An Easy Turkey Breakfast Sausage Recipe you can make in under 30 minutes. Crispy on the edges and protein packed – these are delicious!
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Making breakfast sausage from scratch is easier than you’d think! This Homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage can be done in under 30 minutes start to finish.
Unlike other breakfast sausage recipes that are high in fat and loaded with sugar, these healthy turkey breakfast sausage patties are sweetened with just a touch of maple syrup and super high in protein!
They’re perfect for pairing with an egg white frittata and breakfast potatoes for a meal prep friendly breakfast!
Need more brunch ideas? Try one of our Healthy Brunch Recipes!
what makes these a healthier option:
- High protein – Each breakfast sausage has 13g of protein, making these a super high protein option for a quick breakfast!
- Low Fat – Each patty has 3g of fat compared to the traditional 8-10g of fat in other breakfast sausages
- Low Sugar – Most breakfast sausage has a lot of sugar added to it. These turkey sausage patties are sweetened with only a little bit of maple syrup to give them that classic flavor without going overboard.
Ingredients for Best Turkey Breakfast Sausage
To make this turkey sausage recipe you’ll need:
- ground turkey – you could use chicken, but we really like turkey in this recipe!
- maple syrup – a little bit of maple syrup in this recipe is used as a flavor enhancer to balance the salt
- red wine vinegar – helps to make the turkey tender
- spices – we use a combo of salt, garlic powder, sage, black pepper, thyme and red pepper
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
A nonstick pan will also be helpful to make these. This is our favorite nonstick pan.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR THIS RECIPE
Ground Turkey – We prefer 85:15 fat to lean ratio for this recipe because leaner ground turkey tends to be a little dry. Lean ground turkey will still work and is a great option if you want the sausage to be even lower in fat. I don’t recommend going lower in fat than 93:7. You can also make this recipe using ground pork. We also love this Chicken Breakfast Sausage Recipe!
Maple Syrup – Sweetener in sausage can bind with some of the proteins and help the sausage get nice and browned! If you want to substitute the maple syrup for another sweetener, I recommend trying coconut sugar or brown sugar because the caramel-ly flavor would go nice in this recipe. If you don’t like a little sweetness in your breakfast sausage or want this recipe to be low carb, you can reduce or omit the maple syrup. I haven’t tried honey so I’m not sure how that would work.
Red Wine Vinegar – The vinegar helps to improve the texture by weakening some of the tough fibers in the meat. You could skip this if you don’t have it on hand, or substitute apple cider vinegar.
Sea Salt – Regular table salt, kosher salt, or any variety of sea salt can be used in this recipe. Salt is a key ingredient in sausage, but sausage can be a little salty. If you are sensitive to salt, feel free to adjust to taste. (You can always sprinkle on more after, but you can’t take it away once it’s been added!)
Herbs & Spices – This specific blend of herbs and spices is an excellent combination for a breakfast sausage. If you have a sausage spice blend that you love, feel free to use it in place of these herbs and spices. Substitute about 3 teaspoons for an unsalted sausage spice blend or 1 tablespoon if the mixture contains salt (and be sure to omit the additional salt).
Olive Oil – You can fry these in avocado oil or melted butter in place of olive oil.
How to Make Turkey Breakfast Sausage
- Use a rubber spatula to combine the ground turkey, maple syrup, vinegar, sea salt, herbs, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Form the mixture into 8 equal sized patties (see our tips for forming patties below).
- Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once hot, place several patties into the pan without crowding, and cook until browned on one side, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove the cooked sausage patties from the pan and set aside. Finish cooking the remaining patties.
Can I bake these sausage patties?
I don’t recommend baking these sausage patties because the browning that occurs in the pan is important for both flavor and appearance in this recipe and will not occur if the sausage patties are baked.
Can I air fry these sausage patties?
Yes! I prefer cooking these in a pan for the reasons listed above but air frying will produce very juicy sausage patties and still result in some browning.
To air fry, work in batches cooking patties at 400 F for about 10-12 minutes (or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 F), flipping halfway through. Cooking times will vary based on air fryer. This is our favorite air fryer.
Helpful Tips for Forming Sausage Patties:
You can form sausage patties in a variety of ways.
