Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage Wrapped in Bacon

Air fryer breakfast sausage wrapped in bacon is sweet, savory and delicious. Air fryer (or baked) sausage links and patties don’t disappoint.

Air fryer breakfast sausage wrapped in bacon is a breakFEAST that’s crispy, flavorful, and delicious. These air fryer sausage links wrapped in bacon make a mouth-watering addition to any breakfast or a great appetizer for any get-together.

Make this recipe once, and air fryer bacon wrapped sausage will be one of your favorite recipes to make again…over and over. 

I can actually remember the first time I had bacon wrapped breakfast sausages and I’ll never forget it. I can’t be the only one who remembers such monumental food occasions? Can I?

Regardless, the truth is I have loved this breakfast sausage recipe ever since I tried it. I mean if you enjoy bacon and sausages with your eggs, as a snack or appetizer or on a sandwich for that matter, then what’s not to love about them?

Bacon wrapped breakfast sausages are super easy to make, too.  

As soon as I decide that I’m making breakfast, before preparing anything else, I get the bacon wrapped sausages inside my oven so they can start cooking. Boy oh boy, let me tell you how delicious the house smells by the time breakfast is served.

Just an added bonus and what a bonus it is.

Back in the day, you could only cook bacon wrapped sausages inside your oven or in our house. Depending on the time of day, my husband would sometimes barbecue them. Now, I must say, that barbecuing is definitely an incredible way to prepare them too.

These days, air fryers are a game-changer when it comes to these sausage links. Especially for us.

Not only do we still enjoy this air fryer breakfast sausage wrapped in bacon almost too regularly, now we cook them in a lot less time. Whenever we want some. 😊

After you try these air fryer sausage links wrapped in delicious bacon, you’ll be smiling too! I can almost guarantee it.

Also, I have to mention, that bacon wrapped air fryer sausage links glazed with maple syrup are a classic English side dish served at Christmas time with turkey. I couldn’t believe it when I heard it either but it’s true.

I have never served them with Christmas dinner but I might just do it this year! I mean there can’t be a bad time to serve them. Can there?

All About Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage

First, we have to discuss your options. You can easily purchase any kind of small sausage links you want to use in this easy air fryer breakfast sausage recipe. As for the sausage patties, you have a couple of options.

You can buy fresh, already shaped sausage patties and they will work great from your local market. You can buy frozen, and after defrosting them use as you would fresh inside the recipe.

You just need to watch the size of each sausage patty and adjust your cook times accordingly.

You can also prepare your own fresh breakfast sausage patties and it could not be easier. These are super simple to make, take little time to prepare and freeze beautifully.

I ALWAYS have some of these inside my freezer ready to go. I just can’t help myself. This homemade breakfast sausage patty recipe can not be better, in our opinion.

Check out my recipe below for the best homemade breakfast sausage. 

This easy recipe is a definite keeper. Just you wait until you try it.

Best Homemade Breakfast Sausage

• ground pork 
• garlic 
• maple syrup
• dried sage
• dried thyme
• salt
• pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper, if desired
• cooking spray or unsalted butter, if frying

In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine pork, garlic, syrup, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne, if using.

Using your hands, mix pork and everything else until just combined. Do not over mix.

Create 8 patties that are about 2 ½ to 3 inches in diameter and approximately ½ to ¾  inch thick. 

If you want to just make this AMAZING breakfast sausage, without bacon, grab your fry pan, and add some butter to it. Maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons.

Over medium heat, cook patties until brown and cooked through, 4 or 5 minutes per side. 

Allow to drain on a paper towel and serve. 

If you want to make these delicious breakfast sausage patties with bacon, see below for the full instructions. We have included directions to make both of these breakfast sausages wrapped in bacon in your air fryer and oven as well.

Just in case you need it.

Can you Make these Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties Ahead of Time?

Definitely! You can keep the prepared patties inside your fridge in an airtight container, for about 2 days total. Including the day you made them, before cooking and serving. 

That being said these raw homemade sausage patties will last in your freezer for 2 months. Simply cook from frozen, somewhere between 8 to 10 minutes per side over medium heat.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage Wrapped in Bacon

• 16 pork breakfast sausage links or patties
• 8 slices bacon, regular or thick cut, halved
• ¼ cup brown sugar, if desired
• ¼ cup maple syrup, if desired
• cooking spray
• toothpicks, if desired, soaked in water

Cooking Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage Links with Bacon

There are two parts to this recipe. The bacon and the sausage. We start with the bacon, getting it ready to wrap our sausage links or patties in all the delicious goodness. Then we move on to the sausage. 

Bacon

Slice your bacon strips in half whether they’re regular or thick. 

Using your finger, spread a pinch or two of brown sugar on each strip of bacon, rubbing brown sugar down the length of each bacon strip.

The brown sugar holds your bacon slice onto your sausage and let’s face it adds a wonderful sweetness to the bacon wrapped breakfast sausage.

