Is breakfast sausage gluten free? It depends. Whilst there are gluten-free sausages that are sold in stores, not all sausages are gluten free. If you manage Celiac Disease, a wheat allergy, or need gluten free foods for a different reason, keep reading, and let’s talk all things sausages.
Gluten-Containing Ingredients to Look Out For
When it comes to store-bought breakfast sausages, and sausages & hot dogs in general, there are several gluten-containing ingredients you’ll want to keep an eye out for when reading the product label. These ingredients include:
- Wheat Flour
- Wheat Starch
- Soy Sauce
- Tamari Sauce
- Malt
- Food Starch
- Caramel Color
- “Spices” or “Seasonings
- BBQ Sauce
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Tarmari
When managing a gluten intolerance or wheat allergy, it’s important to reach out to companies if you see a generic term such as spices as part of the ingredient list. Even if a package says “gluten free” or “certified gluten free”, it’s in your best interest to reach out and check before making the purchase. This is especially true if you’re managing a wheat allergy, rather than a gluten intolerance. You need to ensure that the gluten-free sausages are truly safe for your needs.
Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Sausage Brands
Not all of these brands and types of sausages are available at all grocery stores, so be sure to call ahead. These are brands I’ve personally purchased and make for my kids.
- Gluten Free Chicken Sausage Option: Amylu (I get this at Costco)
- Gluten Free Breakfast Sausage Links: Applegate Farms
- Specialty Breakfast Sausages: Fra’Mani Handcrafted Foods
- Dinner Sausages: Sabatino’s Organic Paleo Chicken Sausage (I get this at Costco)
- Italian Sausage: Charcutnuvo Organic Italian Chicken Sausage
- Beef Hot Dogs: True Story Foods Grass Fed Organic Beef Hot Dogs
- Pork Sausage: Wellshire Farms
Bonus: The Coop Organic – They make a gluten free + beef free corn dog that my kids will do just about anything for. Yes, they’re that delicious.
Many of these brands sell a range of products including other shapes like sausage patties. Additionally, brands can change at any time, and they don’t have to write me a letter about it. Always, always, always do your due diligence. Don’t just look at one product, but look at all of the sausages a brand sells.
It’s common for a brand to have a few gluten free products, but then have several with gluten-containing ingredients. You need to reach out, ask about cross-contact, and so on.
I’m sure there are more allergy friendly and gluten free sausage brands out there, but these are the ones I can personally vouch for. I’d suggest checking the Spokin App for more leads.
Tips for Purchasing Gluten-Free Sausages
Sausages can come in a range of different meat options, but will generally be made of ground meat, spices, and a casing. Where you’ll run into trouble is filler ingredients, flavouring agents, the “2% or less than ingredients”, and so on. Here are some general tips that have helped me as I hunt for good food for my kids.
Look for brands that use organic and natural meats. This doesn’t always guarantee the product(s) will be gluten free, but it’s a good start.
Avoid products that have a long list of ingredients. Personally, once I see you have more than 10 – 12 ingredients, I usually walk away. The exception is if there are a lot of individual spices listed. In that case, I’d count the spices as one ingredient, then see what’s left.
Making Gluten Free Breakfast Sausage at Home
If for some reason you’re unable to purchase gluten free breakfast sausages in your area, or perhaps you have less common allergies and need to make your own at home, you can totally do that. The best part about making sausages at home is that you can totally customize the ingredients to your needs and preferences.
Additionally, you have the freedom to make sausages that aren’t common in grocery stores such as chicken breakfast sausage (it’s usually made with ground pork). If you’re new to making foods like these at home, here’s how you can reverse engineer.
Look at an ingredient label of something that looks interesting to you. In the case of sausages, the main ingredient (the meat) should be the bulk of the weight. If the package is for 12 ounces/335g, start with that much meat. Then, look at the list of spices. You’ll see things like salt, nutmeg, ginger, paprika (bell pepper derived), rosemary, marjoram, and so on.
