°F for 15 minutes before adding them to the slow cooker.
- Keep the sausage balls warm in the crock pot. The great thing about making this recipe in a slow cooker is that you can simply turn the slow cooker over to the warm function after they’ve cooked completely. This will keep them warm during a party or game day celebration.
- Use leftover sausage balls to make seriously delicious meatball subs! Simply reheat the sausage balls using your preferred method, then dd them to a toasted hot dog bun or sub sandwich roll. Add a few fun toppings if you’d like! I add sliced pepperoncinis or pickled jalapeños, shredded carrots and raw sliced onion.
What to serve with them
Make the most epic party spread with these recipes:
- Dr Pepper Pulled Pork Sliders
- Steak Crostini
- French Onion Queso Dip
- Bacon Wrapped Dates
- Jalapeño Popper Bread Bowl
- Grilled Stuffed Peppers with Creamy Artichoke Dip
More buffalo sauce recipes to try
If you just can’t get enough buffalo sauce, you MUST TRY these easy recipes:
- Baked Pickle Chips with Buffalo Sauce
- Buffalo Frito Chili Pie
- Cheesy Garlic Knots with Buffalo Sauce
- Buffalo Chicken Taco Ring
- Buffalo Cheese Ball
- Cheesy Buffalo Grilled Turkey Flatbread
- Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Don’t forget to pin these Buffalo Cheesy Sausage Balls for later! When you make them, be sure to share a pic on Instagram and tag me @WhitneyBond or use the hashtag #WBRecipes!
Buffalo Cheesy Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork sausage
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 12 oz buffalo sauce
Instructions
- Combine the sausage, cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a large bowl.
- Form into 18-20 balls.
- Place a large pot or dutch oven on the stove over medium heat.
- Add the sausage balls and sear on each side for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Once all of the balls are cooked through, transfer them to a slow cooker, then pour the buffalo sauce over the sausage balls.
- Slow cook on low 3-4 hours, or on high 1-2 hours.
Video
Notes
- Instead of searing the balls in a pot on the stove, you can also sear them in the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F, place the sausage balls on a foil lined baking sheet and into the oven for 15 minutes before adding them to the slow cooker.
- These sausage balls can be frozen for up to 4 months. Follow steps 1-4, then place the sausage balls in a freezer-safe plastic bag or container and into the freezer.
- Leftover sausage balls will stay good in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- To reheat leftover sausage balls, either place them back in the slow cooker on low for 1 hour, reheat them in the microwave on high for 1 minute or reheat them in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
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20 Comments on “Buffalo Cheesy Slow Cooker Sausage Balls”
Anyone tried ground chicken sausage in this? I try to use it as much as I can to reduce fat and red meat intake.
Just wonderful, great party food.
The cheesy sausage balls looks perfect to treat any crowd. I think slow cooking this improves the flavor.
I took these to a party this past weekend and they were a HUGE hit! Everyone kept asking me to bring them again!
My husband doesn’t like real hot buffalo sauce. I like to use Franks & butter. Any suggestions to cool it down or the name of one I can get in OKC. They look delicious.
Hi Pat! Texas Pete makes an extra mild buffalo sauce. I know it’s sold at Walmart, as well as a lot of other major grocery stores. I would check in your local store with the other hot sauces. You could also mix some ranch dressing in with the buffalo sauce to calm down the spice.
Mine basically melted and fell apart in the browning process. By the end, I had a crock pot of sausage grease, buffalo sauce, and cooked ground sausage. No actual meatball shapes remained.
I think they need a binder, like a traditional meatball. Breadcrumbs and an egg perhaps.
Hi Corey, I’m sorry the meatballs fell apart on you. I’ve made this recipe several times and have never had a problem, but you could definitely add breadcrumbs or eggs to help bind them together more next time!
My boys like spicy foods. These sound delicious!
I have some Bob Evans HOT sausage that is calling me to use in this tomorrow. Thank you for the recipe!!!!!
If cooking in the crockpot, do you still need to cook them on the stove first?
Thanks!
Hi Ally, I would still brown them on the stove before adding them to the crockpot, but you don’t have to cook them all the way through, as you would need to do before placing them in the Wonderbag. Enjoy!
Hi there,
Can I make this in the crock pot? I don’t have a wonderbag
Thanks!
Hi Christina, yes you can, cook them on low in the crock pot for 3-4 hours. Enjoy!
These look delicious! I have never heard of the Wonderbag; it sounds great for bringing dishes to parties! Thanks!
Thanks Amy! I love my Wonderbag! It’s definitely fantastic for showing up with warm & delicious dishes at parties 🙂
I can’t wait to try these! I have a weakness for buffalo sauce…..! add sausage and Alpine? YUM 🙂
You and me both Rachael 😉 Enjoy!!!
So simple. So easy. So darned good!
Thanks Candace! The Cabot cheddar was just perfect in these 🙂