Name: Bratwurst
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 Bratwurst

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The Brätwurst sausage has been in existence since the middle ages, from the German city of Nuremberg. Brat (finely ground meat) and wurst (sausage) has some 40 variations, and they all air-fry perfectly. (Okay, we haven’t tried all 40 variations in the air fryer but we have faith!)

In the 1920s German immigrants brought the wurst to the United States and more specifically, the Midwest. And it was this particular group of immigrants that popularized the brat we have today. Although we mostly get the Johnsonville brat at the grocery store, If you are ever in the bratwurst capital of American (Bucyrus, Ohio), or anywhere in the wonderful state of Wisconsin, I suggest you bring a cooler and stock up, as the bratwurst from these areas, in my opinion, is superior.

If you want your brats Wisconsin-style, you can boil them in pilsner beer, butter, and onions then, of course, use your air fryer for browning. Truly, you can’t go wrong however you cook your brat, but for this article, we air-fried our brats (of course). We chose a lower temperature to keep the juices intact and to not burn the outside of our brat. Browned and juicy is good, burnt and dry is bad.

For our photos, we used onions and mustard for our toppings, but there is no wrong condiment when it comes to bratwurst. Common brat toppings include onions and mustard, but also cheddar cheese, jalapeno peppers, and green peppers. But please resist the urge to use ketchup. Bratwursts aren’t hot dogs.

Bratwurst

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

14 mins

Total Time

20 mins

Bratwurst in the Air Fryer

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American, German

Keyword: Air Fried Bratwurst, Air Fryer Bratwurst, Bratwurst in the Air Fryer

Calories: 300 kcal

Ingredients

4 Bratwurst

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 350° F | 176° C for 5 minutes.
Brats can get a bit messy, so we recommend a liner to help with cleaning. Do NOT preheat with the liner in. Fires are bad.

Place the Bratwurst in your air fryer and air fry for 7 minutes.
After 7 minutes, roll your Brats so their other sides are up and air fry for an additional 7 minutes.
Use a food thermometer to make sure your Bratwurst internal temperature is at least 160° F | 71° C degrees.

If you prefer a more browned Bratwurst; check your brats internal temperature gets to 150° F | 65° C, you can raise the air fryer temp to 400° F | 204° C for the last couple minutes of your cook.
NOTE: All air fryers have temperature variations (350 is not necessarily really 350), so use a bit of common sense and a food thermometer. Overcooked brats are almost as bad as undercooked.
Plate and enjoy!