Our family loves this homemade breakfast sausage! Our recipe takes less than 15 minutes to make and tastes incredible, thanks to sage, onion, and maple syrup. So much better than store-bought!
I am over the moon with this homemade breakfast sausage recipe. I’ve made it so many times over the last few months, and honestly, I fall in love with it a little more every time I make it. There’s lots of choice at the store for sausage, but I’ve fallen for making it myself. You can customize it however you like, and it freezes well for another day.
If you are used to making meatloaf or homemade meatballs, you should step into the world of homemade sausage. You can use this bulk sausage recipe to make sausage patties and other recipes like sausage gravy. It’s amazing with scrambled eggs, homemade biscuits, or turned into breakfast sandwiches with homemade English muffins.
Key Ingredients
- Ground Pork and Ground Chicken: This is my favorite part of this sausage recipe. We combine ground pork and chicken, which makes the sausage a bit lighter on its feet while still being super juicy in the middle. Ground turkey would be an excellent substitute for the chicken. Just keep in mind that you want to use chicken or turkey with a bit of fat (7% to 10% is ideal).
- Sage and Onion: I love sage sausage, especially with onion, which this recipe has. For the best results, use fresh sage and a sweet onion. I like to grate the onion so it’s small and “melts” into the sausage meat.
- Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar: The best breakfast sausage has a great balance of savory and sweet. So we add pure maple syrup and brown sugar (not much, though).
- Spices: To bump up the savoriness and spice, we mix in salt, pepper, crushed pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and poultry seasoning. If you prefer spicy sausage, increase the pepper flakes a bit.
How to Make Breakfast Sausage
Homemade breakfast sausage is as easy as mix, chill, and cook. Really, it is so simple. I mix everything but the pork and chicken first, and then I use my hands to really get in there and combine everything until smooth. If you don’t want to touch raw meat, this is a great recipe to invest in a box of food-safe gloves.
You can use it once it’s well mixed or refrigerate overnight for even better results. I store mine in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4 days or freeze it for months.
Seriously Good Breakfast Sausage
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
I am over the moon with this homemade breakfast sausage recipe. I’ve made it so many times over the last few months, and honestly, I fall in love with it a little more every time I make it.
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) ground pork
1 pound (450g) ground chicken, 7% to 10% fat
1/4 cup (7g) fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup (80g) grated sweet onion
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Directions
1In a mixing bowl, combine all the sausage ingredients except pork and chicken. Mix them well, then add the ground pork and chicken.
2Using clean hands (or wear food-safe gloves), really get in there and mix everything together. Keep working until everything is completely combined and the mixture feels smooth.
3Use it now, or for the best results, refrigerate overnight. Store it as bulk sausage in an airtight container or roll it in parchment paper to create a log and tie the ends with butcher’s twine. The sausage lasts in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
4To make breakfast sausage patties, break off some of the sausage and roll it into meatballs. Then, press them flat into patties. Bake them in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 15-20 minutes or cook in a skillet over medium heat.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Dried sage: I prefer fresh sage, but if you only have dried, use 2 to 3 teaspoons of dried sage.
- Storing: Keep in an airtight container or wrap very well in parchment paper, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze for 3 months. If you wrap the sausage in parchment paper, double wrap it in foil before freezing.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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I trust, in deference to British tastebuds, the maple syrup (which I really loathe and I have tasted it fresh from the tree when in Canada) and the sugar can be left out, and also the smoked paprika?
Hi Julia, We have not tried this ourselves, but yes, the maple sugar should be okay to leave out. You will (obviously) have a more savory sausage in this case.
I have ground sage and powdered onion. Any idea as to where I should start in measurements? I plan on making half of this without the sweetness.This sounds so easy! I’ll make a bunch of patties and freeze. Yum!
Substitutions for dried sage are in the recipe (you’ll need about 1/3 of the amount compared to fresh). I have not used onion powder in this recipe myself, but I’d image 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons should do the trick (for the full recipe).
WOW!! Fabulous recipe for sausage patties! Loved making my own & yeah, no casings! Left overnight in fridge, cooked next day, yum! Would like to turn into Italian using fennel seed, oregano, basil & many of your spices, question, is the brown sugar & maple syrup needed to bind mixture? Any ideas for substitute? Love your recipes, straightforward & always successful. Thank you from Down Under to Walla Walla, my favourite onions in the world Cheers
This is amazing! We are thrilled you enjoyed the recipe so much. I think you would be fine removing the maple/brown sugar for a more savory Italian sausage. The sugars definitely help with the caramelizing when you cook the patties, but there’s enough fat in the sausage that you should still get a nice sear.
Excited about this recipe. Can I use ground Turkey rather ground chicken?
Hi Gary, You can! I recommend still getting ground turkey that’s got some fat left (7-10%).
Why are they not sausage shaped? And what binds them together?
Hi Chris, This recipe makes bulk breakfast sausage, which we form into patties. They hold together really well. You could always add the sausage mixture to casings for links, but you would need special equipment.
In the UK we would call this sausagemeat and make it into sausages using casings. Sausage in the US is not how us British would think of it.