With less than 10 minutes of prep and cooking time, you can have Air Fryer Kielbasa ready to eat quickly and easily! This quick and simple hands-off way of cooking Polish sausage uses no oil, and it can be enjoyed as an appetizer or added to another meal to make a full dinner.
Cooking kielbasa in your air fryer is incredibly simple and quick. You only need your favorite cut of kielbasa, any style air fryer and about 10 minutes of time. I use my Instant Duo Crisp air fryer lid and oven style Instant Omni, and the kielbasa turns out tender crisp and full of salty and smoky flavor.
Serve air fried kielbasa with your favorite air fryer vegetable sides, like corn on the cob, rosemary and garlic potatoes, green beans, and crispy asparagus.
Or turn it into a full meal by serving over parmesan and butter spaghetti, brown or white rice, couscous, tossing with pierogies, or adding to soups and stir frys. However you choose to eat your sausage, the air fryer makes it too quick to pass up!
Kielbasa is the Polish word for sausage. Polish sausage is often found smoked in local stores, but it is available fresh or uncured too. In it's authentic form, it's made with just pork but can be made with a variety of meats such as veal, beef and turkey. This delicious smoked sausage is full of flavor from ingredients like garlic, marjoram and juniper berries. Kielbasa is encased and shaped into a U, unlike the oblong shape of traditional sausage.
For this recipe you need to stick with kielbasa that's fully cooked, often labeled "Polska Kielbasa" in American grocery stores. Since it is already cooked, the air fryer is essentially heating the sausage and crisping it up a bit. One of my favorite brands is Hillshire Farms. You can get it in a number of meat cuts, such as turkey, beef or standard Polska kielbasa.
Ingredients
Kielbasa (also known as Polish sausage): any variety of this fully cooked smoked sausage works, such as pork, beef, turkey, or a pork and beef combination.
You do not need oil, but I like to season my kielbasa with a dash of freshly ground black pepper and salt before air frying. You can skip this or season with salt and pepper after cooking. Or, take it one step further and add peppers, onions, and garlic!
Step-By-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Slice the kielbasa into ¼ inch pieces. Lightly spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil. Add the kielbasa pieces in a single layer to the basket. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste, if desired.
STEP 2: Air fry at 400°F/204°C for 7 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Serve with your favorite vegetables or grains, enjoy as an appetizer, or add to pasta dishes and soups. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Cooking Tips
- Temperature: 400 degrees Fahrenheit / 204 degrees Celsius
- Time: 7 minutes total, flipping halfway through for a nice sear on both sides.
- Storing: store air fried kielbasa for up to 5 days in the fridge. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Cut kielbasa into ¼ inch pieces to make it easily chewable and tender without overcooking.
- For best results, use your air fryer basket with the holes and not the solid tray that comes with oven style air fryers.
- As it's air frying, the kielbasa pieces may get puffy, but they will deflate when cooking is done so don't worry!
- Every air fryer is different and cooks at varying speeds. For the first time cooking any recipe, get to know your air fryer by constantly checking in on the food and monitoring the results. Your air fryer may need more or less time than mine.
Variations
Here are some ideas for additions to this simple air fried kielbasa:
- Add diced potatoes: they have a longer cooking time, so start with the potatoes first, and add kielbasa with 7 minutes remaining.
- Add vegetables: such as green beans, asparagus, or peppers.
- Add pierogies or tortellinis: you can add these right to the air fryer basket with the kielbasa.
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Recipe
Air Fryer Kielbasa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 oz Polska kielbasa any fully cooked variety
- freshly ground black pepper optional
- salt optional
Instructions
- Slice the kielbasa into ¼ inch pieces. Lightly spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil. Add the kielbasa pieces in a single layer to the basket. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste, if desired.
- Air fry at 400°F/204°C for 7 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Serve with your favorite vegetables or grains, enjoy as an appetizer, or add to pasta dishes and soups.
Notes
Nutrition
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Audrey
My kids loved these!!