Bacon Or Pork Sausage: Which Packs More Protein Per Serving?

Bacon and pork sausage are easy ways to get more protein at breakfast, but despite both being made from pork, they don't have the same amount of protein. In most cases, breakfast sausage will have more protein than bacon. There are a range of bacon and sausage products on the market, but a two-slice serving of standard bacon (not thick-cut or turkey bacon) has around 6 grams of protein, while three pork sausage links contain around 11 grams.

Not all bacon and sausage is made the same way though, so the protein amounts could vary based on brand, ingredients, and suggested serving size. For this comparison, Chowhound looked at original-cut bacon and original-flavored pork breakfast sausage — which is different from standard pork sausage — from the same brand (Bowl & Basket from ShopRite) to help get the most accurate comparison. It appears that shape might matter in terms of serving size, too — Bowl & Basket's breakfast sausage patties have two more grams of protein per serving than its breakfast sausage links, or 13 grams total.

There are multiple types of bacon on the market, but the comparison should be made between standard-cut bacon and standard sausage. If you're someone who prefers another type — such as thick-cut bacon — then you can expect the protein amount to differ. At only 4 grams per serving, thick-cut bacon has less protein per serving than the standard-cut variety. This could be because a serving of thick-cut bacon is only one slice (or about 12 grams), while a serving of standard-cut bacon is two slices (or about 17 grams). If you prefer center-cut bacon, you'll get around 5 grams of protein per serving.

Turkey bacon is another popular type of bacon that's a common substitute because it has fewer calories and less fat than classic pork bacon. However, you won't get any additional protein here, with it offering the same 6 grams as standard-cut pork bacon per serving (note that the serving size is one slice or 28 grams, however). None of the three bacon types come close to the amount in pork sausage though, so if you're looking for a protein boost at breakfast, stick with sausage.