Whether you’re building a weekend spread or need a fast hit of protein on a weekday morning, a really good breakfast sausage can elevate the experience. Unfortunately, we don’t always have time to make our own sausage patties. That’s why our team of expert tasters put 19 breakfast sausages through a blind taste test to determine their favorites.
Winners at a glance
If you’re short on time—or simply short on patience—a package of premade breakfast sausages can be a lifesaver. You’ll find them as patties and links, frozen or refrigerated, pre-browned or uncooked. Dig them out of your freezer or grab a pack from your refrigerator, fry them in your favorite skillet, and you’ll have a savory addition to your morning routine in minutes.
Methodology
How we picked the products
We tested 19 breakfast sausages, focusing on brands available nationally in grocery stores and online. We identified a few main categories (raw vs. precooked; patties vs. links) and sought a range of products within each subcategory. That is: raw patties, raw links, precooked patties, and precooked links. For this test, we narrowed the search to classic breakfast sausage only. That meant they had to be made from ground pork and flavored with black pepper and sage. We did not include reduced-fat, low-sodium, or flavored options (such as maple or extra-spicy).
We prepared each breakfast sausage in a hot skillet with oil, following the directions on its packaging, until browned. Tasters sampled the sausages in four rounds, grouping like with like—precooked links with precooked links, raw patties with raw patties, and so on. To keep the focus on flavor and texture, all brands were concealed during tasting.
How we evaluated each breakfast sausage
Regardless of the format, our criteria were consistent. Each breakfast sausage should have a bold, well-balanced flavor and a richness that would stand up to eggs and toast. The best sausages were juicy and tender with a satisfying bite, not dry, crumbly, or greasy. We favored sausages with a cohesive, meaty texture over those that were grainy or mealy, looking for options that stayed succulent from first bite to last.
Best fresh sausage links: Aldi
Aldi’s store-brand links delivered the springy bite and deeply savory sage flavor we wanted in a classic breakfast sausage.
Why it stood out: The links from this budget-focused chain had a noticeably coarse grind, with distinct pieces of meat rather than the soft, pasty texture of some competitors. But flavor is what pushed them to the top.
“These have the sage-y quality I want,” called out senior cooking and SEO editor Joe Sevier, while senior Test Kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk praised their “true pork flavor.” Tasters appreciated the well-balanced mix of salt, herbs, and deep umami that left a lingering savoriness after each bite.
