This air fryer Italian sausage recipe lets you make this comfort food quickly and easily. Italian sausage and vegetables cooked in the air fryer are crispy and juicy for an easy to make family dinner. Put the sausage and vegetables in rolls for a quick and easy meal with minimal prep and clean up!
Italian sausage is one of my family’s favorite easy dinners! Whether we are serving it with spaghetti with Marinara sauce or having sausage subs we enjoy the Italian sausage.
And cooking the Italian sausage in the air fryer makes it even better, because this easy all in one dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes.
Why Cook Sausage in Air Fryer?
The air fryer is my new favorite way to cook sausage, because it cooks the sausage quickly without it being greasy, burning or smoking up the entire house.
When I cook sausage on the stove I always end up with smoke inside as the sausage spatters and throws grease all over the stove. Before I had an air fryer I solved this by cooking sausage on the grill.
Unfortunately there are about 6 months out of the year where it is too cold to cook outside here! Plus the grease from the sausage tends to drip down onto the heating elements of the grill, which causes flare ups and burnt sausage.
Using Bread to Catch the Grease and Prevent Smoking
To prevent any issues with smoking and greasy sausages in the air fryer I use bread in the bottom to soak up the grease. This is the same technique that works so well for air fryer bacon!
Just put one or two slices of bread in the bottom of the air fryer. I usually use the heels of my sandwich loaf, because no ever eats those anyway.
You don’t want to cover the entire bottom of the air fryer, because the air still needs to circulate. The sausage grease drips down into the bread and there is no smoking and very little grease spattering.
And after cooking the sausage you can just throw out the bread. Since most of the grease ends up in the bread clean up is easier!
Ingredients
This is a simple recipe with only a few ingredients.
- Italian sausage – We usually use Gianelli sausage, which is a local Syracuse brand that we enjoy. We are big fans of spicy Italian sausage, but the recipe works fine for sweet sausage too.
- Onions, peppers, mushrooms – Peppers are the classic veggies for cooking with Italian sausage. I like to add onions and mushrooms too for extra veggies.
- Rolls – If you are making sausage subs then you will need some rolls. Crusty Italian rolls are my favorite.
How to Make Air Fryer Sausage and Peppers
In this recipe the sausage and the veggies are cooked together in the air fryer. This saves time and means that you don’t have to clean extra pans.
1. Preheat the Air Fryer
I don’t always preheat my air fryer but I find the sausage cooks better with a couple minutes of preheating. So set the air fryer on 400 F and let it heat for a couple of minutes.
2. Cook the Sausage
Put bread under the air fryer basket to catch the sausage grease. Two slices of bread are perfect for my air fryer. Make sure you don’t cover the entire bottom of the air fryer so that the air can circulate.
Add the sausage and let it cook at 400 F for 6 minutes. My air fryer basket can fit four sausage without any crowding.
3. Add the Veggies
While the sausage is cooking wash and slice the onions, peppers and mushrooms.
For making sausage subs it is better to slice the veggies into strips instead of dicing them. Strips will be easier to put on the sub rolls once they are cooked.
After the 6 minutes is up use tongs to flip the sausage over in the air fryer basket. Then toss the veggies around and on top of the sausage.
Since the onions, peppers and mushrooms aren’t packed down the air can still circulate and everything will still cook. There is no need to add any oil to the vegetables, the sausage will provide all the grease needed.
Reduce the air fryer temperature to 360 F and set it for 8 minutes more.
4. Move the Sausage to the Top
After 4 minutes pull the basket out and use tongs to put the sausage on top of the vegetables. This helps make sure the vegetable get cooked thoroughly.
5. Check the Temperature
After the cooking time is up check the sausages with a instant read thermometer and make sure they have reached 160 F. Air fryers differ and sausages can be different sizes, so don’t assume they are done, always check to be sure!
Once the sausages are done dump the entire contents of the air fryer basket out onto a serving platter. Then you can serve up sausage hoagies or just eat the sausage and peppers with a knife and fork.
How to Serve Italian Sausage
The addition of a simple green salad makes this a tasty family dinner! In addition to making sausage subs my family and I like to serve Italian sausage with spaghetti and marinara sauce as an alternative to meatballs.
If you want to make a more traditional Italian dinner you pair these sausage hoagies up with Utica greens. They also go well with blue cheese coleslaw for a quick summer meal.
Find More Air Fryer Dinner Recipes
Air Fryer Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 4 Italian Sausage spicy or sweet
- 1 small onion
- 1 bell pepper or 3 mini bell peppers
- 6 ounces mushrooms
- 4 sub rolls optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 3 minutes.
- Put two slices of bread under the air fryer basket to catch the grease from the sausage. Don’t worry if the bread gets smushed down.
- Add the sausage to the air fryer basket and cook for 6 minutes. Be careful not to crowd the sausage in the basket.4 Italian Sausage
- While the sausage cooks slice the onion, peppers and mushrooms.1 small onion, 1 bell pepper or 3 mini bell peppers, 6 ounces mushrooms
- After the 6 minutes are up reduce the air fryer temperature to 360 F. Use tongs to flip over the sausage. Then toss the onions, peppers and mushrooms into the basket, on and around the sausage.
- Cook for 8 minutes at 360 F. After 4 minute open the air fryer and use tongs to put the sausage on top of the vegetables to make sure they cook evenly.
- Check the temperature of the sausage and verify it has reached 160 F. If it isn’t quite there yet cook it for another 3 minutes and check it again.
- Take the sausage and peppers out of the air fryer. Serve in rolls for sausage subs or on a platter.4 sub rolls
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
So glad u like giannelli sausage . I am 20 miles from Syracuse and it’s our favorite too! Great recipe, needed the time and temps for the air fry. I agree, the sausage makes a huge mess when fried on the stovetop. We also do the sausage w marinara and pasta often, usually add mushrooms to that as well!