5 from 5 votes

Cooking Frozen Sausages in an Air Fryer: It’s Quick and Easy 

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Cooking frozen sausage in the air fryer is a simple process that can be done in 15 minutes for less. These easy instructions will help you.
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
£0.50
Makes: 3
mains
British

Have you ever tried cooking frozen sausages in an air fryer?  Turns out this is the simplest way to cook frozen sausages quickly and still have them turn out perfectly ready to serve.  With crispy browned skin and a tender juicy center, you will not want to miss these easy step by step instructions. This method will take you 15 minutes or less.

6 golden browned, cooked suasages in an airfryer tray.

Can you cook sausage from frozen?

Absolutely!  Who doesn’t love a good sausage?  And freezing sausage can be a nice convenience if you want them to be available at any time.  But making them on the stove top, in the oven, or even on the grill can be time consuming or well…out of season if you are trying to grill in the winter.  

So I have found the best method is cooking sausages in the air fryer from frozen.  Not only will your sausages defrost quickly, but they will also cook quickly.  And guess what? You don’t have to do anything extra.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Fast: Cook in 15 minutes or less.

Cooked or raw:  This method works whether you are using raw frozen sausage or previously cooked frozen sausage.

Dinner or Breakfast Sausage:  Make some bangers and mash or have some breakfast sausage.  Either way, this method is perfect.

What You Will Need

Frozen Sausages: This method will work with breakfast links, breakfast patties, italian sausage, chorizo, bratwurst, andouille, Cumberland, or any other sausage you love.

6 frozen saiusages in a plastic container on a pale blue background and labelled.

How To Cook Frozen Sausages in an Air Fryer

Preheat:  350℉/180℃ for at least 5 minutes.

  1. Place the frozen sausages into the air fryer basket.  Do not worry about the sausages being frozen together. To keep them from sticking, you could use a spray oil on the basket or line the basket with parchment paper (Image 1).
  2. Pop in the airfryer and cook for 3 minutes to defrost (Image 2).
2 step by step photos, the first with frozen sausages in their plastic container, held over an airfryer tray and the second  with the 6 sausages placed in the tray.

3. Then after 2-3 minutes, the sausages will defrost, ready to separate (Image 3).

4. Use a fork to separate them (Image 4).

2 step by step photos, the first with frozen sausages in the airfryer tray and the second with the 6 sausages being separated with a fork.

5. Once the sausages are separated, distribute them evenly across the airfryer, so there is enough room for the heat and oil to circulate around each sausage (Image 5).

6. Cook them for 4 minutes, then rotate and cook for a further 4-6 minutes, or until they reach your desired crispiness and they brown evenly (Image 6).

2 step by step photos, the first with 6 sausages distributed in the airfryer tray and the second with the sausages now cooked and browned in the tray.

Here are some dishes you can serve together with the sausages; Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables, Fluffy Yorkshire Puddings and The CRISPIEST Roast Potatoes

2 red plates with 3 cooked, browned sausages on each plate.

How Long To Cook Frozen Sausages in the Air Fryer

Raw Sausage vs Cooked Sausage Cooking Times In Air Fryer
Previously cooked sausage that you are making from frozen in the air fryer is pretty quick and simple.  15 minutes or less is all you will need.

But for cooking raw sausage in the air fryer, you will want to make sure that the internal temperature is at 165℉ (74℃) before you eat it.  So please use an instant thermometer to make sure.  Add a few minutes to the cooking time if the thermometer does not read 165℉ (74℃)

Why use an air fryer?

  • Ovens take longer to heat up and because the space inside is larger, the heat takes longer to cook the sausages.
  • Cooking frozen sausage in a frying pan takes a long time plus there is a lot of oil splatter to clean up.
  • The microwave is fast but normally gives you burst sausages that are dried out.
  • Sausages are great on the grill, but if it is the middle of winter, that is a very cold cooking method…burrr!