Turkey sausage is softer than pork, so it can be helpful to partially freeze the sausage mixture before forming the patties. This, by no means, is necessary but can aid in making uniform patties.Â
To form sausage patties by hand, you can divide the sausage into 8 2-ounce portions, roll each portion into a ball and then flatten the balls between two sheets of parchment paper.Â
Another solution for forming is to use a burger press that is specifically sized for sausage patties or sliders. This is not necessary but allows you to form perfectly uniform patties with ease. (This is the one I used)
What to Serve with Turkey Breakfast Sausage:
This healthy turkey breakfast sausage will pair well with pretty much any breakfast, but we especially love it with:
- Egg White Frittata and Crispy Breakfast Potatoes
- Egg Muffin Cups and Vanilla Latte
- Potato Crust Quiche Recipe and Fruit Salad
- In this sausage egg bake
- Use them in place of bacon in these Breakfast Burritos or this Bacon and Cheese Quiche
Liz’s Tips for the best Turkey Sausage
- Aim for patties of an even thickness so that they cook evenly.
- You may need to reduce the heat just slightly as the pan gets hotter to ensure you do not burn the outside while undercooking the center because of the sugars.
- Watch your salt – You can also reduce the salt slightly if you are sensitive to salt; however, I don’t recommend reducing it to under ½ teaspoon as it is important for the flavor of this recipe.
- Enjoy them fresh – While these turkey sausage patties can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer, I thought they tasted best fresh out of the pan. If you don’t think you will use a full pound of meat, you can half the recipe or make a full recipe and freeze half the patties raw (see instructions below) for convenient, fresh from the pan flavor.Â
How to Store
Storing: Store these healthy turkey sausage patties in an airtight container and consume them within 2-3 days.Â
Freezing: You can freeze these sausage patties raw or after they have been cooked.Â
To freeze the patties raw, form the patties and place them on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Cover them with plastic wrap and place the pan in the freezer. Allow them to freeze for about an hour. Once they are frozen, you can transfer the frozen patties into a gallon-sized freezer bag, separating the patties with squares of parchment paper. You can cook from frozen or thawed. To thaw, lay the patties in a single layer in an airtight container and thaw overnight in the fridge. If cooking from frozen, the patties will require up to an additional 5-6 minutes per side (9-11 minutes per side, or until they have browned on both sides and reached an internal temperature of 165 F).
To freeze cooked patties, allow the fully cooked patties to cool. Place the cooled patties in a gallon-sized freezer bag and separate the patties with squares of parchment paper to allow for easy separation. Reheat from frozen in a microwave for about 3 minutes on high, or until warmed through.Â
Reheating: You can reheat until warm in the microwave, air fryer or by warming both sides in a skillet on the stove top. You can also reheat in a toaster oven (we prefer the toaster oven or a pan over the microwave).
Store Bought Turkey Sausage We Like:
There are a few store bought turkey breakfast sausage options out there that are good if you’re short on time. We like:
- Jones Dairy Farm is our favorite brand for premade breakfast sausage They have turkey breakfast sausage patties and links
- Applegate Brand also makes Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties and Turkey Breakfast Sausage Links
- Jennie-O makes a turkey sausage mix that you can form into patties
- Butterball makes Turkey Breakfast Sausage Links and Patties
Other healthy breakfast recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Breakfast Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy breakfast cookbook.
Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey 85% lean
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Optional (can also spray a pan)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Combine the ground turkey, maple syrup, vinegar, sea salt, herbs, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix the meat with the seasonings until they are evenly distributed.
- Form the turkey mixture into 8 equal sized patties, about 2 ounces each (roughly 3-inch diameter and ½ inch thick). You can do this with your hands by forming them into balls and then flattening them or use a sausage/slider press to form the patties. Try to ensure all patties are an even thickness to allow for even cooking.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place several sausage patties into the pan without crowding, and cook until browned on one side, about 4-5 minutes.
- Flip the sausage patties and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
- Remove the cooked sausage patties from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan and repeat for the remaining sausage patties. Reduce the heat slightly as you cook if needed to prevent the sugars from burning.
Joan Gallardo says
So yummy! Love the maple syrup in it gives a sweetness! Will make these weekly!
Cheryl N says
These were outstanding and super easy for meal
Prep! I used 99% lean turkey for macro reasons and they were so good!! Couldn’t believe the vinegar makes for a nice taste too