These Air Fryer Breakfast Pork Patties are essentially flat sausages without the skins which make them really easy to stack in a roll or English muffin, top with a fried egg or simply add to a breakfast or dinner. They air fry to perfection with crispy edges and juicy middles and can be cooked straight from frozen with no mess.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my Disclosures Page for more details.
I may have hinted to it in the intro but lets be real, the most common place to buy sausage patties in the UK is in a McDonald’s breakfast! They’re becoming more and more popular as something to cook at home too. And pretty much every major supermarket is stocking both fresh and frozen options.
You can also make your own sausage patties by skinning a couple of sausage and smushing the sausage meat together into a burger shape. I’d suggest two thick sausages per patty.
How to Serve
To make a McMuffin style breakfast, toast a sliced English muffin, add your sausage patty (or two), a slice of American burger cheese slice, a fried egg and bacon. Drizzle with ketchup or brown sauce if you’re that way inclined.
You can also do the same thing with a bagel although I do find that the pre-made patties do tend to be on the small side compared to the bagel size. Use a bread roll/bun or even a brioche burger bun – again look for the smaller options.
You can of course just add the sausage burgers in place of regular sausages on any breakfast. Mix and match my air fried full English recipes to create your perfect combo.
Ingredients
Sausage Patties
As I mentioned, sausage patties are quite easy to buy now. Like any other style of sausage, they are not all created equal – the quality varies.
They do generally tend to be fairly plain pork sausage meat from what I’ve seen. If you do want a specific flavour, you can but normal sausages and skin them to make your own.
I used Tesco finest Pork Patties which were around 80g/3oz each. They do shrink quite a lot when they’re cooking so bear that in mind.
Oil
As the sausage is pre-seasoned, the only other ingredient that I add is a little bit of oil. This helps with the crisping process and prevents the outside of the burger from drying out.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts. However you should make sure to read the ingredients of the pork patties. Some can contain gluten and potentially other allergens. The Tesco Finest Breakfast Pork Patties I used were however free from these allergens.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Pork Breakfast Burgers
I do find that the patties benefit from being turned during the cooking process but only for a couple of minutes towards the end of the air frying time.
To cook the patties from fresh, I cook them for 8 minutes on the first side and then 2 minutes on the second. To cook the same patties from frozen, I cook them for 9 minutes on the first side and 3 on the second.
If your patties are on the smaller or larger side, you may need to decrease or increase the cooking time accordingly.
How to Air Fry Pork Sausage Patties From Frozen
It is easy and very convenient to cook the patties directly from frozen. It is important to make sure that there are no ice crystals on the surface of the patties. If there are, these will melt as the sausage starts cooking and cause the patties to steam rather than bake and the outsides won’t brown nicely and crisp up.
The best way to deal with this is to run the frozen patties under running water. Dry then thoroughly with paper towel or a tea towel and then add the oil and air fry as normal. These instructions and the cooking times are included in the recipe below.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Unless you are cooking for a buffet or people with very changeable minds, it is best to try and only cook the number of patties that you are going to be serving up. They are so quick to cook there isn’t much call for pre-cooking and getting ahead.
Saying this, any leftover cooked patties can be stored in the fridge for several days or frozen for longer storage. They can be eaten cold or reheated in the microwave. You can reheat them in the air fryer for a few minutes – just make sure they are piping hot before serving.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!
What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
Pin Air Fryer Breakfast Pork Patties (Sausage Burgers) For Later
Hit one of the share buttons to save this page to your Pinterest boards so you can come back and find it at anytime!
Keep Up to Date
Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter and avoid missing out on any of my newest and bonus content. Don’t worry, I promise not to spam you or bombard you too often. Plus you’ll receive a copy of my FREE 7 Day International Meal Plan!
Also please don’t forget to follow me over on my social media channels over at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I love to interact with my followers and I’d love you to share my content with your friends too.
The Recipe
Air Fryer Breakfast Pork Patties (Sausage Burgers)
Ingredients
- 4 Breakfast Pork Patties/Sausage Burgers - around 80g/3oz each
- ½ tsp Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, Start this setting now.
- Take 4 Breakfast Pork Patties out of the packet. Give them a pat dry with kitchen paper if they are at all wet.
- Drizzle over or spray roughly ½ tsp Oil. Use a brush or your fingers to coat the patties all over with a very thin layer of the oil.
- Use tongs to place the sausage patties into the air fryer basket.
- Leave a little space between each so the air can circulate.
- Air fry for 8 minutes at 200c/390f.
- Use the tongs to flip the patties and air fry for a further 2 minutes at 200c/390f.
- And serve!
To Cook From Frozen
- Prepare 4 Breakfast Pork Patties by making sure they are all separated. If there is any ice on them at all, give them a quick run under the cold tap to remove it and they dry them thoroughly with a towel.
- Drizzle or spray with ½ tsp Oil. Use a brush or your fingers to coat the patties all over with a very thin layer of the oil.
- Place the patties into the air fryer basket. Leave a little space between each so the air can circulate.
- Cook for 9 minutes at 200c/390f.
- Use the tongs to flip the patties and air fry for a further 3 minutes at 200c/390f.
- Serve!
Notes
- The air fryer version of this recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I can just fit 4 breakfast pork patties in the basket at a time. This gives plenty of room to allow air to circulate. I couldn’t fit in more but it would be easy to part cook two batches and then finish them all off at the same time due to the amount of shrinkage.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Dave says
We really enjoyed these, so tasty.
Lesley says
These are so much easier to enjoy in a breakfast roll than regular sausages. Quick and easy cooked in air fryer.