One of the best parts of a big breakfast is sausage! But, with so many companies using fillers and hiding gluten in spices, it can be hard to know if breakfast sausage is gluten-free. Which brands are safe to include in your gluten-free lifestyle? Luckily, quite a few gluten-free breakfast sausage brands offer products that are safe to eat, so you can heap your plate with sausage and not have to worry!
Make a mouth-watering breakfast sandwich using eggs, sausage, cheese, and gluten-free bagels.
Is Breakfast Sausage Gluten-Free?
Breakfast sausage is usually gluten-free! Over the 10+ years that I’ve been gluten-free, I’ve eaten a lot of gluten-free sausages, and they haven’t been hard to find. That’s because the majority of all sausage brands are free from gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.
Even so, you should never assume that all sausage is gluten-free, because it really depends on the ingredients and how the sausage is manufactured and packaged. (More on that later.)
If you want to save yourself the headache and time of researching if your favorite breakfast sausage brand is safe, don’t worry. I’ve done all the research for you! Check out the list below.
7 Popular Gluten-Free Breakfast Sausage Brands
Below is a list of the best gluten-free sausage brands you can eat for breakfast and more information on how those brands are dedicated to keeping you safe from gluten.
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Aidells
Aidells offers gluten-free chicken sausage made from all-natural ingredients. It has no added nitrites, nitrates or MSG. Their chicken is also never raised with antibiotics.
Here’s a list of Aidells chicken breakfast sausage that’s gluten-free:
- Chicken & Apple Smoked Chicken Sausage Breakfast Links
- Maple & Smoked Bacon Chicken Sausage Breakfast Links
Cross-Contact: Aidells doesn’t explain how they prevent gluten cross-contact in their factories. We reached out to them to find out more, and we’ll update this article when we hear back.
Al Fresco
Is Al Fresco chicken sausage gluten free? Yes! It’s also all natural, which means it is minimally processed with no artificial ingredients. Al Fresco uses chicken thigh and breast meat.
Here’s a list of Al Fresco gluten-free breakfast sausage:
- Brown Sugar Bliss Chicken Breakfast Sausage Links
- Country Style Chicken Sausage Breakfast Patty
- Apple Maple Chicken Sausage Breakfast Patty
- Country Style Chicken Breakfast Sausage
- Apple Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage
- Wild Blueberry Chicken Breakfast Sausage
Cross-Contact: All Al Fresco products are gluten free! However, we’re not sure how they keep their facilities safe from gluten, so we contacted them to find out. If we hear back from them, we will update this article. (Source: Al Fresco)
Use the Al Fresco store locator to find their gluten-free breakfast sausage in your area.
Applegate
Applegate prides itself on offering meat products that are humanely raised without any antibiotics. They are also GMO-free. And while they have many certified gluten-free sausage options, not all of them are.
Here’s a list of Applegate gluten-free breakfast sausage:
- Applegate Organics Chicken & Apple Breakfast Sausage
- Applegate Organics Chicken & Maple Breakfast Sausage
- Applegate Naturals Chicken & Apple Breakfast Sausage
- Applegate Naturals Chicken & Apple Breakfast Sausage Patties
- Applegate Naturals Chicken & Maple Breakfast Sausage
- Applegate Naturals Chicken & Maple Breakfast Sausage Patties
- Applegate Naturals Chicken & Maple Breakfast Sausage – Family Size
- Applegate Naturals Chicken & Sage Breakfast Sausage
- Applegate Naturals Classic Pork Breakfast Sausage
- Applegate Naturals No Sugar Chicken & Herb Breakfast Sausage
- Applegate Naturals No Sugar Original Pork Breakfast Sausage
- Applegate Naturals Savory Turkey Breakfast Sausage
- Applegate Naturals Savory Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties
(Applegate is one of only two brands on this list to offer gluten-free turkey sausage.)
Cross-Contact: Applegate follows HACCP procedures to prevent gluten and allergen cross-contact. Before they begin a new production run on gluten-free sausages, they sanitize and clean production lines, as well as swab test for allergens. Additionally, they manufacture all gluten-free products before producing gluten-containing items. (Source: Applegate)
Jimmy Dean
Is Jimmy Dean sausage gluten free? Yes! (Mostly.) At one time it was unclear, but Jimmy Dean now labels their sausage when it’s gluten-free, so the mystery is over.
