Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe - Lauren's Latest (2024)

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This Homemade Breakfast Sausage is going to knock your socks off. Super tasty and surprisingly easy…just a handful of seasonings mixed together with ground pork, plus a secret ingredient! Use this recipe in a casserole like my Classic Breakfast Casserole or on the side of some pancakes. A little drizzle of maple syrup on these guys is kind of a dreamy combination. If you’ve never made your own, I’d highly recommend it!

Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe - Lauren's Latest (1)

How to Flavor Sausage to Make it Breakfast Sausage

I love store bought breakfast sausages because they taste so good…I mean, they really do! But I’m telling you right now there is nothing about making your own at home. BUT!!! I really wanted to base my own homemade breakfast sausage based on the ones I know and love. This means I used spices like:

  • thyme
  • rosemary
  • sage
  • marjoram
  • nutmeg
  • and cayenne pepper

Plus, I used my secret ingredient: smokehouse maple seasoning. This stuff gives that maple flavor that we all love about breakfast sausages.

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How to Make Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Like I said before, making homemade breakfast sausage is so simple, why wouldn’t you always go this route? It’s so much more flavorful than store bought, while giving you that familiar flavor that you love. For full recipe details, including ingredients needed and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below.

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Combine Ground Pork + Seasonings

In a large bowl, place ground pork in the bowl. Add nutmeg, cayenne, sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, brown sugar, salt and pepper to the bowl. I also added some McCormick Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple Seasoning…totally optional, but I just love the flavor it brings to the sausage.

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Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe - Lauren's Latest (5)

Combine + Mix Well

Stir all the spices into the meat and mix well. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, divide mixture into 12 even sized balls and flatten into patties.

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Pro Tip: If you have the time, mix the ingredients ahead of time and give it time to marry. This step is completely optional and you can cook right away if you want, but giving it even just a few hours will help the flavors to marinate and develop into even more deliciousness. Bonus: that means this recipe is the perfect “prep-ahead” dish.

Cook + Serve

Cook sausage balls in the pan until thoroughly cooked and drain on paper towels. Serve as you like!

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Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe - Lauren's Latest (10)

What if I Want a Spicy Breakfast Sausage?

If you like your breakfast sausage to be spicy, the traditional thing to add is Red Pepper Flakes, but you could also rev up the Cayenne Pepper. I only use a pinch of Cayenne in my recipe though, because I’m wimpy.

Can I use Fresh Herbs instead of Dried?

Yes! Just keep in mind that dried herbs are much more potent than fresh so the general rule for herb conversion ratio is1 tablespoon of fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.

Pro Tip: You can also use a combination of fresh and dry. In the summer months I have fresh thyme, rosemary and sage growing like crazy, but marjoram…not so much. Maybe next year. 🙂 Feel free to use whatever fresh AND dried herbs you have on hand, using the above stated conversion ratio.

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Storing Leftover Breakfast Sausage

Place any leftover breakfast sausage in an airtight container and place in the fridge. Sausage will stay fresh for 4-5 days.

To Freeze: allow to cool completely before placing in an airtight, freezer safe container or sealable bag. Sausage will stay fresh in the freezer for 3-4 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

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Other Breakfast Recipes to Try:

  • Breakfast Casserole
  • Biscuits and Gravy
  • Southwest Steak and Egg Breakfast Burritos
  • Breakfast Tacos
  • BEST Overnight Breakfast Casserole (with brioche bread!)
  • The Best Crepe Recipe (Better than Paris!)
  • Funeral Potatoes (one of my most popular recipes)

The printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends!

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you wouldgive it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.

Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe - Lauren's Latest (13)

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4.49 from 29 votes

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

If you love breakfast sausage, try this homemade recipe. Super tasty and surprisingly easy…just a bunch of seasonings mixed together with ground pork!

servings 12 mini patties

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/8 teaspoon marjoram
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smokehouse maple seasoning optional

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, stir seasonings together with ground pork.

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  • Scoop into 12 even balls (I used a cookie scoop for this) and pat down to form into patties.

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  • Fry sausage patties in a nonstick skillet with a little cooking spray if needed.

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  • Once fully cooked, remove to paper towels and serve as desired.

