Skip the store-bought sausage and make your own lighter, leaner maple breakfast sausage patties with ground turkey instead. They’re super savory & a bit sweet thanks to the maple syrup addition. They make a great side to serve along with your other favorite breakfast foods like eggs, pancakes, waffles or even just fresh fruit!
If you love a good breakfast sausage but want something a little lighter, leaner, low carb and more suitable for anti-inflammatory diets, then these maple turkey patties are for you.
They’re super easy to make, deliver a satisfying balance of sweet and savory flavors and they keep easily for meal prep or freezing ahead.
Ingredients → What You Need & What You Can Skip or Adapt
- Turkey: Turkey is naturally a lean meat so I recommend you aim to use mince that has about 7-10% fat content.
- Maple: Use real maple syrup if you want to ensure these sausages are paleo friendly/refined sugar free. If you don’t care about that then pancake syrup (made with corn syrup) is totally fine.
- Herbs: Use dried or fresh herbs.
- Spices/Seasonings: Salt, pepper & garlic powder.
- Oil: Make sure to use a neutral flavored cooking oil suitable for high temps like olive oil (not extra-virgin olive oil), avocado oil, vegetable oil or rapeseed oil
How to Make These Maple Turkey Breakfast Sausages
Gather ingredients: Add the turkey, maple, herbs, spices & seasonings (everything except the oil) in a large mixing bowl.
Combine: Mix everything together until evenly combined. I recommend just using your hands to ensure an even mix.
Divide/portion: Scoop out about 1.5-2 tbsp of the sausage mixture (45-50g). Use a tablespoon or cooking scoop.
Fry: Add sausages to a hot pan and cook, about 5 minutes on one side then flip & cook 3-4 minutes on the other.
Tip!
If you want neat & even looking sausage patties, shape them into little discs (2-2.5 inches/ 5-6cm) before you add them to the hot pan. If you don’t mind them looking a bit misshapen then just plop the sausage meat (gently) directly into the pan and flatten with a fork into disc shapes.
Recipe Variations: Substitutions & Additions
- Protein Swap:
- Feel free to use ground chicken or ground pork instead of turkey. You can also use a combination of half turkey/chicken + half pork.
- How to make it LOW FODMAP:
- Skip the dried garlic powder. You omit the garlic fully or fry the sausage patties in garlic infused olive oil.
- Additional Spices:
- Fennel Seed: Fennel & maple are great together, but not everyone is a fan of the anise/liquorice flavor of fennel.
- Cayenne: Chef John has convinced me that a little bit of cayenne can go in anything as a quick & easy ‘micro seasoning’. It doesn’t really add much heat, but it can add a bit more ‘pop’ to the overall flavor.
- Cinnamon: Adds an extra nudge of warm & sweetness to compliment the maple.
- Red Pepper Flakes/Chili Powder: For a bit of spice/heat.
Serving Suggestions
These maple sausages make a tasty addition as a quick breakfast side to most morning spreads because of how well they pair with both sweet and savory dishes.
Sweeten up savory dishes like eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes, breakfast sandwiches, burritos or breakfast casseroles. Add a savory component to sweet stacks of pancakes, waffles or French toast.
Overall they’re versatile enough to fit into just about any type of breakfast you’re craving.
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try these homemade sausage recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Maple Breakfast Sausage Patties with Turkey Recipe
This maple sausage recipe is made with ground turkey instead of pork which makes for a lighter, leaner sausage that still delivers a delicious balance of sweet & savory flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey (aim for about 7-10% fat)
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tsp dried sage or 1 ½ tsp fresh sage, chopped
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp fennel seed - optional
- ½ tsp cayenne - optional
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon - optional
- 2 tbsp olive oil for frying - use more as needed
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a large bowl: Add the turkey, maple syrup, herbs & spices (everything except the oil). Use your hands to mix together into well combined, sticky mixture.
- Pan Prep: Place a large skillet over a medium-low heat and add the oil. Make sure to add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the patties: Scoop out small portions of the turkey mixture (about 1.5-2 tbsp or about 45-50g) and drop into the heated pan. Use a fork to flatten each patty down into a disc shape. How many you can cook at once will depend on your pan size, but you should be able to fit about 5-8 patties. Make sure to leave space in between each patty for easy flipping. Cook about 5 minutes on each side, then flip over and cook 3-4 minutes on the other side or until cooked through.
- Transfer & Repeat: Transfer the cooked patties to a paper-towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining turkey mixture until done.
- Serve & Store: Serve warm with your favorite breakfast foods. Cool leftovers to room temperature and store in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge up to 1 week. Reheat in the microwave or in a covered pan with a bit of oil until heated through.
Notes
- Protein: Feel free to use ground chicken instead or even ground pork.
- Make it Low FODMAP: Don't add garlic powder. You can leave it out totally or fry the sausage patties in garlic infused olive oil.
- Use a meat-thermometer: Internal temperature should be at least 165°F (74°C).
- Make Ahead (Refrigerate): You can mix the patty mixture in step 1 a day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated until you're ready. Take the mixture out of the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking to let it warm up to room temperature a bit.
- Freeze (Uncooked): Divide and shape the turkey mixture into patties then place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet and freeze 2-3 hours until solid then transfer the frozen patties to a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then cook as usual.
- Freeze Cooked Patties: Store in a freezer-safe bag or container up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or in a covered pan with a bit of oil until heated through.
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