Skinless Longganisa with a delicious medley of sweet, savory, and garlicky flavors you’ll love. Serve these Filipino pork sausages with garlic fried rice and sunny side eggs for a hearty and tasty breakfast meal!
My daughter is coming down from Northern California this weekend to visit, so I thought I would prepare her favorite skinless longganisa and have a few packs ready for her to bring back home.
Unfortunately, she didn’t take after me the love for cooking, and now that she lives miles away, she mostly dines out or orders in. I am sure having these Filipino sausages in the freezer will come in handy when she’s craving a quick and easy home-cooked meal.
And since I was making them anyway, I thought I might as well take a few in-process photos and update this post I first published in 2013. I hope you find the tips helpful.
What is Skinless Longganisa?
Skinless longganisa is a version of the native Filipino sausage usually made of ground pork, garlic, and spices. However, instead of stuffing into hog casings, the pork mixture is wrapped in wax paper or plastic film to maintain shape.
Its taste is mostly sweet and garlicky like hamonado but “hot” varieties are also common with added copious amounts of ground pepper.
How Do You Make Skinless Longganisa
Skinless longganisa are so easy to make, you’ll have a big batch ready in a cinch. It’s just a matter of mixing the ground pork, minced garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl until fully incorporated.
- Good sausage needs fat as well as lean meat for flavor and juiciness. You can add 1/2 pound of ground pork fat to 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground pork or you can’t find pork fat, use 2 pounds of ground pork with good fat marbling.
- I don’t usually use extenders or binders such as flour or breadcrumbs, but I recently learned a “magic” ingredient that keeps the longanisa super moist and tender and that is corn starch! Dissolve the 2 tablespoons of corn starch in 3 to 4 tablespoons water and add to the pork. Chill the meat mixture for about 30 minutes before shaping and wrapping. The corn starch slurry will act as a tenderizer, much like in velveting, and will keep the sausages soft and juicy.
- Want variety? Swap ground chicken or ground beef for the pork!
- The most time-consuming part of the preparation, in my opinion, is shaping the pork sausage into thin logs and wrapping in wax paper. Cut the paper in even lengths and use as a guideline when forming the longganisa for uniform sizes.
- If you want to skip the tedious individual wrapping, spread the longanisa mixture into about a 1/2-inch thick layer on a sheet of wax paper, cut into sizes with a knife or a pizza cutter, and then place another wax paper sheet on top of the mixture to cover.
Arrange the wrapped sausages in resealable bags and they should keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. I suggest labeling the bag or container with the packing date so you’ll know until when they’ll be good for.
How to Cook Longganisa
You can thaw the pork longganisa for a few hours or cook frozen.
- Peel the wrapper and in a wide pan, arrange the sausage in a single layer. Add about 1/2 cup of water to cover them halfway.
- Over medium heat, bring to simmer and cover. Cook until most of the liquid is reduced and pork is cooked through.
- Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and continue to cook, uncovered and stirring regularly, until lightly browned and caramelized.
Serve these sweet sausages with garlic fried rice and sunny side up eggs for a classic Filipino breakfast called Longsilog.
I love this hearty meal with a side of chopped tomatoes for a pop of fresh flavor but spiced vinegar dip is also a traditional accompaniment. My pickled atchara will be delicious here, too!
Skinless Longganisa
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Equipment
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine ground pork, ground pork fat, sugar, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- In a bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Stir until smooth and add to pork mixture. Mix until well-distributed.
- Cover and refrigerate pork mixture for about 30 minutes.
- On an individual sheet of wax paper, spoon about 1 tablespoon of pork mixture and form into a log. Roll and wrap tightly.
- Repeat until all the mixture is shaped and wrapped. Arrange sausages in a ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze.
- To cook, remove wax paper. In a wide pan over medium heat, arrange skinless longganisa in a single layer and add enough water to cover sausages halfway.
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until most of the water is reduced and sausages are cooked through.
- Add the oil and cook, turning as needed, until longganisa are lightly browned and caramelized.
- Remove from pan and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I already tried some longganisa recipe in other sites and those recipes can’t satisfy my tastes. Hopefully your recipe is the one that i’ve been looking for. I already tried the recipe of your baked macaroons and it was so delicious, i’m sure that this recipe is also 100% delicious. I’ll give it a try soon and hopefully i could post it here.
