How to Cook Breakfast Sausage

Last Updated: February 7, 2023 Approved

There’s nothing quite like waking up on a lazy Sunday morning and frying up some herb-filled breakfast sausages with a cup of coffee in hand. Once you get a whiff of them sizzling in the pan, it’s impossible to resist eating a few more than you’d planned. Breakfast sausages are simple to cook no matter what type you have — links, patties, or rolls — and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Get ready to enjoy some sweet, smokey sausage goodness.

Ingredients

Makes 4 to 6 servings

12 breakfast sausage links OR 6 breakfast sausage patties OR 16-oz (450-g) breakfast sausage roll, sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) water (boiled method only)

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Pan-Fried

1
Heat a nonstick skillet. Place a medium nonstick skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. Let it warm up for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Note that you should not add any extra oil or fat to the pan. The fat inside the sausage should render as it cooks, providing all the grease needed for the frying process.
- If you can check the temperature of the skillet, note that the temperature should reach 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) before you continue.
2
Add the sausage. Arrange the sausage links or patties in the hot skillet. Keep the sausage in a single layer.
- You can cook both links and patties using this method. The cooking times vary slightly, but otherwise, the process remains the same.
- You can also cook breakfast roll sausage using this method if you slice the sausage roll into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) patties beforehand. Treat these patties as you would treat pre-formed breakfast patties.
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3
Pan-fry until cooked through. Cook sausage links for 12 to 16 minutes;^{[1]
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Research source} cook sausage patties for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Regardless of which form you choose, you'll need to turn the sausage frequently as it cooks to promote even browning on all sides.
- Add an additional 2 minutes if you use frozen breakfast sausage instead of thawed sausage.
- The sausages should be browned all the way through, and the internal temperature should read a minimum of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius).
4
Drain and serve. Remove the sausage from the hot skillet and transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain off the excess grease for 1 or 2 minutes, then serve the sausage while it's still hot.
- Store leftover sausages in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 30 days.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Boiled and Fried

1
Combine the sausage and water. Place the sausage links in a deep, medium skillet. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water into the skillet, as well.
- The water level should not be high enough to completely cover the sausages.
- While you can technically cook any type of breakfast sausage using this method, it's best to use it for skinless or "fresh" links. This method may not be as effective for links with skin or sausage patties.
2
Cook off the water. Place the skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Simmer the sausage for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water evaporates.
- Continue cooking as long as it takes for the water to naturally evaporate. Do not drain off any of the water. Similarly, do not add more water if it evaporates faster than anticipated.
- Do not cover the pan since doing so may slow or prevent the steam from escaping, slowing the overall cooking process as a result.
3
Fry the sausage for 6 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking the sausages uncovered for another 6 to 7 minutes, or until they're cooked through.
- Use tongs to periodically turn the sausage links as they cook. Doing so should promote even browning on all sides.
- Note that you should not add any extra oil or fat during the frying part of this process. The fat rendered from the sausages should be enough to cook them.
- When ready, the sausages should be brown throughout and the juices should run clear. If you check the internal temperature, the center of the thickest sausage should be a minimum of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius).
4
Drain and serve. Remove the sausages from the skillet and set them onto several layers of paper towel to drain. After 1 or 2 minutes, transfer the sausages to individual serving plates and enjoy.
- Any cooked sausages you don't use immediately should be refrigerated for 1 or 2 days, or frozen for up to 30 days.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Baked

1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, prepare a shallow baking pan or baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.^{[2]
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- The parchment paper prevents the sausages from sticking while also absorbing some of the excess fat that renders off during the cooking process.
- If you cannot use parchment paper, place a metal cooling or baking rack on top of the baking sheet instead. The rack will allow the excess fat to drip off during the cooking process, preventing the sausages from baking in that fat.
2
Arrange the sausages on the pan. Line up the sausages on the baking sheet, arranging them in a single layer and leaving at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between them.
- You can cook breakfast sausage links and breakfast sausage patties using this method. The exact baking times may vary, but the overall process should remain the same for both types.
- Roll breakfast sausage can be cooked using this method, as well. Slice the roll into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) patties and treat those patties as you would treat the pre-formed version.
3
Bake until cooked through. Place the sausages in the preheated oven. Cook sausage patties for 15 to 16 minutes; cook sausage links for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Both links and patties should be turned once halfway through the cooking process to promote even browning on both sides.
- When ready, the sausages should be browned throughout and the juices should run clear. The internal temperature at the center of each portion should be a minimum of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius).
4
Serve warm. Remove the sausages from the oven and transfer them to individual serving plates. Enjoy them while they're still hot.
- If the sausages are still too greasy for your liking after removing them from the oven, you can blot away any excess grease using clean paper towels.
- Any unused sausage can be refrigerated for 1 or 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Broiled

