These cheese stuffed air fryer bacon wrapped brats are the perfect sausages for your next tailgate or barbecue. Serve them up with your favorite toppings and sides to complete the meal!
2LinksBratwurst (Brats) sausage, any flavor(such as Johnsonville)
2Slicesbacon
1Slicecheddar cheese
Instructions
Preheat your air fryer to 400°F
(Optional) To add cheese, use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the center of the brat, about ¼” from the ends and around halfway through the sausage. Stuff cheese into the cut, then press the sausage around to cover it
Start with the thicker end of the bacon and wrap it around the sausage with just enough overlap on the wrap to hold it in place. Tuck the small end under to secure when you finish
2 Slices bacon
Place the bacon wrapped brats into the preheated air fryer basket in a single layer
Cook on the air fry setting for 15 minutes at 400°F, pausing halfway through to flip them
Brats are done when the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Add additional time if needed to achieve this, or if you’d like even crispier bacon
Serve on brat buns with your favorite sides
Notes
You can use any type of brats that you like. I have Johnsonville beer brats, but they also make original and cheddar (if you use cheddar, you can skip the additional cheese). There are of course other brands as well, so use your favorite!
Feel free to use fully cooked brats as well instead of the raw (though cooking time is about the same because of the bacon)
Regular cut bacon actually works better than thick cut for this, but you can use whatever you like
I find that slices or sticks of cheese work best to stay put and make it easier to stuff your brat
If your air fryer starts smoking due to excess grease, pause it and hold the brats in place while you tip out the extra
It’s normal for some cheese to leak out during cooking if you’ve stuffed them. You can add foil underneath the brats to make cleanup easier, if desired
Store leftover bacon wrapped brats in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months
Reheat brats in the air fryer at 350°F for 4-6 minutes or until warmed through
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand and flavor of ingredients, any condiments or sides added, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only