Ryan Seacrest’s Sausage Balls (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Oven Baked) is an easy 3 ingredient recipe! You can serve these for breakfast, brunch or dinner. They taste great with a side of pancakes.

Ryan Seacrest’s Sausage Balls (video)
If you’re looking for a tasty and easy breakfast idea try these sausage balls. The original recipe was shared on Live with Kelly and Ryan. Ryan Seacrest says that he eats these sausage balls on Christmas morning. They definitely are a hearty, filling meatball and I could only eat one. It was cheesy and filling. So good though!
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The cheese: The original recipe calls for 2 cups of shredded cheddar (about 8 ounces) and that is what I used. However next time I make these I would use about half that much. If you’re a cheese lover go with the 2 cups. You’ll want to shred the cheese off the block instead of using pre-grated cheese. The fillers used in shredded cheese in a bag don’t allow the meatballs to really stick together well. So make sure to get out your grater and grate off the block. (I’ve had a Salad Master grater for years and it truly is the best and makes quick work of an entire block of cheese. My sister just said she found one on ebay for a reasonable price).

What kind of sausage do I use? Find ground country breakfast sausage at your store. You can your grocery store’s brand on the foam plates covered in plastic or in a roll (like Jimmy Dean).
What if I don’t have Bisquick? I don’t usually have baking mixes like Bisquick at my house. It’s really no problem though because Bisquick is just a mixture of flour, baking powder, salt and a bit of shortening. You can make your own Bisquick with items in your pantry. I included the homemade version in the recipe card below.
More Sausage Recipes…
Instant Pot Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole
Instant Pot Breakfast Burritos
And check out more 3-Ingredient Instant Pot Recipes
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Ryan Seacrest’s Sausage Balls
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: About 10 meatballs 1x
Description
Ryan Seacrest’s Sausage Balls (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Oven Baked) is an easy 3 ingredient recipe! You can serve these for breakfast, brunch or dinner. They taste great with a side of pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
- 1–2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (grate straight off block, no pre-shredded cheeses)
- 3/4 cup Bisquick baking mix (or homemade see note below)
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Pour 1 cup water into bottom of Instant Pot. Place a trivet into the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- In a mixing bowl use clean or gloved hands to mix well the sausage and cheese. Then carefully add in the baking mix, incorporate well but do not overmix.
- Form into golf ball size meatballs. Place the meatballs on top of the trivet.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting and remove lid.
- Use tongs to place the sausage balls on a platter. Serve and enjoy!
Slow Cooker or Oven Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl use clean or gloved hands to mix well the sausage and cheese. Then carefully add in the baking mix, incorporate well but do not overmix.
- Form into golf ball size meatballs. Place the meatballs into slow cooker or on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Cover and and cook on high for 2-3 hours in slow cooker or in a 375° F oven for 20-30 minutes.
- Use tongs to place the sausage balls on a platter. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
To make your own baking mix for this recipe stir together ¾ cup flour, 1 ⅛ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt. Then cut in 2 Tbsp of shortening with a fork or pastry blender.
- Category: Sausage
- Method: Instant Pot/Slow Cooker/Oven

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Nasty. These are horrible steamed in IP. Back to baking in the oven. Not everything is good in IP. This is meant to be finger food. Mostly served during events like holidays or parties quarter size.
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Can I prepare these several days ahead of cooking them? Refrigerate?
Yes you could prepare up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container. Or you could freeze several weeks in advance. Thaw overnight in fridge the day before cooking.
Good flavor, but consistency was not the same as being baked in the oven. Feel these would be best baked rather than pressure cooked.
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I agreed with you to. I have always cook in toaster oven for small batch or oven for large batch then freeze. IP may be the latest craze but somethings are better cooked other ways. Crockpot still makes the most tender roast. Ip Is tough and chewy regardless and I’ve tried several recipes. Other IP bloggers also have done side by side comparison and crockpot wone the taste test on roast.
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Love that you figured out how to cook these in the IP!!!
Haha! It’s what I do 🙂
My all time favorite…. Sausage Balls.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it Debra!
How many golf size balls does this make?
About 10
Oh my! Brought back memories. My Mom made a ga-zillion of these critters for the reception at my wedding years ago. Same ingredients, she just didn’t have an IP. Ha. I will try them in the pot.
Exactly. This exact recipe has been around since at least the ‘70’s, when I was a young bride. If my memory serves it was even on the box for a time!
★★★★★
Yes, it WAS! That’s where my Mom got the recipe. And my wedding was in ’78!! Mom is 93 now & she STILL makes these things for my brother.
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Love hearing these memories! This recipe must have been something that Ryan’s mom would make for him when he was growing up.
I’ll bet you are TOTALLY right! And he obviously never forgot. We sure love our Mamas!!!