How To Cook Sausage Links In The Oven

Breakfast sausage links in the oven are an easy, hands-off way to cook a full batch at once. I bake raw pork sausage links directly on a sheet pan at 400°F for about 25 minutes, and there’s no need to flip them. The pan gives the bottoms time to brown and caramelize while the sausages cook evenly through the center.

You can also bake the links from frozen, but they need about 5 extra minutes and won’t brown as well because they release more moisture as they cook. For the color you see in these photos, I prefer starting with thawed sausage links.

How To Cook Sausage Links in the Oven

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Arrange the sausage links on a sheet pan. Place the raw breakfast sausage links directly on the pan in a single layer with a little space between them.
3. Bake for about 25 minutes. There’s no need to flip the links. Leaving them in place allows the side touching the pan to brown and caramelize while the sausage cooks through.
4. Check for doneness. The sausage should be cooked through the center with a browned exterior. If using a thermometer, cook raw pork sausage to a safe internal temperature of 160°F.
5. Let them cool briefly before serving.

How Long To Cook Sausage Links in the Oven

Bake raw breakfast sausage links at 400°F for about 25 minutes. That timing worked well for these links and gave them enough time to cook through while developing good browning against the sheet pan.

Frozen sausage links need a little longer in the oven. I cover the timing and the difference in browning below.

For the best color and caramelization, I prefer using thawed sausage links.

Can You Cook Frozen Sausage Links in the Oven?

Yes. You can cook breakfast sausage links straight from frozen at 400°F, but they need about 5 extra minutes compared with thawed links.

The tradeoff is browning. Frozen links release more moisture as they cook, so they tend to look paler and develop less caramelization on the outside. If appearance and browning matter, I prefer thawing them first before baking.

More Sausage Recipes

• Sheet Pan Sausage, Peppers And Onions – Sausage roasted with peppers and onions for an easy sheet-pan dinner.
• Sheet Pan Sausage And Potatoes – A simple oven dinner with sausage links and roasted potatoes.
• Crockpot Sausage, Peppers And Onions – Slow-cooked sausage with tender peppers and onions.
• Air Fryer Italian Sausage – Italian sausage cooked in the air fryer until browned outside and cooked through.
• Air Fryer Chicken Sausage – A quick air fryer method for chicken sausage.
• Air Fryer Smoked Sausage – Smoked sausage cooked in the air fryer for browned edges and an easy meal.