How To Cook Frozen Sausages In An Air Fryer
Are you wondering if you can cook frozen sausages in an air fryer? The answer is yes!
In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to cook frozen sausages in the air fryer, including the cooking time, temperature and a few handy tips to help you get perfectly cooked sausages every time.
Air fryers have become incredibly popular in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. They often cook food much quicker than a conventional oven and, in many cases, the results are even better. (Air fryer chips definitely beat oven chips in my opinion!)
I love my air fryer and, along with my slow cooker, it’s probably one of the kitchen gadgets I use the most. It’s often cheaper to run than a conventional oven too, so it’s a great way to save a little money on your energy bills.
Can You Cook Frozen Sausages In An Air Fryer?
The good news is that yes, you can cook frozen sausages in the air fryer.
An air fryer works much like a fan oven, so frozen sausages can be cooked safely as long as they reach the correct internal temperature before serving. I always recommend checking this with a digital food thermometer.
Here are just a few reasons to cook frozen sausages in the air fryer:
- They cook quicker than they do in the oven.
- There’s no need to wait for the oven to heat up.
- They brown really evenly.
- It’s a safe and convenient way to cook sausages straight from frozen.
The only real downside is the size of the air fryer basket. I can comfortably cook six sausages at a time, which is perfect for the two of us, but if you’re feeding a crowd the oven is probably the better option.
Before You Get Started
A couple of things are worth mentioning before we get started.
Appliances vary. I used a Tower Air Fryer for this post, but every air fryer cooks slightly differently, so you may need to adjust the cooking time by a minute or two.
Sausages vary. I used supermarket frozen sausages, but thicker sausages may need a little longer to cook than thinner ones.
How To Cook Frozen Sausages In The Air Fryer
I like to line my air fryer basket with a piece of baking paper because I find meat products sometimes stick to the bottom.
The downside is that the sausages sit in some of the fat as it cooks, much like they would in an oven tray. If you don’t use baking paper, the fat will simply drip into the bottom of the air fryer instead. Either method works perfectly well, just don’t forget to clean the air fryer afterwards!
Here’s how to cook frozen sausages in the air fryer:
- Place the frozen sausages into the air fryer basket, leaving a little space between each one.
- Cook at 180°C for 15 minutes.
- Turn the sausages over halfway through cooking using kitchen tongs.
- Cook for another 5 minutes, or until they’re nicely browned all over.
- Before serving, make sure they’re piping hot in the middle. If you’re using a food thermometer, they should reach 75°C for at least 30 seconds or 80°C for at least 6 seconds.
If they haven’t reached temperature yet, simply cook them for another couple of minutes.
I love how evenly the sausages brown in the air fryer. They come out beautifully coloured all over with hardly any effort.
How Long Do Frozen Sausages Take In The Air Fryer?
Answer: Around 20 minutes at 180°C.
I usually cook mine for 15 minutes before turning them over for the final 5 minutes.
As every air fryer is different, don’t worry if yours need another minute or two.
Which Frozen Sausages Can You Use?
I used frozen sausages that I bought ready frozen from the supermarket, but you can just as easily cook sausages that you’ve frozen yourself.
The only issue is that homemade frozen sausages often freeze together into one big lump if they weren’t separated first.
This is why I usually recommend flash freezing sausages before storing them properly… although I’ll admit I’m just as guilty as anyone else of chucking the whole pack in the freezer when I’m in a hurry!
If your sausages are frozen together, it’s best to let them thaw just enough so you can separate them before cooking.
You can do this by using the defrost setting on your microwave for a couple of minutes or leaving them in the fridge until they’re easy to pull apart.
Have you tried cooking frozen sausages in the air fryer? I’d love to hear how you got on!
