Homemade Breakfast Sausage
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Nothing beats homemade! These sausage patties are so so easy to make and they’re also freezer-friendly. Win-win!

Featured Comment
Not sure if it’s the New Year, or if it’s the quarantine-lockdown-stay-at-home-order, but I’ve been making a lot of things from scratch late. We’re talking pizza dough, rosemary bread, sourdough biscuits, pasta and hamburger buns. Now I can add sausage patties to the growing list! And believe me when I tell you that it is so hard to beat homemade.
why i love this easy homemade breakfast sausage recipe
- Short ingredient list. We have a very short ingredient list here. And if you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, dried herbs (pantry staples) can easily be substituted instead.
- Freezer-friendly. These sausage patties freeze oh-so-beautifully (before or after cooking) up to 1 month, giving you 100% breakfast insurance down the road.
- Versatile and flexible. This can easily be made mild, spicy or sweet, or added to breakfast casseroles, omelettes or breakfast sandwiches. You can also swap out the ground pork for ground turkey or ground chicken as a leaner option.

how to make the easiest homemade breakfast sausage
- Combine all the herbs for the spice mixture
- Mix together the rest of the ingredients – ground pork, bacon, maple syrup and spice mixture – working carefully not to overwork the mixture
- Shape the patties and freeze, if needed, for later use
- Cook in a hot cast iron skillet, about 2-3 minutes per side
- Serve with eggs, in a breakfast casserole or in a biscuit sandwich – there’s no wrong way to serve sausage patties
tips and tricks for success
- Mix gently. Avoid overworking the pork mixture as it can lead to tough, crumbly sausage patties.
- Add bacon. The fat from the bacon is key here, adding smoky + salty flavors, and will ensure that the sausage patties are juicy and moist throughout the cooking process.
- Make it leaner. Use ground turkey or ground chicken as a leaner option.
- Mix it up. Use a different spice blend, swapping out the fennel for rosemary or oregano, or substituting brown sugar for maple syrup.
FREEZING AND STORAGE
Storage
Leftover sausage patties can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the microwave (30-35 seconds, covered with a paper towel), stovetop (over medium high heat, turning often, until heated through) or oven (350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes).
Freeze before cooking
Place the uncooked sausage patties between two sheets of wax paper or parchment paper to prevent sticking, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the patties to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 1 month. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and cook as directed, adding 1-2 minutes additional cook time as needed. Do not thaw.
Freeze after cooking
Let the sausage patties cool completely. Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the patties to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 1 month. To reheat, cook over medium high heat, turning often, until browned and cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Do not thaw.

