This breakfast sausage recipe will be your new favorite addition to your morning routine. These pork sausages are incredibly juicy, full of flavor, and a true meal prep savior.
Why You’ll Love This Breakfast Sausage
Growing up, my mom always served us kiddos Farmer John sausages (which I loved). But as an adult, I wanted a version that skipped the additives and preservatives while still being just as juicy and delicious. So I created this all-natural “feel good” version, which is a pretty spot-on dupe! Today, these sausage patties have become my weekend breakfast go-to, whether I’m enjoying them with scrambled eggs, an omelette, or crumbling them into my veggie and protein-loaded breakfast casserole. The options are endless! Here’s why you’ll love them too:
- Simple ingredients. All you need is ground pork, a few dried herbs, and a splash of maple syrup!
- A protein-packed breakfast. These pork sausages help me start the day with more energy and keep me full longer.
- Perfect for meal prep. I always double the batch to stock my freezer for quick and easy breakfasts.
Breakfast Sausage Ingredients
- Ground pork: This gives you the classic breakfast sausage flavor. You could also swap in ground chicken, for a different spin on my chicken breakfast sausage recipe.
- Maple syrup: Adds a touch of sweetness while keeping the patties moist.
- Dried seasoning blend: After many attempts to replicate that Farmer John flavor, I settled on a blend of sage, marjoram, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Breakfast Sausages
Step one: In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the ground pork, maple syrup, salt, dried sage, dried marjoram, black pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes until fully combined.
Step two: Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form 12 evenly sized balls.
Step three: Heat a bit of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add six of the sausage balls and gently press them flat with your fingers (wetting your fingers helps prevent sticking). Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with the second batch, adding more oil if needed.
Ways To Enjoy
- Classic breakfast plate: Pair the patties with scrambled or fried eggs, breakfast potatoes, crispy bacon, and sliced avocado for a hearty, satisfying start to the day.
- Add to a casserole or omelette: Crumble the sausage and mix it into a breakfast casserole with veggies and eggs, or use it as a flavorful filling for an omelette.
- Stuff into breakfast burritos or tacos: Wrap the sausage in a tortilla with scrambled eggs, sautéed bell peppers, and a sprinkle of cheese for a tasty breakfast on the go.
- Toss into a veggie hash: I love adding this into my sweet potato breakfast hash for a protein boost.
Storage Tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. If you make a second batch (which I highly recommend), place the cooked patties in a freezer-safe container, separating layers with parchment paper, and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat directly from frozen. Just allow a bit more time.
More Breakfast Ideas
- Breakfast Egg Muffins: Great for on-the-go!
- Overnight Oats: A huge community favorite with 6 flavors.
- Berry Baked Oatmeal: A fun way to enjoy warm oats for breakfast.
- Breakfast Tacos: One of my personal favorites.
- Or give these other breakfast recipes a try!
If you make this classic breakfast sausage recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Zwilling Non-Stick Pan My go-to set of non-stick pans!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Mix together. In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the ground pork, maple syrup, salt, dried sage, dried marjoram, black pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes, until well combined.
- Form balls. Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form 12 balls.
- Cook. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add six balls to the pan and use your fingers to press them flat (wet your fingers to prevent them from sticking). Cook the patties for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Repeat with a second batch, and add a splash more oil if needed.
- Serve. Transfer the breakfast sausages to a serving plate and enjoy!
Lisa’s Tips
- Store for the week: They will last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. Just store them in an airtight container.
- Freeze for later: I almost always make a second batch to keep stored in my freezer. Store them in freezer-safe containers (with parchment paper in between the layers) and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let them thaw in the fridge overnight to make the reheating process easier. But you could also reheat straight from the freezer—they’ll just take a bit longer.
- You could use oregano instead of marjoram, but marjoram is a bit milder and sweeter.
Nutrition
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Behind The Scenes
My life is infinitely happier when I have these breakfast sausages meal prepped in my freezer! They’re SO easy to reheat and toss on a plate with a variety of ingredients. Sure, eggs are a classic pairing, but even if I just have leftover roasted or sauteed veggies, these sausages add a great protein boost to an otherwise veggie-heavy plate. And you know that’s how I truly love to eat!
