Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Homemade Breakfast Sausage is a simple recipe made with a delicious blend of ground pork, spices, and maple syrup.

This breakfast sausage recipe requires only a few ingredients and 5 minutes of hands-on prep work. Not only is it easy to make, but it is also versatile and can be served as sausage patties or used in any recipe calling for bulk breakfast sausage.

Homemade is Best

I started making my own breakfast sausage years ago when I was less than pleased with the ingredients found in store-bought varieties. Most brands have added corn syrup, preservatives, gluten, and MSG. And the sodium content was through the roof! Not that appealing in my book!

But with just a few simple ingredients and a few minutes of work, you can leave those additives on the shelves and make your own Breakfast Sausage that not only tastes better and is better for you, but is actually a money-saver as well! Pair the sausage with egg bites and homemade latte rather than hitting up the drive-thru and you are really saving some serious money and enjoying a delicious breakfast at home.

Ingredients for Breakfast Sausage

• Ground Meat: Pork is traditional when preparing sausage, but ground turkey or ground chicken is also a great base for breakfast sausage. Using a protein-to-fat ratio of 80/20 creates the juiciest, most flavorful sausage, but you can opt to use leaner ground meat to save on fat and calories if desired.
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup and sausage go hand in hand. Pure maple syrup gives this sausage incredible flavor--just be sure to use 100% maple syrup! If you happen to not have maple syrup on hand, brown sugar is the perfect substitute. Do not use granulated sugar or honey.
• Spices: This recipe uses sage, onion powder, black pepper, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and a pinch of cloves to create the perfect combination of spices for the most flavorful breakfast sausage. However, you can change up the spices to fit your taste preference. If you like things spicy, add in a bit more red pepper flakes. If you despise sage, omit it for sage-free breakfast sausage.

How to Make Breakfast Sausage

Making breakfast sausage at home is as easy as mixing ground pork (or turkey or chicken) with spices to flavor. An important key for making really flavorful homemade breakfast sausage is to allow time for the sausage to cure in the fridge. This will give the meat time to absorb all the flavor added to the meat.

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the dried spices together to evenly incorporate.
• Add in the ground pork (or turkey or chicken) and maple syrup.
• Using your hands or a fork, combine the spices and maple syrup into the meat until everything is evenly distributed. You don't want to overwork the meat, which can cause your sausage to be tough, so I find using a fork or your hands to gently incorporate the ingredients is best.
• Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate the breakfast sausage mixture for 12-24 hours. This allows the pork to absorb all the flavorings that have been added to the meat.

How to Cook Homemade Sausage

Once the sausage mixture has been refrigerated and the meat has had time to cure, it is time to prepare the sausage. You can opt to form the meat into patties for homemade sausage patties, use it in a recipe calling for raw bulk sausage, or you can brown the raw sausage meat and use it as desired.

Sausage Patties

• Form the meat mixture into 2 to 3-inch patties that are each about ½-inch thick. Keep in mind that the patties will shrink about a ½-inch in width after cooking.
• Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the sausage patties to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
• Once the patties are fully cooked, remove them from the skillet and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess grease.

Ground Breakfast Sausage

Instead of forming sausage patties, you can also use the breakfast sausage in any recipe that calls for raw breakfast sausage, like Sausage Balls or Sausage Gravy. Or can simply brown your sausage to serve on the side of eggs or use in recipes, like Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole, that calls for cooked breakfast sausage.

To brown the sausage:

• Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Once the oil is heated add the sausage mixture.
• Cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces as it browns until it is cooked through.
• Serve as desired or use in any recipe calling for cooked breakfast sausage.

Serving Suggestions

• Pair homemade sausage with French Toast Casserole, Banana Oat Pancakes, or Whole Wheat Waffles for a delicious, complete breakfast.
• Use sausage patties in place of ham in Egg McMuffin Sandwiches
• Use the ground breakfast sausage to make Breakfast Sliders or Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole.
• Add 1-2 teaspoons of cooked ground breakfast sausage into Instant Pot Egg Bites in place of cooked bacon.
• Serve an Oven Poached Egg over a homemade sausage patty for a luscious, rich breakfast.
• Serve the sausage patties on Homemade Biscuits for a southern favorite.

How to Store Breakfast Sausage

Once you prepare the sausage mixture, it needs to either be frozen or cooked within 3 days of preparation.

• Freeze the raw breakfast sausage mixture. Place the raw sausage in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer and allow to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Use in any recipe calling for raw breakfast sausage or pan-fry and use as desired.
• Store cooked sausage patties. Cook the mixture as sausage patties and allow the patties to cool fully. Store the cooked patties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Pull out as many sausage patties as desired from the freezer and heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in a skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of water added to the skillet--this keeps the sausage from drying out as it reheats.
• Store raw sausage patties. Stack the shaped patties between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container, 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.
• Store cooked crumbled breakfast sausage. Brown the breakfast sausage as directed. Once cooked, allow the sausage to cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Helpful Tips

• If you need to cut back on sodium in your diet, feel free to omit or cut the salt in half.
• Feel free to change up the spices to fit what you like! You can also opt to add an additional tablespoon of maple syrup (or brown sugar) if you like really sweet breakfast sausage.
• The best way to determine if your sausage patties are fully cooked is to use a digital thermometer and cook to 165 degrees F. This will ensure they reach a safe internal temperature but are not overcooked and dried out.
• Don't be concerned if your sausage patties get a bit dark on the exterior as they cook. This may happen when the maple syrup caramelizes, and that is okay--just a more delicious flavor!
• Your sausage patties will shrink up to ½ inch in thickness when cooking, so you may want to form them a bit larger than you desire before cooking.
• To prevent splattering when cooking, use a splatter screen over your skillet, or use a deep dutch oven pan.
• While you can opt to cook the breakfast sausage immediately after combing the meat with the spices, it is optimum to refrigerate the mixture for at least 12 hours for the best flavor.

Favorite Homemade Breakfast Recipes

• Whole Wheat Pancakes
• Dutch Baby Pancake
• The Best French Toast Recipe
• Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe

If you enjoyed this recipe for homemade breakfast sausage, I would love for you to leave a comment and 5-star review below.

This post was originally published in 2019 but updated in 2022 with a new video.