Air Fryer Sausage

Cooking sausage links in the air fryer couldn't be easier! With a few tips to keep in mind, juicy, golden-brown sausages can be on the table or used in recipes in no time. This works with raw, fully-cooked, and frozen sausages alike.

Who doesn't love a one ingredient "recipe"?

While I've typically gravitated toward using a skillet or a grill, knowing how to cook sausages in the air fryer is a kitchen tip that really comes in handy. In under 15 minutes of cook time, you'll have golden-brown sausages with crisp skin and a juicy interior that are ready to eat a variety of different ways. There's no need to babysit them on the stovetop, continuously flip, etc.

I've tested out several types of sausages here, from raw pork Italian sausages to fully-cooked chicken sausages (both thawed and frozen). It all works!

Easy Steps

1. Spray basket with non-stick cooking spray. Place whole sausage links on the basket, leaving space between each one.

Don't prick the sausages with a fork, as this will cause extra juices and fat to leak out. This will negatively impact the flavor and also potentially cause a bit of smoking as excess hot juices hit the drip tray.

2. Air fry at 375°F (190°C) for 10-12 minutes, flipping the sausages over halfway through, or until the minimum food safety temperature for your particular sausage variety has been reached. Serve right away.

Tips and Tricks

• Know the temperature. Using an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature is the best way to know exactly when your air fryer sausage links are fully cooked. Here are the USDA guidelines for sausages containing the following.
  • Raw pork/beef: 160°F
  • Raw chicken/turkey: 165°F
  • Fully-cooked: Follow packaging guidance, often 165°F.
• Your mileage may vary. All air fryer models cook a little differently, so the timing listed here may not be exact, especially when accounting for a variety of sausage types. You may need a few extra minutes of cook time. Again, using an instant-read thermometer takes all of the guesswork out of knowing when your sausages are done.
• More fat = more "steam". Air frying sausages with a higher fat content, such as raw pork sausages, can lead to more steam/light smoke as the fat drips onto the tray beneath the air fryer basket. To mitigate, line the bottom of your tray with a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom surface. Make sure it is weighed down by the basket and no part of it hangs over as this can risk fire if it touches a heating element.

Ways to Eat Air Fryer Sausage

Typical of most sausages, the longer the air fryer sausage links sit after they've been cooked the wrinklier they appear. This is normal. Here are ways we love to use cooked sausages.

• In a fresh bakery roll with sautéed peppers and onions. Like a bare bones Italian sausage and peppers.
• Sliced up and added to pasta, such as smoked sausage fra diavolo, weeknight chicken sausage pasta, or creamy pumpkin pasta when cooking apple chicken sausages.
• Combined with pan-toasted gnocchi in a maple sausage gnocchi skillet (delicious with maple chicken sausage links).
• With an egg and potatoes, à la this egg and sausage breakfast scramble.
• Wrapped in crescent roll dough for supersized air fryer pigs in a blanket.

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