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This Apple Sage Breakfast Sausage Recipe is the perfect addition to any brunch spread. These sausage patties are sweet, salty, savory, and delicious. Just 6 ingredients and 10 minutes needed!
Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe
Learning how to make your favorite store-bought foods homemade is one of the best feelings. And this homemade Apple Sage Breakfast Sausage is one of my favorites…and probably the best breakfast sausage ever.
This recipe is one I’m sharing from Diane SanFilippo’s New York Times Bestselling book, Practical Paleo, that has sold over half a million copies! This book is jam-packed with guides, resources, recipes, and more—including, of course, this mouthwatering breakfast sausage recipe.
These sausage patties are loaded with flavor and perfect for breakfast (I love to pair them with eggs and avocado). They freeze really well too, so make extra and have them on-hand for easy breakfasts all week long.
What Makes Breakfast Sausage Different From Regular Sausage?
The key difference is in the seasonings used!
Breakfast sausage is usually spiced up with sweeter flavorings such as sage, brown sugar or maple, cinnamon, you name it. “Regular” sausage, on the other hand, is usually spiced with more savory seasonings such as garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning, pepper, etc.
Ingredients Needed
- Ground Pork: Pork is the classic meat for breakfast sausage, but you can also use ground chicken or turkey.
- Apple: Any variety of apple will work! It should be shredded with as much moisture squeezed out as possible.
- Onion: Minced onion adds a little extra sweetness to the sausage.
- Breakfast Sausage Seasoning: This breakfast sausage seasoning is a sweet and savory blend of granulated onion, granulated garlic, dried parsley, ground cinnamon, dried ground sage, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Sage Leaves: Fresh, minced sage leaves add an herby sweetness to the mix.
- Ghee or Butter: For cooking!
How to Make Breakfast Sausage
These breakfast sausage patties are so easy to make from scratch! In just 10 minutes, you can have fresh breakfast sausage ready-to-go!
- Make your sausage patties: In a mixing bowl, combine pork, apple, onions, spices, and sage. Use your hands to mix until well incorporated, then form into 8 even patties.
- Fry: Melt ghee or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the patties and cook until heated through and browned.
Optional: If you want to make things a little bit fancier, fry some sage leaves in the pork fat left in the pan until crispy. Use these to garnish your sausage patties!
What Does Apple Sage Sausage Taste Like?
Apple and sage sausages are a harmonious blend of so many different flavors!
These breakfast sausage patties are a little bit sweet from the apple, sage, and onion, savory from the butter and breakfast sausage spice blend, and salty from the pork.
Why Is My Homemade Breakfast Sausage Dry?
As written, this breakfast sausage recipe yields sausage patties with plenty of moisture.
If they are coming out dry, there could be a couple of reasons:
- You’re over-mixing. Over-worked meat can take on a tough, dry, almost rubbery texture. I recommend mixing with your hands and only until just combined.
- The heat is too high. High heat will zap the moisture out of the sausages. For the best results, cook them over medium heat.
- They’re over-cooked. Cooking anything too long inevitably dries it out. For the best results, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. It should be 145ºF!
Tips and Notes
- Use butter or ghee, not oil. The butter flavor of butter or ghee pairs better with the flavor of the sausage.
- Preheat the skillet. You want it to be nice and hot before you add the sausage patties in so the edges get that delicious crisp.
- Make extra! These homemade breakfast sausage patties freeze beautifully, so I recommend making a big batch so you have them on hand!
- Spice them up. Like a little bit of heat? Try adding some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the mix.
Do Sausage Patties Freeze Well?
Yes! To freeze your sausage patties, line them on a baking sheet and flash freeze until hardened.
Once the patties are solid, transfer them to a ziplock bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months!
Serving Suggestions
This homemade breakfast sausage can be enjoyed plain or topped with a drizzle of maple syrup!
It’s also the perfect addition to breakfast or brunch! Here are just a few ways I love to serve these patties:
- With scrambled eggs and toast.
- Crumbled in savory breakfast oatmeal.
- On a breakfast sandwich or Freezer Breakfast Burritos!
- In a frittata or omelet.
How to Store
To store leftover breakfast sausage patties in the fridge, let them cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and store for up to 3 days.
To freeze your sausage patties, line them on a baking sheet and flash freeze until hardened. Once the patties are solid, transfer them to a ziplock bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, microwave or warm on the stove until heated through. You can thaw them first or cook them from frozen.
Making Ahead of Time
Another great way to prepare these sausages in advance is to freeze them before you cook them. To do this, form the patties as directed, then flash freeze on a baking sheet until solid. From there, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to serve, thaw in the fridge, then cook as directed.
More Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
Apple Sage Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 medium apple shredded, with the juice squeezed out (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup minced onion
Breakfast Sausage Blend*
- 2 tablespoons granulated onion
- 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoob ground black pepper
Other:
- 1 to 2 fresh sage leaves minced, plus additional whole leaves for garnish (optional)
- 2 teaspoons ghee or butter for the pan
Instructions
- In a bowl or a jar, mix the spice blend.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the pork, apple, onions, spice blend, and chopped sage and mix with your hands until everything is evenly incorporated. Form the mixture into 8 evenly sized patties.
- Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, place the patties in the pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through and browned.
- If desired, fry some sage leaves (about 1 per patty) in the pork fat left in the pan until crispy to garnish the sausage patties.
Notes
- Shared with permission from Diane Sanfilippo.
- Use butter or ghee, not oil. The butter flavor of butter or ghee pairs better with the flavor of the sausage.
- Preheat the skillet. You want it to be nice and hot before you add the sausage patties in so the edges get that delicious crisp.
- Make extra! These homemade breakfast sausage patties freeze beautifully, so I recommend making a big batch so you have them on hand!
- Spice them up. Like a little bit of heat? Try adding some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the mix.
This was a delicious breakfast sausage. The spices and flavors are spot on. This will be on my list for sure. Thanks 😊
Looks very tasty and is easy to make, as only a few ingredients are needed. This could be a good go-to breakfast option. Thanks for the idea.
That looks delicious! And, I have the exact same Le Creuset skillet in Flame (it’s my favorite of the Le Creuset colors)!