Air Fryer Sausages: Cooking Times for Fresh and Frozen

Sausages are one of the easiest things to cook in an air fryer. They brown evenly all round without constant turning, there's no spitting fat on the hob, and the fat drains away into the drawer.

Here are timings for every kind of sausage you'll find in a UK supermarket, plus serving ideas for quick, cheap dinners.

Timings by sausage type

All at 180°C in a preheated air fryer, in a single layer, turning once or twice.

• Thick pork sausages (about 60–70 g): 12–15 minutes
• Thin pork sausages: 9–11 minutes
• Chipolatas: 8–10 minutes
• Cocktail sausages: 7–9 minutes
• Frozen thick sausages: 16–20 minutes
• Frozen chipolatas: 12–14 minutes
• Vegetarian and vegan sausages: 10–14 minutes, or follow the pack — some brown very quickly

Do you need to prick sausages?

No. Pricking lets fat and juices escape, which can make sausages drier. Air fryers cook at moderate, even heat, so skins rarely split when cooked at 180°C. If yours do burst, try a slightly lower temperature, such as 170°C, for a couple of minutes longer.

You don't need to add oil either — sausages release plenty of their own fat.

Checking they're cooked

Sausages are made from minced meat, so bacteria from the surface can be mixed throughout. They need to be cooked all the way through: no pink meat in the middle, juices running clear and steaming hot throughout. A probe thermometer in the centre of the thickest sausage should read at least 75°C.

Browned skin is not a reliable sign on its own, especially with thick or frozen sausages.

Tip: If the outside is dark but the centre isn't hot enough, lower the temperature to 160–170°C and give them a few more minutes rather than turning the heat up.

Cooking from frozen

Most frozen supermarket sausages can be cooked from frozen; check the pack. Separate them if they're frozen together — you may need to run them for 3–4 minutes first, then pull them apart with tongs. Add the extra time listed above and check the centre carefully.

Quick sausage dinners

Sausages are a budget staple. A few ideas:

• Sausage and mash: mash on the hob while the sausages cook; add frozen peas and onion gravy
• Sausage tray bake: chunks of sausage, peppers, red onion and potato tossed in oil at 190°C for 18–22 minutes
• Hot dogs: sausages in rolls with fried onions — warm the rolls for 1 minute at the end
• Sausage pasta: slice cooked sausages into a tomato sauce with pasta
• Breakfast: sausages with bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes, adding the quicker items for the last few minutes

Fat and smoke

A full basket of pork sausages releases a fair amount of fat. If you see white smoke, it's usually fat in the drawer getting very hot. Empty the drawer carefully between batches (let the fat cool and set before binning it — not down the sink), or add a tablespoon of water to the drawer under the basket.

General information only. Check product labels and manufacturer instructions before you start.