Learn how to make the best Breakfast Sausage in an Air Fryer.
This homemade Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage recipe is one of our favourite quick & easy brunch side dishes to cook for a hearty morning meal.
Our simple Air Fryer brunch side dish can be prepared with two cooking options, depending on whether you are cooking frozen or fresh breakfast sausage in an air fryer.
In under 15 minutes you’ll have perfectly browned and juicy breakfast sausage to serve at your brunch table alongside pancakes, waffles and eggs!
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What Is Breakfast Sausage?
Breakfast sausage is a type of fresh pork sausage usually served at brunch in the United States and Canada.
The predominant flavourings used for seasoning are black pepper or sage. There are also varieties seasoned with maple syrup or cayenne pepper.
It is a common breakfast side dish in traditional American “farmer” or “country-style” breakfasts, as it originated as a way for farmers to make use of as much of their livestock (usually pigs) as possible. Scraps and trimmings were ground, seasoned and later consumed by the farmer as an inexpensive, high-protein morning meal.
Breakfast sausages can be purchased in the form of smoked or fresh patties, links or loose sausage. Most diners, fast-food restaurants, and family restaurants across North America carry one or more versions on breakfast menus. The cased link variety is most similar to English-style sausages and has been produced in the United States since colonial days.
Breakfast sausage is normally fried in a pan, grilled, or microwaved. With today’s latest technology, you can also make crisp breakfast sausage in an air fryer in just minutes!
Some people like to put maple syrup onto their breakfast sausages. Cooked breakfast sausage is also mixed into egg casseroles before baking. Crumbled sausage added to white gravy is the central component of Southern sausage gravy.
Best Air Fryers
An air fryer is a small countertop convection oven designed to simulate deep frying without submerging the food in oil. A fan circulates hot air at high speed, producing a crisp layer via browning reactions.
In 2010, Philips introduced the Airfryer brand of convection oven at a consumer electronics fair in Berlin. It used the patented Rapid Air technology, though the term air fryer is now used generically.
Early air fryers were barrel-shaped, though more recently, many have come to resemble toaster ovens and pressure cookers, offering additional functions like toasting, baking, dehydrating and rotisserie.
A decade after their launch, Air Fryers are now one of the trendiest kitchen appliance. They are particularly popular with gourmands living in condos or apartments in big cities like Toronto as they reduce the number of appliances taking up space in your kitchen.
- Hamilton Beach: I tested this recipe with a Hamilton Beach toaster oven-style air fryer. They are an excellent option for those looking for an affordable air fryer and I particularly like mine as it allowed me to replace my toaster, dehydrator and rotisserie. It’s also easier to spread food out and make it crispy by using a baking tray rather than a basket.
- Instant Vortex: This popular air fryer is brought to you by the inventors of the popular Instant Pot. It’s 6 quart capacity features an easy to clean tray that air frys, roasts and bakes.
- COSORI: This 5.8 quart air fryer is an 11-in-1 cooker featuring a nonstick basket and helpful shake reminder setting.
- Ninja: This premium brand is the perfect option for those looking to invest in a heavy duty stainless steel air fryer. The product has been designed to look similar to an Instant Pot, with the top of the air fryer flipping backwards so you can easily lower a basket filled with food.
- NuWave: This sleek digital air fryer features a traditional removable basket and reaches temperatures up to 390 F.
My Family Loves Breakfast Sausage in Air Fryer
My family is obsessed with brunch.
My sister and I always looked forward to special holidays as breakfast dishes were always our favourite comfort food.
We’d make mom crepes for Mother’s Day, dad would get pancakes for Father’s Day, and we’d often make decadent Bailey’s French Toast on Christmas morning.
We love serving a selection of side dishes at breakfast such as bacon, eggs, muffins, porridge, baked beans, stuffed apples and air fryer breakfast sausage.
Since breakfast requires so many moving parts it’s helpful to prepare a variety of dishes in a traditional oven, on the stove stove and in an air fryer. Using multiple appliances helps with timing to ensure everything is hot and ready to eat at the same time.
We’ll often bake beans or muffins in the oven, scramble eggs and bacon on the stove, cook porridge in the microwave and breakfast sausage in an air fryer.
How To Make Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage
Our breakfast sausage in air fryer recipe is quick & easy to make, ready to serve in under 15 minutes.
There are two methods to making air fryer sausage, which depend on the style of device you are using.
- Traditional Basket: air fryers with a removable basket are still the most common. In order to make Air Fryer breakfast sausage in these machines, simply place the sausage links in the basket and shake to ensure they are evenly separated.
- Toaster Oven Tray: modern air fryers featuring a glass door and tray configuration make it easy to prepare breakfast sausage in an air fryer at home. Simply place the sausage links in the basket and slide into the top position before closing the glass door.
Air Fryer Cooking Tips
- You can purchase breakfast sausage brands like Johnsonville, visit a local pork farm or artisanal butcher or make your own homemade breakfast sausage.
- You can cook fresh or frozen breakfast sausage in an air fryer. Review our recipe card below to assess ideal cooking time.
- Flip sausages half way through the cooking time to ensure even browning.
- If you are using an oven-style air fryer we suggest wrapping the bottom crumb tray in tin foil. Fat from the sausages will drip during the cooking process so this method makes clean up a breeze.
- Since sausage contains an ample amount of natural fat there is no need to spray them with cooking spray as you would to make other air fryer dishes crispy. This really is an easy 1 ingredient recipe!
- Jazz up your recipe by tossing the cooked air fryer breakfast sausage in a large mixing bowl with maple syrup before serving.
What To Serve With Air Fryer Sausage
Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage is a quick & easy side dish to serve at your morning meal.
We’ve used classic breakfast sausage made with pork but you can also use store bought sausages made with beef, chicken or a vegetarian alternative.
Serve crispy and juicy sausages with some of our favourite brunch dishes:
- Salsa de Huevo Vegetarian Mexican Scrambled Eggs
- Healthy Baked Keto Pork Sausage Stuffed Apples
- Southern Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon
- Turkish Pogaca Feta and Dill Bread Rolls
- Kookoo Sabzi Vegetarian Persian Omelet
- Blueberry Lemon Muffin Tops
- Vegan Buckwheat Gluten Free Porridge
- Mihlama Kuymak Turkish Melted Cheese and Cornmeal
- Best Homemade Sourdough French Toast
- Baileys French Toast Recipe
- Frozen Eggo Waffles In Air Fryer
- Kardemummabullar Swedish Cardamom Buns
- Healthy Breakfast Polenta Bowl
- Blueberry Mango Crepes with Coconut Flour
- Banana Oat Flour Pancakes
- Chocolate Cherry Pancakes with Ricotta
- Healthy Morning Glory Bread
- Easy Marshmallow Fluff Fruit Dip
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How To Make Breakfast Sausage in Air Fryer
Breakfast Sausage in Air Fryer
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- tongs
Ingredients
- 12 oz Breakfast Sausages (10)
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 F.
- FROZEN SAUSAGE: Lay frozen breakfast sausage links in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Cook the breakfast sausage for 11-12 minutes, until they're browned and crispy.
- RAW SAUSAGE: Lay raw breakfast sausage links in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Cook the breakfast sausage for 9-10 minutes, until they're browned and crispy.
Nutrition
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