Cooking brats in the oven is a quick and easy way to cook sausages that turn out juicy and golden brown every time. Bake them on their own, marinate them in beer, or add peppers and onions on the side. We teach you how to do all of those!

brats in oven on a wood tray with toppings

If you're used to grilling brats you might even be wondering how baking them compares. My husband is of German heritage and eating brats is a common menu item in our home.

We've basically tried every method out there! And these turn out delicious! Juicy on the inside and that just grilled golden char line on the outside.

These baked brats are delicious!

Get plump, golden, and juicy brats in less than 20 minutes
You still get a nice char line you're used to from grilling them outdoors.
Great for cooking for a crowd, just bake as many as needed on a large sheetpan.
It's an easy method to cook vegetables like roasted peppers and onions in the same pan

What you'll need

how to cook brats in oven recipe ingredients on a wood cutting board

1 pkg uncooked bratwurst (there's usually 5 brats in a package) -standard size like Johnsonville or Costco. The large deli size can be used but they'll take longer to cook
Optional toppings- red or green bell peppers, onions, sauerkraut, pickles, or stone ground mustard
Optional Beer - for soaking the brats before cooking

Infusing with beer

soaking beer baked bratwurst before cooking in a medium size bowl

You can buy beer brats from the store or we show you how to make your own. This is totally optional and isn't required for the overall recipe.

Optional idea!

In a shallow smaller pan, add one can or bottle of beer. Add the raw bratwurst to the beer and marinate for 30 minutes.

Remove the bratwurst after 30 mins and continue cooking with the bratwurst in the oven instructions. You can also make beer boiled brats and then give them a quick broil to finish cooking them through.

How to Cook Brats in the Oven

Preheat your oven to 400 F.
Lay the uncooked fresh bratwurst on a baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet, making sure to spread the sausages out and give them plenty of space. Bake them on one side for 10 minutes.
Flip the sausages over with a spatula or tongs, and continue cooking for 8-10 more minutes until they're cooked through and have an internal temperature of at least 160 F.
If the bratwursts aren't yet browned to your liking but are cooked on the inside, you can broil them for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!

With peppers and onions

This is totally optional but a nice touch

Thinly slice 1-2 bell peppers and one onion. Lay on the large baking sheet that the bratwurst will also be cooked on.
Drizzle with 1+ tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt (or garlic salt) and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix the peppers and onions together in the pan.
Lay the sausages on the pan with the vegetables. After the brats get cooked in the oven for 10 minutes and get flipped, you'll also stir the vegetables in the pan.
The vegetables should be done at the same time as the sausage, but they'll most likely take 5-10 minutes longer to cook. Sometimes we like to drizzle a little balsamic glaze over the peppers to add an extra punch of flavor. Enjoy!

cooking brats in oven served with buns and side dishes

Jenni's tips

Baking brats on their own vs. adding vegetables to the sheet pan can change the cooking time. Due to the moisture content in the veggies, they might take a little longer to cook if you add peppers and onions.
Bratwurst are technically cooked through at 160F but they might not be fully browned at this point. If yours aren't browned to your liking, just pop them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.

Should you poke holes in brats before cooking?

You should not poke holes in bratwurst before baking them, to do so causes valuable moisture loss.

People often believed that if you don’t poke holes in brats they can burst or split during cooking, but as long as you don’t overcook the sausages, they’ll stay whole.

Serving ideas

If you're wondering what to serve with brats, we're sharing our favorite classics and German-inspired ideas. Many people serve bratwurst on a bun like a fancy hot dog, but it's also often served as the main dish without a bun and a variety of sides.

A bun
cooked peppers and onions
Fried cabbage
Sauerkraut
Roasted vegetables like broccoli or Brussels sprouts
Cucumber salad
German potato salad
Potato pancakes
Mustard
Corn on the Cob
And beer of course!

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Recipe

Baking Brats in the Oven

Jenni Cole

Cooking brats in the oven is a quick and easy way to cook sausages when you don't want to grill but want to cook quite a few at a time.

4.55 from 35 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Course Sausage

Cuisine German

Servings servings

Calories 283 kcal

Equipment

1 Baking sheet

Ingredients

5 uncooked bratwurst 1 pkg- standard size

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lay the uncooked bratwurst on a baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet, making sure to spread the sausages out and give them plenty of space.
Bake the bratwurst on one side for 10 minutes. Flip the sausages over with a spatula or tongs, and continue cooking for 8-10 more minutes until the oven-baked brats have an internal temperature of 160 F+ when checked with a digital meat thermometer.
If you want the brats a little more brown, just pop them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, with the heating element 4" away from the sausages.

Adding peppers and onions (optional)

Thinly slice 1-2 bell peppers and one onion. Place them on a baking sheet.
Drizzle with 1+ tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt (or garlic salt) and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Combine it all right on the pan.
Place the bratwurst on the pan with the veggies. After the brats cook in the oven for 10 minutes and get flipped, also stir the vegetables.
Cook until the sausage is browned, which could take 20-25 minutes. The more veggies you're cooking on the pan with the bratwurst, the longer it will take for them to brown due to the increased moisture content.

Video

Notes

To make beer-infused baked brats, marinate the uncooked sausage in one can or bottle of beer for 30 minutes before cooking. Don't marinate longer than that since they could turn mushy.
The sausges are cooked through at 160 F when you test the internal temperature with a meat thermometer, but they might not be perfectly golden brown on the outside yet. Continue cooking until they're brown or broil them to finish if you're in a hurry. Brats stay juicy up until about 185-190 F so it's perfectly fine to cook them past 160 F.
If you add vegetables to the pan, they could take longer to brown. 15+ minutes if cooked alone, 20-25 if cooked with other veggies.
Don't overcrowd the sausage and/or veggies, it'll take them longer to cook and they won't brown.
Serve with sauerkraut, mustard, and beer for a classic German-style meal.
The recipe uses standard size brats, if you buy the jumbo meat counter variety they'll take longer to cook.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 283kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 12gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 719mg

Keyword baked, bratwurst recipes, German, how to cook bratwurst, oven, with peppers, with sauerkraut

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Comments

4.55 from 35 votes (35 ratings without comment)

Easy Baked Bratwurst

These baked brats are delicious!

What you'll need