This recipe for homemade breakfast sausage is low in calories, made with a combo of pork and turkey, they’re the only kind of breakfast sausage you’ll need!
Usually breakfast sausage comes from a pouch at the grocery store, but today I’m sharing a fantastic way to make it at home, using simple ingredients! Once you’ve made the patties, you can easily freeze them… or cook them first, then freeze, for a quick, on-the-go breakfast idea!
Sausage… ahhhhh sausage. I hate a love/hate relationship with it. My food weird-ness won’t let me enjoy any sausage with a casing, so usually links are out, but patties are another story! I’ve been toying with the idea of making my own sausage at home, so I could control the quality of ingredients, not have fillers, etc., but decided I should take it one step further and go for a breakfast sausage patty!
And not just ANY breakfast sausage… one with a mouthwatering combination of pork, turkey, fresh herbs, seasonings and maple syrup. Ohhhh yes… can’t forget that maple syrup! Around here, if you take a quick stroll down the breakfast meats aisle at the grocery store, there are TONS of maple sausages available. There’s something about that little touch of sweetness that really takes the meat to a whole new level.
I also wanted to make these a bit on the lighter side, so you can totally have more of them right?! Wait… that’s not how dieting works is it? Hmm, this is why I’m the “chunky” chef you guys… I pretty much always need more food lol. But anyway, making these with half ground turkey cuts the calories, then the ground pork comes in to add moisture (and flavor) so the patties aren’t dry and sawdust-tasting (you know how some all-turkey products can be, sadly).
I can’t take all the credit for this recipe, as I got the idea for it from a Cooking Light magazine (the February issue I think?), then made a few tweaks, but nothing major, as they pretty much had it perfect from the get go.
Making these breakfast sausage patties is incredibly easy… just like mixing up some meatballs (except don’t actually scoop them into balls lol). Once you’ve combined everything, spread it out onto a wax paper lined baking sheet in as even a layer as you can manage (sometimes the meat just doesn’t cooperate). Grab a biscuit cutter or large-mouthed drinking glass (hint: spray the rim to keep the meat from sticking too much), and cut out the patties. Go for a size a little larger than you want them to be, as they do shrink some when cooking. At this point you can do three things:
- Cook the patties and eat them right away (my favorite option… nom nom!)
- Cook the patties and freeze them
- Freeze the uncooked patties
If you want to freeze them (cooked or uncooked), check out the recipe notes section at the bottom of the recipe – I’ll have directions for both methods there.
When it comes to cooking these bad boys, you can fry them up in a skillet for that home-cooked feel, or skip the spatter and bake them in the oven! My directions in this recipe will be for the skillet method, but check that recipe notes section for tips on baking them if you’d prefer it that way 🙂
Okay, so now you have these fabulous breakfast sausage patties, but what to have with them? Well my friends, the sky is the limit! Here’s a few of my favorites:
- Homemade buttermilk biscuits – you CAN’T beat that homemade flavor and texture!
- Oven roasted breakfast potatoes – you all have loved these potatoes and left some pretty awesome reviews!
- Vanilla Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes – or go crazy and try these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes!
- Mixed Berry Oatmeal Souffle – a bit unexpected, yet absolutely delicious!
- Overnight Breakfast Strata – instead of making patties, brown and crumble the sausage and use it in this recipe for a world-class hit!
My favorite way though, is a classic sausage biscuit! I hope you all give these Homemade Maple Breakfast Sausage patties a try, and soon!
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Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (use the darkest REAL maple syrup you can find)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme (or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme - chopped)
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper sprayed lightly with cooking spray, set aside.
- Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and use hands to mix until just combined.
- Spread mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking sheet, about 1/2" - 3/4" thick (this can be adjusted if you prefer a thicker patty). Spray the rim of a 3 1/2" biscuit cutter (or large-mouthed drinking glass) and cut out patties.
- If patties are having a hard time staying together, place on wax paper in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before cooking.
- Heat vegetable oil (about 1-2 Tbsp) in a large skillet over MED to MED-HIGH heat. Add patties to pan, making sure they aren't touching (you may have to cook in batches), and cook 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through to a temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Repeat with remaining patties.
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Chef Tips
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place patties, not touching, on the sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip patties over, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until golden brown and cooked to 165 degrees F. --- this method isn't exact, as the times will change depending on the thickness of your sausage and your oven type. But it's a great way to cook all the sausage at once, with no oil spatter!
- Line baking sheet with wax paper and place cut out patties on sheet, not touching, and in a single layer. Flash freeze them by placing them in the freezer for about an hour, or until frozen to the touch. Remove patties from baking sheet. Wrap frozen patties with wax paper and place into a large re-sealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. TO THAW - remove amount of patties that you want, and place in the refrigerator overnight to defrost. Cook as directed in recipe.
- Cook as directed in recipe, then allow to cool completely. Place cooked patties on a wax paper lined baking sheet, in a single layer, not touching. Flash freeze them by placing them in the freezer for about an hour, or until frozen to the touch. Remove patties from baking sheet and place in a re-sealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. TO THAW/COOK - Place amount of patties you want in the refrigerator overnight to defrost, then microwave in 30 second intervals until heated through.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Schaf5 says
This was really good. Didn’t have cloves of garlic, so used some garlic powder and a little onion powder. I’ve been trying lots of sausage recipes, but this is the best.
Big joe says
Simple and delicious great recipe .
Debbie says
I don’t eat pork, could this recipe work with beef, instead of the pork, and turkey?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work, or how well the beef would work with the sweet maple flavor. Chicken would likely be a better alternative, if I had to guess. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Rachel says
This is a wonderful recipe! I use the sausage, ground up, in a breakfast bake vs the patty. So easy to make and the flavors marry so well together!!
