These boudin balls are made with homemade Cajun boudin sausage, breaded, and fried until they are golden. An authentic Cajun-flavored appetizer that will make your taste buds delighted!  Excellent for snacking, game day, and parties. Make a batch tonight and enjoy!

What is Boudin?

The first time I attempted to say Boudin Sausage, I completely messed it up. This Louisianan sausage is properly pronounced "Boo-dan". 

Boudin is a pork sausage that is popular in Cajun cuisine in Louisiana. Rice, Cajun seasoning, cooked and seasoned ground pork meat, and veggies like bell pepper, celery, and green onions are combined to make it. The mixture is frequently enclosed in a sausage casing; however, it can also be taken out from the casing and used in a variety of dishes like these boudin balls. 

South Louisianans love Boudin Balls 一 A delectable authentic Creole treat that pairs well with Remoulade or Cajun Mustard Cream Sauces.

What Is Boudin Balls Made Of?

Boudin balls are made with Cajun boudin sausages that are made into meatballs, breaded, and deep-fried. Popular in Louisiana and Acadiana, also known as Cajun country. There are several varieties of boudin balls such as crawfish balls, shrimp balls, crab balls, and egg rolls.

Boudin balls are the ultimate comfort food in Creole cuisine. In Louisiana, you can frequently find boudin balls at tailgating events like Jazz Fest.

How To Make Boudin Balls?

To make the boudin sausage mixture, start by combining pork, chicken liver, onion, garlic, celery, bell peppers, dried herbs, and Cajun seasoning in a large bowl. Cover the mixture and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 8 hours.

Once marinated, transfer the entire mixture into a crockpot and add enough water to cover it by 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the meat is tender. This will take about 2-3 hours on the high setting or 4-6 hours on the low setting.

After cooking, strain the pork mixture and separatly store strained liquid and solids. Let them to cool for 30 minutes.

Once ready, grind the cooled mixture and transfer it to a bowl. Add chopped parsley, green onions, cooked rice, and reserved cooking liquid and mix everything together for about five minutes, ensuring the ingredients are well combined.  

Make shape the mixture and prepare boudin balls. Roll each ball in breadcrumbs and place them on a baking sheet. Refrigerate the balls for 30 minutes to an hour to help them firm up.

When ready to fry, heat vegetable oil in a fryer and fry the balls in batches until they are golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the fried boudin balls to a plate lined with paper. Serve and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

Here are some serving ideas to help your homemade boudin balls shine:

• Classic Cajun Style: Serve boudin balls with mustard or remoulade sauce for dipping. For a more traditional look, add some pickles and cornbread.
• Southern Comfort Meal: Serve boudin balls with red beans and rice and delicious coleslaw. To make it spicier, add some hot sauce or cayenne pepper on top.
• Party Platter: Arrange balls on a platter and serve them with a variety of dipping sauces, like ranch, BBQ, and honey mustard. 

How to Store and Reheat Boudin Balls?

• Cool: Before storing the balls let them come to room temperature. This keeps condensation from forming, which could make them soggy.
• Refrigerate: Keep the breaded balls in the fridge in a zip-top bag or an airtight container. Between the layers, place a piece of parchment or wax paper to prevent them from sticking.
• Label: If you're going to be keeping them for a long time, put a date on the container so you can keep track of how fresh they are. 
• Reheat: To maintain a crispy texture, warm in an air fryer or oven.

Recipe Tips & Notes

• Panko Breadcrumbs provide a crunchy exterior. For a different texture, you can even use crumbled crackers or regular breadcrumbs.
• To achieve a traditional boudin texture, ground the meat twice, first using a coarseplate and then a finerplate. This ensures a consistent, slightly thick texture.
• Allow the boudin mixture to cool slightly before shaping it into balls . This will help handling and shaping.
• To bake instead of frying, place the breaded balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 mins at 400°F (204 degrees C), or until golden brown.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Boudin Balls In New Orleans?

Boudin balls originated in Louisiana and is fit of holding a full meal inside its casing. Rice, vegetables, liver, boiled pork, and Cajun seasonings are all packed inside each deep-fried ball.

Is Boudin Healthy?

Boudin is rich in iron and high in protein, but be mindful of its high fat and sodium content. As a tasty treat, include it in moderation within a balanced diet. Although it has a high calorie and carbohydrate content, boudin can be a good source of important nutrients like niacin and vitamin B-12.

Why Are My Boudin Balls Falling Apart?

Make sure they stay in the refrigerator long enough! You may need to freeze the mixture for a while before shaping and breading if the mixture get quite loose while adding liquid.

You really must give it a shot!  Try and let me know about your feedback in the comments.

Crispy Cajun Fried Boudin Balls

Tayyaba Noreen

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Category

Appetizer

Cuisine

Cajun

Servings

Around 40 boudin balls

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

2 hours

Calories

150

These boudin balls are made with homemade Cajun boudin sausage, breaded, and fried until they are golden. An authentic Cajun-flavored appetizer that will make your taste buds delighted! Excellent for snacking, game day, and parties. Make a batch tonight!

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Ingredients

For Boudin Sausage Mixture

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 pound chicken liver, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 medium poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons or to taste Cajun Crabby Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 2 cups cooked rice
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 2 green onions, chopped

For Fried Boudin Balls

• 3 cups panko breadcrumbs

• Vegetable oil, for frying

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Directions

Prepare Boudin Sausage Mixture

1. To make the boudin sausage mixture, mix the following ingredients pork, chicken liver onion, garlic, celery, bell peppers, dried herbs, and Cajun seasoning. Place the mixture in the refrigerator and marinate covered, for a minimum of 8 hours (recommended, but not necessary).

2. Add everything into a crockpot and cover with 2 inches of water. Boil water, decrease heat, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2-3 hours on high setting and 4-6 on low setting.
3. Place a strainer over a big heatproof bowl. Pour the pork mixture through the strainer into the bowl. Separately store the strained liquid and solids. Let it cool for 30 minutes.
4. Set up the meat grinder while the mixture cools down.

5. Grind the mixture and transfer it to a deep metal pan or basin. Combine the parsley, green onions, cooked rice, and approximately 3 ½ cups of the cooking liquid that was set aside. Mix for five minutes, or until everything comes together, add additional cooking liquid if necessary.

Make The Boudin Balls

1. Made a golf ball-sized or slightly bigger ball from the boudin mixture. Roll each ball in Panko breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet.

2. Put the sheet pan in the fridge for thirty minutes to an hour.
3. In a fryer, heat the vegetable oil to 375 °F. Drop the boudin balls carefully in the oil so that they are all in a single layer. Be careful not to stack or overlap the balls. Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the boudin balls to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Note

• To make this recipe simpler or if you'd rather work faster, you can purchase prepared boudin sausage from your neighborhood supermarket.
• Panko Breadcrumbs provide a crunchy exterior. For a different texture, you can even use crumbled crackers or regular breadcrumbs.
• To achieve a traditional boudin texture, ground the meat twice, first using a coarseplate and then a finerplate. This ensures a consistent, slightly thick texture.
• Allow the boudin mixture to cool slightly before shapiing it into balls . This will help handling and shaping.
• To bake instead of frying, place the breaded boudin balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 mins at 400°F (204 degrees C), or until golden brown.