Air fryer Italian sausage is wonderfully simple to make and incredibly delicious, featuring a golden, crispy casing and juicy interior! Whether you prefer hot, sweet, or mild flavors, cooking Italian sausages in your air fryer will quickly become your favorite method for its ease and tasty results.
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Air fryers have become very popular over the last several years, and there’s a good reason for that. They’re a great small appliance for making a lot of things, but cooking meat is where your air fryer really shines!
These delicious links will come out evenly browned with a crispy outside and a tender, juicy inside. No matter how you’re planning to serve them, they'll always be just right!
These are so much better (and faster) than your average ball game sausages!
Make it a special occasion, or just pop these into the air fryer for a delicious weeknight meal. They make great picnic food, too!
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- They retain their juices! Air fryers are great for getting that perfect juicy meat!
- Versatility! These sausages can be served on or with a ton of different options!
- Minimal cleanup! All you’ll have to clean is the air fryer basket and tongs!
🥘 Ingredients
- 5 Italian Sausages - Any brand will work. See recommendations in the notes.
- 5 Hot Dog Buns or Hoagie Rolls (optional) - Make sure these are super fresh for the best results!
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Air Fry Italian Sausages
Before you begin, get out your air fryer and a pair of silicone kitchen tongs. This is an easy recipe for both air fryer newbies and seasoned home cooks.
- Preheat your air fryer. Set your air fryer to 360℉ (182℃) and let it heat up (about 5 minutes).
- Cook. When the air fryer is hot, lay 5 Italian sausage links in a single layer in the basket. Close them in and cook for 6 minutes.
- Turn and continue cooking. Being mindful of the heat, use tongs to turn each of the sausages. Then, cook for another 6 minutes or so. The internal temperature should reach 160℉ (71℃).
- Heat the buns and serve. If serving sausages on buns, heat the buns before serving. Put each of the sausages in a bun or hoagie roll and put them back in the air fryer at the same temperature for another 2 to 3 minutes.
🥗🥘🍲 Best Served With
There are many different ways you can serve air fryer Italian sausage. I like them with the usual condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish, etc), rice, pasta, or roasted peppers and onions. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Uniform Cooking Time: Generally, Italian sausages, especially those under 4 ounces, will cook uniformly across different brands. Refer to the recipe's cooking time as a reliable guide, adjusting slightly for larger sizes if necessary.
- Recommended Brands: Explore a variety of Italian sausage options to find your favorite. Some top picks include Johnsonville (available in sweet, mild, and hot), Premio, Swaggerty, and Hillshire Farms. For healthier alternatives, consider chicken, turkey, or plant-based options like Beyond Meat and Tofurkey.
- Ensuring Proper Doneness: Always check the internal temperature of your Italian sausages to ensure they're cooked safely. The center should reach 160℉ (71℃). When checking temperatures, use the same sausage to avoid piercing them all, which can lead to juices escaping and drier meat.
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🥡 Storing & Reheating
Wrap up any leftovers in foil, and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Put wrapped sausages in an airtight container or freezer bag for long-term storage. Though the best flavor fades after 1 to 2 months, they’re safe to eat indefinitely.
Thaw frozen links overnight before reheating.
Reheating
Put sausages back in the air fryer at 360℉ (182℃) for 3 to 4 minutes or until hot. Alternatively, the air fryer Italian sausages can be warmed in the microwave in short 30-second intervals until heated to your satisfaction.
🍟 More Air Fryer Appetizer Recipes
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📖 Recipe Card
Air Fryer Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 5 Italian sausages
- 5 hot dog buns or hoagie rolls (optional)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 360°F (182°C) for 5 minutes or until fully preheated.
- Once the air fryer is preheated, arrange the 5 Italian sausages links in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Seal and air fry for 6 minutes at 360°F (182°C), then open and turn the sausage carefully using tongs.
- Close the air fryer and finish cooking the sausages for an additional 6 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160F (71C).
- If you like, before serving, consider adding the sausages to 5 hot dog buns or hoagie rolls. You can also choose to warm the buns: simply place each sausage into a bun and return them to the air fryer. Heat at the same temperature for an extra 2-3 minutes for toasty, warm buns.
Notes
- Italian sausage brands will all cook at roughly the same amount of time as long as they are links, under about 4 ounces in weight.
- We enjoy Johnsonville sweet, mild, and hot Italian sausages as well as Premio, Swaggerty, Hillshire Farms, Isernio's, as well as chicken and turkey-based Italian sausages and the meat alternative sausage brands Beyond Meat and Tofurkey.
- Sausages should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) as read by a digital meat thermometer.
- Temp the same sausage while cooking so the others are not pierced.
Gigi says
"Excellent recipe. Gives a very good result." translated
Robert says
Très bonne et sans saleté donc moins de nettoyage
"Very good and no mess so less cleaning"
Joy Phillips says
Perfecto! New user to air fryer. Delighted to see how well Italian sausages cook in the appliance. No more outdoor grilling for a few sausages. A real time saver!
ANDRÉE says
Bien contente saucisses et frites (Very happy sausages with fries)