Sausage Bites with Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce

Need a delicious, quick appetizer for the holidays?  Try our Sausage Bites with Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce as an appetizer!  These are delicious, moist, and tender little bites served with a sweet and sour sauce that’s easy to make and addicting! Make it ahead and easy to reheat, too.

 

Make these Sausage Bites special…

Whether you are planning to stay home to ring in the new year, or plan to host a soiree with a few friends, it’s a good idea to have something more substantial served as an appetizer, especially if you are only serving appetizers and cocktails.

Let’s face it – the men in our lives need something more than a hummus dip with veggies or crackers.  Right?

Italian sausage links are the easiest meats to bake (or grill) and serve!  They’re also budget-friendly!

So why not turn plain simple sausage links into little sausage bites and serve them as an appetizer and ring in the new year?  Only this time, serve them with an easy and delicious Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce!

One Sausage Bite is dipped into a white bowl with Sweet & Sour Sauce.

Ingredients Needed…

For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

  • Italian Sweet Sausage Links: about 1 pound, 4 to 5 large links.
  • Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce: see my notes below.
  • Light Brown Sugar: to sweetened the dipping sauce.
  • Ketchup: needed to mix in the dipping sauce.
  • Apple-Cider Vinegar: needed to make the dipping sauce.
  • Chives: you can use dried or fresh chopped chives.
Appetizer size sausage bites with toothpicks on a white serving platter.

Quick Overview To Make Them:

  • Sausage Bites involves no prep work at all (compared to making cocktail meatballs). 
  • It’s simply a package of Italian sausage links (the large ones), thrown into a baking pan, and baked until they are fully cooked.
  • Then cut each link into 4 equal parts and coat them with a warm sweet and sour sauce (recipe below)
  • Place pretty cocktail toothpicks in them, and serve.
A white platter filled with sausage bites with cocktail toothpicks inserted.

How to Make Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce?

The sauce is made with only 4 simple ingredients. I decided to try my favorite bottle of teriyaki marinade sauce along with brown sugar, ketchup, and vinegar. Super EASY!!

QUICK NOTE: If you haven’t heard of or even tried my favorite Soy Vay Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce, I have to tell you it’s my “go-to” sauce for marinating meats and fish. I use it often in my stir-fry dishes, or as a simple dip. It’s Kosher certified, preservative-free, and contains NO high-fructose corn syrup. And it’s delicious!

Little sausage bites with cocktail toothpicks in each one dipped with sweet & sour sauce .

FAQ…

  1. Can we use a different dipping sauce? Absolutely, try them with Honey Mustard Dressing, or with our Mom’s Quick Marinara Sauce as the dipping sauce. 
  2. What kind of sausages do we need to buy? Any sweet Italian sausage links is good.
  3. Can we use spicy sausages? Sure! If you prefer, go ahead and make this recipe using your favorite spicy links.

Try These Tasty Appetizers Next!

 

A fun fact:

Did you know that eating “Pork and Lentils” is an Italian tradition and considered GOOD LUCK on New Year’s Eve?  Well, it’s true! 

In Italy, the feast of  Saint Sylvester is traditionally celebrated on New Year’s Eve night when Italians believe they should eat pork as a symbol of life’s fullness and lentils as a symbol of wealth. 

So take a look at some of our recipes as our tradition for Pork and Lentils for New Year’s Eve!

…and Enjoy!!

 

Your comments help us! Have you tried our Sausage Bites Recipe?  If you do, please let us know and leave a comment with a star rating.  For more delicious ideas and recipes, follow us on INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST & FACEBOOK.

Yield: 16 to 20 bites

Sausage Bites with Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce

Sausage Bites with toothpicks inserted into each one served on a white platter.

Sausage Bites with Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce are delicious bite-size appetizers you can easily bake, make ahead and reheat just minutes before guests arrive. Super quick and perfect to serve at your next party!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 package of Italian sweet sausage links (4 to 5 large links)

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup of Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce ( I used Soy Vay)
  • 3 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. ketchup
  • 2 tsp. apple-cider vinegar

To Garnish:

  • Dried or fresh chopped chives

Instructions

  1. Remove the sausages from the package and allow them to warm up to room temperature for a few minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
  3. Layer a baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
  4. Place the sausages in a single layer on the prepared baking pan, but separate them, should not be touching.
  5. Take a fork and lightly prick each one a few times, about 3 times in each link.
  6. Bake sausages for 25 - 30 minutes, until they are fully brown and cooked through.
  7. Remove from the oven. Use a fork and sharp knife to slice them into 4 equal parts.

Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce:

  1. In a small saucepan, and on low heat, stir Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce with light brown sugar, ketchup, and vinegar, until the sugar is fully dissolved and allow the sauce to thicken a little, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
  2. Drop a few already cooked sausage bites (in small batches) into the heated sauce to coat them. Pick up each sausage bite (allowing the excess sauce to drip back into the pan) and place it onto a serving platter. Place toothpicks into each one. Garnish with a sprinkle on top with dried or fresh chopped chives and serve. If you need more dipping sauce, repeat the ingredients and heat up the additional sauce.
  3. Serve warm with extra dipping sauce on the side.

Notes

* If the sausage links are frozen, place them into the refrigerator the night before to allow them to fully defrost. Or if you're short on time, you can take them and run them under cold running water for a few minutes to help them defrost.
* You can grill them on your outside gas grill for 15 to 20 minutes until they are fully browned and cooked.
* Don't have time to make your own dipping sauce? You can buy your favorite brand of sweet & sour sauce from your local supermarket. Just heat up about 1/2 cup or more and coat the sausage bites with the warm sauce before serving.
* Sausage bites will reheat very nicely. Warm them in a 350 F degrees oven for about 10 minutes and heat up the sauce before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10 servings

Serving Size:

1 serving (2 sausage bites)

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 145Total Fat: .9gSaturated Fat: .3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 238mgCarbohydrates: 33.6gSugar: 32gProtein: 1.8g

Did you make this recipe?

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Welcome! From Anna and Liz

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10 Comments

  1. Wow, what a great take on the old classic meatballs. The dipping sauce sounds wonderful! Happy New Year to you both!

    1. Thank you so much, Michelle! .. and welcome to our blog, it’s so nice to meet you! 🙂 Looking forward to hearing from you again. Have a great day!

    1. Thank you Rahul! This recipe is definitely easy and effortless and I think you will enjoy it as much as we do! Happy and Healthy New Year!

  2. Wow !! they look extra delicious!! taste too!! I love this recipe! When we made it for Dad’s office party at custom essay writing service it was the best dish. I wanted to make it for our next family dinner so everyone could try it. It is a keeper! I may have to make it again soon!