Artificial Food Coloring Free Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage
Breakfast sausage is one of those morning staples that's surprisingly easy to make at home — and when you do, you know exactly what's in it. Store-bought patties often rely on dyes and artificial additives to achieve that uniform color and polished look, but this version gets its gorgeous deep golden-brown crust purely from the air fryer and a smart blend of smoked paprika, sage, thyme, and garlic. Every ingredient here is a real, recognizable pantry staple, so there's nothing hidden in the mix. The optional splash of maple syrup adds just a whisper of sweetness that plays beautifully against the savory spices, and the red pepper flakes give you a gentle kick if you're into that. Mixing by hand and pressing the pork into even patties keeps the texture tender rather than dense, and the air fryer does the heavy lifting — circulating heat for a crispy exterior and a juicy, fully cooked center without any fuss. These patties are the kind of thing you'll want to batch-make and keep on hand for busy mornings.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, sage, thyme, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes and maple syrup if using. Mix with your hands until the seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the meat, about 30 seconds — stop as soon as the mixture is uniform to keep the texture tender.
- 2
Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and press each into a round patty about 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Slightly thinner edges help the patties cook evenly.
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