1
Preheat the broiler. Turn the broiler on and allow it to warm up for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Most broilers only have an “ON” and “OFF” setting, but some also have “LOW” and “HIGH” settings. For the latter, preheat the broiler on “LOW.”
2
Place the sausage near the heat. Arrange the sausages in a single layer on a broiler pan. Place the pan in the preheated broiler, 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) away from the top heating element.^{[3]
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- If you do not have a broiler pan, place a metal cooling/cooking rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and use that instead. You need to use something that allows the fat to drain as the sausages cook, so you should avoid using a flat baking sheet on its own.
- Both sausage links and sausage patties can be cooked using this method. For sausage links, place the rack 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.5 cm) away from the heating element. For sausage patties, keep the rack 6 inches (15 cm) away from the same element.
- For roll breakfast sausage, slice the roll into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick portions and treat each portion as though it were a pre-formed patty.
3
Broil for 6 minutes. Broil the sausages for 3 minutes, then turn them over to the other side. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the centers are no longer pink.
- This amount of time should work for both breakfast patties and breakfast links, but links may benefit from more frequent cooking and, in some instances, may cook a little faster than patties.
- The internal temperature of both links and patties should reach at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) before you remove the sausages from the broiler.
4
Serve warm. Remove the sausages from the broiler and transfer them to individual serving plates. Enjoy them while they're still hot.
- If you do not eat the sausages immediately, refrigerate them for 1 or 2 days, or freeze them for as long as 1 month.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Reheated

1
Reheat cooked sausages in the microwave. To reheat pre-cooked sausages, microwave them on full power for 10 to 15 seconds per portion.
- This method can be used for both sausages cooked at home or pre-cooked packaged sausages. It also works with both links and patties.
- Arrange the sausages in a single layer over a microwave-safe plate lined with paper towels. Cover them with an additional paper towel to reduce splatter.
- Microwave thawed sausages for about 10 seconds per link or patty. For frozen sausages, reheat them for 15 seconds per link or patty. Note that exact cooking times may vary depending on the power output of your microwave.
2
Alternatively, reheat cooked sausages on the stove. Warm the sausages through for 8 to 10 minutes using medium heat.
- As with the microwave method, you can use this method for nearly any type of pre-cooked breakfast sausage: links or patties, home-cooked or packaged-cooked, thawed or frozen.
- Place the links or patties in single layer in a cool nonstick pan. Cover the pan and set it on the stove over medium heat.
- Reheat the sausages for 8 minutes if previously thawed or 10 minutes from frozen. You should not need to turn the sausages while they reheat. When ready, the sausages should be warmed throughout.
3
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I boil the sausage and then fry it?

Community Answer

While it's a good idea to boil sausages in casing prior to grilling or frying to reduce the risk of burning the outside, this is not a good idea with breakfast sausage.
Question

Do I need to pierce the skin before cooking?

KateyKate

Community Answer

I've never pierced the skin on breakfast sausage prior to cooking. I don't think it would hurt to pierce it, but it would likely render the sausage drier and possibly more tough than not.
Question

I pan-fried links with eggs, and they came out like rubber. What did I do wrong?

KateyKate

Community Answer

I think the links might have been overcooked, causing the rubbery texture. I brown the links on medium heat until golden, then pour just enough water (watch for splattering!) to cover the bottom of the pan and let the links finish cooking/steaming to avoid overcooking.

wikiHow Video: How to Cook Breakfast Sausage

Warnings

Both sausage patties and sausage links should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius).

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