5 Best Sausages in Grocery Stores, According to Chefs
Sausage should have a juicy bite, well-seasoned meat, and a casing that snaps—what you’d typically expect from a butcher shop, where the focus is craft, freshness, and quality.
“A great sausage is one that has a high enough fat content that it is juicy and also has a good seasoning level,” says Brad Baych, Chef / Butcher / Content Creator at Butcher Wizard and author of Primal Cuts: A Butcher’s Guide to Selecting, Preparing, and Perfecting Beef. “The flavor should be aromatic from the spices and slightly salty. Texture matters too—the meat should have a slightly coarse grind so the sausage has character.”
While buying directly from a butcher is ideal, chefs say you can still find store-bought sausage brands that come surprisingly close. According to Chef Andrew Owens, a private chef based in California, these five sausage brands deliver butcher-made flavor—no specialty shop required.
Fra’ Mani
Since 2006, award-winning Fra’ Mani has been delivering crave-worthy meats inspired by the flavors of Italy.
According to Chef Andrew, their sausage is “coarsely ground like the texture you’d find in a true butcher shop.” He explains, “It is fruitwood smoked for deep and complex flavor layers. It has sophisticated spice blends and is juicy with no artificial additives.”
Aidells
Aidells uses all-natural ingredients and combines unique flavors to create standout sausages.
“This sausage has fruits, herbs, garlic with natural casings that deliver an excellent snap; clean,” says Chef Andrew. “It is a minimally processed meat base that tastes elevated and fresh!”
Applegate
For over three decades, Applegate has been delivering organic meats that are humanely raised and no GMOs.
“Their transparent and clean label ingredients have a balanced, porky richness,” says Chef Andrew. “They have a juicy and wholesome flavor without nitrates or fillers.”
Olympia Provisions
Known for their beautiful, European-style charcuterie boards, Olympia Provisions has created a small family-farmer network in the Pacific Northwest where the brand sources humanely raised meat.
“What I love about their sausage is that they use natural casings for a perfect snap,” says Chef Andrew. “They have authentic, rich flavors from careful seasoning and smoking that rival independent butchers.”
Sprouts Farmers Market
With flavors ranging from mild green chile to hot Italian and more, Sprouts is raising the bar for grocery meats. Their in-house butchers hand-cut meat to order, offer custom cuts, and grind fresh sausages daily, providing customers with top-notch household staples.
“Sprouts always makes their sausage fresh in store with no preservatives, nitrates, or antibiotics,” says Chef Andrew. “They use clean, high-quality meat and old-school coarse texture,” He adds, ” Sprouts is health-focused yet flavorful, often compared to custom butcher counter sausages.”