Sausage nutrition varies substantially by style. In USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy records published on April 1, 2019, energy ranges from 255 kcal per 100 g for meatless sausage to 379 kcal for blood sausage. Sodium ranges from 680 to 911 mg per 100 g across the listed products, while protein ranges from 11.98 to 20.28 g.
Contents
- Calories and protein
- Fat, carbohydrates, and fiber
- Sodium, potassium, and phosphorus
- Iron, calcium, and zinc
- B vitamins
- Vitamin D and style-specific differences
All figures below are reported per 100 g, so they can be compared on the same basis. The records are legacy USDA entries; their publication date and record status are retained here rather than treated as newly measured values.
Calories and protein
The five records show that sausage style affects both energy density and protein content. The USDA lists smoked link pork sausage at 309 kcal per 100 g and smoked pork-and-beef link sausage at 320 kcal. Polish pork sausage is listed at 326 kcal, blood sausage at 379 kcal, and meatless sausage at 255 kcal.
The same records list 11.98 g protein per 100 g for smoked link pork sausage. Smoked pork-and-beef link sausage contains 12 g, while Polish pork sausage contains 14.1 g. Blood sausage contains 14.6 g, and meatless sausage contains 20.28 g protein per 100 g.
| Sausage style | Energy (kcal/100 g) | Protein (g/100 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Smoked link pork | 309 | 11.98 |
| Blood sausage | 379 | 14.6 |
| Meatless | 255 | 20.28 |
| Smoked pork-and-beef link | 320 | 12 |
| Polish pork | 326 | 14.1 |
Sources: USDA smoked link pork sausage record, USDA blood sausage record, USDA meatless sausage record, USDA smoked pork-and-beef link record, and USDA Polish pork sausage record. Each is a USDA FoodData Central API record from the SR Legacy data referenced above.
The meatless entry is the highest-protein record in this comparison at 20.28 g per 100 g, and it also has the lowest listed energy value at 255 kcal. The blood sausage entry has the highest listed energy value at 379 kcal. These are differences between named database records, not a universal ranking of every sausage sold under those descriptions.
Fat, carbohydrates, and fiber
Total fat is highest in the blood sausage record at 34.5 g per 100 g. Smoked pork-and-beef link sausage contains 28.73 g, Polish pork sausage contains 28.72 g, and smoked link pork sausage contains 28.23 g. The meatless sausage entry contains 18.16 g total fat.
The USDA lists carbohydrate by difference at 0.94 g per 100 g for smoked link pork sausage, 1.29 g for blood sausage, 2.42 g for smoked pork-and-beef link sausage, and 8.09 g for meatless sausage. A carbohydrate-by-difference value is the database measure supplied for these records; it is not a separate measurement of a particular carbohydrate ingredient.
Only the meatless record in the supplied comparison includes a dietary-fiber figure: 2.8 g per 100 g. The available figures therefore support a direct fiber statement for that record, but not a complete fiber ranking among all five styles.
| Sausage style | Total fat (g/100 g) | Carbohydrate by difference (g/100 g) | Fiber (g/100 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoked link pork | 28.23 | 0.94 | Not supplied |
| Blood sausage | 34.5 | 1.29 | Not supplied |
| Meatless | 18.16 | 8.09 | 2.8 |
| Smoked pork-and-beef link | 28.73 | 2.42 | Not supplied |
| Polish pork | 28.72 | Not supplied | Not supplied |
Sources: USDA smoked link pork sausage, USDA blood sausage, USDA meatless sausage, USDA smoked pork-and-beef link sausage, and USDA Polish pork sausage.
The supplied records do not include a carbohydrate-by-difference figure for Polish pork sausage, so it is left unfilled rather than inferred. Likewise, the absence of a listed fiber value for the other four records should not be read as proof that they contain no fiber.
Sodium, potassium, and phosphorus
Sodium values are substantial across all five records. Smoked pork-and-beef link sausage has 911 mg per 100 g, the highest listed amount. Meatless sausage has 888 mg, Polish pork sausage has 876 mg, and smoked link pork sausage has 827 mg. Blood sausage has the lowest listed sodium value at 680 mg per 100 g.
Potassium varies more widely. Smoked link pork sausage contains 483 mg per 100 g. Meatless sausage contains 231 mg, smoked pork-and-beef link sausage contains 179 mg, and blood sausage contains 38 mg. The supplied data do not provide a potassium value for Polish pork sausage.