what to serve with homemade breakfast sausage patties
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Homemade Breakfast Sausage: Frequently Asked Questions
The fat from the bacon will help prevent the sausage patties from falling apart and drying out, adding smoky, salty goodness and keeping the sausage juicy, moist and so flavorful.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Yes! Breakfast sausage freezes very well, and can keep up to 1 month in the freezer.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground pork
- 3 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, optional
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the spice mixture
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine pork, bacon, maple syrup and spice mixture; be careful not to overmix.
- To shape the patties, scoop out 1/4 cup (about 2 ounces) of pork mixture and flatten to create 2 1/2- to 3-inch wide patties, forming about 16 patties.*
- Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add sausage patties and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.
For the spice mixture
- In a small bowl, combine sage, thyme, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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This actually worked. I hate Maple flavored meat though, so skipped it.
I didn’t want to use Bacon, sort of defeating the purpose of making breakfast sausage. But One of the things I do is smoke pan of Lard when I smoke Brisket or some other meat that is smoked for over 4 hrs. Then I pour into a pint canning jar and refrigerate. Lasts forever that way and I use it to flavor smoked pork ribs or other things. Do I took 2tbs melted it, and want to cool it enough that you can touch it like around 115 deg, then mix it in the Sausage with all the other ingredients. Also I used about 1tsp kosher salt and 1tsp black pepper. My daughter actually liked it. surprised me. It smelled awesome cooking it too. Used the crush red pepper flakes, but reduce the amount unless you REALLY like a heat kick in your breakfast sausage. Went and bought several pounds of ground pork to make more and freeze them
Sooooo good
Do attempt, tastes nothing like chalk, it’s Monday… husband is liar
Ummmm……what? Am I missing something?
I believe her husband said it tastes like chalk but she thinks hes lying because its Monday? I think she likes it ?
Family likes this better than store-bought! I didn’t have bacon, but I had bacon fat, so I used that for the frying. Recipe adjusts easily for quantities and forms on hand (e.g., dried vs fresh herbs).
Can you freeze them after cooking?
Hi Doreen! You can locate the freezer instructions in our notes section under the directions. 🙂
*TO FREEZE: Uncooked sausage patties can be frozen between sheets of parchment paper for up to 1 month. Cook over medium low heat, turning often, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. DO NOT THAW.
I want to freeze the COOKED patties so I can quickly warm them in the microwave in the mornings. Has anyone tried this?
These are excellent. My toddler and 6 year old love them. I had to omit the red pepper flakes and I omitted the bacon but there were still plenty of flavour left. And even my picky eaters did not detect the stage which was delicious as an additive! much so much healthier than buying breakfast sandwich at McDonald’s. I double the batch and freeze a bunch and in the morning breakfast as I cinch for busy working mama! Never buying frozen sausages ever again!
Skip the maple syrup and the canola oil and you have a pretty healthy and tasty sausage. Pastured Pork for sure. If you need fat to cook in use an animal fat. Canola is one of the less desirable vegetable seed oils that can wreak havoc in the our bodies. I get my side of pork tomorrow and am looking forward to making a version of these sausages.
This is the most delicious sausage I have ever tasted. My husband loves spicy foods so I will be experimenting with other herbs such as thai basil lemon balm dill seed rosemary and tarragon all of which I grow.
I just made these to prep for the week and they are so simple and AMAZING. The flavors are spot on and I love knowing there aren’t any additives in these. I cooked them in the oven instead of on the stove but extremely happy how these came out. I will definitely be keeping these on rotation!
More question than review.
What cut of pork would be good to try this recipe with, or home made sausage in general? I have a new Cabela’s grinder I’ve been itching to use.
Shoulder and Belly Cuts work well. If you get a fattier cut, you can omit the bacon. Usually the cheapest cut will make the best sausage in my experience. You can also make this with a 50/50 ratio of venison and it is great!
Great starter recipe, I read the comments, and used ground chicken, substituted the fat from the pork with a little Olive oil. Used a little molasses since I do not have maple syrup. I positively hate fennel so left that out completely. Overall, it tastes very similar to pork sausage. I will make it again so I can have a low fat, sodium version of the breakfast sausage I love.
I made this today from a Boston Butt pork roast that was on sale. I made about four pounds of it and fried a sample for my husband and I to try. Delicious, the hint of maple is the right touch.
Missing the secret ingredient that gives sausage it’s character. But overall good recipe.
Nope Brent. This recipe is not missing a thing. This is a classic breakfast sausage patty recipe. Only thing missing is sheep casings..but then it wouldn’t be a patty ♀️
I know..Juniper Berries!
Now what was the point of that?
Please reveal the secret ingredient. Inquiring minds want to know!
Get a life Brent, what a worthless comment.
Yeah Brent, sodium nitrates, artificial flavor-enhancers and msg – all of which are hideous for your body but have at it.
This is amazing. Delicious and easy to make.
Delicious! Amazing! Great flavors!
This recipe is amazing! I had to use dried spices, so I scaled down the quantities of seasoning, but I used the same approximate ratios. My family has requested this again several times!!!
Made this with a 50/50 mixture of ground pork and ground venison. Also cut way down on maple syrup, just a personal choice. Made a superlative breakfast sausage. Try it!
I have a question – can you do this with ground Turkey ?
I have substituted turkey for just about every dish I’ve made with great success. also at the store that I shop at, they have turkey sausage right next to the pork sausage in frozen one pound packages.
Thanks for the recipe! I used it to make turkey sausage and it’s delicious!
I made these and was pleased with the out come – however I would decrease the amount of fennel by half – its flavor overwhelmed all the other flavors.
These look delicious! My family will love them. It’s great that they are freezer-friendly too!