Simple Sausage Crescent "Donkey Balls" Recipe (2024)

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This donkey balls recipe is for easy Sausage Rolls and perfect for relaxing and snacking. I love food and cooking, but sometimes I want something really simple, no fuss, no muss, just good eats. That’s when these scrumptious appetizers come in handy because they are so easy to whip up.

It’s one of our most requested recipes at parties. We usually have to make a few batches so everyone has enough.

Interesting Food Recipe

Whenever people try these for the first time, they are delightfully surprised. Then when they ask for the name of the recipe, it will become a topic of conversation. This fun recipe with the funny name is a keeper. It just might become the talk of the party.

Simple Sausage Crescent "Donkey Balls" Recipe (1)

Sausage Crescent Cheese Balls

You can’t go wrong with a tasty appetizer that is sure to please everyone in your family. Whether you’re looking for something light and crispy or want an after-dinner snack. These little sausage balls will not disappoint.

Sausage, cream cheese, and crescent dough come together quickly to form a savory cheese and sausage bite.

A delicious recipe to serve as a fun addition at parties as they make great finger food.

These savory snacks are perfect whether it is having an appetizer for Game Day, brunch, potlucks, or anytime you want an easy bite. It is perfect for those lazy day afternoon when you want a treat that the whole family will enjoy.

Get the family involved in making this recipe. It is easy to make and a fun way to spend time with family and friends.

If you’d rather have a recipe where you just mix and bake, these Red Lobster Sausage Balls are quite tasty.

Simple Sausage Crescent "Donkey Balls" Recipe (2)

What are donkey balls made of?

Ingredients in Sausage & Cream Cheese Bites

These Sausage & Cream Cheese Bites are a quick and easy appetizer for any party. They only take about 20 minutes to make, so you can whip them up in no time.

They’re also very customizable, so feel free to add your own ingredients or change the recipe around based on what you like. If you prefer spicy sausage over mild, go ahead and use that instead of regular sausage or even mix it with the regular.

Plus, these bites taste great when they’re warm or at room temperature; there’s no need to serve them straight out of the oven, but I do enjoy them hot with a crispy outside.

Sausage. I use breakfast sausage such as Jimmy Dean Sausage Roll. If you prefer, you can use a variety of meat such as regular ground pork, hamburger, or chicken. Even if you had breakfast sausages, you could remove the casing and use the filling as the sausage in this recipe. Additionally, if you do use the Jimmy Dean Sausage, it comes in a variety of flavors, try a few out to find your favorite.

Crescent Rolls. The refrigerated crescent roll dough that is sold in tubes in the local grocery store is what I use. However, you could make your own crescent roll dough and use that. Another fun option would be to use a puff pastry dough.

Cream Cheese. Room temperature cream cheese works best. I love the creaminess that the cream cheese adds to this recipe.

Onion. Any type of onion works well, yellow, red, white, or even a Sweet Vidalia onion works.

Garlic Powder. This adds extra flavor to the sausage mixture.

Simple Sausage Crescent "Donkey Balls" Recipe (3)

How to Make This Simple Donkey Balls Recipe

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be prepared in minutes and will leave your family asking for seconds. These Sausage & Cream Cheese Bites are the perfect appetizer for a busy holiday season. People love to eat sausage and cream cheese bites at parties.

Begin by cooking the sausage, onion, and garlic powder in a skillet until all the sausage is cooked through and the onions are translucent. As you cook the sausage mixture, make sure to break up the sausage into smaller pieces.

Drain sausage mixture and let it cool a few minutes. Next in a large bowl combine cream cheese with the sausage mixture and set aside.

Unroll a package of the crescent rolls flat. Cut each triangle in half to make two triangles. Each package has 8 triangles so you should end up with 32 pieces of the dough.

Fill each piece of the dough with a teaspoon of the sausage and cream cheese mixture. Bring the sides of the crescent dough around the filling and pinch together to make a little ball shape.

Place on a prepared cookie sheets 1-inch apart and bake for 14 minutes in a preheated oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The crescent rolls should be golden brown and since the filling is pre-cooked, it is already safe to eat.

