Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage is so easy to make. Just preheat your air fryer, cook your favorite sausage–both fresh and frozen work great–and then enjoy. The sausage comes out juicy and tender every time. It’s also a great way to cook a lot of sausage for meal prep.
If you want a quick and easy way to make breakfast sausage, use an air fryer. It’s a quick way to make a batch while you do something else, like making a batch of easy pancakes. The air fryer’s hot circulating air ensures even cooking, resulting in perfectly juicy and flavorful sausages every time.
Step One: Select the Sausage.
There are lots of options when it comes to breakfast sausage. The flavors, shapes, and ingredients vary from brand to brand. Most are perfect for the air fryer.
What to Use.
- Fresh Sausage. Made with raw seasoned meat or a plant-based meat alternatives. Fresh breakfast sausages require cooking before eating
- Frozen Sausage. Previously cooked and then frozen. These require thorough heating before enjoying.
- Precooked Sausages. This type of sausage is precooked but not frozen. It’s usually found in refrigerator section in a vacuum-sealed package.
What to Avoid.
- Bulk Breakfast Sausage. This looks like ground beef or ground turkey. Unless you shape it into a patties, this type of breakfast sausage can’t be air fried. It must be cooked and crumbled in a pan on the stove. If you cook it in the air fryer, it will be one large piece of sausage.
Shapes
Breakfast sausage comes in two popular shapes: links and patties. Both cook nicely in the air fryer.
- Links. Breakfast sausage links are usually about an ounce each but some brands make larger breakfast sausages. Links are usually served alongside eggs, pancakes, and other breakfasts.
- Patties. Breakfast sausage patties are pre-shaped and perfect for making breakfast sandwiches.
A note about the breakfast sausage roll: a breakfast sausage roll is a fresh ground sausage shaped into a large log. You can use this to form your own patties. Do not place a whole sausage roll into an air fryer. It must be shaped into individual pieces before being cooked.
Step Two: Preheat the Air Fryer.
Preheat your air fryer for about 5 minutes before cooking the sausage. This step ensures that the sausage has a lovely brown color and cooks evenly.
The Best Air Fryer Temperature for Breakfast Sausage.
The best temperature to cook breakfast sausage in the air fryer depends on the type of sausage you’re cooking. Here’s what to set your air fryer to before cooking.
- For raw links and patties: 390℉.
- For frozen links and patties: 350℉.
- For pre-cooked sausage: 350℉.
Step Three: Cook the Sausages.
Place the breakfast sausages in the air fryer basket, leaving about a ¼-inch of space between them for air circulation. There’s no need to oil the tray unless your air fryer model calls for oiling the pan.
Don’t stack the sausage or overcrowd the cooking tray or basket. If the sausage is stacked or crowded, they won’t cook evenly.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Sausage in the Air Fryer?
- Fresh Links: 5 to 7 minutes for 1 ounce links.
- Fresh Small Patties: 7 to 9 minutes (about 1 ½ ounces each).
- Frozen Links and Patties: about 5 minutes.
- Precooked Breakfast Sausage: 4 to 5 minutes.
Flip (optional)
For even browning on all sides, turn/flip the sausages halfway through cooking. After the recommended cooking time, check the sausages for doneness.
Fresh (raw) breakfast sausages: cook to 160℉.
Precooked sausages and frozen sausages: cook until brown and heated through.
How to Reheat Cooked Breakfast Sausage.
If you need to reheat sausages, set your air fryer to 350℉. Preheat for about two minutes. Place sausage into the basket or tray of the air fryer. Heat for two to three minutes or until sausage is warmed through.
How to Clean the Air Fryer.
Cooking sausage in the air fryer can leave behind a messy pan. Here’s how to clean it.
- Let it cool. First, let the air fryer cool completely. After it’s cool, unplug it and remove the cooking tray.
- Remove excess grease. Gently wipe out the tray to remove any grease or juices. Do this with a paper towel or rubber spatula.
- Wash with warm, soapy water. Use dishwashing liquid and warm water. Gently scrub the tray with a dishcloth or sponge. If there’s stuck on bits of food, use a soft brush that’s suitable for nonstick cookware.
- Rinse thoroughly. Rinse the tray under warm running water to remove any soap.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Can I use parchment or foil in the air fryer when making sausage?
Check your owner’s manual but you should be able to use either parchment or foil. I found that I preferred skipping these because the sausage browns a little better without. But they both make cleanup a breeze. So it it works for your machine and you’d like an easy cleanup, go ahead and use them.
Can I make a large batch of breakfast sausages in the air fryer?
Yes. You can cook as many sausages as fit onto your baking tray without stacking. This is great if you want to make sausages ahead for meal prepping.
Can I cook breakfast links and patties at the same time?
You sure can! Leave a little space between them and you’re all set. The links might be ready a minute or so before the patties. Remember to check them for doneness so nothing gets over cooked.
Air Fried Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 12 Breakfast sausages, fresh, frozen or precooked.
Instructions
Fresh Breakfast Sausages
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Preheat Air Fryer to 390°F (198°C) for three minutes.
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Place sausage into hot air fryer try. Do not stack sausages or crowd the pan.
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Cook for about 8 minutes.
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For even browning, turn halfway through cooking.
Frozen Breakfast Sausages
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Preheat Air Fryer to 350°F (176°C) for three minutes.
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Place sausage into hot air fryer try. Do not stack sausages or crowd the pan.
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Cook for about 6 minutes. For even browning, turn halfway through cooking.
Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausages
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Preheat Air Fryer to 350°F for three minutes.
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Place fully cooked sausages in air fryer basket. Set temperature to 350°F (176°C) and cook for about 5 minutes.
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