This maple venison breakfast sausage recipe has the best flavor thanks to the use of fresh ingredients. Easy to prepare, it strikes a perfect balance between sweet and salty with a hint of spiciness. Prepare a small or large batch, and use it in all your favorite breakfast recipes!
Recipe Highlights
Fresh Ingredients: Lean venison, fresh herbs, and real maple syrup come together to create this homemade breakfast sausage, imparting an exceptional, fresh flavor.
Customizable: While the recipe calls for fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs if that's what you have access to. You can also adjust the ingredient amounts to your liking. If you don't like sweeter sausage, you can omit the maple syrup.
Versatile: You can use this homemade venison sausage in a wide range of delicious breakfast recipes. Whether you want breakfast sausage patties with eggs, a breakfast sandwich, venison biscuits and gravy, antelope breakfast strata, sourdough stuffing, maple-glazed venison breakfast sausage bites, or something else, this recipe can do it all!
Ingredients
- Ground Venison: This recipe is written for a pound of ground venison. You can use any ground wild game or domestic ground meat. You will have to adjust the added fat depending on what's already in your ground meat.
- Maple Syrup: Brown sugar can be substituted for maple syrup. If you don't want a sweetener in your sausage, you can omit the maple syrup.
- Fresh Herbs: Herbs like fresh sage and fresh thyme are what give this sausage its signature flavor. But, you can use dried herbs instead. See the recipe card for specific amounts. If you're looking for a different type of herby sausage, try this venison Italian sausage.
- Bacon Grease: This recipe uses lean ground venison without added fat. Bacon grease from homemade smoked bacon adds a smoky richness to the sausage. You can also use pork lard or tallow. If your sausage has fat ground in, you can omit it.
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Homemade Venison Breakfast Sausage:
Follow the simple steps below to make this delicious breakfast sausage!
- Step 1: Melt 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in a small bowl, and let it cool to room temperature without becoming solid again. To a small bowl, add thyme, sage, fennel, marjoram, salt, ground black pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes, and cloves.
- Step 2: Stir to combine the spice blend.
- Step 3: Add ground venison to a large bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of maple syrup over the meat mixture.
- Step 4: Sprinkle spices over meat.
- Step 5: Gently mix together with your hands until the spice mixture is well-distributed in the meat.
- Step 6: Drizzle the melted bacon grease over the sausage mixture. Gently mix together until the grease is well-distributed in the sausage. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
- Step 7: Divide the venison sausage mixture into 12 equal portions. Form the portions into patties approximately 3.5" in diameter and ¼" thick.
- Step 8: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to the pan and let it melt.
- Step 9: Working in batches, place the sausage patties in the hot skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Step 10: Flip, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the outsides are browned and the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Oven Instructions:
Alternatively, deer sausage patties can be cooked in an oven.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the sausage patties on the sheet pan.
Step 2: Bake for 10 minutes. Flip, then bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the patties are browned and the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the sausage patties on the sheet pan.
- Step 2: Bake for 10 minutes. Flip, then bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the patties are browned and the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Pro Tip
Serve sausage patties with pan drippings for an extra flavor boost!
Variations
You can adjust the spices and herbs in this recipe to your liking. See below for a few ideas for recipe variations.
- Smoked Paprika: Replace paprika with smoked paprika to add a smoky flavor to your sausage.
- Cayenne Pepper: This sausage already has red pepper flakes. However, for even more spice, try adding cayenne, too.
- Garlic: This sausage doesn't call for garlic, but you can add it if you love the flavor of garlic. You can add fresh, minced garlic, or garlic powder.
- Herbs: This recipe uses sage, thyme, and marjoram. If you don't enjoy the flavor of any of those, you can swap them out for your favorite herbs. Fresh or dried rosemary makes a nice addition.
- Sausage Form: You can shape this sausage into any form you desire. You can leave it as a loose sausage (ground sausage), form it into patties, or make sausage links. To make sausage links, you'll need a sausage stuffer. You can also use a meat grinder attachment, such as a grinding plate, natural casings, or collagen casings.
Large Batch Ingredient Quantities:
This recipe is written for small batches. However, you can make it in larger batches with several pounds of venison. See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities for 5 and 10-pound batches so you don't have to do the math yourself!
If you're making a larger batch of sausage, I recommend using a meat mixer to fully incorporate the spices into the meat. Alternatively, if you have extra venison, try putting it to use in these 20+ ground venison recipes.
Storage
Depending on what you make with your breakfast sausage, it can be stored in a couple of ways for later use.
- Sausage Patties: You can make a large batch of sausage patties and freeze them. To do so, place cooked sausage patties on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, and freeze until solid. Store them in a freezer bag, or use a vacuum sealer to prevent freezer burn. Cooked sausage patties can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Raw Ground Sausage: If you're making a big batch of sausage, you can freeze it in one-pound portions (or whatever works best for your family) in ground meat bags or vacuum bags. Raw sausage is best if used within 4 months but can last up to a year.
