Best Andouille Sausage & Best Chicken Andouille Sausage [Taste Test]

The best andouille sausage is spicy, snappy, and meaty. It belongs in gumbo, jambalaya, or even on an amped-up breakfast plate. Luckily, you don’t have to live in Louisiana to get great andouille. You can find some of the best andouille sausage brands nationwide at the grocery store, including real Cajun-style andouille sausage and chicken andouille sausage.

We gathered up all the andouille sausages we could find (including chicken andouille sausage), sliced it, cooked it, and tasted it. We looked for snappy casings, punchy flavors, and meat that had a hand-ground texture. We didn’t want andouille with the texture of a hot dog. And, after our initial taste test and ranking, we consulted the comments and sourced some of the brands you called out (yes, Holmes made the list) as well as a few others that you’ll see in the mix.

Whether you just like spicy sausage (don’t worry, there’s a mild andouille sausage on this list, too) or you want to throw an absolutely killer Mardi Gras party, there is an andouille for you. Here’s all the best andouille sausage you can buy.

Best Chicken (Runner-Up)

Let me be upfront: Bilinski’s Chicken Andouille Sausage doesn’t have the snap of other andouilles. That’s because it doesn’t have a casing. Every other chicken andouille sausage on the market has a pork casing. It gives them a nice snap, but it completely defeats the purpose in my opinion. If you eat pork, just eat pork andouille. Chicken andouille is for people who don’t eat pork, so it doesn’t make sense for it to have a pork casing. Bilinski’s chicken andouille sausage tastes delicious! It has a nice spice and great texture. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Chicken Andouille

We didn’t try Whole Foods’ chicken andouille sausage in our initial andouille taste test, but it earned a spot on this ranking after we tried it in our most recent sausage sampling. Like Bilinski’s, it also doesn’t have a casing. But it still somehow has a bit of a snap to it. It has an extremely savory roasted garlic flavor, but it’s the spice that puts it ahead of Bilinski’s chicken andouille sausage. That heat creeps up on you and then sticks around. Chicken sausages are often much more mild than other sausages, but this one doesn’t hold back on the heat.  — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Spicy

I’m just as surprised as you are that Private Selection (aka Kroger brand) makes the spiciest andouille out there, but it’s true! This andouille sausage is nice and spicy. As a spice lover, I would definitely buy this and cook with it. I wanted to cube this up and toss it into a scramble with some green bell pepper, white onion, and jack cheese. It would also be great in more traditional preparations, like gumbo. Be prepared, though. It has a real kick! — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Merc / Ralphs

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Mild

After our initial taste test, you all screamed for us to try Holmes andouille sausage (okay, you politely asked, you’re all very kind and considerate people). And you were right to recommend it. It’s very good. And there’s no doubt that it’s smoked andouille sausage because it is heavy on the smoke. It’s very, very smoky, and that flavor is further complemented by a healthy dose of paprika in the mix. That said, there’s not a lot of spice, so I wouldn’t say it satisfies if you’re looking for that true, Cajun-style andouille sausage experience. But if you’re looking for a mild, flavor-rich sausage to eat for breakfast or mix with some beans and rice, this is one hundred percent the best andouille sausage to buy. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best for Gumbo

I literally do not ever think about Hillshire Farms and I am quickly learning that’s a mistake. Their meat products are good and their andouille sausage is no exception. Hillshire Farms makes some of the best andouille sausage that you can buy at the grocery store outside of New Orleans. It’s heavily seasoned, making it the best andouille sausage for gumbo, because it will stand up to all of the powerful flavors in the dish. It’s a little fatty, but not too fatty. It’s spiced without being super spicy. I think anyone and everyone would like this andouille sausage. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Fra’mani has unseated our original best andouille sausage (Hillshire Farms) to become the new best brand of andouille sausage. It’s superb. Made with coarse-ground pork shoulder, this andouille smoked sausage (it’s smoked over fruit wood) is all about the pure flavor of meat when it meets heat. The meat tastes like it’s of such a high quality, and you can really enjoy the flavor and texture because it’s coarsely ground. And the spice is pure and immediate. The natural casings are snappy and substantial. These andouille sausages taste like something you would get from a fancy Cajun butcher. Enjoy them on their own or cook with them. But if you do use them in a recipe, be sure to try some alone, just so you can really appreciate why this is the best andouille sausage around.  — Justine Sterling

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other andouille brands we tried: Aidells, Good & Gather (Chicken), Johnsonville, Butcher Shop Chicken Andouille, Charcutnuvo Andouille, Butcher Shop Spicy Andouille, Silva Andouille

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