This looks great but Do you have a recipe for chicken sausage ? Thanks
Hi Mercedes – Yes, I do! Just search chicken sausage on my website.
These look great. Besides pork, what other ground meat would work well?
Hi Kameya – I also have a recipe for chicken breakfast sausage on my website!
Wow great recipe everything was spot on!!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Eric!
This is our favorite breakfast sausage recipe! The flavors are spot on and the ease of whipping them up and storing them in the fridge or freezer makes breakfast—or any meal—so much better. We love them in sliders or biscuits with an egg and cheese!
Loving all the ways you’re enjoying this breakfast sausage, Sharon!
My family loves this recipe! I omitted maple syrup to make them more savory and the family still loved the flavor.
Do you have any Italian Sausage recipes? Everything I find online seems to taste like Italian Beef, which isn’t the flavor I’m going for and the store bought Italian sausage has sugars and additives.
Glad the whole family loves this breakfast sausage! I don’t have a Italian sausage recipe…but I’ll keep that in mind!
Used this recipe for Thanksgiving 2025 as a “base” for 2 lbs of my homemade 99% fat free turkey breast sausage. EDITS MADE: completely omitted the nutmeg. Added 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp caraway seeds to the ingredients listed. Subbed Lawry’s 25% Lower Sodium Seasoned Salt for the Kosher Salt. In the end, ended up using quadruple the amounts of all seasonings, minus the salt, which stayed at 2.5 tsp.
I made the “first round” with the amounts listed per pound (x2) and could not smell the seasoning after it was mixed. First test patty had hardly any taste. Went back and added another double round of each seasoning and syrup and it turned out perfect. This was a great base recipe to doctor to what I needed. Has to stand up to being in stuffing, so I need a stronger flavor profile so it doesn’t get lost. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your tweaks, Michelle! I’m happy you enjoyed these breakfast sausages.
Making these breakfast sausages has been terrific. My family is very health conscious and “clean” breakfast patties were a hard find. I finally decided to make my own and with the guidance of your recipe I achieved success. I now make a batch every Sunday morning for the week and store them in the freezer. One thing to point out is that the parchment paper really helps them from not sticking and makes it easy to take out what you need. We heat them on a skillet next to the eggs in the morning and that’s it!
Thrilled to hear you and your family has been loving these breakfast sausages, Sandy! It really is the best breakfast protein to have prepped in your freezer.
How can I make these as savory sausage ?
Hi Monica – you can omit the maple syrup and add some diced or caramelized onion (I have a separate recipe for that) to make them savory. Enjoy!
These were very easy to put together and cook! I will use less Hot Pepper Flakes next time… too hot for me!
You can definitely tweak that seasoning to your liking, but I’m happy you loved them otherwise!
I made these with organic ground chicken. Wonderful flavor! So much better than any frozen sausage you could buy. Thank you for the recipe!
So happy you loved them, Margaret!
This recipe is delicious! What’s the best method for reheating?
Hi Mary – I most often reheat them in my microwave. Enjoy!
So delicious! And family friendly.
So happy you loved these breakfast sausages, Shannon!
Just made them , but didn’t fry them yet. Plan to cook from frozen.
Thank you for the great recipe.
Judy
These are great. I like to add some freshly grated ginger in addition to the ingredients in the recipe.
Ooh, always love a little ginger added to recipes. Great idea!
I didn’t make this yet, but plan to try them soon. When you make and freeze them, do you freeze raw patties or cook them first? Thanks for your recipes! I love them!
Hi Ron – I freeze them after I cook them, so they’re really easy to reheat. Enjoy!
Bought sage and marjoram just for this recipe…Thank you for all you do and for your time/effort.. SO DELICICOUS in your breakfast casserole recipe..
Woohoo! I’m so glad you loved this breakfast sausage, Kelly!
this is a winner. I just made it. sooo delicious
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed these homemade breakfast sausages, Yvonne!
Just made these with ground pork & no maple syrup and they are awesome! My husband actually approved!
Wonderful! Glad you both are loving this recipe, Linda.
