Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Cooking breakfast sausages can be quick and easy! This handy guide for how to cook breakfast sausages will be your go-to when you’re making a hearty breakfast. Includes stovetop, oven, and air fryer instructions.  

How long it takes: 6 to 16 minutes, depending on which method you choose
Equipment you’ll need: skillet, air fryer, or baking sheet
Servings: 4

A plate with scrambled eggs, sausage links, and a sliced bagel topped with red jam.
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Perfectly Cooked Breakfast Sausages

A popular breakfast choice. A stack of warm buttermilk pancakes dripping with maple syrup simply cries out for a side of sausages, wouldn’t you agree? They go together perfectly, both savory and sweet. My kids love to roll the sausages in the pancakes to make a homemade pig-in-the-blanket. Sausage links go well with French toast or eggs, too, or pretty much any breakfast you like.

Three easy methods. A skillet is probably the most traditional way to cook sausage links, and if you have a griddle going for pancakes or eggs, it’s easy to tend to a pan of sausages, too. If you have a breakfast casserole in the oven, it may be more convenient to slip in a pan of sausages to cook at the same time. The oven method is also handy if you’re making a large batch of sausages. An air fryer is the fastest method, with very little cleanup (and you don’t have to flip the sausages!).

Easy to make. Cooking breakfast sausage links is simple and the links don’t take long to get done. Any of these three cooking methods will give you flavorful, juicy sausages that are nicely browned and tender. We’ve tested the three methods extensively and you can trust that your breakfast links will turn out perfectly cooked every time.

A plate with cooked breakfast sausages and scrambled eggs, with a fork holding a cut piece of sausage.

Ingredient Notes

  • Breakfast sausage links: This recipe is for raw sausage links, not the pre-cooked or smoked links. Breakfast sausage links are small, commonly about a half-inch in diameter and four to five inches long, and they are usually made with ground pork or turkey. A serving is usually 2 to 3 links.
A yellow tray with raw sausage links arranged in two neat rows on a light-colored surface.

Skillet/Stovetop.You’ll need a skillet that is large enough to arrange the sausages in a single layer. If you have a nonstick skillet, you shouldn’t need extra oil, but you may need to add a tablespoon of oil to a stainless steel pan so the sausages don’t stick.

Heat the skillet over medium-low heat. Even if you’re in a hurry, it’s best not to cook the sausage over a higher flame because they’ll get too brown on the outside before they are fully cooked on the inside. Add the sausage links to the pan, and let them cook until they are browned on the bottom side, turn them over, and continue cooking until all sides are fairly evenly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. The internal temperature measured with an instant read thermometer should be 165ºF. The breakfast sausage links should be firm and not red in the center.

Oven. Preheat oven to 350ºF. It’s important that the oven is fully heated before you put the sausages in to bake, or they may burn on the bottoms (and take longer to cook). Line a rimmed baking pan with foil for easy clean-up (optional). Arrange the breakfast sausage links in a single layer, sides not touching.

When the oven is preheated, bake the sausage links for 12 to 16 minutes or until browned and cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF). If you want, you can take the pan out of the oven at the halfway mark and flip the sausages, but I usually don’t.

Air Fryer. Arrange the sausage links in the basket of your air fryer. They should be in a single layer with the sides not touching, as much as is possible. Cook the breakfast links for 7 to 10 minutes or until browned and cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF). There’s no need to flip or turn the sausages because the hot air circulates and the sausages cook evenly.

Cooking Larger Sausages

It’s easy to cook larger sausages, like bratwurst or Italian sausage links, too. Try my air fryer brats and air fry Italian sausage recipes.

If you prefer baking the sausages, try baked Italian sausage (this method works for bratwurst, too). Make an easy sheet pan dinner in the oven like this sausage sheet pan dinner with potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. Another popular choice is a sheet pan Italian sausage, polenta, and broccoli.

What to Serve With Breakfast Sausages

Now that you’ve learned how to cook breakfast sausage links, you’ll find that they are convenient and can be served at any meal. I like them because they cook more quickly than larger sausages.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate/Freeze: Refrigerate leftover cooked breakfast sausages promptly in a covered container for two to three days. They can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to a month.

Reheat: You can easily reheat breakfast sausages using any of the three cooking methods, or in a microwave. If they are still frozen, allow extra reheating time.

More Breakfast Recipes

Recipe
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Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 4
This handy guide for how to cook breakfast sausages quickly and easily will be your go-to when you’re making a hearty breakfast. Includes stovetop, oven, and air fryer instructions. 
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Ingredients 

  • 1 pound uncooked breakfast sausage links (see note)

Instructions 

  • Stove: Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add sausage links and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF), 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Oven: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Add sausage to a rimmed baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean-up). Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until browned and cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF). If you want, you can turn the sausages at the halfway point for more even browning, but I usually don't.
  • Air Fryer: Add sausage to air fryer in a single layer. Cook at 380ºF for 7 to 10 minutes or until browned and cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF). Cooking time may vary depending on what type of air fryer you have. The sausages will brown evenly and don't need to be flipped.

Notes

  • Sausage: This recipe is for raw, uncooked sausage links, either pork or turkey, about ½ inch in diameter, 4 to 5 inches long. It is not for pre-cooked or fully-cooked sausage links. To prepare those, follow the directions on the package.
  • Cooking frozen sausages: Raw sausage links that are frozen don’t have to be thawed before cooking. The best method for cooking frozen links is baking them in the oven; increase baking time (20 to 25 minutes). If they are stuck together, bake them 10 minutes, remove from the oven and separate the sausages, then continue to bake until done. For best results, I recommend thawing frozen sausage links overnight in the fridge.
  • Storage: Refrigerate or freeze leftover cooked breakfast sausages promptly. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month. Reheat breakfast sausages using any of the three cooking methods, or in a microwave. If they are still frozen, allow extra reheating time.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz., Calories: 345kcal, Protein: 17g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 721mg, Potassium: 281mg, Vitamin A: 85IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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2 Comments

  1. Patrick says:

    At what temperature for the air fryer?

    1. Rachel Gurk says:

      So sorry for that omission! Cook them at 380ºF. I updated the recipe to reflect that – thanks for pointing it out.