Here’s a Jimmy Dean gluten-free breakfast sausage list (all products with a GF label):
- Jimmy Dean All Natural Original Pork Sausage Patties
- Jimmy Dean Regular Premium Pork Sausage
- Jimmy Dean Hot Premium Pork Sausage
- Jimmy Dean All Natural Original Pork Sausage Links
- Jimmy Dean Sage Premium Pork Sausage
- Jimmy Dean All Natural Regular Premium Pork Sausage
- Jimmy Dean Country Mild Premium Pork Sausage
- Jimmy Dean Maple Premium Pork Sausage
Interestingly, these are all the uncooked sausage options.
OK, so we know they make gluten-free ground sausage, but what about Jimmy Dean pre-cooked gluten-free sausage links and patties? Do those exist? That’s where things are back to being unclear. The Heat ‘n Serve options don’t have a gluten-free label, but they appear to have gluten-free ingredients, if you trust “spices.”
Because Jimmy Dean has made a conscious effort not to label the fully cooked sausages gluten-free, it would be best to put those to the side and stick to the options with a gluten-free label.
Cross-Contact: We sent an email to Jimmy Dean asking for a product list and more info on how the company avoids gluten cross-contact. We’ll update this article when we find out more.
Johnsonville
Is Johnsonville breakfast sausage gluten free? Yes! They have a full range of products that also have 0% trans fat and are dairy free. They also offer gluten-free turkey sausage, which many other brands don’t.
Here’s a list of Johnsonville gluten-free breakfast sausage:
- Original Recipe Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage
- Vermont Maple Syrup Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage
- Turkey Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage
- Original Recipe Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage
- Turkey Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage
- Fresh Breakfast Sausage Family Pack
- Original Recipe Breakfast Sausage Links
- Vermont Maple Syrup Breakfast Sausage Links
- Brown Sugar & Honey Breakfast Sausage Links
- French Toast Flavor Breakfast Sausage
- 12 oz. Original Recipe Breakfast Sausage Patties
- 12 oz. Vermont Maple Syrup Breakfast Sausage Patties
Cross-Contact: All Johnsonville breakfast sausage is gluten free! However, we’re not sure how the company avoids cross contact from gluten. We contacted them to learn more. If we hear back, we’ll update this article. (Source: Johnsonville)
Smithfield
Smithfield is the leading manufacturer of premium pork products. Their gluten-free sausages are also free from artificial ingredients, preservatives, and MSG.
Here’s a list of Smithfield gluten-free breakfast sausage:
- Hometown Original Fully Cooked Sausage Links
- Hometown Original Fully Cooked Sausage Patties
- Hometown Original Fresh Sausage Roll
- Hometown Original Fresh Breakfast Sausage Patties
- Hometown Original Breakfast Sausage Links
- Premium Fresh Hot Breakfast Sausage Roll
Cross-Contact: Smithfield does not indicate how they make sure their breakfast sausages are free from gluten. However, the company has clear gluten-free labeling on their packages and mentions many times online which products are gluten-free. (Source: Smithfield)
Wellshire Farms
Wellshire Farms currently has only one gluten-free breakfast sausage offering:
- Traditional Fully Cooked Skinless Sausage Links
It’s made from all-natural pork that was raised on a vegetarian diet without antibiotics. It is also soy-free and casein-free.
Cross-Contact: Wellshire Farms says that all their vendor partners thoroughly clean and sanitize their machines before and after a production run. (Source: Wellshire Farms)
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Gluten-Free Breakfast Sausage FAQs
What breakfast sausage is gluten-free?
There are many gluten-free breakfast sausage brands you can trust. Here are a few:
- Aidells
- Al Fresco
- Applegate
- Jimmy Dean
- Johnsonville
- Smithfield
- Wellshire Farms
Can celiacs eat breakfast sausage?
Yes, people with celiac disease can eat breakfast sausage as long as it has no gluten-containing ingredients.
Are sausage patties gluten-free?
Yes, sausage patties can be gluten-free! Our favorites are the Smithfield Hometown Original Patties, which have a gluten-free label.
Is there gluten-free vegetarian breakfast sausage?
If you’re looking for vegetarian breakfast sausage that’s also gluten-free, check out Beyond Breakfast Sausage by Beyond Meat.
Can you freeze breakfast sausage?
According to the US Department of Agriculture, you can keep sausage in the freezer for one or two months to ensure the best quality. Cooked sausage can be kept in the freeze for up to four days.
Enjoy These Gluten-Free Breakfast Sausage Brands
Start the morning off right by eating any one of these popular gluten-free breakfast sausage brands’ products. If you have a favorite item, share it with us in the comments below. And if you’re more of a bacon lover, we have you covered as well! Our list of gluten-free bacon brands will surely have you drooling.
Go get your grub on!
