Homemade Irish Sausage with Onion Stout Gravy
These easy, homemade Irish sausage links are made from freshly ground pork, all spice and sage, and paired with a savory, onion stout gravy.
Why I love these homemade irish sausage
Food holidays are my favorite. I could skip Valentine’s Day and the fourth of July, although summer barbecue is never a bad thing. If there’s food involved, I want to celebrate. While I’m not obsessive over it, I do like to make something special each year for St. Patrick’s Day.
I’m not a big fan of corned beef, but I’ll definitely eat it – especially if it’s in taco form. But, I would really have more traditional Irish foods, like Irish stew or Irish shepherd’s pie. This has hands down become my favorite, and I’m going to tell you exactly how to make it – from scratch.
I found the sausage recipe (that I adapted to make healthier) in my dad’s cookbook. But, I was still not 100% convinced that I wanted to use these ingredients until I did a decent amount of research to learn the difference between Irish sausage and British bangers. From what I learned, Irish people don’t actually use the term “bangers” even though it’s commonly used to refer to Irish sausage in America and other non-Irish places in the world.
Don’t forget dessert! Try these Lucky Charms cookie ice cream sandwiches to complete your St. Patrick’s Day meal.
If you like this recipe, you have to try this Hamburger stroganoff, and this Cincinnati chili and this Canadian meat pie.
Searching for more sausage recipes? Sausage and kale soup / Sausage and peppers pasta / Sausage rolls / fennel sausage pasta
Ingredients & substitutions
- Egg – Traditionally Irish sausage should contain egg, this acts as a binder – which is quite helpful since these sausages are made with casing.
- Panko breadcrumbs – Just like the traditional ingredient rusk, panko breadcrumbs will act as a binder and filler in this homemade sausage. Make sure to check your labels, as some breadcrumbs contain hidden dairy.
- Stout beer – I know Guinness is everyone’s go-to for St. Patrick’s Day, but I tried a local coffee stout in this recipe, too and it was fantastic. Either way you want a good, dark beer for your stout gravy.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How do you cook Irish sausage with onion stout gravy?
Combine sausage ingredients. Add all of the sausage ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Separate the sausage mixture into 2-3 ounce portions and shape into links.
You can make your own decision here: links or patties. You could even do meatballs. For looks, I went with the links, but if I make them again, I’ll definitely be doing patties. They take way less time. And, if you make your sausage in advance, this recipe gets super easy.
Brown the sausages. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cook the sausages, turning halfway until browned on all sides and the internal temperature has reached 160˚F.
The amount of time will vary depending on the size/shape you choose, checking the internal temperature is really the best way to know if your sausages are cooked through. Remove the sausages from the skillet, leaving the drippings and set aside.
Make the gravy. Add onions, salt and pepper to the hot skillet. Sauté the onions until they are translucent and tender. Sprinkle flour over the onions, giving them a stir to make sure the flour is distributed well. Pour in the beef broth and beer, whisking until smooth.
Thicken and simmer. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the gravy has thickened. Return the sausages to the pan, allowing them to simmer in the sauce until they have warmed through.
Serve. We had ours with mashed potatoes and we also tried them with baked potatoes (because they don’t make dishes). Both were good. Obviously, the mashed potatoes are way better for having gravy, but it’s your choice.
The peas are a classic choice, but we also had our Irish sausages with my favorite seasonal vegetable – roasted asparagus. Either way, you’ll love these Irish sausages. You honestly won’t find a better choice for St. Patrick’s Day.
Homemade Irish Sausage
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
These easy, homemade Irish sausage links are made from freshly ground pork, all spice and sage, and paired with a savory, onion stout gravy.
Ingredients
For the Irish sausage:
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
For the onion stout gravy:
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups stout beer*
- 1/2 cup beef broth
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine sausage ingredients and mix well.
- Separate meat mixture into 2 – 3 ounce portions and shape into sausage links or patties.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high and brown sausage on all sides. Continue to cook until sausage has reached an internal temperature of 160˚F. Remove from pan and set aside. (Do not drain fat).
- Add onion, salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring frequently, until onions have softened – about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over cooking onions, stirring to coat.
- Pour in beer and broth, whisking to incorporate flour, until smooth. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium.
- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until gravy has thickened.
- Return sausage to pan and bring back to temperature before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 539
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 1534 mg
- Fat: 33.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 12.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.8 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 30.4 g
- Cholesterol: 140.1 mg
I know that many beers and wine do contain dairy as casein is used in the fining process. What brands have you found for beer and wine for cooking that are safe?
I used Guinness. It’s listed as a vegan beer, so I normally use that, but there are quite a few options out there. Try searching – http://www.barnivore.com/search?keyword=stout
I haven’t made this yet but plan to very soon. Who can resist that pic. For those who don’t eat pork this recipe is perfect for subbing ground turkey.
What was the coffee stout that you substituted in the gravy recipe?
I’m sorry, but I just don’t remember because it was so long ago. Really any coffee stout would work though. If you need it to be dairy free, make sure you’re looking that up though, because sometimes they’re made with milk products.
Hi. Why is the an asterisk after the stout beer? Thanks.
Just a reminded to use dairy free beer if you need it. This is a dairy free website, but I realize not all of our readers are dairy free since most of our recipes are naturally dairy free.
First of all, I never comment on recipes I find online. This recipe is just on another level. It captures that Irish pub taste I miss so badly. I made this for my family last night and it is easily one of my family’s favorite dishes now. This will be my go-to St. Patrick’s Day dish from now on.
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that you liked the recipe. It’s one of our favorites, too!
Can you make this a day ahead?
Absolutely! When you’re reheating you might want to add a little bit of liquid to the pan to help the gravy reconstitute.
So delicious
I just searched for “panko breadcrumbs in bangers” and what do you know the best food blog ever popped up – Simply Whisked! Of course when I make these sausages I’ll be using hog casings, can’t wait to try that gravy!
Thanks Melissa 🙂
Nothing Irish about this recipe. Sausages might taste good but not the “real” thing without Mace and some Nutmeg. I’m from Ireland and been making and stuffing my own sausages for years and in order to get them close to what we eat at home, I use Salt, black pepper, white pepper, coriander, mace, nutmeg and a little ginger. Make your own bread crumbs with left over stale bread and add whatever after that depending on if you breakfast or dinner sausages. Slán!
Hi Paddy I’m Irish also. I’M about to attempt to make my own sausages is there a recipe you recommend? I’m going in blind lol
Hello Paddy, I’m Irish living in Canada 33yrs. Can’t find a decent Irish sausage in Toronto. Could you please share your recipe. I’d love to try making my own. Thanks.