When you are hungry for brats and don’t want to fire up the grill or turn on the oven, make air fryer brats. All it takes is 2 ingredients (plus condiments) and 20 minutes and you have a delicious meal of air fryer brats. I’m confident this will become one of your favorite air fryer recipes.
Why Air Fryer Bratwurst Is a Game Changer
Super Fast. Air Fryer brats are ready in under 20 minutes including the time to preheat the air fryer.
Easy. You only need uncooked brats, brat buns, and 20 minutes. Your reward will be tasty, juicy bratwurst with that wonderful crispy exterior.
When Inside is Best. Avoid going outside to grill on extremely hot days, rainy days, or cold days. You can enjoy air fryer brats all year.
Meals for One or Two. Air frying brats allow you to enjoy one, two, or more brats without heating up a grill.
Lifestyle. If you don’t have a grill or live in a place where grills aren’t allowed, the air fryer is a great solution.
Ingredients
Brats. For juicy brats with legendary flavor, Johnsonville brats are our brand of choice. You can use any brats in this recipe. We use Johnsonville brats because they are delicious and always have that big taste. They also are common our your local grocery store.
In case you were wondering, this is not a sponsored post from Johnsonville. My only disclaimer is that growing up in Wisconsin these became my favorite brats. To this day I find them the tastiest brats around.
Brat buns are larger and more sturdy than hot dog buns. They are the best way to hold your perfectly cooked air fryer brats. For a low-carb meal, you can omit the buns.
Your choice of condiments and toppings.
The exact ingredients, measurements, and cooking instructions are in the recipe card.
Substitutions
- For frozen brats in the air fryer, add 5 minutes to the cooking time.
- To cook pre-cooked brats in an air fryer, all you need to know is that you are reheating them not cooking them. Set your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cooked brats in a single layer and heat for 5 minutes or until brown and heated through.
How To Make Air Fryer Brats
- To air fry brats, preheat the air fryer to 390°F.
- Using tongs, arrange the brats in a single layer in the air fryer basket. You want to have space between them so the hot air circulates.
- Air fry brats for 12 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160°F when tested with a meat thermometer. Turn your bratwurst halfway through the cooking time if necessary. Some ovens will circulate the heat so that the raw brats get cooked evenly without turning.
- Using tongs, transfer the brats to a serving platter and let them rest for 5 minutes.
- Place the brats in the buns and serve with your favorite condiments.
Use tongs when handling the bratwurst. Silicone-coated tongs are the best for this. You do not want to pierce the skin on the brats and lose all those tasty juices.
Cook’s Tips
- Make sure to buy uncooked (raw) bratwurst for this recipe.
- Do not use a hot dog bun as they are not as large or sturdy. Use bratwurst buns or another type of sturdy buns such as hoagie rolls or ciabatta.
- If your air fryer or air fryer oven is without nonstick coating, place the brats on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Cooking time can vary between air fryers. Check doneness earlier the first time you air fry brats in your air fryer.
Variations
Air Fryer Brats and Peppers: Remove the stem and seeds from bell peppers. Slice them thinly, toss in a small amount of vegetable oil, and cook in the air fryer alongside the brats. Remove the peppers a couple of minutes before the brats finished.
There are so many unique flavors of bratwurst sausages. Grab a package of brats and use this easy way to get cooking. You are on your way to golden brown brats with nice crisp skin.
If you do want to fire up the grill, give your brats a beer bath my brats in beer for your next outing or tailgate party.
Serving Suggestions
Toasted buns: While the brats are resting after cooking toast the bratwurst buns. Add the split buns to the air fryer and toast for 3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Repeat until you toast all buns.
Air fryer bratwurst and sauerkraut: Top bratwurst with regular or Bavarian style sauerkraut. This is when it is nice to have a toasted bun or a very sturdy bun before you add a bit of sauerkraut to your brat.
Condiments: Your favorite toppings for hot dogs and burgers are great for air fryer brats. These include ketchup, mustard, chopped onions, relish, and prepared horseradish.
Make some regional creations with great toppings for your bratwurst. Add chili, sauerkraut, pickled jalapenos, or fried onions to your air fryer bratwurst. You are starting with a blank slate so you can make them into whatever you want.
Side dishes such as frozen French fries in the air fryer are air fried using close to the same temp and cooking time. You can cook a whole meal at once. Or start out with some easy frozen mozzarella sticks in the air fryer.
Storage
Uncooked bratwurst can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
Cooked bratwurst can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days according to the USDA.
Do not let cooked sausages set out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Easy Air Fryer Brats With Johnsonville Brats
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Tongs, Silicon or Nylon Coated
Ingredients
- 5 uncooked bratwurst
- 5 brat buns split
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 390°F.
- Using tongs, arrange the brats in the air fryer basket with space in between them.
- Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the bratwurst registers 160°F. The skin should be taut and crispy and the inside will be juicy, Halfway through the cooking time, check your bratwurst to see if they need to be turned over.
- Using tongs, transfer the brats to a serving platter and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Place the brats in the buns and serve with your favorite condiments.