Breakfast Sausage Recipe
by Sommer Collier — on May 4, 2026 When I want a hearty breakfast but don’t have sausage on hand, I make this Homemade Breakfast Sausage instead. I mix ground beef with herbs and spices, shape it into patties, and cook it in a skillet for an easy, protein-packed breakfast with full control over the flavor. It’s perfect with eggs and toast, and I love freezing extra for busy mornings.
Have you ever made your own sausage? I have, and I’m never going back! Today I’m going to show you how to make super simple breakfast sausage at home that’s flavorful and easy to whip up in minutes. Why would I make breakfast sausage, you might ask? Well, you might be craving sausage patties on a Saturday morning, to serve as a side or to make my easy sausage gravy recipe with biscuits. But uh-oh, you don’t have breakfast sausage in the fridge… But you do have ground meat. Or, you may just want to try breakfast sausage made with a non-traditional meat, in which case you can use this recipe to make chicken sausage, beef sausage, venison sausage, etc. Or you may just like the idea of complete quality control, with no sneaky ingredient add-ins. Whatever your reason, you’ve come to the right place!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Pick Your Protein – I am making the recipe with traditional ground pork, which is what you find in breakfast sausage at the grocery store. However, as mentioned, you can use any type of ground meat you like for this recipe… Try it with ground turkey, chicken, beef, or even venison!
30 Minutes or Less – With 10 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes to cook, these sausage patties are ready to serve faster than taking a trip and ordering at your favorite local breakfast spot. (Yes, including your fave fast food drive-thru… Not that we’d eeever go there, right? *wink*)
Make and Freeze – One round of this recipe makes approximately 6-8 patties. I love making several batches at once, then separating portions and freezing for later. Trust me, your future self will be so happy to have them ready to go as part of your weekly meal plans!
(Speaking of meal plans, if you are a fan of savory sausage dishes that you can make ahead, you’ve got to check out my easy recipe for how to cook Italian sausage!)
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Ground pork – Like with beef, the higher the percentage of fat, the more flavorful and tender the sausage patties will be. The best type of ground pork is whatever you prefer fat-wise, so choose either leaner 10% or more hefty 30% pork fat. I like my fat content to be somewhere in the middle, with an 80/20 ratio of 20% fat.
- Light brown sugar – I use light brown, versus dark brown sugar, because dark brown is just a bit too rich and heavy. I want to balance the strong sausage aromatics with a touch of sweetness, but since pork itself is a fairly sweet meat, I don’t want to overdo it with the sugar.
- Aromatics – I’m using dried fennel seeds, dried thyme, and ground sage to create that classic breakfast sausage taste. But, you know… without all of the questionable preservatives.
- Seasonings – I keep things simple with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. And yes, as you might assume, I also throw some crushed red pepper flakes in there as well. Gotta keep that spicy perspective!
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Mix the Seasonings – I start by mixing the sugar, aromatics, and seasonings together in a large bowl. That way, when I add the ground pork, the seasoning mix is evenly distributed, so every bite tastes perfect.
Mix in the Pork – Next, I add the ground pork (or whatever protein you’re using) into the bowl. I use one hand to combine everything together, while keeping the other hand clean.
Prepare the Patties – Then I use my hand to gently and lightly push the mixture down a bit to condense it, and spread it evenly across the top. You have the option to make 6-8 sausage patties… I usually make 8 of them for more (and smaller) portions. To get them even in size, I use a knife to divide the mixture while it’s still in the bowl. I cut it like a pie.
Working one at a time, I scoop up a portion, gently roll it between my hands to make a ball shape, and then flatten it into a patty. I try to make them about 3/4 inch thick, so they get a nice golden crust on the outside without overcooking and drying out on the inside.
Cook the Patties – Now I set my skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. I’m using my trusty old cast-iron skillet, which doesn’t require any oil for cooking the sausage. But if you’re cooking on a stainless steal skillet, I suggest drizzling a teaspoon of oil into the pan before adding the sausage patties.