With the spices you can have, use them. To determine how much to use, it’s a bit of a guessing game, but one that you can play well. Legally, ingredient labels are listed in order of weight. The main ingredient will be the first ingredient. Everything else will go down in weight. Once you get to salt and spices, you can generally assume in a 12 ounce/335g package, it’s 1 teaspoon of salt. Every spice thereafter will be 1 teaspoon or less (usually less).
If I saw salt, paprika, ginger, sugar, black pepper, I’d use:
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 3/4 tsp Smoked Paprika (adds extra flavour)
- 1/2 tsp Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- pinch Black Pepper
Now, this is totally a hypothetical, but hopefully it helps you better understand the process. You can also follow a recipe for gluten free breakfast sausage. I’m told that this recipe tastes just like traditional breakfast sausage. It’s not only gluten free, but refined sugar free, top 9 free, and top 14 free.
Answering Your Gluten Free Breakfast Sausage Questions
Should I be concerned if the sausages are made on shared equipment with gluten?
Each person that follows a strict gluten-free diet will have a different tolerance level when it comes to gluten. For some, shared equipment isn’t an issue, and for others, it can land them in hospital.
In addition to that, I’ve found that approximately 30% of people with food allergies self-report that they can’t eat food made on shared equipment with their allergen. If you fall into this category, you should absolutely be concerned that the sausages have been made on shared equipment.
Either way, I always suggest reaching out to companies and asking them about their manufacturing practices, ingredient sourcing, and so on. This will allow you to determine if a product is truly safe for you.
If the sausages are certified gluten-free, does that mean they’re made on gluten free equipment?
No, if you see certified gluten-free products, that doesn’t mean they’ve been made on dedicated gluten free equipment. It also does not indicate a dedicated gluten free facility. Honestly, this is why I don’t give much weight to certifications and choose to contact companies directly to get the complete picture.
I once talked to a company selling gluten free products that were certified GF. Turns out, they made the items on shared equipment with wheat, didn’t disclose it on the label, AND, they only tested once a YEAR for gluten. Let that sink in.
What these companies are allowed to do simply isn’t up to my personal standards, which is why you won’t see me promoting a LOT of brands and products.
Will gluten ingredients be called out as an allergen on an ingredient label?
Here in the United States, no, the ingredients list doesn’t need to call out gluten-containing ingredients as a potential allergen, with the exception of wheat. Here, we have the top 9 allergens (wheat, milk, egg, soy, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shell fish, and sesame). However, in Europe and other select countries, they use the top 14 allergens.
In those countries, one of their allergens is “gluten containing grains including wheat, rye, barley, and oat”. In their case, yes, gluten ingredients would be called out as an allergen or in a “contains statement”.
Do fresh sausages contain gluten-containing ingredients?
Yes, some fresh sausages will contain gluten and/or wheat. Generally speaking, fresh sausages contain the same types of ingredients as frozen sausages. Each brand and product will be different. Your first line of defense will be to read the ingredient list, and from there, reach out to the brand to make sure their sausages will be safe for you to try.
Will the casing on a ground pork sausage contain gluten?
When it comes to sausage products that are in a casing, it’s really rare to see gluten or wheat as an ingredient in the casing. You’re more likely to see beef, pork, and lamb as the casing ingredient. Some brands such as Sabatino’s use a collagen based casing, but it will still be gluten and wheat free. Remember, when in doubt, reach out to the company and ask for the details.
Do I need to do anything special to cook gluten free breakfast sausage?
Generally speaking, no. Let’s say regular sausages call for you to cook the sausages on medium heat or medium-high heat. Gluten free sausages will be coked at the same temperature. The cook time may be different by a minute or two, but nothing drastic.
When in doubt, read the package instructions. From there, check on your sausages on to two minutes sooner than what the package indicates, just to be sure. You can use an instant read meat thermometer to make sure you’ve hit the proper internal temperature. This is the thermometer I use.
