Learn how to cook sausage in the oven with this easy oven "fried" method. Make great breakfast sausage, but the same method works just as well for larger sausages like brats, Italian, kielbasa, and other sausages.
Introduction
Why are you standing at the stove and making a mess? I have been cooking bacon in the oven for several years, but everybody still stands at the stove and makes a mess with sausage.
Well, let's put a stop to that now. Just pop it in the oven, flip once, and done. That is a recipe?
My Rating
I love sausage.
🐖The Sausage
For breakfast sausage, I use patties or links, and both work fine. We love Bob Evans but use your favorite brand, but I digress.
With minor cooking time adjustments, the same simple technique that works for breakfast sausage will work for any ground meat like larger sausage like Italian sausage, brats, kielbasa, or other larger sausage.
If you are cooking patties, dimple the center by ¼ inch and about ¾ inch diameter to prevent puffing.
The Pan
Almost any over-safe pan will do, but a ¼ sheet pan works great. Whatever pan you use, it needs some sides to prevent a mess.
I would try to avoid something with high sides that might interfere with the cooking. A larger sheet pan would be preferred to a cake pan.
There is no need for a rack, and I don't use foil since it cleans up well.
While my sheet pan is "non-stick" and there is minimal sticking, if you have sticking on your chosen pan, then a piece of parchment paper would be a good idea.
🌡️Oven Temperature
If I'm just doing the sausage by itself, I use 400° convection or 425° in a conventional oven. But I have done this as low as 350° conventional and as high as 425° convection. Just adjust the time and use your thermometer.
So use the temperature you are using for your other dishes. I frequently do this with my Oven Baked Blueberry Pancakes to may my wife's favorite breakfast for special days.
A lower temperature will take a few minutes more, and of course, higher will cook a little faster.
⏰Time
Cooking time is generally about 18-20 minutes for breakfast sausage. But it is dependent on the oven temperature you choose and the thickness of the sausage.
If you are cooking bigger sausage, cooking time may be closer to 30-40 minutes, like a brat. But always check the internal temperature, never by time only.
Like any ground meat, the minimum safe internal temperature is 165°. Please use a meat thermometer to tell. Do not cook by color or time, please. Use that thermometer for safety.
Due to oven temperature variables and sausage variables, they may not be nicely brown. If you want, turn on the broiler for a few minutes at the endpoint to get the color you want if needed.
✔️Three Tips
- If cooking patties, dimple the center to prevent puffing. A depression of ¼ inch and ¾ inch diameter will prevent puffing up of the meat as it cooks and will help more even cooking.
- Flip patties or rotate links every 10 minutes through cooking.
- Cook to 165° internal temperature and use a few minutes under the broiler if you want more color. Secret tip—the bottom of the sausage is browner when you reach 165°.
📖Breakfast Recipes
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Oven Baked Blueberry Pancakes
Cinnamon Roll Cake
🖼️Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven at 400°convection. Anything from 350° to 425° with or without convection should be fine, but you will need to adjust time and perhaps need a couple of minutes under a broiler at the end to brown up some.
If cooking patties of sausage, dimple the patty center by about ¼ inch deep and ¾ inch diameter. This will prevent puffing of the meat during cooking.
Spread sausage over a rimmed baking tray, so they don't touch. I'm using a non-stick baking pan. A spray of PAM doesn't hurt. You could use parchment paper or non-stick foil also.
Bake for 10 minutes then flip the sausage. If using links, rotate them.
Finish cooking to an internal temp of 165°. You can do a few minutes under the broiler if you want more browning.
📖 Recipe
How To Cook Sausage in the Oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound sausage
- PAM or Parchment Paper - to prevent sticking
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 400°convection. Anything from 350° to 425° with or without convection should be fine, but you will need to adjust time and perhaps need a couple of minutes under a broiler at the end to brown up some.
- If cooking sausage patties, dimple the patty center by about ¼ inch deep and ¾ inch diameter. This will prevent puffing of the meat during cooking.
- Spread sausage over a rimmed baking tray, so they don't touch. I'm using a non-stick baking pan. A spray of PAM doesn't hurt. You could use parchment paper or non-stick foil also.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the sausage. If doing links of sausage, rotate them.
- Finish cooking to an internal temperature of 165°. If you want more browning, do a few minutes under a broiler.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Use the sausage you want, links or patties.
- Cooks well with other dishes since you can use different oven temperatures
- Using a sheet pan works very well. You need a pan with some sides.
- If you have sticking, use some parchment paper. This has never happened to me.
- Be sure to dimple if using patties. Be sure to flip or rotate about every 10 minutes while cooking.
- The only really important thing is an internal temperature of 165°. Bigger sausage like brats will take longer.
- A few minutes of the broiler may be needed at the end to get the browning you want.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition
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Originally Published February 14, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Jim
How much mess is made I'm the oven from the splatter??