What to Make with Venison Breakfast Sausage:
Venison breakfast sausage is super versatile and can be used for infinite breakfast possibilities. Next time you're craving breakfast sausage, consider making your own sausage! See below for a few of my favorites!
- Biscuits and Gravy
- Breakfast Strata
- Breakfast Sandwiches on Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
- Sausage Bites
- Breakfast Burritos
- Breakfast Scramble
- Maple-Glazed Venison Sausage Breakfast Bites
FAQ
Venison tends to make a leaner sausage. The addition of pork fat is a popular choice to add some richness. Pork fatback, fatty pork shoulder, ground pork, and pork butt can all be used to add fat during the grinding process. If you don't add fat during the grinding process, you can still add fat to sausage by adding bacon grease or pork lard when you mix in the seasonings.
Any cuts that you don't want to turn into steaks or roasts can be used for sausage. Trim pieces, neck meat, shanks, cuts from the front quarter, and round roasts are popular options for grinding.
Venison is a naturally lean meat. Ground meat especially needs some extra fat to stay moist. Grinding fat into the meat adds moisture to the meat when it cooks. If that's not an option, you can mix bacon grease or pork lard into the sausage before you cook it.
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Thank you!
Annie
📖 Recipe
Maple Venison Breakfast Sausage Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground venison (or elk, moose, antelope, etc.)
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon bacon grease, divided
- 1 ½ tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried thyme)
- 1 ½ tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried sage)
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pinch ground cloves
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoon of bacon grease in a small bowl and let it cool to room temperature without becoming solid again.
- To a small bowl, add thyme, sage, fennel, marjoram, salt, black pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes, and cloves. Stir to combine.
- Add ground venison to a medium bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoon maple syrup over meat. Sprinkle spices over meat.
- Gently mix together with your hands until the spice mixture is well-distributed in the meat.
- Drizzle the melted bacon grease over the meat. Gently mix together until the grease is well-distributed in the sausage.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
- Divide meat into 12 equal portions. Form the portions into patties approximately 3.5" in diameter and ¼" thick.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to the pan and let it melt.
- Working in batches, place the sausage patties in the hot skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the outsides are browned and the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Oven Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the sausage patties on the sheet pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Flip, then bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the patties are browned and the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Freezing Instructions:
- Sausage Patties: You can make a large batch of sausage patties and freeze them. Place cooked sausage patties on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid. Store them in a freezer bag or use a vacuum sealer to prevent freezer burn. Cooked sausage patties can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Raw Ground Sausage: If you're making a big batch of sausage, you can freeze it in one-pound portions (or whatever works best for your family) in ground meat bags or vacuum bags. Raw sausage is best if used within 4 months but can last up to a year.
Notes
- This recipe is written for a pound of ground venison. You can use any ground wild game or domestic ground meat. You will have to adjust the added fat depending on what's already in your ground meat.
- Brown sugar can be substituted for maple syrup. If you don't want a sweetener in your sausage, you can omit the maple syrup.
- Herbs like fresh sage and fresh thyme are what give this sausage its signature flavor. But, you can use dried herbs instead.
- This recipe uses lean ground venison without added fat. Bacon grease adds a smoky richness to the sausage. Pork lard or tallow can also be used. If your sausage has fat ground in, you can omit it.
- Gently fold the ingredients into the meat mixture. This helps keep the sausage from becoming compacted and hard.
- Serve sausage patties with pan drippings for an extra flavor boost!
5 Pound Batch Ingredients:
- 5 lb ground venison (or elk, moose, antelope, etc.)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup bacon grease (only needed if you don't grind fat into your meat)
- ½ cup fresh thyme, finely chopped (or ¼ cup dried thyme)
- ½ cup fresh sage, finely chopped (or ¼ cup dried sage)
- 2 tablespoons ground fennel
- 2 tablespoons marjoram
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ tablespoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
10 Pound Batch Ingredients:
- 10 lb ground venison (or elk, moose, antelope, etc.)
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup bacon grease (only needed if you don't grind fat into your meat)
- 1 cup fresh thyme, finely chopped (or ½ cup dried thyme)
- 1 cup fresh sage, finely chopped (or ½ cup dried sage)
- ¼ cup ground fennel
- ¼ cup marjoram
- ¼ cup salt
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
Caroline says
Nice! This turned out delicious.
S. Allen says
Very good!! Next time I'll put a little more bacon grease in the mix, maybe one more tablespoon. Using a cast iron skillet produced a nice char. I'll probably cook them to JUST 160 F (5 degress less than recipe states) which is still safe but a bit less dry. Source: https://extension.umn.edu/preserving-and-preparing/cooking-venison-flavor-and-safety#:~:text=Ground%20venison%3A,present%20throughout%20the%20entire%20batch.
Annie Weisz says
You are correct! I have updated the recipe to 160 F. I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!