Brats in the Air Fryer
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Making brats in the air fryer is super easy! Perfectly cooked brats are ready in just 15 minutes, with minimal effort and cleanup.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- They cook up super fast in the air fryer! Other cooking methods such as grilling, on the stove, or in the oven typically take around 30 minutes. However, the air fryer cooks brats in record time – just under 15 minutes!
- The air fryer takes all the guesswork out of how long to cook these German sausages! Simply set the air fryer to 14 minutes, then pause at 7 minutes to give them a quick flip. Once the timer goes off, you’re guaranteed fully and perfectly cooked brats every time!
- You can serve them however you’d like! I love my bratwurst in a brioche roll with sauerkraut and mustard. Though if you’re looking for a low-carb meal, simply serve them over a bed of sautéed pepper and onions with kraut and mustard on the side – yum!
Key Ingredients
Uncooked Brats – Any uncooked brats will work in this recipe! Beer brats are a popular variety and I personally love the extra bit of flavor. However, you can use any kind of uncooked brat you’d like. If you can’t find uncooked brats, you can swap them out for uncooked sausage if you’d like!
Chef’s Tips
- Pause your air fryer at 7 minutes to give the brats a quick flip. Flipping them halfway through cooking will ensure they cook and brown evenly on all sides!
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may be able to fit more brats if you’d like! However, I recommend only fitting as many brats into the air fryer as you can in a single layer. Do not stack the brats on top of each other, which will cause them to cook unevenly.
- Line your air fryer basket with an air-fryer-safe parchment paper to help soak up any excess grease. Brats have a tendency to release quite a bit of grease once cooked. Therefore, you can either pat them try with a paper towel when they’re done cooking, or get ahead of things by cooking them atop a layer of parchment paper! Just make sure to use parchment paper that’s safe for the air fryer.
More Simple Air Fryer Recipes
- Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer
- Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer
- Easy Air Fryer Squash
- Frozen Burritos in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Bacon
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Brats in the Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 5 uncooked brats
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- air-fryer-safe spray oil (optional)
- Tongs
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 370° Fahrenheit. Once air fryer is preheated, lightly spray basket with spray oil (optional).
- Place brats in single layer in air fryer basket, being careful not to overcrowd basket. Return basket to preheated air fryer and cook 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, use tongs to flip brats over, then return to air fryer and cook another 7 minutes.
- After 14-minute cook time is up (or when brats reach desired doneness), remove brats from air fryer and serve with desired sides and toppings.
Notes
- All air fryers behave differently, even two of the exact same model. Keep an eye on your brats and adjust the cook time as needed to prevent under- or over-cooking the brats.
Nutrition Information
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
I use small shish kabob stick to keep bratwurst straight.
That’s a great idea, Sue. Thanks for sharing!
I had to cook mine for 30 min to be done inside!!! They were pink inside
I’m so sorry about that, Heather! Cook times will vary depending on the brats you use, the number you cook, the age/size/power of your air fryer, and preferred doneness. I hate that it took twice as long for yours as it did for ours! I hope they were still enjoyable, though.
Using a GE oven air fryer ours were undercooked too! Next time I’ll try 30 minutes…
So sorry about that, Don! This recipe is intended for a stand-alone air fryer. In-oven air fryers can behave differently than the stand-alone appliance. We didn’t test that option so we can’t recommend any time or temperature changes to accommodate it.
They came out GREAT!
Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them, Lois! Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome!
I was wanting to use boudin instead of brats. Any suggestions of how to get the skin really crispy? So far I can only get it right on the grill.
Love, love, love boudin! This method should get them pretty crisp, but if you like them even crisper, you can give them a quick sear in a hot skillet after cooking them in the air fryer. Not too long, though – you don’t want to overcook them.
What temperature do you set the air fryer at?
Hi! All the details are in the recipe card above. For this recipe, you’ll cook at 370° Fahrenheit.
Are the brats frozen, thawed or fresh?
Refrigerated or room temperature and uncooked! Fresh is fine. If you freeze yours, you’ll want to thaw them first.
I will make tomorrow can’t wait
Hope you enjoyed them!