Using the air fryer is the BEST way to cook sausage! This recipe takes less than 20 minutes to cook and it includes a side of veggies! Air fryer sausage is also a great option for easy meal prep.
Why This Recipe Works
Whenever I need a dinner FAST I like to make air fryer Italian sausage and peppers. I can make the protein source for dinner (the sausages!) and a side of veggies at once... yay for multitasking!
Air fryer sausage is also my go-to protein source to add to pasta, like spaghetti. I always make a couple extra to have on hand to make a super fabulous omelette and breakfast potatoes! Leftover air fryer sausage is perfect for this!
Ingredients For This Recipe
- Sausage. I like to use Italian sausage usually but there are SO many unique flavors of sausage so feel free to use whatever you like! You could even throw some beer brats in here and make air fryer brats!
- Oil. Air fryers don't need a lot of oil, however I find that adding a smidge helps the peppers and onions cook and not burn. You could also spritz them with non-stick spray to be honest!
How To Make This Recipe
The first thing you're going to want to do to preheat your air fryer to 370 degrees F. If your air fryer doesn't have a preheat setting you can set it to 370 degrees F and let it run for ~5 minutes to get up to temperature.
Then, cut you are going to want to slice your peppers and onion. An easy way to prep your peppers to do this is to cut your peppers is to first slice off both ends, then make a slit all the way down the side of the pepper, and go around it with the knife to cut out the center. (See below for pictures!)
Now, slice your pepper and onion into ~1/4-1/2" slices.
In a large bowl toss the peppers and onion with olive oil.
Spray your preheated air fryer basket with non-stick spray. First place your sausages in there and then the peppers.
Be careful not to overcrowd your air fryer basket. If you are making a lot of sausage it's better to do 2 batches. If you overcrowd your air fryer basket they won't cook properly. My 6 qt Instant Pot Vortex fits 4 max.
Cook your air fryer sausage for a total of ~18 minutes, flip them over once halfway through.
NOTE: Cooking time will depend on how large your sausages are. Smaller sausages may take closer to 15 minutes and larger closer to 20. I'd recommend peeking at about the 15 minute mark to see how they're doing!
Now, enjoy! I like to serve mine with a side of rice, seasoned air fryer potatoes or air fryer sweet potato fries!
Recipe FAQs
Nope! You can use any kind of sausages here! They don't need to be Italian. The only thing to take note is of the size of your sausage. For instance, using small breakfast sausages will take less time than a full-sized Italian sausage.
Cooking frozen sausages in an air fryer is super easy- extend the cooking time by ~5 minutes VS fresh.
Absolutely! If you don't want add the peppers or don't have any on hand feel free to skip them. You can easily make air fryer Italian sausage by itself to throw on top of things like spaghetti!
You can use whatever your little heart desires!
Expert Tips
- If your peppers a cut on the smaller side they may take less time to cook. Peek in the air fryer at ~18 minutes and see how they're doing. You may need to remove the peppers if they're getting over cooked.
- Different brands will have different sizes sausages. Take a peek every few minutes towards the end of the cooking time (starting at ~15 minutes). Once you know how the sausages you like cook you won't need to do this.
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If you love this recipe be sure to leave a star rating on the recipe card and a comment below!
XOXO
-Colleen
Easy Air Fryer Sausage & Peppers
An easy weeknight meal with protein and loads of veggies in just about 20 minutes! Serve with a side of potatoes or rice, but they also taste great over spaghetti or pasta!
Ingredients
- 1 Package Italian Sausages
- 1 pepper per sausage, any color, sliced into strips
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
Cook sausage (as many as will fit, I did 3) in the air fryer at 370 for 10 minutes
Flip sausages, add peppers and onion (is using) cook for an additional 8 minutes
Enjoy!
Notes
You can use any kind of sausage you like.
Check your sausages at 15 minutes. Smaller sausage will cook closer to 15 minutes and larger may be closer to 20 minutes.
If you notice at the 15 minute mark your peppers are getting over cooked simply remove them. This can happen with smaller cut veggies.
To make this in the oven, simple bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, then flip sausages & peppers and bake for another 20-25 minutes. It's a good idea to use a meat thermometer!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 699mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 17g
Diane
Super easy and great flavor! This is a new staple for us that we LOVE!!
Colleen
I'm so glad you loved, thanks for letting me know!