Using an airfryer is:

  • Quick
  • Creates Even Cooking and browning
  • Makes Crispy Skin
  • Keeps the Sausages Tender and Juicy
  • Is Healthier
  • No Oil Splatter = Less Cleanup

Here is some useful information on How to cook frozen chicken breast in the air fryer and some other airfryer recipes for you to try Easy Spicy Chicken Sandwich and Chicken Goujons

Do I need to pierce the skin before cooking sausage?

Do not pierce the skin of your sausage! By piercing the casing of the sausage, you actually let a lot of the moisture and fat out of the sausage.  Leaving you with a dry flavorless piece of meat.

How do I keep my sausages from bursting in the air fryer?

If your sausage casings are bursting in the air fryer, then turning the heat down should solve the problem.  Low and slow is the way to cook sausage that is prone to bursting.

Tips for the best result

  • Don’t overcrowd
  • Separate if stuck together after 2 minutes in air fryer
  • Do not defrost before cooking
  • Preheat the air fryer
  • Flip your sausages at 6 minutes
  • Cook times may vary slightly with different air fryers and different sized sausages
  • Check them half way through

Love sausages? You’ll love this Sausage Tray Bake with Vegetables

Roasted vegetables and sausages in a tray garnished with rocket on a yellow background.

FAQs

Should the sausage be defrosted?

You do not have to defrost the sausage before cooking it if you are using the air fryer method described above.  Air fryer frozen sausages will defrost on their own during cooking.


How long does it take to cook frozen sausages in an airfryer?

Air fry frozen sausages for 12- 15 minutes or less. 

Can I cook sausages from frozen in an air fryer?

Yes.  Making air fryer sausages from frozen is easy in the airfryer.  Just remember to separate the sausages after 2-3 minutes in the air fryer.

How to cook sausage with no casings in the airfryer?

The method for cooking sausage with no casing is exactly the same as if it had casing.  So you can follow the method outlined above.

Storage of Leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Serving Suggestions

A great addition to breakfast sausage is scrambled eggs.  Or you can air fry sausages and make your favorite bangers and mash recipe. Try this Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers recipe.

Baked red and yellow pepper halves with rice and sausage filling on a blue tray.

If you tried this Cooking Frozen Sausages in the Airfryer, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x

Cooking Frozen Sausages in an Air Fryer: It’s Quick and Easy

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5 from 5 votes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
£0.50
mains
British
Servings: 3
Cooking frozen sausage in the air fryer is a simple process that can be done in 15 minutes for less. These easy instructions will help you.

Ingredients

  • 6 frozen sausages

Method

Preheat airfryer to 350℉/180℃ for at least 5 minutes.

  • Place the frozen sausages into the air fryer basket. Do not worry about the sausages being frozen together. Pop in the airfryer and cook for 3 minutes.
  • After this time, you should be able to separate them. Use a fork to separate and distribute them evenly across the airfryer. A staggered formation is great for air circulation.
  • Cook them for 4 minutes, then rotate and cook for a further 4-6 minutes, or until they reach your desired crispiness.

Notes

  • Avoid overcrowding in the air fryer to ensure even cooking.
  • Separate sausages stuck together after 3 minutes of air frying.
  • Do not defrost before cooking; preheat the air fryer, flip sausages halfway through.

Nutrition

Servings: 3 servings
Fat: 17g
Calories: 258kcal
Carbohydrates: 11g
Protein: 13g
5 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Carmelinda | 6 months ago

    I found your article by using Google. I was about to thaw out some Italian sausages for dinner, but the thought of waiting so long made me search for “how to cook frozen sausages in an air fryer,” (which I love) and your article popped up. The timing for mine to reach the 165°F was 17 minutes. I have made them twice already and they turned out super yummy! Thanks for sharing your findings.5 stars

    1. Mimi Harrison | 6 months ago

      Hey Carmelinda, thanks for the lovely comment! So pleased you’ve already made them twice!

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