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Video

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 108mg | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Homemade Sausage

Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe - Lauren's Latest (2024)

FAQs

What gives breakfast sausage its distinctive flavor? ›

Breakfast sausage (or country sausage) is a type of fresh sausage, typically made from pork, that is a common breakfast food in the United States. In the United States, the predominant flavorings used for seasoning are black pepper and sage. There are also varieties seasoned with maple syrup or cayenne pepper.

What is Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage made of? ›

PORK, WATER, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS: CORN SYRUP, SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, VINEGAR, SUGAR, PORK BROTH, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE.

Why does breakfast sausage taste different than regular sausage? ›

To start with, most breakfast sausages are made with a variety of specific herbs. The most important of these is sage. This addition gives breakfast sausage its woodsy, slightly peppery, herbal flavor, and it's found in most classic store-bought varieties at the supermarket.

What are the ingredients in original pork breakfast sausage links? ›

Pork, Water, Contains 2% or less of: Salt, Dextrose, Vinegar Powder, Sugar, Spices, Natural Flavors, Collagen Casing.

What is in Bob Evans breakfast sausage? ›

Pork, Water, Seasoning (Salt, Contains 2% or Less of Each of the Following: Dextrose, Spices, Flavoring, Monosodium Glutamate, Maltodextrin, Natural Flavor), Potassium Lactate.

What is Mcdonald's breakfast sausage made of? ›

Ingredients: Pork, Water, Salt, Spices, Dextrose, Sugar, Rosemary Extract, Natural Flavors.

What is morning sausage made of? ›

Breakfast sausage is a simple combination of ground pork with herbs and spices that is then baked or fried and served as a meat protein for breakfast.

What is a proper breakfast sausage? ›

Breakfast sausages are typically fresh sausages seasoned with pepper and sage that Americans eat as part of a “country style” or “farmer” breakfast. While the typical breakfast sausage is made from pork, there are also beef, turkey, chicken, and plant-based breakfast sausages.

What gives sausage its distinct flavor? ›

Salt: Salt enhances flavor and acts as a preservative. Sugar: Sugar can be used to balance the saltiness in sausage and add a slight, tasty sweetness. Spices: Various spices give a sausage its robust flavor. Commonly used sausage spices include black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and paprika.

Why is my breakfast sausage dry? ›

Sausages that do not contain enough fat are typically dry and tasteless. Sausages should contain 25-30% fat. This may seem like a lot but many commercially made sausages contain 50% fat. So, you need 250-300g of fat per 1kg of sausage mix.

What are the ingredients on Aldi pork sausage? ›

Pork (90%), Water, Rice Flour, Sea Salt, Chickpea Flour, Sugar, Stabiliser: Diphosphates; White Pepper, Dried Ginger, Dried Mace, Dried Nutmeg, Dried Cayenne Pepper, Cornflour, Preservative: Sodium 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞; Yeast Extract, Dried Sage, Dried Thyme, Antioxidants: Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate; Dextrose, Dried ...

What is Chick Fil A breakfast sausage made of? ›

The sausage is made with a blend of premium pork and a special mix of seasonings, ensuring a rich and savory taste with every bite.

What are the ingredients in Johnsonville breakfast sausage links? ›

Ingredients: Pork, water, corn syrup, and less than 2% of the following: salt, pork broth with natural flavorings, dextrose, lemon juice powder (corn syrup solids, lemon juice solids, and natural flavors), natural flavors, BHA, propyl gallate, citric acid, beef collagen casing.

What is the flavor of breakfast sausage? ›

Breakfast Sausage Ingredients

In this top-rated recipe, ground pork is seasoned with the following ingredients: brown sugar, sage, salt, black pepper, marjoram, red pepper flakes, and cloves. These spices and seasonings give the breakfast sausage a sweet, savory, and slightly spicy flavor that's impossible to resist.

What herb does breakfast sausage contain that gives it its unique flavor? ›

This simple, homemade breakfast sausage gets a boost of flavor from fragrant herbs and spices like sage, thyme and savory, along with a hint of sweetness from brown sugar.

What is the distinctive flavor in Italian sausage? ›

Fennel is the spice that gives Italian sausage its Italian flavor. Often the fennel is a mixture of whole or cracked fennel seed and ground fennel. The whole or cracked fennel seed will help to give good visibility to the spice while the ground fennel will contribute a very distinctive fennel flavor.

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