Place sausage at one end of the bacon strip and using a toothpick, if desired, roll tightly, stretching the bacon strip to reach the other end of the sausage, overlapping the bacon slice slightly as you go.

Secure the other end with a toothpick, if desired, and remove any excess bacon and set aside.

Repeat the process with all of your remaining sausages.

Sausage Links With Thin Bacon

Set your temperature to 390 degrees and cook for 7 minutes, flip and cook for another 7-9 minutes, or bacon is done to your liking.

Sausage Links With Thick Bacon

Set temperature to 400 degrees and cook for 14-16 minutes, flipping over half way through the cooking process. 

Sausage Patties

Cut bacon strips in half, then lay each half strip on a prepared surface or cutting board.

Sprinkle brown sugar along the center and both ends or center of each bacon strip.

Place sausage patty flat in the middle of each bacon strip, then wrap the bacon ends up around the patty so the ends meet at the top. This is where you can use the toothpicks if you wish, but the brown sugar will hold the bacon around the patty.

Place wrapped patties in the air fryer basket, leaving space between each one. You may need to do several batches.

Cook for 14-16 minutes or until bacon is crisp and sausage patty is cooked through.

Cooking Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage Patties with Bacon 

Again, we approach this in two steps. First, we cook the bacon, then, wrap it around the sausage and cook the whole thing up. Because you can get bacon in regular and thick cuts, we’ll take a look at both. 

Prepare your fryer basket with cooking spray.

Place bacon wrapped sausages inside your air fryer, not touching. You may need to make your bacon wrapped sausages in two batches depending on the size of your air fryer.

Regular Bacon

Set your temperature to 390 degrees and set the time to 6 minutes.

After 6 minutes, carefully adjust all of your sausages and flip them over.

Set your timer for another 5 minutes or until bacon is cooked to your liking.

You may need to repeat process with several batches.

Serve and enjoy every bite.

Thick Bacon

Set your temperature to 400 degrees and set the time to 8 minutes.

After 8 minutes, carefully adjust all of your sausages and flip them over.

Set your timer for another 5 minutes or until bacon is cooked to your liking.

You may need to repeat process with several batches.

Cooking Bacon Wrapped Breakfast Sausage in the Oven

Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and a wire rack coated with cooking spray.

You must use a rack to separate your baking sausage links or sausage patties from the dripping bacon grease. Also, when using brown sugar, in the oven, you must be careful as it can burn easily. You don’t want your sausages touching the drippings just in case they burn too.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Place wrapped sausages on your prepared pan.

Brush maple syrup all over each bacon wrapped sausage link or patty if desired.

Baked with Regular Bacon

Note: It is recommended that you only use regular, thin cut bacon for the oven method as the cooking time end up being too long and the end result is unpleasant.

Bake for 35-42 minutes for sausage links and 40-45 minutes for sausage patties or until bacon is crisp and sausage is cooked. Turn baking sheet and adjust bacon wrapped sausages at the 20-minute mark if at all possible.

Remove from oven, discard toothpicks if you used them and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. I have to tell you that my husband can’t wait the 5 minutes and burns himself every time.

Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage Substitutions

• use mini kielbasa
• little smokies
• honey instead of maple syrup or a mixture of both for basting
• barbecue sauce works great too for basting

Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage Serving Suggestions

• with some eggs and toast
• with breakfast or brunch as a side
• on a sandwich
• with waffles or pancakes
• with some maple syrup, mustard, honey mustard, salsa, ketchup or flavored mayo or aioli as a snack or appetizer for dipping
• as a side dish with turkey dinner

Tips for the Best Bacon Wrapped Breakfast Sausages

• you must buy fresh, raw, pork sausage links as the brown and serve or precooked sausages or bacon will be overcooked and not work for this recipe
• notice which kind of bacon you use because timing is different with regular or thick bacon
• if baking sausage links or patties inside your oven only use REGLAR bacon
• use toothpicks if desired or necessary to secure your bacon strips to your sausage links or patties
• serve as an appetizer too with a dipping sauce, perfect for any celebration
• easy to prepare in advance, simply leave unglazed, bacon wrapped sausages or patties inside your fridge covered on a baking sheet, platter or sealed container and then left at room temperature for 30 minutes before needed
• sausages need to be at room temperature when they go in the oven or air fryer if at all possible
• great to feed a crowd when baked inside the oven all at once
• this recipe calls for a half of one slice of bacon per sausage but after making one you’ll know exactly how much bacon you’ll need to cover each sausage so use what’s needed (bacon length varies from brand to brand)
• flavored bacon will add to the taste so have fun and experiment
• save trimmed bacon pieces and cook to include with or in another recipe, everything from pasta to a salad or sandwich
• so easy to increase or decrease the number of servings, make as many as you want or need
• when sausages are cooked remove burnt toothpick and leave some fresh toothpicks available for serving, if desired   

Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage Wrapped in Bacon Video