Phosphorus values are supplied for four records, but not smoked pork-and-beef link sausage in the main mineral grouping. Smoked link pork sausage contains 157 mg per 100 g. In the style-specific records, meatless sausage contains 225 mg, Polish pork sausage contains 136 mg, smoked pork-and-beef link sausage contains 121 mg, and blood sausage contains 22 mg.
The sodium, potassium, and phosphorus figures describe the named database entries on a 100 g basis. They do not account for differences in serving size, preparation, added condiments, or other foods served with sausage.
Iron, calcium, and zinc
Blood sausage has the highest listed iron value in the supplied records at 6.4 mg per 100 g. Meatless sausage contains 3.72 mg, while Polish pork sausage contains 1.44 mg. Iron values were not supplied for smoked link pork sausage or smoked pork-and-beef link sausage in the comparison data.
Calcium is reported for two styles. Meatless sausage contains 63 mg per 100 g, compared with 12 mg in smoked pork-and-beef link sausage. The supplied facts do not provide calcium values for smoked link pork sausage, blood sausage, or Polish pork sausage.
Zinc is available for all five records. Polish pork sausage contains 1.93 mg per 100 g. Meatless sausage contains 1.46 mg, blood sausage contains 1.3 mg, smoked link pork sausage contains 1.31 mg, and smoked pork-and-beef link sausage contains 1.26 mg.
| Nutrient | Highest supplied value | Lowest supplied value | Records represented |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron | Blood sausage, 6.4 mg | Polish pork sausage, 1.44 mg | 3 |
| Calcium | Meatless sausage, 63 mg | Smoked pork-and-beef link, 12 mg | 2 |
| Zinc | Polish pork sausage, 1.93 mg | Smoked pork-and-beef link, 1.26 mg | 5 |
Sources: USDA blood sausage, USDA meatless sausage, USDA Polish pork sausage, USDA smoked link pork sausage, and USDA smoked pork-and-beef link sausage.
The comparison table uses only nutrients for which the supplied records support a highest and lowest value within the displayed set. A missing value is not converted into zero, and the table should not be used as a complete mineral profile for any product.
B vitamins
Thiamin values range from 0.212 mg per 100 g in smoked link pork sausage to 2.343 mg in meatless sausage. Polish pork sausage contains 0.502 mg. These are the three thiamin values supplied for the comparison.
Niacin is listed at 2.807 mg per 100 g for smoked link pork sausage, 11.195 mg for meatless sausage, and 3.443 mg for Polish pork sausage. The meatless record therefore has the largest supplied niacin value among these three entries.
Folate is reported at 1 microgram per 100 g for blood sausage and 26 micrograms for meatless sausage. The two values come from records with different sausage styles, and no additional folate values were supplied for the other entries.
Vitamin B-12 is listed at 0.66 microgram per 100 g for smoked link pork sausage and 0.98 microgram for Polish pork sausage. The meatless sausage record lists 0 micrograms of vitamin B-12 per 100 g. These record-specific values do not establish that every meatless sausage has the same B-12 content.
Sources: USDA smoked link pork sausage, USDA meatless sausage, USDA Polish pork sausage, and USDA blood sausage.
Vitamin D and style-specific differences
Vitamin D is listed at 1.1 micrograms per 100 g for smoked link pork sausage and smoked pork-and-beef link sausage. Blood sausage contains 1.3 micrograms per 100 g. No vitamin D figure was supplied for meatless or Polish pork sausage.
The supplied records also show a narrow range for vitamin C where values are available: smoked link pork sausage contains 0 mg per 100 g, while Polish pork sausage contains 1 mg. These are the only vitamin C values in the provided comparison.
Additional phosphorus figures reinforce how incomplete a single-style generalization can be. Blood sausage contains 22 mg per 100 g, meatless sausage contains 225 mg, Polish pork sausage contains 136 mg, and smoked pork-and-beef link sausage contains 121 mg. The smoked link pork record lists 157 mg.
Taken together, the records describe distinct nutritional profiles rather than one average sausage. The meatless entry has the lowest listed calories and fat, the highest listed protein, carbohydrate-by-difference, fiber, calcium, thiamin, and niacin values among the records where those nutrients are supplied. Blood sausage has the highest listed calories, total fat, and iron, while smoked pork-and-beef link sausage has the highest listed sodium. Those comparisons apply only to the named USDA SR Legacy records published on April 1, 2019, and should be checked against current packaging when choosing a particular product.