Oh my, the pressure 🙂 I hope you like it!
Taste is just perfect. Thank you so much for sharing! ❤️
Thank you for the feedback. I am glad you liked the recipe 🙂
My kids love it. Simple and easy to make recipe. Thank u.
I’m glad your kids liked it, Elenor!
Hi Lalaine this is a very good recipe. But lately I haven’t receive any recipe from you .what happened? Hope to hear from you again. Minda O
Hello Luzviminda,
Thank you so much for checking in. I really appreciate it. 🙂
I am sorry I haven’t been posting regularly. I was in the middle of launching another blog and I was kind of over my head with the work involved. I do have a few recipes I will be posting so I hope you check them out 🙂
Thanks again!
Hi Lalaine,
Thanks a lot for sharing your recipe. My kids love it so much.
Regards, Girlie
You’re welcome. The kids are the best critics, I am glad they like them 🙂
yung measurement ng brown sugar – kelangan ba packed (like in baking) or not necessarily? thanks.
Hi Erica,
No, hindi packed 🙂
Mmmmmm…..yum. This looks totally amazing. I’m just starring at the screen looking at how delicious they look.
Thank you! I hope you give the recipe a try 🙂
wow, i better try your recipe 😋
Please do 🙂
Hi! How long does this last when its frozen? Thanks
It would keep in the freezer up to 3 months. 🙂
Hi po. Can I make this without the sugar?
I suppose you can but the flavor, of course, would be different.
Hi! I love this recipe! Its simple and taste great! 🙂
Thank you!
Hi! Can i use ground beef?
Yes, you can but the texture might be different, just make sure to use ground beef with a good percent of fat so the longganisa will come out moist and juicy.
I tried it already and it tastes great with ground beef. My kids loved it too. Thank you so much for this recipe! I also want to try it with chicken. Do you think the breast part will do?
Glad to hear it worked well. I am going to try beef next time 🙂
Made this for my parents and grandma and they liked it. I reduced the sugar, salt, and amount of added fat, but my pork longganisa still came out very tasty. Thank you for this recipe! I’ll be making these now instead of buying longganisa from the supermarket.
Thank you for the feedback, Hannah! I am glad everyone liked it. Homemade is always better 🙂
I was craving for Longganisa when I stumbled on your site. Just made this and I would say it is very tasty! I lessened salt though and add a teaspoon of worstershire! Thank you !
Thank you so much, Anita, for your feedback. I am glad you liked the longganisa. Homemade is always better 🙂
I am going to try your tip of adding Worcestershire sauce. I am sure it will add better flavor.
Can you make this with ground chicken?
I’ve never tried it personally but I don’t see why you can’t substitute chicken. Just use dark meat (thighs or legs) so you’ll get a little bit of fat and flavor.
Just made chicken longganisa the other day and fried it up this morning and it was delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for the feedback, Sharon. I am glad you enjoyed them, nothing beats homemade 🙂
IM Planning to have a mini carinderia early this coming month so I check this site and its seems like I finally found the recipes im looking for.😊Tnx for this
A new business! How exciting! am glad the recipes here will be of help to you.
Wish you all te best.
Hi po ilang days po ba magtatagal yung skinless longganisa pag nakarefrigerate PO siya thanks
Mga 2 to 3 days lang for food safety. Freeze mo so it was last longer, a month or two.
Hi Lalaine,
A question about freezing skinless sausages…do they retain their firmness when you freeze them, or does freezing make them more likely to crumble and fall apart when you cook them?
Also, I like my sausages a bit more ‘chunky’, rather than very finely minced – do ‘chunky’ sausages retain their firmness as well as finely minced sausages?
Many thanks!
Hello Andy,
Freezing the sausages actually helps them retain shape and keep from falling apart. I usually thaw for a few minutes just so I can peel off the wax paper but I fry them frozen.
Hello, how long can it stay in the freezer? T
It should be ok for a few months. Usually, depending on the temperature of your freezer, meat last for 6 months. That is if consistent yung temperature sa freezer at hindi bukas sara which can drop the temp.
hi pwedi koba mahingi yung recipes ng longanisa at skinles gusto ko sana ma try para sa pamily ko thanks
Nasa recipe card ang recipe 🙂
Hi Lalaine, can I use extra lean ground pork for this? Without the additional fat?
Thank you!
