With the classic savory-but-sweet flavor, this Homemade Breakfast Sausage makes the most irresistible breakfast sausage patties. Enjoy with pancakes and eggs or add to a breakfast sandwich. With just a few minutes of hands-on time, you’ll never buy store-bought patties again!
The Best Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe
This breakfast sausage recipe is so good and so easy! It’s so flavorful that you can definitely tell it is homemade and it’s easily customizable to suit your taste. You can use this recipe as a starting point and work from there, whether you prefer your sausage more sweet or more savory, or maybe with a bit of heat.
And to make things even better, the prep time is a whopping 10 minutes – if that! I actually tend to prepare the mixture the night before so all I need to do for breakfast is form the patties and cook. Plus, letting it sit overnight rewards you with even more flavor. Win win.
Ingredients Needed
All you’ll need for this recipe is some ground pork, brown sugar, herbs, and spices. Yep, homemade sausage is that easy to make!
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Ground pork – Unseasoned ground pork, not Italian sausage.
- Garlic – For aromatics and flavor.
- Light brown sugar – Adds just a hint of sweetness to balance out the savory spices.
- Herbs and spices – I use a combination of fresh sage and thyme with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, poultry seasoning, and smoked paprika to get that classic breakfast sausage flavor.
Recipe Variations
As I mentioned, you can easily use this breakfast sausage recipe as a starting point and customize it to your tastes. Here are a few suggestions.
- Spice it up. There is slight heat from the chili flakes, add more if you like more heat. Or, you can add more spices such as chipotle powder for a smokey heat or cayenne.
- Dry herbs instead of fresh. If you can’t find fresh herbs you can use dried in their place, use 1 & 1/4 teaspoons of dried to 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of fresh herbs.
- Add bacon. For extra flavor, you can dice up a few uncooked pieces of bacon and stir it into the ground pork mixture.
- Experiment with other spices. Fennel seeds, nutmeg, rosemary, marjoram, and even some seasoning blends like a smokehouse maple seasoning can be added to customize the flavor.
- Make it sweeter. If you prefer your breakfast sausage on the sweet side or with a stronger maple flavor, try adding some maple syrup into the mixture. Be sure to use real maple syrup and not pancake syrup.
- Add some ground turkey. If you want to make these a bit “lighter”, you can substitute some of the ground pork for ground turkey. I wouldn’t recommend more than 1/2 but 1/3 would work nicely. Note that with ground turkey, the sausages will be a bit dryer.
How to Make Breakfast Sausage Patties
These homemade sausage patties are super easy to make, with just a few minutes of hands-on time. I like to prepare the mixture the night before to make the morning prep even easier.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Combine the ingredients. Combine everything in a large bowl, mixing until well combined.
- Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. Overnight is best, if possible.
- Form into patties. Divide the sausage into 12 equal pieces. Form into patties.
- Cook. Brown the sausages for 4-5 minutes on each side over medium heat. Enjoy!
Can I Make This In The Air Fryer?
Yes, you can make breakfast sausage in the air fryer instead of on the stovetop. Follow the same directions as above, then just cook in the air fryer. I found that 10 minutes at 350F was perfect but you may need to adjust and add a few minutes depending on your air fryer, since just like ovens, they all run differently.
Can I Use This Recipe for Crumbled Sausage?
Absolutely! Instead of forming the mixture into patties, just brown and crumble the sausage in a large skillet. Crumbled breakfast sausage is perfect for biscuits and gravy and can be used in other recipes too, like Just Crack an Egg, a cheese omelette, and scrambled eggs.
Tips & FAQs
This recipe is pretty straight forward but here are a few helpful tips if you have any questions.
- Do I HAVE to marinate the mixture? The marinate times allow the flavors to mingle and really flavor the sausage. However, if you don’t have even an hour of wait time you can still enjoy this recipe right away.
- Do I need to add oil to the pan? We do not add oil to the pan to fry the patties because there is enough fat in the ground pork already so they won’t stick to the pan.
- Make the patties the same size. To ensure that all of the sausage patties are done at the same time, try to make sure they are all uniform in size.
- How do I know when they’re done? The best way to tell when your breakfast sausage patties are done is to use a thermometer. They should reach an internal temperature of 165F.
Serving Suggestions
Breakfast sausage makes a great addition to pretty much any breakfast. Serve it with pancakes or waffles and your favorite eggs.
These are also perfect for making breakfast sandwiches, on either sandwich bread, a buttermilk biscuit, or English muffin. Add the fully cooked sausage patty, a fried egg, a slice of cheese, and enjoy.
How to Store, Freeze, & Reheat
- Storing leftovers. Leftover sausage patties can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, in an airtight container. They can be easily reheated in the microwave.
- To freeze. Both cooked and uncooked patties can be frozen for up to 3 months. I recommend adding parchment paper between each patty so you can easily separate them. Place in a freezer-safe bag. You can cook or reheat directly from frozen.
More Breakfast Recipes:
- Amish Breakfast Casserole
- Hash Brown Egg Casserole
- Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Chile Relleno Casserole
- Breakfast Enchiladas
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 pounds ground pork (not seasoned Italian sausage)
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar , packed
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Place the ground pork, garlic, brown sugar, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, poultry seasoning, and paprika in a large bowl. Mix until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least one hour (overnight is best if you have the time.)
- Portion the sausage into 12 equal pieces and form into patties.
- Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brown the sausage for about 4 to 5 minutes per side or until an internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Serve immediately and enjoy as desired with pancakes, eggs, or as a breakfast sandwich.
Thanks for the recipe.
I loved this recipe so much! It is very yummy.