Elle says
Made these ahead for Christmas brunch. Love the flavours! I didn’t add garlic, but I think it still tastes great. Love the hint of maple. Will definitely make again instead of buying from the store. Healthier for sure 🙂
Johnnie says
Changed meat to ground chicken thighs. Amazing.
Will says
I made this recipe last night and did a test fry of the mixture before cooking the entire amount. I found it needed a bit of spice and acidity to round out the sweetness from the maple. I added a good amount of frank’s hot sauce to the mixture as well as some celery salt. The patties tasted good when fresh out of the pan. I froze some cooked ones and heated them the next morning and they had a strong game-y smell and taste to them (I’m thinking it is the turkey). If I make these in the future I will only do fresh or perhaps I might try following the freezing raw method next time. It is worth mentioning that adding frank’s didn’t make the sausages spicy at all, it just brought out the other flavors more.
Nonie says
Patties were very flavorful but dry. I used ground pork with a little ground turkey. Both low fat. Is this why they were dry. What can I do to make them less dry. Add a little oil or buy full fat pork
The Chunky Chef says
It sounds like there just wasn’t enough fat. Using super lean cuts of any meat will result in a drier sausage, burger, etc. My recommendation would be to use higher fat meats.
Diane says
These are wonderful. I use a pork/chicken combo. I add a bit of olive oil to my mixture. This keeps them from being dry. Next time I’ll buy pork with a bit more fat and grind it with the meat.
Sonia says
Can I use dried sage instead of fresh?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, but you’ll want to use about 1/3 of the amount, since dried herbs are more potent than fresh.
Eena B says
I made this recipe substituting extra turkey for the pork. best sausage I’ve ever made! So yummy! The sweetness from the syrup made almost a glaze on the outside of the patties. I actually ate a few cold because I couldn’t wait to eat it and it was pretty great cold too. Can’t wait to make more.
Joy says
Can you use ground beef instead of turkey and pork? We do not eat either.
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t know how this would taste with beef… I think chicken might go with the maple flavor a bit better, if you eat chicken.
Barbara Karr says
I am not a fan of turkey anything. Would ground beef work as a substitute?
The Chunky Chef says
You really don’t taste the turkey in this at all, but if you don’t want to use it, I would just substitute with another 1 lb. of ground pork.
James says
When I make sausage patties I role the meat into a loaf and wrap in tin foil then bake it. Then use a meat slicer to make the patties then freeze them
Works better for me instead of making all those patties.
I have not tried your recipe yet but will be soon with my homemade maple syrup
I have made English banger patties but not everyone likes them.
Goat Diva says
I’ve been wanting to make breakfast sausage for a long time now, especially since we raise our own animals. I decided to try it with pork and goat. It turned out soooooo good!! Thank you so much for this easy and tasty recipe!
COCO SHORTBREAD says
This was a life saver when I was on a food sensitivity diet with no onion or black pepper or paprika. This recipe had enuf other stuff in it to make up for not adding those items. Besides using for breakfast sausage, I would scramble some up at nite and serve over rice for dinner. I have made several batches of this using various ground meats. All were good. It’s a keeper recipe. Next I am going to try your enchilada sauce recipe. Thanks again
Michele says
How many does this make? It looks very good but I need to make sure the salt content is low.
The Chunky Chef says
Approximately 16 patties, but it depends on the size cutter used.
Elizabeth says
Great and easy recipe! I’ve been wanting sausage but it can be hard to find what I want in the store without it being expensive. My husband and I made these together and love them! I might even do a little les syrup next time, but that’s just me :). Just a little sweeter than I like my sausage but oh so good! Thank you for sharing this recipe!! I can’t wait to try this in some type of breakfast sandwich!
Lynn says
WOW!!! These are absolutely delicious! My husband & I both loved them. Thank you for sharing!
Graziella says
Today is the second time i made them. First patch turned out good but i found that this time they came out better? its funny.
I used a hamburger press and just made them sort of like a 5 oz burger size. I think having fresh herbs makes a difference in flavor. It also might be the fact that I forgot to add garlic. lol
Thanks for the recipe.
gbalkam says
I’m sorry, but that is a rather girly sausage patty. Going to a tea party are we? I’m guessing you are a single gal, no married woman would make a sausage patty like that with a man to feed. lol. Ok, just teasing a bit. But since I’m a man you can see what I am getting at…. FEED MEEEEEEE.. lol
Now, rather than using the cookie cutter… use a 1/8th cup measure (1oz) or 1/4 cup measure (2oz) to measure out your patty meat. Oh yeah.. thats what Im talkin about…
cut squares of wax paper 1/2 the roll length wide and equally as long. Put scoop of meat in the center of 1 square, cover with 2nd sheet.. and squish it flat with a pot, frying pan, rolling pin etc to make it a bit larger than an english muffin. Set aside and repeat until meat is gone. Stack, put in a cracker box, tray, etc and freeze. Now you can take out 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 depending on how many you need each morning. You can fry right from frozen on low-medium heat turning once. You want the patties a bit larger than your english muffin to allow shrinkage thereby avoiding your man looking puzzled and saying “Where’s the meat?” Yeah, men are simple creatures. You get them with your looks but keep them with your cooks. I’m 54 and I figure “Hi, can you cook?” is a perfectly valid pick up line. lol. Any reply other than yes, is the wrong answer.
The Chunky Chef says
You can obviously cut them to any size you want… that’s the beauty of a recipe, it’s a guideline that you can adjust per your tastes. And no, I’m married with 2 children. We like these sausage patties just the way they are, “girly” or not. Everyone has different tastes, in food, and humor.
Stephanie says
He’s 54 and single. . . I can’t imagine why.
Stella says
What a goober