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These air fryer brats have juicy centers and crisp, browned skins, and they’re ready in less than 20 minutes.They’re easy to serve with your favorite cookout sides or simple vegetables.
Air fryer bratwurst works for everything from a cookout-style plate to a simple weeknight dinner. Serve the brats with deviled egg potato salad, add air fryer roasted broccoli for an easy protein-and-veggie meal, or serve them with turkey gravy and browned butter mashed potatoes for a cozy comfort-food dinner.
Why Cooking Brats in the Air Fryer Works So Well
- No-fuss. There’s no need to clean off grill grates or fuss with sheet pans in the oven. The brats go straight into the air fryer and cook until they’re browned.
- Quick meal starter. Juicy brats are the perfect protein with any meal. They go with an endless amount of side dishes, or you can serve them hot dog-style in buns with sauerkraut.
- Crisp and juicy. Like my smoked sausage and air fryer kielbasa, the high heat gets the outside of the sausage extra crispy, while the inside stays moist and juicy.
Ingredients Needed
It doesn’t get much easier than 2 ingredients, does it? Here is what you’ll need. Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe details, including the amounts.
- Bratwurst Sausage – I’m using the raw and uncooked bratwurst that you can pick up from the meat locker at the grocery store. They have plenty of flavor already, so seasoning isn’t necessary.
- Avocado Oil Spray – This is optional, but it helps with browning. Make sure you’re using an avocado or olive oil spray and NOT an aerosol non-stick spray (like PAM), which can damage the air fryer basket.
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How to Make Air Fryer Brats
- Fill the air fryer. Add the brats to your air fryer in an even layer. Make sure to leave space between the sausages for the hot air to circulate.
- Air fry. Cook at 390ºF for 7 minutes per side, until the sausages are browned. Check that the temperature reaches 160ºF internally. You’re ready to serve!
What to Serve With Bratwurst
Bratwurst works with everything from cookout sides to simple vegetables and comfort-food favorites. I like serving mine with Dijon mustard, and you can also slice the brats into 1-inch pieces and serve them with cocktail skewers as an appetizer.
- For a cookout-style meal, serve them with deviled egg potato salad, Southern coleslaw, or air fryer potato wedges.
- For a simple protein-and-veggie dinner, add air fryer green beans, air fryer Brussels sprouts, or air fryer roasted broccoli.
- For a more comforting dinner, serve the brats with turkey gravy and browned butter mashed potatoes.
- For a lower-carb option, try keto gravy with roasted garlic cauliflower mash, or serve the brats alongside cauliflower cheese grits.
Frequently Asked Questions
In my air fryer, the sausages were cooked within 14 minutes (7 minutes per side). However, adding 1-2 additional minutes per side helped them to have extra browned skin.
Flipping the sausage helps it to brown evenly. However, you don’t need to flip them since the air fryer circulates the heat around the complete sausage.
I tested this recipe by spraying the sausages with avocado oil before cooking them. I’ve found that it helps the sausages brown quicker. But it’s not necessary since the fats in the sausage tend to bubble up and encourage browning without additional oil.
How to Store
- Refrigerate. Store leftover air fryer brats covered airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. You can reheat the sausages in the air fryer or in the oven at 350ºF until they’re warmed through.
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Air Fryer Brats
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Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 19 ounces Brats, uncooked
Instructions
- Add the bratwurst to the air fryer cooking basket in an even layer
- Cook at 390 degrees for 7-8 minutes per side, or until the sausage is browned enough for you and has an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
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Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used.
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