Hello Candy
Yes, you can but please note that the extra fat makes the longganisa juicier and more flavorful.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, i made it for dinner and my kids loved it! Its so easy to prepare
Thanks for the feedback, Fel. I am glad the kiddos enjoyed the longganisa. Make a huge batch, they keep well in the freezer. 🙂
I want to try this..after mixing all ingredients pde ko ba sya ilagay sa freezer overnight and then ilagay ko sa hog casing?
I want to try this..how many times na po ako gumawa ng longganisa pero hndi po sya nabubuo. Balak ko pa naman gawin business ang longganisa.
Hi Lalaine,
Thank you for this recipe. Really yummy and very easy!
The whole family loved it.
Can’t wait to try the other recipes.
Thanks, Carol, for the feedback. Skinless longanisa is really easy to make and keeps well in the freezer for months, too. I like making a big batch and storing them for days I want a quick, yummy breakfast. 🙂
This is a very simple and delicious recipe. I tried it with a fourth of the ingredients and less the fat. We loved the taste. Thank you for sharing this!
You’re welcome, Diana. These skinless longganisa freeze well, too. I always double the batch for days when I want a fast breakfast treat 🙂
can i use chicken?
hi, can you use ground turkey instead? =)
Yes, you can. Just use ground turkey with a higher percent of fat so the longganisa will be moist and not tough. Enjoy!
super thanks for this recipe!!! i finally decided to try this one yesterday, after bookmarking it when I first saw it and SUCCESS!!! even my office colleague loved it! I have shared your recipe & website to her (hope you don’t mind)… Your site is my go-to for recipes or when I’m in the mood for cooking. Been planning to do this as baon-breakfast for my kids. Thanks to you, I saved some of my grocery budget following your recipe — I realized it’s so easy and I can actually control the ingredients added (no preservatives and less sugar), compared to the commercial ones.
I always have these longganisa in my fridge. They are so easy to make and far cheaper than the commercial ones. Thanks, Carmela, for the feedback 🙂
Hi Lalaine,
Thanks for sharing your recipe, I have a question about preparing the ingredients. I followed all the steps but Iit always gives me same result, lagi kasi nadudurog ang longganisa when I’m prying it. DId I missed something? What is usually the cause of this? Need for your advise. My Kids really love its taste but I’m not happy with how I cook it.
Thank you
Hello Leila
Make sure to freeze the longganisa after you make the logs. Make sure very firm pa siya when you fry para hindi madurog. Thaw only just enough to peel the wax paper na balot. Occasionally, I add a little bit of water sa pan (about half a cup) at pabayaan maluto ang pork sa low heat. Pag naabsorb ang water at luto na ang sausage, add a little bit of oil and continue to cook for a few more minutes until nagcaramelize na. Hope this helps.
Thanks for you quick response Lalaine, Actually yesterday I made some longganisa and hindi cya nadurog. I don’t know what happen today, I just added a few more flour and a little bit of oil. My kids said the size shrunk thats why I added more flour. Any idea?
THank you so much for your help.
I don’t add flour to the longganisa kaya I am not sure kung ako ang lasa. Just use leaner ground pork, Kasi magshrink talaga pag fry pag mataba ang ginamit na pork. Wag isabay Sa paggiling ang pork fat, tadtarin Lang then add to the lean ground pork para di magshrink.
Thanks Lalaine, I will try this. Will let you know the outcome. Thank you so much, really appreciate it.
You”re very welcome 🙂
It’s me again! I just cooked this today and loved it. My little one who is a picky eater loved it too. Thanks for sharing.
Since I had some sausage casing, I stuffed some them in there. I’ll try it tomorrow and see how it goes.
Hi Cookai
Yehey! I am glad the little one enjoyed mommy’s cooking. Thank you for your comments and feedback, truly appreciated 🙂
It’s gooood! 🙂 So happy, thanks again!
Hello Isis
Thanks for the feedback, I am happy you’re happy 🙂
Greetings from Oz! I’m so excited to try this recipe 🙂 although I’m only going to use lean minced pork, I’m crossing fingers hoping the result would still be as yummy. Thank you for sharing 🙂
hi,
where do u get the ground pork fat?
thanks for your time.
I use the “fat” part of any cut of pork, usually “butt” part has thick strips of fat attached. You can always just use regular ground pork for the recipe. Thanks for the visit, I am glad to answer your cooking questions 🙂