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Sometimes simple comfort food is the very best kind of meal there is! Whether you’re looking for a simple dinner idea or a crowd-pleasing party dish, this air fryer brats with peppers and onions recipe is sure to be a hit! The combination of savory bratwurst, sweet caramelized onions, and tender peppers makes for a delicious and satisfying meal. With the air fryer, you can have this dish ready in just 15 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
Magic happens when you put bratwurst with sliced bell peppers and onions in your air fryer basket. This easy recipe proves air frying delivers wonderful results.
If you’re a fan of super-simple air fryer recipes, you might also like to try crab cake egg rolls, hasselback chicken, vegetable beef stew, or a bagel breakfast casserole.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy: Air fryers don’t just cook things quickly but they also make recipes easy. And all you have to do here is prep your ingredients and add them to the air fryer to cook.
Tasty: Who doesn’t love juicy brats with tender veggies in buns? This is such a delicious dish and it’s perfect as a midweek treat and also great for a lazy weekend meal.
Customizable: There are so many different types and brands of bratwurst sausages you can pick whichever is your favorite or you can make this recipe using different kinds and see which you love most. Johnsonville brats in the air fryer are always good or you could use any German sausage.
Air Fryer Brats Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below
Bratwurst: Head to the grocery store and you’ll find a lot of different options for bratwurst. Compare the brands, ingredients, bratwurst casing, and choose whichever you like the sound of the most. Or maybe you already have a favorite bratwurst. Pork, beef or even chicken or turkey brats work.
Vegetables: Onion and a red and a green bell pepper work well in this air fryer brats recipe. Feel free to use different colored peppers or sweet onion in place of yellow if you want.
Bratwurst buns: Bratwurst buns or hot dog buns work well with this recipe. You can also get low carb buns and gluten-free buns, or even forgo the buns altogether and serve your air fryer brats over mashed potatoes or rice.
Oil: You don’t need much oil. It’s just to lightly coat the veggies for cooking in the hot air. You can use regular olive oil or extra virgin, or even another kind such as canola oil.
How to Make Air Fryer Brats
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card
Preheat the air fryer: The first step is to get your air fryer nice and hot.
Prep the vegetables: While the air fryer is heating up, slice the onions and peppers thinly.
Season the vegetables: Toss them with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Cook the ingredients: Put the brats and vegetables in the air fryer basket in one layer and cook for 5 minutes.
Rotate the ingredients: Flip the sausages and stir the vegetables.
The finishing touches: Cook for another 5 minutes or until done and serve the brats and vegetables in buns.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version use gluten-free buns and make sure you’re using gluten-free bratwurst.
Different veggies: You can use all onions and no peppers (or vice versa) or try something else like sliced mushrooms or zucchini.
Change up the flavors: Salt and pepper does the job but if you want to add more flavor you can add garlic powder, paprika or any seasoning blend you enjoy.
No veggies: Omit the vegetables if you want a simpler meal of brats in buns. You can always serve veggies, a salad or anything else you want on the side.
No air fryer? Not a problem – you can make this recipe on the grill or else in a skillet on the stove.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Tasty appetizer suggestions to serve before the air fryer brats include chipotle chicken wings or beef taquitos. Both these recipes are air fryer friendly too!
Side dishes: Something like Mexican corn or Hawaiian macaroni salad would be tasty on the side. Lemon parmesan chopped salad would also be a good contrast.
Dessert: Still got room for something sweet? Sweet tea raspberry pops are good, this chocolate cupcake recipe, or a tropical pineapple lush. You could also skip the sweets and just try this tasty chai latte recipe.
How to Store Leftover Bratwurst Sausages
Store: Keep leftovers for up to 3 days in a sealed container or Ziploc bag in the fridge.
Freeze: You can freeze cooked brats if you have too many but don’t freeze the vegetables because they have a disappointing texture when thawed out.
