As the holidays approach everyone is searching for easy to prepare appetizers. These Keto Cajun Bbq sausage bites are quick easy and delicious. With only 6 ingredients you will be a hit at your next holiday party and no one will even know they’re eating low carb.
Appetizers for everyone
With countless office parties and family gatherings coming up I wanted to give you a quick recipe that anyone can make and everyone will love. For people whole are looking for low carb options at parties we are most often stuck to cheese and deli trays. All the other choices seem to be deep fried and breaded or covered in sugary sauces. These Sausage bites a packed with flavor and coated with the best keto bbq sauce on the market. Alternasweets Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauce.
Alternasweets is the best…prove me wrong
I know I might be a little biased but I consider myself a bbq aficionado. I haven’t had a Keto friendly bbq sauce that comes close. It has all the flavor of classic bbq sauce but won’t spike your blood sugar like other sauces. I use it in all sorts of recipes like my BBQ Pulled Pork Chaffle Sandwich and there Classic Ketchup is used to make the best Shrimp Cocktail. Plus supporting a small independent business just feels good this time of year.
The only question I ever get about their bbq sauce is that it contains Black Strap Molasses. First of its a very small amount, hardly enough to cause an Insulin spike. Myself and plenty of others have tested glucose and ketones after consuming with almost no change in levels. As always, individual results may vary.
Why Black Strap Molasses is a good thing.
Black Strap Molasses is created by boiling down smashed sugar cane to create a syrup. Then the syrup is boiled a second and third time. Finally a dark viscous liquid forms known as black strap molasses. It contains the lowest content of sugar of any sugar cane product. The final product is full of vital vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium and magnesium. I hate the term but black strap is even touted as a super food. It has many health benefits including boosting bone density, packed with potassium and beneficial to people with anemia because of its high iron content.
Again, there’s not a high concentration of black strap in the bbq sauce so just as it’s minimal sugar content will have little affect. So to, it doesn’t contain enough to extract the health benefits either. I look at the use of this ingredient as a great way to add subtle flavor and texture without adding corn syrup or other unhealthy ingredients.
Air Fryer Magic.
Air fryers are going to be on a lot of people’s Christmas wish lists this year. In my opinion for good reason. I get a lot of questions about why I need an air fryer if I already have a toaster oven. My answer is that in the time it takes to preheat an oven and can be eating my meal. These sausage balls can be cooked start to finish in about 15 minutes. My traditional oven almost takes that long to preheat. You get that crispy deep fried texture without the mess of setting up a deep fryer. Your house also won’t smell like a KFC. I personally have two, both from Simple Living Products. Full disclosure the company was kind enough to send them to me free of charge. I have owned a few other models and the simple living ones are definitely superior in my opinion:
You don’t need both so you have to decide which one makes most sense for your home. The Traditional Basket Style Air Fryer is great for couples or small families only cooking for a few people. The Air Fryer Oven might be best for cooking for larger groups because it has more surface area for cooking. Both do a great job but if you have the oven I recommend rotating the racks from top to bottom half way through cooking. Because the top does cook a bit hotter.
Back to the Balls: Cajun BBQ Sausage Bites
These Cajun bbq sausage balls are great for prepping the night before then cooking the next day right before serving. This allows the ingredients to combine so the meatballs with hold together perfectly. Instead of using bisquick which is traditionally used to make sausage balls I went with the Cajun Pork King Good Breadcrumbs. You can always crush up your own pork rinds but the consistency of these are perfect for breading and you don’t have to make a mess crushing up your own. When it’s time to serve I simply grab a 2 oz scoop and roll them up. Then I place them right in the air fryer for 15 minutes. Finally I toss the sausage bites in the bbq sauce and serve with ranch for dipping and some festive toothpicks for easy eating
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Sausage
- ½ cup Shredded Cheddar
- ½ cup Ricotta
- 1 tbsp Dak’s Cajun Voodoo Seasoning
- 4 tbsp Alternasweets Low Carb BBQ Sauce
- ½ Cup Pork King Good Pork Rind Crumbs
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the bbq sauce in a mixing bowl.
- Once all ingredients are well combined use a 2 oz scoop to portion out the sausage balls. Rolling them in your hands will give you a more uniform sphere shape.
- Place the sausage balls in the air fryer basket and set at a temperature of 370 degrees F for 15 minutes. (If using a Convection oven bake at 400 degrees for 13-17 minutes depending on oven)
- After the sausages are fully cooked toss them in a bowl with the bbq sauce then serve.
Nutrition
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Absolutly Loving the Recipes. Is it possible to make in oven without an Air Fryer?
Sure, you can always bake in the oven you may need to cook for 5-10 minutes longer to achieve the same doneness. Thanks for checking out this recipe