Fast & Easy Air Fryer Sausage

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Make this quick and easy air fryer sausage today! This easy dinner cooks in just 14 minutes in an air fryer basket or air fryer oven. The air fryer is the best way to cook different kinds of sausages!

Other easy recipes in the air fryer we have made are Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin, air fryer bacon, air fryer frozen pot stickersair fryer grilled cheese, air fryer frozen hash browns, and air fryer frozen chicken nuggets.

A white plate with two air fried sausage.

If you want more air fryer inspiration, be sure to check out my cookbooks: The “I Love My Air Fryer” Comfort Food Recipe Book and The “I Love My Air Fryer” Affordable Meals Recipe Book. Each book includes 175 recipes for the air fryer, including a chapter with tips and tricks for cooking with an air fryer. 

If you also have an instant pot, you will want to pick up my best-selling cookbook: The “I Love My Instant Pot” Affordable Meals Recipe Book.

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❤️Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Cooking sausage in an air fryer makes it come out with crispy skins and juicy meat on the inside. It tastes very similar to sausage cooked on the barbecue.

The main recipe in this post shows how to cook smoked sausage in the air fryer. However, I include cooking times for pork sausage, Italian sausage, and others in the notes section at the bottom.

No matter the type of sausage you decide to cook, your result will be an easy meal with minimal cleanup.

Bonus: the air fryer won’t heat your house like the oven does and you don’t have to stand in front of a hot stove. So pick your favorite sausage and get cooking! 

📋Ingredients

To make air fryer sausage, you’ll need just one simple ingredient: 

Sausage!

We cooked Aidells Smoked Chicken Sausages in our air fryer for this tutorial, but you can also cook breakfast sausage or linguica. Keep in mind that you may need to add a couple of minutes of cooking time if making a larger sausage.

Scroll to the bottom for the complete list of ingredient measurements and printable recipe card.

A plate of cooked sausages next to a striped towel.

📖 Ingredient Swaps

You can use your air fryer to cook many types of sausages. Here are some common sausages you can cook (with cook times): 

Turkey Sausage: Air fry turkey sausage for 6 minutes, until golden brown.

Italian Sausage (hot Italian sausage, mild Italian sausage, or sweet Italian sausage): To cook air fryer Italian sausage, air fry them for a total of 12 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.

Hot Dogs: You will want to air fry hot dogs for 3-5 minutes, until slightly charred but not burnt.

Breakfast Sausage: For uncooked breakfast sausage, cook 6 minutes. For pre-cooked breakfast sausages, just cook them for 3 minutes.

Frozen Sausage Patties: If using a frozen (but pre-cooked) breakfast sausage patty, air fry for 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. Larger and/or thicker sausage patties will need to cook for more time.

🥣Special Equipment

This recipe was tested in a Casori Air Fryer Oven. However, it can be cooked in any brand or type of air fryer. It works in both basket-style and oven-style air fryers.

A meat thermometer is also incredibly helpful when air frying any type of meat.

🔪Step-by-Step Instructions

A white plate holding two smoked sausages with a knife cutting slits in the sausages.
Step 1: Preheat the air fryer to 360ºF. Slice two slits on each side of the sausage.
Two smoked sausages on the tray of an air fryer.
Step 2: Place sausage in the air fryer, in a single layer and spaced 1 inch apart. Air fry for 14 minutes.
Tongs holding a cooked sausage in front of an air fryer tray.
Step 3: Sausage is done when the slits start to pull apart.

👩🏻‍🍳Expert Cooking Tips

Easy Cleanup

When cooking air fryer sausage links, they can leak excess grease into your air fryermaking a big mess. Lining the bottom of your basket with aluminum foil will help tremendously with cleanup.

It’s important to only use aluminum foil where the food is sitting in the air fryer. Do not line the bottom of the basket or oven with foil. 

Alternatively, you can use parchment paper. Make sure it doesn’t lift higher on the sides than your food. Amazon even sells individual pieces of parchment designed to fit in an air fryer. 

The best part of using parchment or foil is gathering it up and throwing away the mess without having to scrub your air fryer!

Cooking Spray

Many recipes call for spraying the inside of the air fryer with a bit of cooking spray. When purchasing a cooking spray, look for a spray with oil as the only ingredient.

Additives in cooking spray have a bad reputation for causing the nonstick coating on air fryers to chip. If you want a reusable option, look for a refillable oil sprayer.

Uncooked Sausage

If you are air-frying uncooked sausages, make sure they have reached their safe internal temperature before serving them.

Even when following a recipe specifically for the type of sausage you are using, the size of the sausages can affect the result. I recommend checking the free safe internal temperature chart from FoodSafety.Gov for the safest answer.

The easiest way to check internal temperature is to insert a meat thermometer into the center of the sausage. Meat thermometers are an inexpensive tool that is incredibly easy to use. 

💭Recipe FAQs

Can I air fry sausages?

Yes, you can! This post shows you exactly how to air fry sausages – including our trick to know exactly when they are done (scroll down to the recipe for the details)!

How long to cook sausages in an air fryer?

For smoked sausages, you will want to cook them for 14 minutes.

What temperature do I air fry sausages?

We have found that 360 degrees Fahrenheit is the best temperature for air frying sausages. However, if your air fryer only has one temperature setting (usually, 400 degrees), that will work, too.

What to serve with air fryer sausage?

We love serving sausage with sautéed peppers and onions. You could also serve it with air air fried vegetable like air fryer Brussels sprouts or air fryer cauliflower.

⏲️MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES

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If you tried this Air Fryer Sausage Recipe or any other recipe on my website, I would love it if you could leave me a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below. ❤️

A white plate with two air fried sausage.

Air Fryer Sausage Recipe

Aileen Clark
Make this quick and easy air fryer sausage today! This easy dinner cooks in just 14 minutes in an air fryer basket or air fryer oven. The air fryer is the best way to cook different kinds of sausages!
4.52 from 58 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes
Course Main Dish Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 210 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 smoked sausages such as Aidells

Instructions
 

  • Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees.
  • Cut two slits on either side of the sausages.
  • Once preheated, please sausages in a single layer in air fryer.
  • Air fry for 14 minutes, until the slits begin to pull apart.
  • Remove sausages from air fryer and enjoy!

Notes

You can use your air fryer to cook many types of sausages. Here are some common sausages you can cook (with cook times): 
Turkey Sausage: Air fry turkey sausage for 6 minutes, until golden brown.
Italian Sausage (hot Italian sausage, mild Italian sausage, or sweet Italian sausage): To cook air fryer Italian sausage, air fry them for a total of 12 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.
Hot Dogs: You will want to air fry hot dogs for 3-5 minutes, until slightly charred but not burnt.
Breakfast Sausage: For uncooked breakfast sausage, cook 6 minutes. For pre-cooked breakfast sausages, just cook them for 3 minutes.
Frozen Sausage Patties: If using a frozen (but pre-cooked) breakfast sausage patty, air fry for 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. Larger and/or thicker sausage patties will need to cook for more time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sausageCalories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 8gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 562mgSugar: 1g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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