Give your little one a protein-rich breakfast with this homemade, no sugar apple breakfast sausage! With no added salt, sugar, or preservatives, it's a much healthier alternative that's appropriate for sharing with baby led weaning babies and toddlers.
This post has been written and medically reviewed by Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist).
Apple Breakfast Sausage for Baby
Normally I would not recommend breakfast meats for baby led weaning. Bacon and ham are too tough and too high in sodium, while sausage is typically too high in salt and sugar. All three are typically made with some sort of curing agent that isn't the healthiest. Meat is a great source of valuable protein and iron for little ones, though, so making homemade breakfast sausage is a good choice if you struggle to get those nutrients into your little one's diet. This breakfast sausage recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients - pork, spices and apple. It has no added salt or sugar and the apple adds natural sweetness and moisture, so you can share with little ones and still feel good about it!
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Ingredients
- Ground pork: You can also use turkey (don't use lean), or half turkey and half pork
- Dried sage
- Dried thyme
- Onion powder
- Nutmeg
- Pepper
- Apple: Any variety works
Helpful equipment: Large bowl, Coarse grater, cast iron skillet
Step By Step Instructions
For the full printable recipe, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Grate the apple using a large-holed coarse grater.
- In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Use your hands to squish everything together well.
- Form the mixture into patties or links. Links are easier for 6-8 month old BLW babies to pick up.
- Cook sausage in a cast iron skillet preheated over medium heat, about 5-7 minutes per side for patties, or 4-5 minutes per side for links if you cook 3 'sides'. About halfway through cooking, add a small splash of water to the skillet to help keep the sausage moist.
Tips and Recipe Variations
- Try not to over-cook sausage, since it will dry out. A thermometer inserted into the center of each piece should register 165°F when sausage is done.
- If you're using turkey, don't use lean turkey. You need at least a little bit of fat to retain moisture. You'll also need to add a little bit of oil to the skillet before cooking to avoid sticking.
- You can treat this recipe as a starting point and adjust the spices to suit your family's taste. I suggest trying a couple test patties and adjusting as needed.
- If you're making this sausage for older kiddos or adults, feel free to add salt to taste or a splash of maple syrup for more sweetness.
- The mixture can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator before cooking.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover cooked sausage in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It also freezes well! Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for up to 2 hours.
Reheat in a skillet on the stove, or in the air fryer or toaster oven on the lowest setting until warmed through. If you're using a skillet, add a little splash of water to the pan for moisture.
How To Serve Breakfast Sausage To Babies 6 Months and Up
For BLW babies 6 months and up who have not yet developed a pincer grasp, forming sausage into links about the length and width of your thumb is the best shape. Serve moist links whole, allowing baby to scoop them up in his fist and nibble on the end. If the sausage is crumbly and large pieces break off easily, remove it from the tray.
If you make the sausage into patties, you can cut a patty into strips for babies without a pincer grasp. Once baby has developed a pincer grasp (using the index finger and thumb to pick up small objects), usually around 9 months, you can cut sausage into small bite sized pieces, about the size of your fingernail. You can also continue serving in links or strips for biting practice.
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No Sugar Apple Breakfast Sausage
Give your little one a protein-rich breakfast with this homemade, no sugar apple breakfast sausage! With no added salt, sugar, or preservatives, it's a much healthier alternative that's appropriate for sharing with baby led weaning babies and toddlers.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: about 15 pieces 1x
- Category: breakfast
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 medium apple, about ½ cup grated
- 1 lb ground pork (see notes for alternatives)
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ⅛ tsp onion powder
- small pinch nutmeg
- small pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
- Grate the apple using a coarse grater. You'll need about ½ cup.
- In a large bowl, mix the pork, apple and spices. Use your hands to squish it all together until it's well blended.
- Using about 2 tablespoon each, form the mixture into patties or links about the size of your thumb.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or other large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage to the skillet, leaving room between each piece. You may have to work in batches.
- Cook sausage for 5-7 minutes per side for patties, or 4-5 minutes per side (if you do three 'sides') for links. Add a splash of water about halfway through cooking to keep the sausage moist. The sausage should reach 165°F in the center when it is completely cooked.
Notes
- You can use ground turkey in place of pork, or half turkey and half pork. Don't buy the lean kind, since you need some fat for the sausage to stay moist. If you use turkey, you'll need to add a little bit of oil to the skillet before cooking to prevent sticking. Chicken will be too lean.
- Avoid over-cooking, as this will dry out the sausage. You want it to stay moist for littles to be able to eat it. The best way to judge doneness is a meat thermometer.
- Treat this recipe as a starting point. You can try a couple of test patties and adjust the seasoning as needed to suit your family's taste.
- If you're making this sausage for older kiddos or adults, feel free to add a pinch of salt and/or a small splash of maple syrup.
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