MyTastr

Best breakfast sausage, according to chefs

Three picks, each tied to a named taster and a public source — from Dennis Littley, Cesar Zapata, Ashia Aubourg, Marcia W. Smart and 7 more. Recommendations come from simplyrecipes.com, sporked.com, bonappetit.com and foodrepublic.com and 2 other sources.

Breakfast · The ranking

  1. 1
    Top pick

    Applegate Organics / Naturals Breakfast Sausage (Classic Pork or Chicken & Sage)

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    All five experts Simply Recipes asked named the same brand. Zapata: “Applegate Organics is organic, clean, and made with high quality, pasture-raised meat… perfect fat ratio for juicy, flavorful sausage.” Cameron: “not greasy and overly fatty, yet they have great flavor… Nothing weird. No fillers.” Sporked’s Danny Palumbo picks its Chicken & Maple links as the best chicken breakfast sausage.
    Where to buy · applegate.com ↗Instacart ↗Source: simplyrecipes.com ↗
  2. 2

    Jones Dairy Farm All Natural Pork Sausage

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    The one brand all three tastings singled out. Bon Appétit’s best precooked patty, “the crispiest bite of the bunch”; Taste of Home’s Test Kitchen gave its all-natural little links the best snap, “crispy on the outside and tender inside” with testers asking for seconds; and Sporked: “People are sleeping on Jones… the best breakfast sausage brand out there if you demand a crispy casing.” A Wisconsin family farm business since 1889, with short ingredient lists.
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: bonappetit.com ↗
  3. 3

    Niman Ranch Uncured Pork Breakfast Sausage (Classic or Smoked Bacon)

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    Sporked’s best dainty link: “peppery and zippy and shot through with sage.” Its Smoked Bacon links won Best Breakfast Sausage in PEOPLE’s 2021 Food Awards. Certified Humane pork from independent family farms, uncured, in natural casings; sold at Whole Foods and specialty grocers.
    Where to buy · nimanranch.com ↗Instacart ↗Source: sporked.com ↗

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Questions, answered

What is the best breakfast sausage, according to chefs?
MyTastr’s top pick is Applegate Organics / Naturals Breakfast Sausage (Classic Pork or Chicken & Sage), chosen by Cesar Zapata (Phuc Yea, Miami); Sally Cameron (A Food Centric Life); Marcia W. Smart (Smart in the Kitchen); Dennis Littley (Ask Chef Dennis); Ashia Aubourg. All five experts Simply Recipes asked named the same brand. Zapata: “Applegate Organics is organic, clean, and made with high quality, pasture-raised meat… perfect fat ratio for juicy, flavorful sausage.” Cameron: “not greasy and overly fatty, yet they have great flavor… Nothing weird. No fillers.” Sporked’s Danny Palumbo picks its Chicken & Maple links as the best chicken breakfast sausage. Source: simplyrecipes.com ↗
What are the other top picks for breakfast sausage?
No. 2 is Jones Dairy Farm All Natural Pork Sausage, chosen by Joe Sevier; Jesse Szewczyk (Bon Appétit blind tasting of 19); Lisa Kaminski (Taste of Home); Danny Palumbo (Sporked). No. 3 is Niman Ranch Uncured Pork Breakfast Sausage (Classic or Smoked Bacon), chosen by Justine Sterling (Sporked); PEOPLE Food Awards 2021. Each card above links to the original source.
How does MyTastr choose these picks?
Every pick is tied to a named chef, cookbook author or food expert and links to the public interview, panel or article it came from. We survey dozens, often hundreds, of top chefs, food writers and critics, and order reflects how often and how strongly a brand is recommended. Only organic recommendations count — paid endorsements don’t — and brands can’t buy a spot. Read how we pick.

The tasters behind this ranking

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