Breakfast Sausage
Homemade Breakfast Sausage is a flavorful blend of ground turkey, pork, and spices...delicious, easy to make, and you know exactly what's in it!
I like big breakfasts and I cannot lie. Luckily for me so do my kids and husband, or I'd be eating one heck of a lot of eggs and sausage all by myself. I mean, let's face it...breakfast foods are awesome. Eggs, for starters. Maple syrup. Fresh fruit. The carbs, all the carbs...breads, biscuits, rolls, oatmeal, muffins. And the meat! Bacon, ham, and helloooo sausage. Bacon is wonderful for sure, but sometimes I like to change it up with savory, flavorful, breakfast sausage!
This Homemade Breakfast Sausage is so easy to put together and extremely tasty, too. And the smell? Amazing...especially with that touch of maple syrup in the mix. In fact, if you close your eyes, I bet you can almost smell it right now...
To bring that smell to reality, however, I advise you make this breakfast sausage recipe ASAP! And also be sure to put some aside or eat it quickly so that your family doesn't gobble it all up while you've stepped out to get the paper. 😉
How to Make Breakfast Sausage
Have you ever made Homemade Breakfast Sausage? After you've made it once, you'll wonder why you never did so before. It may seem daunting, but it's really not...in fact, it's ridiculously simple. But the best part is that YOU control the spice blend (AKA, the flavor). And YOU know exactly what's in it (and what's not...namely, MSG and preservatives).
In case I haven't already mentioned it (heh), making breakfast sausage is quick and easy. First, mix the spices together in a small bowl and set aside. Then get out a large bowl and toss in a pound of ground pork and a pound of ground turkey. Sprinkle the combined spices over the meat and drizzle with the (optional, but recommended) maple syrup.
Using your hands to mix everything together is probably the most efficient tactic, but if you don't like touching raw meat, a large spoon will work as well. Either way, you'll want to mix until all the spices are thoroughly dispersed throughout the meat.
After the sausage mixture is well-combined, form it into 16 balls using your hands, a spoon, or a cookie scoop. Place them on a plate or a pan and flatten into 3-inch patties.
Set a large, deep skillet over a burner set to medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, arrange some patties in the pan, working in batches as necessary. Cook the patties for about 5 to 8 minutes, until they're nice and brown on the underside. Then flip 'em, cooking on the second side until browned (about 5 more minutes).
To determine ideal doneness, I typically stick a meat thermometer into a patty. And then I pull the breakfast sausages off as soon as they reach 165°F. This ensures that the pork and turkey have reached a safe-to-eat temperature while also helping me not to overcook them and dry them out. Once the patties are done, transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off any grease.
Finally, please note that there is no need to oil the pan before cooking the patties. The pork has enough natural fats that will cook off and keep the sausage from sticking to the pan, so long as you adequately brown them on one side before flipping.
What Type of Meat to Use
A lot of homemade breakfast sausage recipes are pork-only, or even a mixture of ground pork and beef.
However, when I make breakfast sausage, I prefer using a mixture of ground pork and ground turkey.
Why? Because pork gives it moisture while turkey lightens things up, making the sausage a little healthier and preventing it from being overly greasy.
Plus, mixing two meats gives the sausage a depth of flavor and perfect texture that I don't think you get from just one kind of ground meat.
Ideas for Using Breakfast Sausage
We eat this sausage all by itself and also in a variety of dishes. Some ideas to try:
- Instead of forming the breakfast sausage into patties, you can just as easily crumble and brown the sausage mixture to go into scrambled eggs or a casserole.
- Add it to a frittata, a quiche, or a tart instead of bacon or ham.
- Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches are all the better when they include a yummy breakfast sausage patty.
- Wouldn't this sausage go great on top of a big plate of Huevos Rancheros?
- If you're a fan of savory + sweet (*raises hand high*), breakfast sausage is the perfect addition to French toast, waffles, or pancakes. You can mix it right in, crumble it on top, or serve it on the side!
