Breakfast Vs Italian Sausage: What's The Difference?

From protein-forward breakfast recipes to start your day to hearty, well-rounded dinner recipes to end it, old reliable sausage gets the job done. Today, we're exploring the sausages at both ends of the daily spectrum — breakfast sausage versus Italian sausage — which share a common base of pork but couldn't be more different. 

Exact ratios can vary by brand and will often be indicated on the packaging, but ground pork typically clocks in around 74% fat and 26% lean. The result is the rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture and high-moisture succulence that foodies know and expect from their favorite sausages. The chief differences between these specific types of sausage are their flavor and size.

Mild, accessible breakfast sausage is seasoned with sage and nutmeg. Additional flavors like maple or apple are also super common, creating a layered sweet-smoky taste. More distinctive is the profile of Italian sausage, seasoned with snappy anise and licorice-forward fennel. There are also hot and sweet versions of Italian sausage, whereas breakfast sausage always leans mild.

Breakfast sausage comes in 3-inch links or thin patties – half the size of Italian sausage, which can come in 6-inch brat-like links, ground, or wrapped into long, thick coils, but never as patties. Breakfast sausage links are typically thinner in circumference compared to robust Italian sausage as well. Subsequently, foodies might eat three or four breakfast sausage links per serving, but one Italian sausage is likely enough. This also means that Italian sausage takes longer to cook than breakfast sausage.

Breakfast sausage is fresh (aka raw) pork sausage seasoned with sage and nutmeg. Its smaller links or thinner patties help it crisp up in the skillet for charred surface markings and high-pop snap when bitten into. Beyond ground pork, breakfast sausage can also be made from chicken, turkey, beef, or plant-based meatless versions like MorningStar or Beyond Meat.

In addition to herbaceous sage and warming nutmeg, breakfast sausage can also be flavored with accessory seasonings like brown sugar, garlic, thyme, paprika, marjoram, and cloves, all creating nuanced dimensionality. Still, despite this room for creativity, breakfast sausage is all about sweet-savory balance and an overall mild flavor. Even the spicier offerings don't pack much heat.

The seasoned pork is pressed into patties or links and sold raw in grocery stores, so breakfast sausage needs to be pan-fried or oven-baked to serve. Directions may vary slightly by brand, but breakfast sausage is generally cooked for 10-15 minutes in a skillet over medium heat or for 12-15 minutes in the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Those little sausages are a great way to add protein to your morning meal. The links are the ultimate accompaniment beside diner waffles. You can grind them up and serve 'em in cheesy sausage breakfast casserole, biscuits and gravy, or breakfast quesadillas. Or, serve them in patty form inside a classic sausage egg and cheese breakfast sandwich (if you don't happen to live near an NYC bodega, Dunkin' makes a killer S.E.C. sando).

Italian sausage is ground pork sausage seasoned with fennel and anise, with a pungent aroma and herbaceous flavor. The base is most commonly pork, but it can also be blended with some combination of beef, lamb, veal, turkey, or some other game meat. Italian sausage is always savory, but it comes in sweet, mild, and hot varieties. Sweet Italian sausage (arguably the platonic ideal of the entire category) keeps it true to form with fennel, anise, and sometimes a little garlic and sweet basil. Spicy Italian sausage adds red chile flakes, and mild Italian sausage adds black pepper and paprika.

Unlike popular Italian cured meats like prosciutto and bresaola, Italian sausage typically comes fresh and needs to be fully cooked in order to eat. Like breakfast sausage, Italian sausage is also skillet-fried, baked, or grilled, but it takes considerably longer to cook than its thinner counterpart. Italian sausage should be oven-baked at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or pan-fried over medium heat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees for around 15 to 20 minutes.

Few sections in our cookbook are as wide as the one for Italian sausage recipes. It can be sliced and added to pastas, gumbos, or "marry me" Italian sausage and orzo soup. We even add it to canned tomato soup for a quick, warming weeknight meal. Ground Italian sausage can transform lasagna or soups like zuppa toscana. Or leave those meaty links intact for classic grilled Italian sausage sandwiches with sauteed peppers and onions.