I’m not a big fan of McDonalds, except for their breakfast. The Sausage McMuffin to be specific. That said, at $4 each and not the best ingredients, I was inspired to build a grain-free sausage and cheese muffin that has the same vibes but healthier (and cheaper!). It’s an easy meal-prep recipe that quickly reheats in the microwave for a well-balanced easy breakfast.
It took me 8 rounds of testing to perfect the texture. The goal was to create something that was low-glycemic and grain free and wasn’t dry or crumbly. All that testing was worth it to get this text from my husband Ryan:
Quick Look: Sausage Breakfast Muffins
The savory, blood-sugar-friendly alternative to McDonald's breakfast.
⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 25 minutes
⏰ Total Time: 40 minutes
🍽️ Servings: 12 muffins
💪 Protein: 14g per muffin
🌾 Net Carbs: 2g per muffin
🔥 Cook Method: Baked
🥘 Meal Prep Friendly: 5 days fridge, 3 months freezer
🧀 Grain-Free, No Added Sugar
Click to have AI save and analyze this recipe and provide assistance as you go:
What Kind of Sausage To Select
Sausage can refer to a lot of different meat products, but specifically for this recipe you're looking for ground sausage, not the kind in links. I cook it in the skillet and break it up just like ground beef.
I opted for a country pork sausage as that's the flavor that matches the kind in the McMuffin.
However, fell free to riff and make these your own. Italian sausage could be a fun change-up and use mozzarella instead of cheddar, maybe throw some basil in there for a different Italian vibe.
How to Make Grain-Free Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Muffins
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Set your oven to 350°F. Pull out your muffin tin, muffin liners (if using), and a can of non-stick spray. The non-stick spray is technically optional, but they can tend to stick more to the liners without it. If you’re not using liners at all, you definitely need to grease the pan so they don’t get stuck.
Step 2: Brown the sausage
Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up small as you go. Drain on paper towels and let it cool while you mix. Warm sausage going into the batter melts the cheese too early and you lose those melty pockets.
Step 3: Shred the cheddar
Shred the cheddar on the large holes of a box grater. I personally prefer to take the extra step to shred my own because it's cheaper and it melts better since the bagged stuff is treated with potato starch. If you've got bagged, go with it. Still works!
Step 4: Whisk the wet ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, whole milk, and olive oil until smooth and uniform pale yellow.
Step 5: Whisk the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium husk powder, baking soda, and salt if using. Whisking the psyllium into the dry ingredients first keeps it from forming gel pockets when the wet hits.
Step 6: Combine and rest the batter
Add the dry to the wet and stir just until combined, then fold in the cheese and sausage and make sure everything's evenly mixed. The batter will look thick and stiff, almost like soft cookie dough. Then let it rest for about 10 minutes while you clean up the kitchen so that the psyllium husk powder and coconut flour have time to absorb the liquid. This helps prevent crumbly muffins.
Step 8: Portion the batter
Line the muffin tin with tulip liners or muffin liners (or skip 'em altogether) and spray them with baking spray to prevent sticking. I'm personally partial to the tulip liners for muffins because they look fancy and they allow you mound up the batter more easily. Divide the batter between all 12 wells, mounding it up as needed.
Step 9: Bake to 195°F internal
Bake at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes, until tops are golden. I also like to use an instant-read thermometer in the center of a middle muffin near the end to double check. You're looking for 195 to 201°F when they're done. Toothpick tests can mislead with grain-free flours since they don't adhere the same way.
Step 10: Cool and serve
Cool in the pan at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Like most gluten-free, grain-free baked goods, they firm up as they cool, so wait to dig in until they’re fully cooled otherwise they won't hold together well.
Muffin Meal Prep Directions
These are great to make at the start of the week and enjoy for quick breakfasts. I store them in the refrigerator up to 5 days or freezer up to 3 months. As far as reheating:
From the fridge: microwave 20 seconds wrapped in a paper towel
From frozen: microwave 45 seconds wrapped in a paper towel - no need to defrost!
Joanie’s Balanced Bites
These muffins don’t need any additional pairings to keep blood sugar stable because of their balance of macronutrients. They come with 14 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat per muffin, though that will vary based on the sausage you select. But, with only 2 grams of net carbs, thanks to the almond and coconut flour, you can enjoy these without worrying about a spike.
When I have one of these for breakfast, one isn’t quite enough to fill me up personally, so I like to add in some more protein with some eggs or Greek yogurt.
And to ensure I’m getting enough fiber throughout the day, I pair it with things like sliced avocado, berries or a chia parfait.
Grain-Free Sausage Breakfast Muffins (McMuffin Inspired)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Low-Carb
Description
Hearty, grain-free breakfast muffins with a tender almond flour and coconut flour crumb, loaded with country sausage and sharp cheddar. Real protein, real flavor, no flour, no sugar, and a blood-sugar-friendly carb count to match.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (454g) ground country breakfast sausage
- 1 ¾ cups (150g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups (150g) almond flour, finely ground blanched
- ⅓ cup (40g) coconut flour
- 2 tsp psyllium husk powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 3 Large whole eggs
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (200g) milk*
- 2 ½ tbsp (35g) olive oil or avocado oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pull out a 12-cup muffin tin, liners if using, and non-stick spray.
- Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up small as you go. Drain on paper towels and let it cool while you mix up the batter.
- Shred the cheese on the large holes of a box grater if grating your own.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and olive oil until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium husk powder, baking soda, and salt if using. Whisking the psyllium into the dry ingredients first keeps it from forming gel pockets when the wet hits it.
- Add the dry to the wet and stir just until combined, then fold in the drained sausage and cheese until everything's evenly mixed. The batter will look thick and stiff, almost like soft cookie dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes so that the psyllium husk and coconut flour can absorb the liquid, giving the muffins structure and preventing them from turning out crumbly.
- Line the muffin tin with tulip liners (or regular paper liners, or grease the pan well) and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Divide the batter between all 12 wells, filling each about three-quarters full. A large cookie scoop makes this easy and even.
- Bake at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes, until tops are deep golden and an instant-read thermometer in the center of a middle muffin reads 195 to 201°F. Toothpick tests can mislead with grain-free flours.
- Cool in the pan at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. They firm up as they cool, so wait until they're fully cooled before digging in or they'll fall apart.
Notes
Feel free to use any milk you like. I tested this recipe with whole, 2% and almond milk and all performed the same.
Tree nut allergy? Swap the almond flour for 150g tiger nut flour and the coconut flour for 120g cassava flour. The texture will be slightly denser but equally delicious.
Storage. Refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container. Freeze up to 3 months individually wrapped.
Reheating. From the fridge, microwave 20 seconds wrapped in a paper towel. From frozen, microwave 45 seconds wrapped in a paper towel. Times vary by microwave.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 270
- Sugar: 0.7 g
- Sodium: 588.6 mg
- Fat: 18.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.4 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Protein: 13.9 g
- Cholesterol: 96 mg
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!