DrDan
I have never had any significant issues. But I use very lean sausage. If you are having some, switch to a pan with a higher side like a cake pan.
Dan
Alyssa R
I am so happy I checked this out. I been doing bacon in the oven and called myself being lazy today so without a thought I put the sausage in the oven then searched to see if i could do this lol. Thanks for these tips!!!
Charlie Holloway
Thank you Dan for this recipe. It probably seems pretty simple to some people, and it is -- just what I was looking for!
I tried it with turkey roll sausage, formed into patties. They didn't cook very well on an earlier attempt in the skillet because there was very little fat, but with your recipe in the oven, perfect! I did not heed your advice about using parchment or a greased pan, so there was significant sticking. That was my problem. Next time I'll do as you suggest.
Thanks,
Charlie
DrDan
Hi Charlie,
You are right that it seems a little like a how to boil water recipe but I took me 60 plus years to figure it out, so I thought I would not be alone. It is just so much easier and better in almost every way at least for me.
You are right about a lean sausage sticking but I have a non-stick quarter sheet pan that works great.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Barb
Any suggestions for cooking ground (crumbled) sausage in the oven?
DrDan
Hi Barb,
I have never done it but I will guess if you promise to report back. At the 10 minute flip, it has a fair amount of firmness. Try crumbling with a wooden spoon at that point and stick it back in. It may work, it may not...
Dan
Ray E. Murphy
I liked your article / recipe about cooking sausage in the oven. I cook two to three pounds at one time so this saves me time and a lot of mess. Thanks for the tip about the broiler that should crisp the tops up just enough. When I do it I use half sheet pans and cooling racks in the pans but first I wrapped the pans in aluminum foil this helps on cleanup. The cooling racks gets the sausage up out of the grease. Thank You Ray
Stewart
This is just what I was looking for! Ran it on convection oven and it worked great. I lined the pan with aluminum foil to eliminate the cleanup on the cookie sheet and then put parchment on that, just to be sure it didn't stick, Nothing like wearing a belt and suspenders! First time I found a use for the full convection setting too. LOL
Dinee
Thank you. I want to cook a couple of pounds of sausage for make ahead breakfasts. I thought of oven cooking and hoped someone else had done it to provide me with temperature and times to start with.
DrDan
Hi Dinee,
This is the only way to do sausage and it is so much better also.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Jessaca Mattox
I have been doing my sausage patties/links & bacon in the oven for YEAR'S! I had no idea it was such a foreign concept to so many. I just assumed it was the lazier version of what others did only I managed to figure a simpler & quicker way of doing it lol. Glad I am not the only one out there.
Jakey Snakey
Hush
Larry
Thanks for the info this will be a lot less mess
DrDan
Thanks for the note Larry,
I find the sausage also is better since I don't over cook.
Dan
Pam
When you flip them do you cook another 10 minutes on the other side?
DrDan
Yep about. Cook to an internal temperature of 165 and nice color. That is usually about 8-10 minutes on the second side for a total cooking time of 18-20 minutes. If you get to 165 and the color is still not what you want, hit it with a minute or two of the broiler.
Dan
Karen
Wow!!! Why didn't i think of this before. Cook bacon in oven all the time.. Today cooked the whole tube in slices, we ate 4 and i saved 4 for tomorrow!!!! I would rate this an 8!!!!
DrDan
I like oven so much better. I get it all to the right temperature and don't overcook and dry them out. Not to mention the mess.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
K Mahon
Good stuff; it is the only way I will cook patties from here on. To keep the wife happy and oven clean, I line the rack with foil to catch any spatter. But there is less oil jumping all over the place because it is a much more even cook in the oven... in my opinion.
DrDan
I haven't done stovetop for a long time. You are so right, the cooking is so much more even and it stays moist.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Susan Ramseur
I've also been cooking bacon in the oven for many years and wondered about cooking sausage that way. Thanks for your instructons. I'll be doing this tomorrow.
Michelle
Perfect? just made this, this morning! Will forever cook my sausage this way now!
Sharon Whittemore
I was looking for an alternative to the skillet this morning. I will try this technique.
Cash Jinkins
Oh my gosh. My hole tire life I been cookin sausage in a skillet spittin grease all over my linoleum! After a few weeks/months of that my kitchen flore is like a ice skatin rink covered in dust! This way is the best way to make sausage! I can't believe I never thunked of this ever in my hole life! No more greasy floors! Muchyass grassiass omigo!
Karen Hord
You're a smartass!!!
Jack
Tried your recipe this morning. Will never fry again. Trying the bacon tomorrow . I definitely rate as a5
DrDan
Thanks for the note and rating. I wonder why I didn't do it before.
DrDan
Jack
Tried your recipe this morning. Will never fry again. Trying the bacon tomorrow .
Linda
wow. The sausage looks so delicious. Will try it later.
DrDan
Thanks for the note. It is as good as it gets.
DrDan