This is my absolute favorite breakfast sausage recipe! With just a few simple ingredients, you can make homemade sausage that’s that’s so much better than store-bought.
If you’ve never thought of making sausage before, you should. I am over the moon with this breakfast sausage recipe and genuinely look forward to it when it’s in our fridge or freezer. The base is ground pork and ground chicken.
Our family loves this recipe a little more every time we make it. I serve the sausage with scrambled eggs and pancakes. Make breakfast sandwiches with homemade biscuits or English muffins, and use it to make my absolute favorite sausage gravy!
Key Ingredients
- Ground Pork and Ground Chicken: You can use one or the other, but the combination makes this 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 remember you want to use chicken or turkey with some 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 balances 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.
If you have made meatloaf or meatballs, you can make this breakfast sausage. It’s as easy as mix, chill, and cook! It’s incredible as a bulk sausage for things like sausage gravy or formed into sausage patties like in our photos! For more recipes like this, see all of our breakfast recipes!
Seriously Good Breakfast Sausage
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- COOK
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I am over the moon with this homemade breakfast sausage. 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. I use this sausage to make my favorite sausage gravy!
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
1Make sausage mixture: In a mixing bowl, combine the sage, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, crushed coriander seeds, smoked paprika, poultry seasoning, grated onion, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Mix these ingredients well. Then, add the ground pork and chicken.
2Using clean hands (or wear food-safe gloves), really get in there and mix everything. Keep working until everything is thoroughly combined and the mixture feels smooth. Cook the sausage now, or for the best flavor, refrigerate the mixture overnight in an airtight container (see storage instructions below).
3Make breakfast sausage patties: Scoop out 3 to 4 tablespoons of the mixture 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
- Storing in the fridge: Transfer the sausage mixture to an airtight container, and press a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper on top of the sausage to prevent air from getting to it. The sausage lasts this way for up to 4 days.
- Freezing raw bulk sausage: Transfer it to a freezer-safe airtight container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper directly onto the surface of the sausage to prevent air contact and freezer burn. For easier use, consider dividing it into smaller, meal-sized portions before freezing. Thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.
- Freezing uncooked sausage patties: Form the patties and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer the patties to a freezer-safe bag or container, removing as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Store frozen sausage patties for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before cooking or cook from frozen in a skillet or the oven.
- Dried sage: I prefer fresh sage, but if you only have dried, use 2 to 3 teaspoons of dried sage.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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.