Brats in Air Fryer: Quick and Easy

For a quick and delicious dinner, cook your brats in air fryer. Air fryer brats are always popular and easy to pair with classic sauerkraut or fried peppers and onions. It’s a low carb or keto meal to please friends and family.

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Brats in the air fryer

Do you have an air fryer? If you’re reading this post I guess that you probably do or are at least considering one.

It took me a while, but now I absolutely love my air fryer. I have a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker/air fryer, and they actually call it air crisping. Either way I love it!

It makes my life so much easier. Yes, I will even say it’s actually made me a little lazy. I’m no longer smoking up the house with bacon or going out in the snow to grill.

In fact, in this past week alone I’ve actually cooked cod, brats, chicken legs, and boiled eggs in it (well the eggs are in the pressure cooker part).

That brings us to today’s topic. How to cook brats in an air fryer? It’s so easy, I really don’t know why I ever did it any other way.

🍽 Equipment needed for air fryer brats

The first thing I do when it’s time to make dinner is to get out all the kitchen gadgets and equipment I’ll need. I like it when things are close at hand and ready to go.

• air fryer

Tada! Do you like that list?! I surely do. Cook your brats and pop open a can of good quality sauerkraut, and you’re good to do. Or add a few other things and make yourself some sautéed bell peppers and onions to go with it.

For the sautéed bell peppers and onions:

• cutting board
• a spatula
• knife
• frying pan or cast-iron skillet

🥘 Ingredients for brats in air fryer

• 1 pkg of bratwurst (ButcherBox, Johnsonville, store-made)
• Optional toppings:
  • mustard,
  • sauerkraut,
  • fried onions and bell peppers,
  • etc. whatever you like!

It’s important when selecting any ingredients, to buy as fresh as you can, and organic if possible. For meat, I usually order from ButcherBox for good quality I can trust.

However, you can find some good options in the grocery store also. Just be sure to read labels and sources in the grocery store when purchasing there. As I eat a keto diet I always look to see which brands have sugar or not.

🔪 Instructions

First of all, pull out the air fryer and ingredients. Everything should be close at hand where you can get to the items easily.

How to air fry brats

To begin, preheat the air fryer or air crisper to 390 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes.

💭 Top tip – how to prevent brats from splitting open

If you’ve had problems in the past with brats splitting open down the middle in the air fryer, that usually means the brat is sealed up tight. Therefore, if worried the brats will split, simply score each brat with a fork several times if the sausage is tightly rolled. This will generally prevent a large split.

If the sides of the brats are more open, you usually don’t need to do this. As long as there’s an opening for the steam to escape, they shouldn’t burst.

How to cook bratwurst in air fryer

Now back to it. Evenly space the brats in the preheated air fryer tray or basket with silicone-tipped tongs.

Next, depending on the size of the bratwurst, cook for 10-12 minutes. If the brats are on the small side, start with 8 minutes. If they’re on the larger side go up to 15.

This is where a meat thermometer comes in. A good meat thermometer is an invaluable tool in the kitchen. Sometimes it’s necessary to get the perfect cook on your meat.

About half-way through the cook time, flip the brats with the silicone tongs then continue to cook. Remove them from the air fryer when the internal temperature of the brats is between 150 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit (depending on your preference). I average about 12 minutes with the store-made brats.

That is it! Can you believe it? You almost just stick them in there and forget about it, and your meat’s done. Almost. 😊

Last up, serve them with your favorite toppings. That means mustard, sauerkraut, and fried onions and peppers for me! What do you like with your brats?

🌶 How to sauté onions and peppers

If you’d like to sauté some onions and peppers to go with your air fryer brats, it’s also pretty simple to do.

First, core and slice up two red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (or equivalent mini-peppers). Second, slice one medium onion.

After that, warm two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Drop in the vegetables and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often. Salt and pepper to taste as they cook.

🥣 How to store air fried brats

Any leftover brats can be kept in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for about five days. Then easily reheat them on the stovetop, in the air fryer, or in the microwave and enjoy.

The sautéed onions and peppers can be kept in the same way and served again with bratwurst and sauerkraut, yum!

Cooking in the air fryer – brats

Now, am I completely lazy or just exceptionally smart that I cook pretty much everything in my Ninja Foodi (Ninja Foodi manual here) lately? I think I’ll choose the exceptionally smart option. What about you?

We also love to make Keto Turkey Burgers and Keto Turkey Meatloaf in the air fryer, but there are so many options! Like I said before, fish is fabulous in the air fryer, we’ve made cod and salmon in it. Also, when you need a quick weeknight meal, did you know you can cook frozen burgers in an air fryer?!

So give it a go! Also, if you’re on the fence about purchasing an air fryer or Ninja Foodi, I have to say I’ve never regretted it a second. I use it all the time, and it’s probably my most cherished kitchen gadget after my coffee maker and blender. 😂

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🍲 Other keto air fryer recipes

1. Sour Cream and Onion Keto Chips
2. Best Low Carb Keto Turkey Meatloaf
3. Keto Asparagus Fries
4. Low Carb Garlic Parmesan Zucchini
5. Keto Turkey Burgers

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please be aware I am not a medical specialist or nutritional professional. On this blog, I share recipes and what works for me. Please do not take anything on this blog as medical advice and always consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.

I use MyFitnessPal.com to calculate nutrition facts as a courtesy to my readers, and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count because does not affect my own blood glucose levels.  

This is as accurate as possible, but it’s best to independently calculate nutritional information on your own with the specific ingredients you use. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.