Thaw: Defrost the brats overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Give them about 30 seconds in the microwave or reheat at 350 degrees F for about 7 minutes in the air fryer or 10 minutes in the oven.
Top Tips
Preheat the air fryer: Do this and your air fryer brats will be done in 10 minutes. You can pop them in without preheating but they’ll take longer.
Thinly sliced veggies: Slicing your vegetables thinly ensures they cook evenly instead of some cooking too fast and some burning.
Use a meat thermometer: Use a meat thermometer to ensure the air fry brats have an internal temperature of 160 degrees F and therefore safe to serve. This meat thermometer is the one I love and I use it all the time!
Allow resting time: It’s important to give the bratwurst sausages a few minutes to rest before serving. This lets the juices redistribute with the result of juicier, tastier brats.
Air fryers differ: Depending on your air fryer model, there might be some differences. For the best results follow your air fryer instructions. If you’re using a single-temperature air fryer (like an original ActiFry) just make sure the brats are 160 degrees F in the middle, even if the cooking time is a little different. If the brats are done before the veggies, or vice versa, just remove whatever is done and continue cooking the rest.
Easy Air Fryer Brats FAQs
The important thing is that you don’t overcrowd your air fryer. The bratwurst sausages and vegetables should be arranged in one single layer in the basket, otherwise you won’t get proper air circulation or even cooking. If you have a small air fryer, either make the recipe in batches or halve it and make less.
Yes you can but they don’t take as long to cook, since you’re just reheating them.
When you make air fryer brats, the cooking time is important. However, different brats have different cooking times according to thickness and size. For this reason, keep an eye on them. Once they reach 160 degrees F in the center they’re good.
Yes, you can cook brats that are frozen. To do this, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F and give them 12 to 15 minutes, adding the vegetables about halfway through. As long as the brats are golden brown and 160 degrees F in the center, they’re safe to serve.
The instruction booklet that came with one model of air fryer had a similar recipe using 6 brats but a lot of air fryers would struggle to hold 6 brats plus all those veggies in one layer. You can make less or more, depending on your air fryer (and how many people you are feeding!)
Air Fryer Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions
Air Fryer Brats with Peppers and Onions
Ingredients
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 yellow onion, small
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ¼ Teaspoon black pepper
- 5 bratwurst, uncooked
- 5 buns, Bratwurst style
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F.
- While the air fryer is preheating, slice the peppers and onions into thin slices.
- In a small bowl, combine the onions and peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to combine.
- Place the sausages, peppers and onions in a single layer in the preheated air fryer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip the sausages to the other sides and move the peppers and onions around in the basket.
- Continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the outside of the brats are golden brown and the inside temperature is 160 degrees F.
- Serve the brats and vegetables in the bratwurst buns.
Notes
Thinly sliced veggies: Slicing your vegetables thinly ensures they cook evenly instead of some cooking too fast and some burning.
Use a meat thermometer: Use a meat thermometer to ensure the air fry brats have an internal temperature of 160 degrees F and therefore safe to serve.
Allow resting time: It’s important to give the bratwurst sausages a few minutes to rest before serving. This lets the juices redistribute with the result of juicier, tastier brats.
Air fryers differ: Depending on your air fryer model, there might be some differences. For the best results follow your air fryer instructions. If you’re using a single-temperature air fryer (like an original ActiFry) just make sure the brats are 160 degrees F in the middle, even if the cooking time is a little different. If the brats are done before the veggies, or vice versa, just remove whatever is done and continue cooking the rest.
Nutrition
These air fryer brats with peppers and onions make a truly delicious meal. This is comfort food at its finest and the whole family is going to love the flavors. If you enjoy discovering new easy air fryer recipes, this is definitely one to try. Expect tasty, smoky, salty, juicy brats with perfectly cooked veggies – there’s no way anyone won’t love this amazing dish!
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I love this recipe, it’s so easy and it was so fantastic! My kids loved it too!
This recipe is so easy and flavorful—it’s our new household favorite!