Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Not only is homemade breakfast sausage so easy to make and you can choose your own seasonings and flavors, it’s also AWESOME for meal prep. Make a bigger batch and store some in your freezer for next time.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage in a cast iron skillet

Homemade breakfast sausage is so easy to make from scratch. The best advantage of making it yourself is that you can adjust the seasoning and use whatever kind of meat that you prefer. It’s so juicy, golden and crisp on the outside and has tons of flavor in each bite.

I really like this combination of spices, the tiny bit of garlic that adds flavor but doesn’t take over your mouth for the rest for the day, a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat and the maple syrup rounds our all the flavors but doesn’t make the sausage too sweet. Pork has always been my first choice for sausage but just about any other ground meat will work here too.

You can even make a large batch and freeze part of it for an easy breakfast down the road or to add to other dishes, like breakfast casseroles, egg muffins, Meal Prep Breakfast Burritos or even soup.

Ingredients

  • ground meat
    • pork is the most traditional meat to use in breakfast sausage, but you can use venison, beef, lamb, chicken, turkey as well. Try to choose options that aren’t too lean, or the sausage will be more dry.
    • If you’re going to grind the meat yourself, pork shoulder aka Boston Butt is the best option for pork breakfast sausage. I also recommend grinding the meat on a coarse setting, not too fine.
    • If you want to use turkey or chicken, don’t use all breast meat, because the sausage will be too tough and dry. If you use beef, use chuck.
  • dry spices, such as thyme, sage, parsley, etc.
  • paprika
  • ground coriander
  • red pepper flakes (use as much or as little as you like to adjust the level of heat that you want in your sausage)
  • garlic
    • fresh garlic is so great in breakfast sausage.
  • maple syrup
    • most breakfast sausage has a bit of sweetness in it, so the maple syrup is lovely. You can also use brown sugar instead or omit it completely.
  • salt, ground black pepper
  • oil, for frying (avocado oil is my favorite for sausage)
Ingredients for homemade breakfast sausage

How to make homemade breakfast sausage

  1. Season the ground meat.
    • Add the salt, pepper, garlic, spices and maple syrup to the ground meat and mix to combine. Adjust the seasoning to whatever you like. Any combination of dry herbs will work here. I really like dry thyme, parsley, ground coriander, paprika, a smudge of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
  2. Shape the meat into 2 1/2 – 3 inch patties.
  3. Cook the sausage patties.
    • Heat up the oil in a skillet, add the sausages and brown them on both sides on medium heat, about 5 minutes per side.
  4. If you want to cook the sausages in the oven, preheat the oven to 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit, spritz the sausages on both sides with oil and place them on a baking sheet. Bake until golden. 

Meal Prep Homemade Sausage

Meal Prep homemade breakfast sausage to store in the refrigerator or freezer

Sausage can be cooked right away, or the formed patties can be refrigerated  for up to 24 hours. The flavors will get deeper if the sausage meat is chilled.

You can also cook an entire batch of sausage and store in your refrigerator for 5-7 days and use as needed.

Freezing Breakfast Sausage

You can also freeze the patties. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, plate or cutting board and freeze them until they are solid, at least a few hours, then place them in a airtight container or a freezer bag.

You can also freeze cooked sausage patties, the same way that you would do with raw sausage.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipes

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Homemade Breakfast Sausage

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Homemade breakfast sausage so easy to make and you can choose your own seasonings and flavors. It’s also AWESOME for meal prep.

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12–14 patties 1x
  • Category: Breakfast

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground meat (pork, beef, lamb, chicken, turkey)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dry spices (thyme, sage, parsley, etc.)
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup (or brown sugar)
  • oil, for frying (avocado oil is my favorite)

Instructions

  1. You can use just about any ground meat that you like. I prefer using pork, but you can use beef, chicken, turkey, etc. If you want to use turkey or chicken, don’t use all breast meat, because the sausage will be too tough and dry. For the pork, I like to use pork shoulder and for beef, chuck.
  2. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, spices and maple syrup to the ground meat and mix to combine. Shape the meat into 2 1/2 – 3 inch patties.
  3. Heat up some oil in a skillet, add the sausage patties and brown them on both sides on medium heat, about 5 minutes per side.
  4. If you want to cook the sausages in the oven, preheat the oven to 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit, spritz the sausages on both sides with oil and place them on a baking sheet. Bake until golden.
  5. Serve the sausage hot, right away, or store in the refrigerator for about a week. 

Notes

Sausage can cooked right away, or the formed patties can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. The flavors will get deeper if the sausages are chilled for those hours.

You can also freeze the patties. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, plate or cutting board and freeze them until they are solid, at least a few hours, then place them in a airtight container or a freezer bag. You can also freeze cooked sausage patties too, for up to 3 months. 

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18 Comments

  • Mila

    Olga, how long would you say they need in the oven? I have switched to baking bacon instead of frying, it is so much less messy. I’d like to bake a batch of sausage for a week, it will be great for breakfasts.

    • olgak7

      It really depends on your oven and how brown you want the sausage to be. I would say about 15 minutes.
      I’ve been making bacon in the oven for years too; it’s my favorite method for sure. I think it tastes so much better too and of course, not spattering grease.

  • Julia

    Hi Olga, I’ve tried this recipe with both pork and beef separately and while I love the seasoning, I feel like a combo of two meats would taste more delicious and satisfying than just one type of meat. Any recommendations which meat combos would go best for a breakfast sausage? I trust your advice here haha! Thank you!

    • olgak7

      I personally have never used beef for breakfast sausage, Julia, only pork or chicken, but you can use whichever ones you enjoy. It’s a matter of taste preference, so as long as you enjoy the flavor, it’s perfect.

  • Frances

    Hello,
    You mention 1 teaspoon of dried spices, mentioning thyme, sage parsley etc – do you mean 1 teaspoon of each of these spices, or one teaspoon of spice of choice?

    Many thanks

    • olgak7

      Spices are completely up to your taste preference. Some people like to heavily season their food, other people are very minimal with seasonings. You can use more or less depending on what you like. I prefer using more fresh ingredients in my cooking and use dry herbs and spices to complement the fresh ingredients. If I use fresh garlic, I don’t have to use garlic powder, because fresh garlic has so much more flavor.
      You can use a spice/seasoning blend which has a combination of many herbs and spices mixed together or use separate seasonings to make your own personal blend.

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