- Make your own healthier bagel breakfast sandwich with a bagel thin, a sausage patty, reduced fat cheese, and an egg white omelet.
Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment
- Use 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, slightly mounded, to measure out your patties.
- Or smooth the top of the ground meat mixture in the bowl and use a butter knife to cut it into 8 equal triangles (like a pie). Scoop out each "triangle" and divide it into two equal patties. Repeat with each "triangle" to make a total of 16 patties.
- I actually prefer cooking my breakfast sausage in a large Dutch oven (rather than a skillet) to help contain the splattering.
- If you do have issues with splattering, a splatter screen can help cut down on the mess.
- Expect these patties to plump up and shrink in diameter as they cook.
- Feel free to add an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt if you prefer saltier breakfast sausage.
- I prefer using a meat thermometer to ensure that my patties have reached the USDA recommended internal temperature (for turkey) of 165°F. This way, I know they're safe to eat without overcooking them, which can cause them to dry out.
- You may make this breakfast sausage ahead of time. Stack the patties in an airtight container (separated by wax paper), cover, and refrigerate for up to three days.
- Or to freeze, arrange the patties in a single layer on a parchment paper or wax paper-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a freezer-thickness plastic baggie and freeze for up to 3 months.
Homemade Breakfast Sausage is such an easy, yummy protein to enjoy with breakfast, brunch, or even brinner! It can be made ahead and reheated on busy weekday mornings, or enjoyed fresh and at your leisure on weekends, holidays, and special occasions. And my prediction is that after you try it once, you'll never go back to store-bought breakfast sausage again!
More Homemade Breakfast Ideas
- Whole Wheat Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Healthy Chocolate Almond Banana Smoothie
- How to Make Overnight Oats + 3 Flavors
- Egg Muffin Cups
- Grits Casserole with Ham + Cheese
Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, OPTIONAL
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, marjoram, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. Put the ground pork and ground turkey in a large bowl and sprinkle with the mixture of herbs and spices. If using, add the maple syrup. Use your hands or a large spoon to mix and combine the ingredients until all of the seasonings are well distributed and incorporated. Form the mixture into 16 balls and then flatten into 3-inch patties.
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 5 to 8 minutes on the first side, until nicely browned on the underside. Flip and cook each patty on its second side for about 5 more minutes or until browned with an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer the patties to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Equipment Needed
Video
Notes
- Feel free to add an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt if you prefer saltier breakfast sausage.
- I use a meat thermometer to ensure that my patties have reached the USDA recommended internal temperature (for turkey) of 165°F. This way, I know they're safe to eat without overcooking them, which can cause them to dry out.
- You may make this breakfast sausage ahead of time, stack the patties in an air-tight container (separated by wax paper), cover, and refrigerate for up to three days.
- To freeze, arrange patties in a single layer on a parchment paper or wax paper-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a freezer-thickness plastic baggie and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Originally published on April 24, 2019.
Really enjoyed! I didn't find the recipe required any additional salt as noted in the optional section. I wanted to use for breakfast sandwiches so I sliced patties in half horizontally to make a thinner patty. Thanks for the recipe!
great taste
I’ve made this breakfast sausage twice this week. So delicious…family loves it….❤️
Could I use just pork? I don’t have turkey available.
Hi Nikki! Using all pork will work fine. 🙂
Delicious and healthy. The maple syrup is a must and reduced sodium seasonings can be used as well. This recipe is ideal for persons who love sausage but have fat and salt restricted diets. “ No Salt” which is potassium based is an excellent substitute for regular salt. I will use this recipe many times
Thank you
These sausages turned out really good. I used fresh herbs and tried to cut down on the salt and maple syrup on the first batch that I was cooking. I tasted it and it definitely needed the full amount of both. I added the rest of the salt and maple syrup to the rest of the batch and they were great! Thanks for the recipe :)!