Once the pan is hot, I gently place the breakfast sausage in the nonstick skillet. Then I use the back of the spatula to lightly press the patty and get a nice, even sear. Don’t press down too much! If you make the patty too thin, it is more likely to dry out and burn. Cook the homemade sausage for 3-4 minutes, flip and gently press again, and cook for another 3-4 minutes. I know the sausage is done when the patties have a golden-brown crust on both sides, and I check the inside of a patty to make sure it’s no longer pink.
Expert Tips
Use your hands to combine the ingredients and shape the sausage patties. This is better than using a spoon or other utensil, which would make the sausage tough by the time you’d be able to completely work in the spices and aromatics. Using your hands helps to keep the meat fluffed up so it’s not smashed down.
Next, don’t make the patties too thick. I think 8 sausage patties are perfect, not too big or too small! If you do make 6 patties, I suggest you still make them no bigger than 3/4 inch thick.
Once you get the patties into the hot pan, try not to move them as much as possible until it’s time to flip. This gives them time to brown on the bottom without crumbling apart.
Serving Suggestions
This is the BEST breakfast sausage recipe ever (in my humble opinion), and it goes well with nearly any and all classic breakfast foods! Here are a few of my faves…
- Over Easy Eggs
- Deep Dish Vegetarian Quiche
- Easiest Breakfast Casserole
- Egg White Frittata with Spinach
- Homemade Hash Brown Potatoes
- Skillet Potatoes
- Baked Pancake
As I mentioned earlier, you can break the sausage mixture up to make homemade gravy for cathead biscuits, or use it in my biscuits and gravy casserole. And the patties are also fantastic for making homemade egg-and-cheese breakfast sandwiches to go!
Storing and Reheating
Homemade breakfast sausage stores well for up to 3-5 days, kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I make a batch on Sunday and then have the rest in the mornings through the week.
The patties are also great to freeze for up to 3 months. Usually, I work in batches and make several servings to freeze for later. I let them cool completely before transferring to airtight ziploc freezer bags. Then thaw them in the fridge overnight, heat and serve.
I think the best way to reheat the sausage patties is to pan-fry them for a few minutes on each side. This keeps the outside nicely browned without overcooking and drying out the meat. The second option would be to microwave them by first loosely wrapping the patties in paper towels, then microwave for 10 seconds at a time at 50% power.
Frequently Asked Questions
You likely didn’t use a ground meat with a high enough fat percentage and/or overcooked it. One way you can try to moisten them after cooking is by loosely wrapping the patties in a slightly wet clean paper towel, then microwaving for 10-15 seconds on low. This will essentially “steam” the sausage.
I make my homemade breakfast sausage recipe without a binder. So it’s important that you don’t overwork the ground pork when combining with the aromatics, and you do form the patties tightly… But not too tight. Think of them like small hamburger patties.
I thought you’d never ask! In this original recipe, I use 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. Increase the amount to 1/2 – 1 teaspoon for a super spicy breakfast sausage recipe.
By the way, if you’re a fan of savory and spicy sausage, I highly recommend checking out my classic sausage balls recipe. They’re fabulous for breakfast and dinner!
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More Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast Sausage Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork higher fat % = more flavor and softer texture
- 4 teaspoons light brown sugar packed (optional, but suggested!)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground sage or rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Set out a large bowl. Combined the sugar, salt, ground pepper, fennel seeds, sage, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper. Mix well.
- Place the ground pork in the bowl. Use your hands to gently and evenly mix the spice blend throughout the ground pork. Break the pork up into small chunks as you do this to sort of fluff it up, not smash it down.
- Once the seasoning is evenly distributed, gently level the sausage mixture in the bowl. Use a spatula (or a butter knife) to divide the sausage into 6-8 equal portions for patties. I prefer to make eight patties.
- Shape each portion into a round patty approximately ¾ inch thick.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat. If using a nonstick skillet no oil is required, however for a stainless-steel skillet you may need a little drizzle of oil.
- Place the sausage patties in the skillet. Gently press each patty so it has good surface contact but be careful not to squeeze them thin. Cook the patties for 3-5 minutes per side. Serve warm.
