Top Breakfast Sausage Revealed by 5 Experts—You Won’t Believe Their Pick!

No breakfast, whether it’s a sandwich, a full plate, or a burrito, is complete without the savory goodness of breakfast sausage. I’m a fan because it’s quick to cook, incredibly adaptable, and a fantastic source of additional protein to kickstart your day.

As with many products available in stores, not all breakfast sausages are of the same quality. There are numerous choices based on taste preference and type of meat, but after discussing with some top chefs, they unanimously preferred one particular brand. Their feedback was compelling, and now I’m also a convert to this brand. Here’s what they shared.

Consulted Culinary Experts

• Dennis Littley: Chef and culinary blogger at Ask Chef Dennis
• Ashia Aubourg: Independent food editor and journalist
• Marcia W. Smart: Cooking teacher, founder of Smart in the Kitchen School, and author of Dinner is Done
• Sally Cameron: Trained chef and certified wellness coach at A Food Centric Life
• Cesar Zapata: Entrepreneur and Chef at Phuc Yea and Pho Sho, Miami

Top Recommended Breakfast Sausage by Experts

Each of the five chefs praised Applegate breakfast sausage. Although they have their individual preferences for specific varieties, overall, Zapata notes: “Applegate Organics is organic, clean, and crafted with high-quality, pasture-raised meat.” They endorsed the brand for its superior taste and ingredient quality.

The chefs lauded Applegate sausages for their balanced and appealing flavor profiles, whether they are made of chicken or pork. Cameron mentions, “They are not overly greasy or fatty, yet they are delicious.”

“The seasoning is spot on with herbs and spices,” states Aubourg, who favors the Chicken and Sage links. “My preferred choice includes sage, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, and ginger!” Littley, who is partial to the Chicken and Apple variety, adds, “The natural sweetness from the apple enhances the subtle thyme and sage seasonings, and the chicken remains tender.”

Zapata, who enjoys all pork varieties, remarks, “Applegate’s pork sausage has the ideal fat content for a juicy, tasty sausage.”

The straightforward ingredient list is another universally praised feature of Applegate’s products. “If you check the ingredient labels,” Cameron explains, “(and I scrutinize them carefully), you’ll see that Applegate breakfast sausage contains simple, pure, and recognizable ingredients. No bizarre additives. No fillers. No artificial substances.”

Smart concurs, noting that the sausages contain “no antibiotics or hormones in the animals and no nitrates in the sausage, and they also have little to no sugar.” Unlike many other popular breakfast sausage brands, all of Applegate’s offerings are organic and maintain the perfect balance of fat content (neither too oily nor too dry).

“You need a sausage that contains at least 20-30% fat so it remains juicy and doesn’t become too dry while cooking,” Littley points out. “This brand manages to get that balance exactly right.”