Sausage Muffins with Bisquick put breakfast sausage, cheddar, and eggs into a muffin you can pick up with one hand. The edges turn lightly golden in the oven, while the middle stays tender and full of little sausage crumbles. There are just four ingredients, and the sausage is the only thing you cook before mixing the batter.
These have a more substantial, egg-rich texture than a sweet breakfast muffin. Expect a modest rise and plenty of sausage in every bite. A standard muffin pan makes twelve, so they work well for a small breakfast gathering or a platter on the brunch table.
Four ingredients, with a couple of details that matter
Breakfast sausage. Use loose ground breakfast sausage, or remove the casings from uncooked links. Mild, sage, or hot sausage all work; choose the flavor you want in the finished muffins. Break it into small crumbles as it cooks so you get sausage throughout the batter rather than a few large chunks.
Original Bisquick baking mix. This supplies the flour and leavening in the recipe. Use the original baking mix rather than plain flour or a sweet, just-add-water pancake mix. There is no need to add baking powder, and this version does not call for milk.
Eggs. Large eggs bind everything together and provide the moisture for the baking mix. Beat them before adding the other ingredients so you do not have to work the finished batter hard to break up streaks of egg.
Cheddar. Sharp cheddar brings a little more flavor, but mild cheddar is fine too. Shredding a block gives you softer strands that mix easily into the batter. Packaged shredded cheddar is also an option when you want to keep prep short.
Brown the sausage first
Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it apart with a spoon as it browns. Keep going until there is no pink left and the larger pieces have cooked through. Pour off the excess fat, then let the crumbles cool for a few minutes while you prepare the pan. They can be warm when you mix them in; they should not be sizzling hot.
Draining is a small step that makes a noticeable difference here. Extra sausage grease can leave oily pockets in the muffins. You do not need to rinse the meat or squeeze it completely dry, just leave the pooled fat in the skillet.
Give the muffin cups a good coating
Heat the oven to 350°F and grease all twelve cups of a standard muffin pan. Coat the bottoms and sides, including the upper edges where the cheese may bake against the metal. Nonstick spray, softened butter, or a thin brushing of oil will do the job. This recipe uses the greased pan directly, without paper liners.
Mix the batter in two passes
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the Bisquick and cheddar, then stir just until the dry mix is moistened. The mixture will be fairly thick, with little strands of cheese showing through it. A spoon works well once the baking mix goes in; there is no reason to bring out an electric mixer.
Fold in the drained sausage, scraping around the sides and bottom of the bowl so the crumbles are evenly distributed. Stop when everything is combined. This is a chunky, spoonable mixture rather than a smooth cake batter, so resist adding milk to thin it out.
From the bowl to the oven
Divide the batter between the twelve prepared cups, aiming for about three-quarters full. A spoon or small scoop makes this easier. If the last few cups have less sausage than the first ones, give the bowl a gentle stir as you portion. Spread out any large clumps without pressing the batter down firmly.
Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes. Start checking toward the end of that range: the tops should look set, the edges should be lightly golden, and the centers should feel firm rather than wobbling. Oven temperatures and muffin pans vary, so use those signs along with the clock. Give them another minute or two if the centers still look wet.
Let the muffins sit in the pan for a few minutes. That short pause helps them hold together when you lift them out. Loosen around each cup gently with a thin spatula, then move the muffins to a rack or serving plate. They are especially good while the cheddar is still warm.
A tender middle, with plenty of sausage
When you split one open, the crumb should be cooked through and moist, with sausage and cheddar tucked into it. These muffins are naturally fairly dense because there is so much filling and only a little baking mix. A low top is normal. A wet, loose center needs more oven time; an oily bottom usually points back to sausage that needed a better draining.
Make a breakfast plate of it
Serve a couple of muffins with fresh fruit, sliced tomatoes, or a simple side of roasted potatoes. Since the sausage and cheese bring plenty of flavor, the other dishes can stay simple. For a bigger breakfast spread, try the Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole or Sausage Hashbrown Casserole.
If you would rather serve breakfast by the slice, the Make-Ahead Sausage Casserole is another option for a table full of people.
A few questions before you bake
Can I use turkey breakfast sausage?
Yes. Choose ground turkey breakfast sausage rather than unseasoned ground turkey, and cook it before adding it to the batter. Drain any excess liquid as well as fat so the mixture does not become wetter than intended.
Should I add salt?
The sausage, cheddar, and baking mix already contain salt, so extra salt is not part of the four-ingredient recipe. Choose a sausage you enjoy on its own. A little black pepper is optional if you like a peppery breakfast muffin.
Can I make them in a mini muffin pan?
A mini pan will need a shorter baking time and will produce a different number of muffins. The timing in the recipe card is for twelve standard muffins. For the simplest result, use that pan size and fill the cups about three-quarters full.
Sausage Muffins with Bisquick recipe
Sausage Muffins with Bisquick
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground breakfast sausage any flavor
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup Bisquick Baking Mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottoms, sides, and upper edges of all 12 cups in a standard muffin pan.
- Cook the breakfast sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it into small crumbles, until browned and cooked through with no pink remaining. Drain the excess fat and let the sausage cool for a few minutes.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the Bisquick baking mix and shredded cheddar, then stir just until the dry mix is moistened.
- Stir the cooked, drained sausage into the batter until the crumbles are evenly distributed. The mixture will be thick and chunky; do not add milk.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops and centers are set and the edges are lightly golden. The centers should not wobble or look wet. If needed, bake for another minute or two and check again.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes. Gently loosen the edges with a thin spatula, then lift the muffins onto a rack or serving plate.
- Serve warm. The inside should be cooked through, tender, and full of sausage and cheddar. A modest rise and a substantial, egg-rich crumb are normal for these muffins.