Love this recipe! Can they be cooked in the oven? If so, what temperature, time?
So easy and full of flavor. Also saves money making your own versus buying store bought.
Absolutely! Glad you’re loving this homemade version, Amanda.
This breakfast sausage recipe is so delicious. It was easy to make and is much better than store bought since it isn’t loaded with unnecessary ingredients. I recommend making a double batch, I thought we would have leftovers, but everyone went back for seconds. I am grateful for your healthy recipes, thanks for sharing them. We will be making these every weekend. Thank You, Dixie
It’s definitely a good idea to make a double batch of these sausages. Enjoy, Dixie!
I can’t stop making these! They’re just the right amount of spices and sweetness.
👍🏼👍🏼 Lisa!
I’m so glad you’re loving the flavors in this breakfast sausage recipe, Terri!
Have you tried to make these sausages with ground turkey or chicken for family members who don’t eat pork?
Hi Irma – yes, you can use ground turkey or pork as well. I also have a separate recipe for chicken breakfast sausages on my website. Enjoy!
I tried making this recipe a few times and it’s an absolute fool proof. It is very scrumptious to say the least! Store bought ones cannot even compare! I can taste I am eating clean and high quality food. Great recipe!
Thrilled to hear you’re loving these breakfast sausages, Kat! It definitely doesn’t compare to store-bought versions.
Delicious! My family gobbled this up and I love that I can add this to my meal prep.
Glad everyone loved these sausages, Erika!
These breakfast sausage are best! High protein and healthy like so many of your awesome recipes! ❤️❤️❤️
I’m so glad you’re loving these breakfast sausages, Jill!
The family and I absolutely love this recipe. It’s easy and delicious, so I always have to do a double batch. The tarragon patties is Lisa’s book is also fantastic. As my grandson would say… so tasty! Lol
Happy to hear the whole family loves these sausages, Cathy!
I can’t figure out how to post a picture.
Hi Marianne – At the moment, we don’t have a feature where you can upload a photo. But I’d love for you to share it with my Facebook community group if you’re a part of that!
Flavorific! I see no reason to buy store-bought breakfast sausage. Love this recipe.
Thrilled to hear you loved this homemade version, Marianne! Now you can freeze extra and save for later for a quick and easy breakfast.
May i know what sweetener can i substitute for maple syrup? (Aside from honey) since i want this to be healthier or if possible can i add erythritol blend powder not a syrup? If so how much? Thank you
I made these by omitting the sugar and just added a dash of stevia to the mixed meat before cooking. Came out perfect. I’m sure you could use whatever your preferred sweetener you like.
Glad you loved this breakfast sausage recipe, Brielle!
Hi, I use allulose (there’s powdered and liquid). It’s healthy and delicious.
Oh, my! These are absolutely delicious. Just made them for the first time. I made them exactly per the recipe, except I added a half teaspoon of fennel seeds for my super picky husband. He asked where on earth I found them and when I said I made them, he said, “Don’t lose that recipe!” So I know I’ll be making these on the regular. Thank you!
Amazing! Happy to hear both of you loved these breakfast sausages, Kathryn. Be sure to bookmark this recipe!
Hello I like the recipe but can you substitute pork for ground turkey. I did not make the recipe because I don’t want to use pork.
Hi Mary – yes, you can swap in another ground meat. Enjoy!
I can’t wait to make these! Is the nutrition information per patty or per serving? Thank you!
Hi Cass – the nutrition is per serving, which is two sausages. Enjoy!
I really like how you present the preparation of the recipes. Congratulations!
Thanks for the positive feedback, Elena!
can you freeze the raw patties? for how long?
Hi Amy – yes, you can. Though I prefer to freeze the patties cooked, so that they’re easily reheatable. Either way, they’ll store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Easy and delicious!
Glad you enjoyed this breakfast sausage recipe, Debra!
Do you think ground turkey would work to ?
Hi Julia – yes, no problem!
Why do you need maple syrup?
Hi Ruth – the maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness. You can always leave it off if you prefer.
Love these! So easy to make and very tasty.
Thrilled to hear you’re loving this breakfast sausage, Linda!