Learn the secret to crispy, evenly cooked air fryer frozen sausages every time — no thawing required! Juicy and golden brown frozen sausage air fried in less than 20 minutes!
Frozen sausage links in the air fryer are so easy!
Whether you're trying to air fry Italian sausages, brats, chicken sausage, or other types of raw frozen sausage links like breakfast sausages, we'll show you our foolproof method on how to air fry sausage from frozen in no time.
If didn't have time to defrost sausages overnight (or oops ~ you forgot!), you can still get perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside sausages when starting from frozen. They only take 15 minutes!!
As someone who is obsessed with Italian sausage and sausage in general, perfecting how to cook our favorite protein is super important. We have over 20 Italian sausage recipes on our website!
Air frying is one of our favorite sausage cooking methods whether you're cookin
"These turned out beautifully browned moist and tasty" ~ Cathie on Pinterest
If you've ever tried to cook frozen sausages in a skillet or in the oven, it honestly doesn't work that great. You often get uneven cooking, the sausage doesn't turn crisp because of all of that moisture, and the texture is less than ideal.
Cooking frozen foods in the air fryer solves these issues since air frying evenly circulates the hot around the food and cooks it consistently throughout. No more undercooked or overcooked spots as compared to other cooking methods!
What you'll need to Air Fry Frozen Sausages
While we used raw frozen Italian sausage, any variety of sausages you're trying to cook here will work. Whether you're cooking Italian sausages, bratwurst, or raw chicken sausage, the cooking times will all be the same.
If you're trying to air fry frozen breakfast sausage links or perhaps precooked frozen chicken sausage, just take 2-3 minutes off of the cooking time!
- frozen raw sausages, Italian sausage, or brats - any flavor or variety including Johnsonville, Costco, Jimmy Dean, and Trader Joe's. Sausages typically come 4-5 to a pack unless you buy them from Costco or buy the breakfast variety.
- You can add in frozen peppers and onions if you want to make these a meal.
Equipment
An Air Fryer Basket or Oven- We have a Cosori XL basket style air fryer, but any basket style or oven style unit will work!
How to cook: temperature & cook time
Preheat your air fryer at 400 F for 5 minutes before you start cooking.
Step 1: Place the frozen uncooked sausage into the air fryer basket. It's ok if they're in a solid block, a couple of ours broke apart when we removed them from the package.
Step 2: Air fry the sausages on 400 F for about 12-14 minutes at 400F.
Top tip
We suggest checking on the sausages after 2 minutes of cooking to separate any of them that were stuck together. This will help make sure they all cook evenly!
Step 3: After a total of 6 minutes of cooking time, flip them over and continue cooking the Italian sausage (or brats) for 6-7 more minutes until they are browned and cooked through.
The internal temperature of the sausage should be at least 165 F (up to 190 F) when tested with a digital meat thermometer. Enjoy!
Cooking frozen breakfast sausages
If you have frozen breakfast sausage links (and not the full size dinner links), here's how to air fry them:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes. or 200 celsius).
- Add the frozen breakfast sausage links and cook them for 10-13 minutes, checking them after 2 minutes to break them apart in the air fryer.
- Flip them over after 5 minutes of cooking. Continue air frying the sausage links until they're browned on the outside and the internal temp reaches at least 160 F (71 C) when checked with an instant-read meat thermometer.
Recipe notes
- We do recommend that you separate your sausages after 2-3 minutes of cooking.
- Using a digital meat thermometer is highly recommended to make sure the internal temperature reaches the correct degree which is 160 F.
- You can use our method for air frying pre-cooked frozen sausages too, you might just need to take 1-3 minutes off of the cooking time.
- Standard size raw pork sausages were used to test this recipe, not the oversized meat counter sausage
- Add a little water to the bottom of the air fryer basket if it starts smoking from the grease.
Serving ideas
- They're terrific on a bun with peppers and onions
- We like to slice them and add them in a stir fry with vegetables
- With roasted, steamed, or air fried vegetables.
- Served with pasta or rice dishes
- Crumbled like ground meat for a spaghetti sauce with meat.
Storage and leftovers
Store: store leftover sausage links in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air right container.
Freeze: leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months well wrapped and stored in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Reheat: The best way to reheat leftover sausages is to air fry them. Reheat sausage in the air fryer for a few minutes at 360 F until warm and they reach an internal temperature of at least 165 F when tested with a digital meat thermometer.
More air Fryer sausage recipes
- Air fryer kielbasa
- Sausage and veggies in an air fryer
- Air fryer sausage patties
- Chicken breakfast sausage (in air fryer)
More Italian sausage recipes
- Italian Sausage in a pan
- Cheese stuffed sausage
- Pressure cooker sausage peppers onions
- Baked chicken sausage in the oven
If you loved our recipe, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and leave us a comment too! Connect with us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!
Recipe
Frozen Sausage Links in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb package of frozen raw sausages Italian sausage or brats
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer on 400 F for 5 minutes.
- Place the frozen uncooked sausage into the air fryer basket. It's ok if they're in a solid block, a couple of ours broke apart when we removed them from the package.
- The sausages will take about 12-14 minutes to cook. We suggest checking on them after the first 2 minutes of cooking to separate any sausages that are stuck together.
- After a total of 6 minutes of cooking time, flip them over and continue cooking the Italian sausage (or brats) 6-7 more minutes until they are browned and cooked through. The internal temperature of the sausage should be at least 160 F when tested with a digital meat thermometer.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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