This Homemade Breakfast Sausage recipe is delicious with a custom seasoning blend. The homemade sausage patties are perfect for breakfast or use the ground spicy sausage in other recipes like Overnight Breakfast Casserole, Breakfast Tacos or Easy Breakfast Hash.
Making your own homemade breakfast sausage is easy and allows you to blend seasonings for a delicious depth of flavor. It’s perfect for making breakfast sandwiches and so much more.
Unlike commercial sausage this homemade sausage recipe has no artificial ingredients or additives. It’s just ground meat, maple syrup and savory seasonings.
This easy recipe is a great addition to your breakfast foods rotation. The sausage patty has some slight heat that matches perfectly with the sweetness and the bold flavored seasoning mix.
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Recipe Ingredient Notes
Ground pork. Use plain ground pork that hasn’t been seasoned. Do not use pork breakfast sausage, Italian sausage etc. Start with cold ground pork. You’ll need one pound of meat.
Maple syrup. Use pure maple syrup not maple pancake syrup. This will add a light sweet flavor to the homemade breakfast sausage.
Spices. A blend of simple seasonings give breakfast sausage the classic flavor. This recipes uses:
- rubbed sage (dried)
- dried thyme
- red pepper flakes
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- onion powder
- dried marjoram
How to make Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Printable recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1. Mix spices
In a small bowl combine the seasonings: sage, thyme, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, marjoram (photo 1). Stir together (photo 2).
STEP 2. Make sausage mixture
In a large bowl add the ground pork and maple syrup. Sprinkle on the seasonings (photo 3). Mix together (easiest done with hands; rinse in cold water and dry first*) just until combined; do not overmix.
Scoop out ¼-cup portions (using a cookie scoop works great) and mold into 3-inch diameter patties about ½-inch thick.
Gently press a finger into the middle of each patty (photo 4). This helps them hold their shape while they cook.
STEP 3. Cook
Heat a large, heavy cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil.
Once the oil is heated add some of the patties (don't over crowd the skillet)(photo 5).
Cook 3-4 minutes, flip over and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F (photo 6).
STEP 4. Drain
Remove from skillet and place in a single layer onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess fat. Allow to rest while cooking the remaining patties. Serve warm.
Expert Tips
Mix sausage with bare hands rinsed first in cold water. This works the ingredients together best. Rinsing hands in cold water helps helps keep the fat in the sausage from starting to melt before it’s cooked.
Use a 1/4 cup scoop. It makes both quick work of scooping the sausage but more importantly it keeps all the sausage patties the same size so they cook in the same amount of time.
Make indentation in sausage patties. This helps keep the patties flat and from bulging.
Use a heavy cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet. This allows better heat distribution and to avoid burning.
Don’t overcrowd skillet. Use a large skillet. You’ll want enough room to flip the sausage.
Cook in the vegetable oil. The breakfast sausages won’t cook through or in the same way if cooking without oil. We tested both methods.
How to store leftovers
Store any leftover cooked homemade breakfast sausage patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
The pork sausage mixture can be made ahead of time (up to two days), stored in an airtight container and cooked when desired.
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Recipe
Maple Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 3/4 teaspoon rubbed sage dried
- ¾ teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 pound ground pork no flavors added; e.g. not 'pork breakfast sausage', Italian sausage etc
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the seasonings: sage, thyme, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, marjoram. Stir together.3/4 teaspoon rubbed sage, ¾ teaspoons dried thyme, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
- In a large mixing bowl add the ground pork and maple syrup. Sprinkle on the seasonings.1 pound ground pork, 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- Mix together (easiest done with hands; rinse in cold water and dry first*) just until combined; do not overmix.
- Scoop out ¼-cup portions (using a 1/4-cup cookie scoop works great) and mold into 3-inch diameter patties about ½-inch thick.
- Gently press a finger into the middle of each patty. This helps them hold their shape while they cook.
- Heat a large, heavy cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil.1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Once the oil is heated add some of the patties (don't over crowd the skillet).
- Cook 3-4 minutes, flip over and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F.
- Remove from skillet onto two layers of paper towels to absorb any excess fat. Allow to rest while cooking the remaining patties. Serve warm.
debbie says
Can you use fresh herbs?
Toni Dash says
You should be able too. Fresh herbs are not as strong in flavor so you may need to add more to get the same flavor as this recipe.
Susie says
Have you tried this with ground turkey or ground chicken?
Toni Dash says
Hi Susie. I have not tried it on this exact recipe but was working on developing something similar with ground turkey. What I’ve found to date (not done with the recipe yet) is the lower fat content of the ground turkey dried out when prepared in the same way and the seasonings can become ‘heavy handed’ quickly. Stay tuned for a new recipe using ground turkey when I perfect it!
wilhelmina says
This is a fabulous breakfast recipe! I am so glad to know how to do this at home!
Kim says
This is such a great recipe. My whole family went crazy for it. I cannot wait to make it again for our next brunch!
Renee T says
Love this so much! Homemade is the best!
Trish says
These were delicious! We loved the flavor so much more than prepared sausages.
Amanda says
I love breakfast sausage and I really love the herb combination in this. Perfect in a sausage bap for lunch too.
Jen says
This is such an amazing day starter!! My family loved it! So perfect for weekend brunch!
Dana says
This is SO much better than store-bought, or anything I’ve had at a restaurant! Going to incorporate this into our big Christmas breakfast for sure.
Savita says
Such a hearty breakfast recipe, so easy to make and delicious at the same time.