How to Cook Brats in an Air Fryer

Discover a fun and simple method to cook brats using an air fryer, a cooking technique that might surprise you. Once you’ve tried preparing brats in an air fryer, you’ll view them in a whole new light! They’re an excellent choice for summer gatherings with your loved ones and can be paired with a variety of dishes like hamburgers or hotdogs. Cooking brats in an air fryer is not only enjoyable but also doesn’t require any culinary skills. Plus, you have the flexibility to cook them either indoors or outdoors, enjoying the fresh air! In this guide, I’ll cover what brats are, the advantages of cooking them in an air fryer, the cooking process, pairing options, and how to cook frozen brats in an air fryer. Since brats have a generous amount of fat, adding extra fat for air frying is unnecessary. And, there’s no need to fret over which sausages to serve alongside brats! They pair wonderfully with various sausages, like Italian or smoked sausage. This guide focuses on preparing brats in an air fryer. Below, find the steps for air frying brats and tips for reheating pre-cooked brats.

What are Brats?

Brats are like a great sausage link but are usually made with pork, beef, or different meats. It is native to Germany and cooked with ginger, nutmeg, coriander, or caraway spices. Brats can come in all sorts of flavors. Brats can also be cooked with a variety of cheddar and cheese, but that is, of course, a personal preference. They are excellent at a breakfast table and accompanied by several different ingredients (you can read more about those below).

Here’s why should you Cook Brats in the Air Fryer

• They taste just as they came off the grill.
• You can cook them at any time of the year, regardless of the weather.
• They only take minutes to get prepared in an air fryer
• You can coat them with different things or ingredients to get a nice crispy texture.

How to make Brats in an Air Fryer

It’s insanely easy to fry brats to perfection. Just follow these cooking tips to get the best version of your brats.

• Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees. All air fryers are made separately, so heat first to ensures that the food is cooked evenly according to this recipe.
• Put a slice of bread under your brat and reassemble your air fryer (read more about why below).
• Put the brats in your air fryer aside and cook for about 8-10 minutes; also, turn your brat regularly in the middle of the air fryer.
• Check the brats with a readable thermometer (I love the Kizen Instant Read Thermometer) and fully cooked when it reaches 160 degrees inside.
• Remove the brats from the air fryer and cook the rolls for 1-2 minutes, until crispy.
• Turn the air fryer entirely off, add the brats and cheese and turn off the air fryer for one minute.

Why do I need to Cook Bread in my Air Fryer?

Using a piece of bread is a pure trick when cooking fatty foods such as Air Fryer Hamburger, Air Fryer Bacon, or these kinds of stuff.

Why?

The air fryer creates a 360-degree angle when cooking. This bread will absorb all the fat that will come out of the brats, go down under the holes in the air fryer, and fly up and hit the fan and heat coils. Not only can it cause significant pollution, but it can also make your air fryer full of smoke. A piece of bread absorbs all the fat that drops to the bottom of the basket. In this way, no oil will be burnt and cause smoking.

Place 1-2 slices of bread under a fryer in an airtight container. You may need to place the bread down to allow your air fryer to settle correctly inside it; this is a method I do personally when I air fry fatty foods.

How to Cook Brats in an Air Fryer

It happens all the time. For example, I plan dinner and get everything ready to cook brats and have a great dinner, but then forget to take the brats out of the fridge. There is no need to melt the meat before cooking (like frozen meat or beef).

Here’s how to Cook Frozen Brats in an Air Fryer:

• First, preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees.
• Place the brats frozen inside the air fryer and cook for 15 minutes until cooked thoroughly.
• Remove the brats from the air fryer and complete the recipe as mentioned below!

How to do Topping of your Brats before Serving them

While I would like to top them with a bit of cheddar and Swiss cheese, here are some ideas:

• Pepper and onions
• Ketchup and Mustard
• Relish and diced onions
• Cheese curd
• Pineapple and BBQ sauce
• Jalapenos and Bacon Bits (you can also use the air fryer to get bacon cooked)
• sauce and cheder cheese
• Potato chips and ketchup

How to Cook Frozen Brats in an Air Fryer:

Preheat the air fryer and cook for 15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Bottom line:

Make sure your air fryer is clean, and so is your suction pan. Brats have high-fat content and will have a lot of fatty and digestive content. Your air fryer can smoke if you do not start from a clean slide. You can also put some holes in aluminum foil or parchment paper and line your air basket. Make sure the brats are in the same way to cook evenly. If possible, leave a small space between each other. Flip the brats in the middle of cooking to cook and turn evenly brown. The room temperature brats will cook faster and more evenly than the ones which are frozen. Not a necessary step but one thing to look out for when you have time.