These are by far the Best Ground Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties I’ve ever made! Super easy to prepare ahead and reheat during busy weekday mornings. Bonus: These patties stay juicy thanks to a tiny bit of applesauce!
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Who here has subbed ground turkey in when a recipe called for ground beef?
🙋♀️
Me! I’m that person, every time. I don’t eat much red meat, so I’m constantly making things with ground turkey instead of ground beef. Taco meat, meatballs, meatloaf (this is my all-time favorite turkey meatloaf recipe), stuff like that. But I’d never tried turning ground turkey into breakfast sausage.
Expanding my selection of morning breakfast meal prep options means also expanding my breakfast meat options, and like I said, I try to refrain from eating much red meat.
So, Ground Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties it is!
This whole idea sounded easy in theory, but then I realized there were a couple things I was a little foggy on regarding turning ground turkey into breakfast sausage. I did a bit of research and experimentation to find the answers. First…
How do you keep ground turkey sausage patties moist?
Or juicy, or whatever word you like best here.
Ground turkey is pretty lean, which is why some people consider it healthier than other ground meats with more fat, like ground beef. But that lack of fat makes it especially prone to drying out during cooking, which is a common complaint I hear about ground turkey.
Solution? Add another ingredient to keep it juicy. My favorite turkey meatloaf recipe uses finely chopped mushrooms. In this recipe, I use 2 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce for one pound of ground turkey meat. Adding a moistening ingredient is the best way to use lean ground meat and keep it super juicy.
During some poking around on the Internet, I found a recipe for turkey burgers with applesauce to keep the burgers juicy. I’ve definitely used applesauce to keep baked goods moist with great results, so I thought the same could apply to ground turkey.
Lots of breakfast sausage recipes also call for brown sugar. I’m not really trying to add sugar to things that don’t need it. But, I thought maybe the applesauce could provide a tiny bit of sweetness to contrast with the savory breakfast sausage flavors. Applesauce to the rescue!
And, success! Literally my favorite homemade turkey sausage happened after I added applesauce to the recipe. You’ll just have to try it to believe it.
YES, I made the patties with AND without applesauce, and there’s the definite difference in the juicy factor. It’s just not as good without applesauce.
TLDR: Applesauce!
How do you make ground turkey taste like breakfast sausage?
I didn’t check them all, but virtually every breakfast sausage recipe ever uses sage (or rubbed sage). The ingredients in the pork breakfast sausage we get in our Butcher Box (the only pork I’ll eat) are ground pork, sage, and salt. Pretty sure it’s the universal breakfast meat seasoning.
So I went on that route to achieve ground turkey breakfast sausage. I also added some staples like garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme (and salt because duh). The result worked perfectly well with the ground turkey and had me feeling 100% ready for breakfast at 2:30pm.
TLDR: More sage = more breakfast sausage-y taste.
Storing/Reheating These Ground Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties
To store in the fridge, I just put all the patties in an airtight container and eat them within 4 days. Since there are about 4 servings of meat, that’s perfect for breakfast meal prep!
To store in the freezer, make sure the patties are completely cooled before you put them into a freezer container. Use them within 3 months of freezing!
To reheat:
- From the fridge: Put 3-4 on a plate, cover with a paper towel, and microwave (on high) for 60 seconds.
- From the freezer: Put 3-4 on a plate, cover with a paper towel, and microwave (on high) for 90 seconds.
More make-ahead breakfast ideas from Project Meal Plan:
- 5 Make-Ahead Fruit & Greek Yogurt Ideas to Try
- Southwest Roasted Potato Breakfast Meal Prep
- Make-Ahead Freezer Friendly Breakfast Burritos
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These are by far the Best Ground Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties I’ve ever made! Easy to prepare ahead and reheat during busy weekday mornings. These patties stay super juicy thanks to a tiny bit of applesauce!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey, 93% lean
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
Instructions
Cooking:
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except oil, mixing gently with your hands until just combined (don’t overmix).
- Form the mixture into 12 patties, about 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches in diameter each (they will plump up as they cook). I lay the patties out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, place 6 patties into the skillet and let them cook for 3-4 minutes, or until browned on the bottom and beginning to cook up the sides. Flip and continue to cook for another 3 minutes until no longer pink, and a thermometer in the center of a patty reaches at least 165 degrees F. Remove patties from heat and repeat with remaining 6 patties.
- Consume immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, let the patties cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating:
- From the fridge: Put 3-4 patties on a plate, cover with a paper towel, and microwave (on high) for 60 seconds.
- From the freezer: Put 3-4 patties on a plate, cover with a paper towel, and microwave (on high) for 90 seconds.
Notes
Cooking Note: I do not recommend cooking these in the oven. It’s much easier to overcook them. They’ll dry out and become the reason people don’t like ground turkey sausage. Stick with the stovetop!
Adding applesauce idea adapted from Turkey Burgers with Applesauce from Genius Kitchen. Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 patties (4 oz)
- Calories: 180 calories (60 calories per patty)
- Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 2g
- Protein: 22g
To make this recipe, I used:
Thanks for checking out the Best Ground Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties! Tag me or use #projectmealplan on social media to share your own ground turkey patties, or any make-ahead breakfast 🙂
Hey, I'm Danielle. I made Project Meal Plan because being prepared and saving time are my favorite things. It doesn't hurt that I LOVE cooking and photography too. 
I’m going to try this making it like in a crumble rather than patties. I’ve been using Jenni-o turkey sausage but so many preservatives and salt…thanks!
Sounds great Shana! I would love to know how this turns out for you! Never tried making it into a crumble, but if it works, I’ll have to give it a try 🙂 Thank you!