Have you ever wondered if you should cook Italian sausage in an air fryer?? Well, the answer is YES! A resounding yes! Air Fryer Italian Sausages always come out so juicy on the inside, and you'll have dinner on the table in about 15 minutes!
This recipe has instructions for cooking Italian sausages from fresh or frozen, so you can have a quick dinner even if you forget to take sausages out of the freezer.
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Air fryer Italian sausages
We're HUGE fans of Italian sausage (see my sausage-stuffed eggplant, sausage-stuffed acorn squash, and sweet potato sausage soup). So of course I had to share the quickest and easiest way to cook Italian sausage: in an air fryer!
Simply place your Italian sausages in the air fryer tray or basket, cook at 350F for 10-13 minutes (flipping halfway), and you're done! You don't even need to preheat the air fryer, just pop them in and press "Start."
However, please make sure to read all the tips below, since air fryers all cook differently.
The sausages come out so juicy inside with a crisp casing. Perfect for slicing or for serving up in a sausage sandwich.
You can use mild, sweet, or spicy Italian sausage—whatever you prefer! Bratwurst and any other ground meat sausages about the same size will work just as well.
Unlike other recipes, my recipe uses a slightly lower cooking temperature than most air fryer sausage recipes, and this helps prevent the sausage from burning on the outside too quickly.
Ingredients—what kind of Italian sausage to use
Make sure to use uncooked ground sausage, not a pre-cooked summer sausage. This recipe will work for Italian sausages (and also bratwurst and uncooked ground chorizo), but will not be good for cooked sausages (such as kielbasa, salami, etc.). If you have kielbasa, see my air fryer kielbasa recipe.
Don't want to cook a whole sausage for dinner? Make Italian Sausage Gravy for Breakfast instead!
Equipment
- Air fryer (obvs) — I have an Instant Pot Vortex and love love LOVE it!
- Tongs—optional but helpful. You can use a fork to flip the sausages
- Meat thermometer—optional but SO helpful. You want to cook the sausage to an internal temperature of 165F, but don't want to overcook it because it will dry out. Without a meat thermometer, you will have to slice the sausage in half after about 9-10 minutes of cooking to check for pink in the center. If it's still pink, put it back in.
Air fryer instructions and tips
Place the sausages in your air fryer basket or tray. Do not preheat the air fryer, the sausages will cook well either way. Air fry at 350F for 10-13 minutes (or until the internal temperature is 165F), flipping the sausages halfway through.
→ Cooking tip: Check on the sausages after 8-9 minutes to make sure they're not browning too much while still being far from 165F. If they're browning too much, reduce the heat to 340F and cook until done. All air fryers cook differently, and the cook time will depend on whether your sausages are straight from the fridge or if they've been sitting at room temperature, so keep a close eye on them!
→ Clean-up tip: If you want, put down foil or an air fryer insert at the bottom to catch the sausage drippings, which are really greasy and annoying to clean. You'll be shocked at home much grease comes out from these sausages as they cook, which is a great reason to cook them in the air fryer!
Air fryer Italian sausage sandwich
To serve up these air fryer sausages in a sandwich, you'll need the following:
- Italian sub rolls (or use hot dog buns)
- Cooked Italian sausages
- 2-4 tablespoons marinara sauce per sandwich
- 5-6 thin slices of roasted red peppers (I used jarred red peppers packaged in water, not vinegar)
- 2-3 tablespoons grated mozzarella or provolone cheese per sandwich
- Dried oregano—a sprinkling (or use Italian seasoning)
- Red pepper flakes—to taste
- Fresh basil or parsley—finely diced, just enough for garnish
Spread 1-2 tablespoons marinara inside the Italian sub rolls. Place a sausage inside. Smush a few slices of red peppers around the sausage. Spread some more marinara on top, and add a sprinkling of cheese. Preheat your air fryer to 350F and air fry for 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts (stand them up on the sides to prevent the cheese from falling out. Garnish with dried oregano or Italian seasoning, fresh basil or parsley, and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Got leftover marinara? Make Bison Meatballs and serve with leftover sauce!
More serving ideas
- Finely dice cooked Italian sausage and use it in a frittata or mini quiches
- Slice cooked Italian sausage in ½-inch pieces and toss with marinara sauce over pasta
- Slice Italian sausage and cook it with shrimp in this shrimp and sausage skillet with veggies
- Add diced sausage to soup
Air fryer frozen Italian sausage
To cook Italian sausages from frozen, place the frozen sausages in your air fryer basket/tray. It's OK if they're all stuck together. If they're stuck to the packaging, run some hot water right in the spot where the sausages and the packaging are stuck together until you can loosen the sausages, then place the frozen sausages into your air fryer.
Turn the air fryer up to 350F (no need to preheat) and cook for 10 minutes. At this point, the sausages should be easy to separate. Separate them a little, giving them space, and continue to cook for another 10-12 minutes (or until fully cooked to 165F), flipping halfway through.
Reheating leftovers
Reheat leftovers like you would any other sausage—in the microwave (approximately 1 minute for 1 sausage, and add about 30 seconds for each extra sausage, but the exact time will vary depending on your microwave), or in the air fryer (reheat at 350F for about 2 minutes, or until heated through).
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Air Fryer Italian Sausage (From Fresh or Frozen)
Ingredients
- 4 Italian sausages - (Sweet, mild, or spicy—any kind. Bratwurst will work too.)
- Optional ingredients for sandwiches - see notes
Special equipment
- Tongs (optional, or use a fork)
Instructions
- Place the sausages in your air fryer basket or tray. Air fry at 350F for 10-13 minutes (or until the internal temperature is 165F), flipping the sausages halfway through. No need to preheat.Check on the sausages after 8-9 minutes to make sure they're not browning too much. If needed, reduce the heat to 340F and cook until done. All air fryers cook differently, so keep a close eye on the sausages!
- Place the frozen sausages in your air fryer basket/tray. It's OK if they're all stuck together. If they're stuck to the packaging, run some hot water right in the spot where the sausages and the package are stuck together until you can loosen them from the packaging.
- Turn the air fryer up to 350F (no need to preheat) and cook for 10 minutes. At this point, the sausages should be easy to separate. Separate them a little, giving them space, and continue to cook for another 10-12 minutes (or until fully cooked to 165F), flipping halfway through.
Notes
Make Italian sausage subs:
Grab the following ingredients:- Italian sub rolls (or use hot dog buns)
- Cooked Italian sausages
- 2-4 tablespoons marinara sauce per sandwich
- 5-6 thin slices of roasted red peppers (I used jarred red peppers packaged in water, not vinegar)
- 2-3 tablespoons grated mozzarella or provolone cheese per sandwich
- Dried oregano—a sprinkling (or use Italian seasoning)
- Red pepper flakes—to taste
- Fresh basil or parsley—finely diced, just enough for garnish
More serving ideas:
- Finely dice cooked Italian sausage and use it in a frittata or mini quiches
- Slice cooked Italian sausage in ½-inch pieces and toss with marinara sauce over pasta
- Slice Italian sausage and cook it with shrimp in this shrimp and sausage skillet with veggies
- Add diced sausage to soup
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.