Air Fryer Recipe
Sausage links
A delicious and easy-to-make sausage links recipe, perfect for air frying.
Ingredients
- 8 sausage links (pork, beef, or vegetarian options are all suitable)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional, for extra crispiness)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional herbs and seasonings such as rosemary, thyme, or garlic powder
Method
- Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (356°F) and let it preheat for around 5 minutes.
- Lightly coat the sausage links with olive oil if desired. Season with salt, pepper, and any additional herbs or spices.
- Place the sausage links in a single layer in the air fryer basket, ensuring there's enough space between each link.
- Air fry the sausages for about 10-12 minutes, rotating them halfway through the cooking process.
- Ensure the internal temperature reaches at least 75°C (167°F) for pork sausages to ensure they're fully cooked.
Why this works in an air fryer
Air frying works well for sausage links because fast convection dries the casing quickly while rendered fat bastes the meat from within. A little spacing lets hot air reach all sides, so the skin browns instead of steaming, while the moderate 180°C heat gives the centre time to reach 75°C without splitting badly.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 4–6 litre basket holding 8 standard links in one layer; in a single-drawer model, keep them around the perimeter and turn halfway, while in a dual-zone air fryer split them between drawers and check 1–2 minutes earlier as the smaller loads brown faster.
Common pitfalls
- Pale, damp-looking skins at minute 10 indicate overcrowding or excess surface moisture; pat the sausages dry, leave gaps between links, and add 2–4 minutes rather than raising the heat sharply.
- Casings splitting open early with fat pooling in the basket usually means the temperature is too aggressive for that sausage style; reduce to 170°C and cook a few minutes longer next time.
- Brown outside but pink or cool in the centre means the links are thick or started fridge-cold; continue at 160–170°C until a probe reaches 75°C in the middle of the fattest sausage.
- Dry, wrinkled sausages with hard ends are overcooked or very lean; stop as soon as they hit temperature and use the optional oil only for lean chicken, beef or vegetarian links.
Variations & substitutions
- Vegetarian or vegan sausages usually brown faster but do not render fat, so use a light oil coating and start checking from 8 minutes.
- Thick butcher's pork sausages may need 14–16 minutes at 180°C, with a temperature check in the centre rather than relying on colour.
- Chicken or turkey sausages are leaner and can dry out, so cook at 170°C and extend slightly until they reach 75°C.
- Herb-coated sausages with rosemary, thyme or garlic powder brown more quickly on the surface, so apply a light coating and shake off excess dry seasoning to prevent scorching.
Storage & reheating
Cool leftovers promptly, keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, and reheat in the air fryer at 170°C for 4–6 minutes until piping hot throughout.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
