Breakfast Sausage Recipe

5 stars (4 reviews)

My homemade breakfast sausage recipe is easy to make with regular ground beef, packed with herbs and spices, quick to mix and pop in a skillet, and gives you full control of the flavor. I serve the savory patties with eggs and toast, or any of my family's favorite traditional breakfast foods. It's even great to make and freeze ahead for later!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: Patties

Calories: 213kcal

Author: Sommer Collier

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

US Customary - Metric

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.

Video

Notes

Homemade breakfast sausage stores well for up to 3-4 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 also freeze well 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.

Nutrition