Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe
This easy homemade breakfast sausage recipe will get your family’s morning off to a delicious start.
This Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe came about because I didn’t like the store-bought stuff’s ingredients. See, it turns out that pork sausage from the grocery store isn’t entirely pork. After checking the wrapping on the big name brand I used to buy, I saw their other ingredients include:
- Mechanically separated meat (also known as “white slime,” the cousin of the “pink slime” that made headlines in 2013)
- Sodium lactate (salt made from lactic acid)
- Sodium phosphates (another salt)
- Dextrose (a form of sugar);
- Sugar (more sugar)
- MSG (another salt)
- Sodium diacetate (still more salt!), and
- BHT (a preservative primarily used in cosmetics)
Does that sound like a wholesome start to the day? I didn’t think so, and that’s why I came up with this homemade breakfast sausage recipe. Mine is so simple that there are only three components: pork, sea salt, and spices.
Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe
This recipe will give you all the taste you’re used to from the commercial stuff without the white slime, preservatives, and shockingly vast amounts of salt.
Shape as Desired
I’ve made this as sausage patties, links, and crumbles.
- Patties are easy: shape them as you would hamburgers, just thinner.
- To do sausage links, you’ll need a sausage stuffer and casings. I use the stuffer attachment for my Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer.
- For crumbles, fry it up like you would ground or mince beef.
Make Extra to Freeze
I usually make several pounds of homemade breakfast sausage at a time. If I’ve got time and energy, I’ll cook up all of the patties (or links if I make them) and freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet then pop them into a freezer bag. Sometimes, I don’t feel up to that, though, so I’ll freeze the uncooked patties and transfer them to a resealable bag. Cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage freezes well in a resealable bag, too — flatten it for faster defrosting in the future.
Perfect in Biscuits and Gravy
Here in the Midwest, we love biscuits and gravy for breakfast. This homemade breakfast sausage works perfectly — crumble it into a frying pan and brown as you would ground beef, then follow your favorite sausage gravy recipe. Or use it in these Jimmy Dean copycat Homemade Breakfast Bowls. They’re my son’s favorite!
Enjoy!
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Stirring spoon
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork or ground turkey if you prefer
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients by hand until well-mixed.
For patties
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Shape by hand into 2-inch balls and flatten into patties. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side until done. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain grease before serving.
For crumbles
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to hot pan and break into crumbles using a spatula or wooden spoon. Continue cooking over medium-high heat, frequently stirring, until thoroughly cooked. Drain grease before use.
To Freeze
- Freeze patties (cooked or uncooked) in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer to a freezer bag and use within 3 months.
- You can also freeze uncooked breakfast sausage as a log or flattened in a freezer bag. Defrost overnight in your refrigetator before using.
I made this today and it is a great recipe. I omitted the cayenne and baked them in the oven because I was feeling too lazy to tend to them on the stove and they turned out very well. I’m freezing some.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Liz!
This is a GREAT recipe, as an American living in Canada I miss certain things you can’t get up here, good southern style breakfast sausage is one of them, not anymore! Really good, just the right amount of heat. So far I’ve used it as patties and to make biscuits and gravy. A keeper.
So glad you enjoyed it, Christopher!
Can this be made with ground turkey or chicks ? Our family doesn’t eat pork.
Hi Stephanie,
You can absolutely make it with other types of meat, although the taste will be a bit different.
Easy recipe. I like spicy but left out the cayenne. Good!
So glad you liked it, Dawn!
Very tasty but wayyyy too spicy for my taste. Something needs to be omitted either the cayenne pepper or the red flakes. Too bad because it was tasty.
I’m sorry you didn’t like it, Chrissy. Just a few comments ago, someone complained that it wasn’t spicy enough. Everyone has different tolerances for spice, I guess.
I agree completely. I moved to the Philippines one year ago and when i made biscuits and gravy, it wasn’t the same and then i realized the straight ground pork here didn’t have the seasonings from the one pound frozen packages i bought in the grocery store in the US. This recipe helped, although my sausage gravy here still isn’t like in the US, but it’s still better than none at all. I’ve been vacuum packing frozen sausage gravy for several years. It should last up to one year vacuum-sealed, but i eat them in little time.
Hi Kevin,
I’ve found that making a sausage gravy that tastes as if it came from a diner takes a whole lot of additional salt and pepper, plus a small splash of hot sauce. Enjoy!
Delicious, I was pleasantly surprised with how good this was. I added 1/4 tsp of both onion and garlic powder. Will make again for sure. So happy to have assuage without sugar in it!
Hi Stacey,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I tried your recipe, it was okay.
Sorry you didn’t like it, Mark. Our family does and, of course, you can adjust the seasonings based on your own taste preferences.
I just made this sausage this morning with ground turkey instead of pork. It turned out delicious!
I’m so glad you liked it!