Simple Sausage Crescent "Donkey Balls" Recipe (4)

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Donkey Balls Recipe

This donkeyballs recipe is for easy Sausage Rolls and perfect for relaxing and snacking. Ilove food and cooking, but sometimes I want something really simple, no fuss,no muss, just good eats. That's when these scrumptious appetizers come in handybecause they are so easy to whip up.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brunch recipe, easy recipe, Entertaining, Gameday food, Holiday recipe

Servings: 32 pieces

Calories: 102kcal

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Ingredients

  • 2 Packages Crescent Rolls
  • 8 Ounces Cream Cheese softened
  • 16 Ounces Breakfast Sausage Jimmy Dean Sausage 1 standard package
  • 1 Medium Onion Diced
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Instructions

  • This recipe can be prepared in minutes and will leave your family asking for seconds. These Sausage & Cream Cheese Bites are the perfect appetizer for a busy holiday season. People love to eat sausage and cream cheese bites at parties.

  • Begin by cooking the sausage, onion, and garlic powder in a skillet until all the sausage is cooked through and the onions are translucent. As you cook the sausage mixture, make sure to break up the sausage into smaller pieces.

    16 Ounces Breakfast Sausage, 1 Medium Onion, 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

  • Drain this mixture and let it cool a few minutes. Next in a large bowl combine cream cheese with the sausage mixture and set aside.

    8 Ounces Cream Cheese

  • Unroll a package of the crescent rolls flat. Cut each triangle in half to make two triangles. Each package has 8 triangles so you should end up with 32 pieces of the dough.

    2 Packages Crescent Rolls

  • Fill each piece of the dough with a teaspoon of the sausage and cream cheese mixture. Bring the sides of the crescent dough around the filling and pinch together to make a little ball shape.

  • Place on a prepared cookie sheet 1-inch apart and bake for 14 minutes in a preheated oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The crescent rolls should be golden brown and since the filling is pre-cooked, it is already safe to eat.

  • Serve as is or with your favorite sauce.

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Nutrition

Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 251mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

Simple Sausage Crescent "Donkey Balls" Recipe (9)

Serve as is or with your favorite sauce.

Dipping Sauce Ideas for Sausage and Cream Cheese Appetizers This Sriracha Mayo Dipping Sauce is so simple to make, just takes four ingredients and will add just the right amount of kick.

Barbeque Sauce is great on meatballs, chicken, and ribs. So why not try it on these little bites. Yummy with grape jelly too.

Sometimes just a drizzle of maple syrup will do the trick for me. If you love ranch dressing as a dip for veggies and other snacks, then you will love the combination of the donkey balls and this homemade ranch dressing. We can’t get enough of it.

Another delicious combination is honey Mustard. My son-in-law enjoys these little appetizer bites with French dressing or teriyaki sauce.

What to Serve with Donkey Balls

Here are a few other finger food recipes that a delicious snack that are easy to make. If you’re looking for an easy, but impressive side dish that showcases the delicious taste of summer corn then these crisp cakes are perfect.

These cute little wonton taco cups look elegant and fancy without much effort.

Another cream cheese appetizer are these Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls. They are filled with a simple mixture of crab, cream cheese, and a few spices all wrapped up in an egg roll wrapper rather than a wonton wrapper.

How many appetizers per person?

When I host a party for 12 guests, I will plan on a minimum of 4 choices of appetizers. A good rule of thumb is to allow for each person to consume 6 appetizers. However, if this is more of a co*cktail party where appetizers will be served throughout the party, then I would double the appetizer choices to 4 for every 12 guests. Additionally, I plan that each person will consume 12 appetizers too.

Therefore, as the guest list increases, so should the appetizer selections, for every 12 guests, continue to add 4 more choices.

I always have satisfied guests if I serve make-ahead hearty appetizers. When making appetizers for a crowd, it is nice to have recipes that can be made in a larger size and cut smaller for appetizers. Another time-saving tip is to have easy snacks that can be made in minutes the day of or made ahead. Better Homes and Gardens has more tips for hosting a party that are wonderful if you are new to hosting a party.

Try some of our other enticing recipes.

  • Easy No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls (Buckeyes)
  • Cold Crescent Veggie Pizza Appetizer
  • Sausage and Herb Stuffing
  • Ham Sausage and Rice Soup
  • Wonton Taco Cups
  • Easy Recipes Using Melon Balls
  • Melon Ball Lemon Lime Fruit Salad
  • Kettle Corn
  • Bacon Wrapped Pickles with Cream CheeseAppetizer
  • Pepperoni Pizza Roll Ups
Simple Sausage Crescent "Donkey Balls" Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long will sausage balls keep? ›

Of course, when you purchase properly packed sausage balls they will be safe in the refrigerator for a few days and up to a month in the freezer. It is a good idea to cook them while they are still fresh for optimum freshness and flavor. Cooked sausage balls can be kept for up to 3 to 4 days.

What is good to eat with sausage balls? ›

The best side dishes to serve with sausage balls are sauteed mushrooms, mashed sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, cheese dip, Brussels sprouts with bacon, scrambled eggs, wedge salad, yellow rice, grilled asparagus, biscuits and gravy, roasted red peppers, tomato and mozzarella salad, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, and ...

Can you freeze sausage balls after they're cooked? ›

To freeze cooked sausage balls: Bake the sausage balls and allow them to cool completely. Flash freeze them overnight, then transfer them to zip-top freezer bags. Wrap in foil and freeze flat for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat in the oven or in the microwave.

Can you reheat sausage balls in microwave? ›

Store cooked sausage balls in an airtight container in your fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can reheat these in the microwave or pop them back in the oven until heated through.

Is it OK to leave sausage balls out overnight? ›

Are leftover sausage balls supposed to be refrigerated after cooking or do you keep them at room temperature. They should be tightly covered and refrigerated.

How do you keep sausage balls from turning brown on the bottom? ›

Whether you're cooking these sausage balls indoors or outdoors, be sure to place them on a sheet of parchment paper to keep them from getting too brown on the bottom.

What sauces are good on sausage? ›

3 Easy grilled sausage dipping sauces – honey dijon, creamy horseradish, and spicy ketchup!

Do sausage balls reheat well? ›

I've found that they are okay if reheated, but tend to be a little rubbery if you microwave them. If you reheat in oven, I've always been told to wet them with a wet towel before putting them in. I think you should be able to make them up the night before, put in fridge, and then pop in oven in the morning.

What flavors go with sausage? ›

Horseradish sauce has a robust spicy flavor while also being cool and creamy. This makes it an interesting condiment that tastes great with a variety of dishes. If you enjoy the taste of horseradish, try it on a grilled brat or any other form of sausage. Horseradish mustard is another delicious option you can try.

How do you reheat sausage balls without drying them out? ›

Crock pot: Place a damp paper towel in the bottom of crock pot (this well keep them from drying out as they reheat) Place sausage balls in crock pot and heat on low until heated through (a crock pot full may take 2-3 hours)

Is it better to freeze sausage cooked or uncooked? ›

Raw and cooked sausages can be frozen. Separate into portion sizes before freezing so that you can defrost exactly what you need.

Can you freeze sausage indefinitely? ›

Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely. Keep sausages in the freezer (0 °F or less) for one to two months for best quality.

Why are my sausage balls flat? ›

Typically these balls, when made into round shapes using a cookie scoop and rolling in your hands, should retain their round shape. One reason some flatten when cooking if when pre-shredded cheese was used in the recipe. Pre-shredded cheese doesn't hold up as well as if you shred the cheese by hand from a block cheese.

Can I reheat sausages twice? ›

If food has been hygienically prepared, cooled quickly after cooking (or reheating) and stored cold, reheating more than once should not increase the risk of illness. However, prolonged storage and repeated reheating will affect the taste, texture, and sometimes the nutritional quality of foods.

Can you pre cook sausages and reheat them? ›

Yes, you can reheat sausages. The best methods are using the microwave or hob. Consider cutting your sausages in half length-ways before reheating, as this will help them heat through without burning or drying out.

How long will uncooked sausage balls keep in the refrigerator? ›

All sausages- except dry sausage - are perishable and therefore must be kept refrigerated or frozen. Uncooked fresh sausage can be stored in the refrigerator one to two days; after cooking, keep for three to four days refrigerated (40 °F or less).

Do homemade sausage balls need to be refrigerated? ›

Sausage balls can sit out while serving for up to two hours. Past that point, they should be refrigerated and reheated. Do sausage balls need a dipping sauce? Sausage balls are delicious all on their own, but you can pair with ranch, honey mustard, or any other dipping sauce you love.

How long do uncooked sausage rolls last in the fridge? ›

Just before brushing the sausage rolls with egg wash, seal them in an airtight container (separate any layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking) and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you are ready to enjoy, brush them with egg wash and pop them in the oven.

How do you know when sausage goes bad? ›

Strong or unpleasant odor: A strong or unsavory smell is the first sign your sausage has gone bad. If your sausage has a fish-like, acidic or sour smell, you'll likely want to throw it away. Cooked sausage often has a rotten smell when it's gone bad, so even if you bought it precooked, toss it if you notice that smell.

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