How long to cook andouille sausage in an air fryer

At-a-glance cooking parameters

Temperature

400 °F

204 °C

Total time

9 min

per single layer

Shake at

5 min

shake once

Internal temp

—

use visual cue

Andouille sausage cooks in the air fryer in about 9 minutes at 400 °F (204 °C), shaken once at the halfway mark, until the coins are browned and caramelized at the edges. Andouille is a coarse-ground, heavily smoked, Cajun-spiced pork sausage — the backbone of Louisiana cooking — and the supermarket versions are fully cooked, so the air fryer's job is to crisp the casing and brown the cut faces rather than cook raw meat. Slice it into coins, skip the oil (it's fatty enough to render its own), and give the slices room. It's the smoky, spicy workhorse for jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans and rice. Unlike Kielbasa (a milder, fully-cooked Polish smoked sausage that crisps the same way) or fresh raw links like Bratwurst and Italian Sausage (which must be cooked to temperature), andouille is bolder and smokier; and unlike Chorizo (crumbled and chili-cured), andouille holds its shape in firm, sliceable links. 4 ways to use it: crisped coins as-is, in jambalaya or gumbo, in red beans and rice, or with a honey–Creole mustard glaze.

Per serving

Approximate values for a single portion of andouille sausage (USDA baseline, cooked, includes light air-fryer oil spray).

Calories

200 kcal

Protein

12 g

Fat

16 g

Carbs

2 g

Andouille Sausage in popular air fryer brands

Adjusted for how each brand actually heats. Tap a brand name to see every food we calibrate for it.

How to tell it’s done

Done when the coins are browned and caramelized at the edges, the casing has crisped, and they're heated through. Smoked andouille is already fully cooked, so you're crisping and warming it rather than cooking raw meat — there's no temperature to hit; go by the browned, blistered edges. Shake the basket at the halfway mark so the slices crisp on both cut faces.

Step-by-step method

1. 1

   Prep

   Bring ingredients close to room temperature. Not needed — andouille is a fatty smoked sausage that renders its own fat and crisps on its own. Skip the oil so it doesn't turn greasy.

2. 2

   Season

   Season with Crisped coins as-is: sliced and crisped for snacking, charcuterie, or tossing into pasta and rice., Jambalaya / gumbo: crisped coins stirred into the pot for smoky depth., Red beans and rice: browned andouille folded into the classic Louisiana dish., Honey–Creole mustard glaze: brushed on in the last 2 minutes for a sticky-spicy finish..

3. 3

   Load

   Arrange about 12–14 oz of andouille sliced into coins serves 3–4 as a dish component, or 2 as a main; keep the slices in a single layer for best convection airflow.

4. 4

   Cook

   Set the air fryer to 400 °F (204 °C) and cook for 9 minutes total, shaking once at 5 minutes.

5. 5

   Check & rest

   Check the visual doneness cue and serve immediately for best texture.

6. 6

   Store

   Refrigerate cooked andouille airtight up to 4 days and re-crisp at 400 °F (204 °C) for 2–3 minutes. Cooked coins freeze well for 2 months; reheat from frozen at 375 °F (191 °C) for 4–5 minutes. They reheat beautifully straight into beans, rice, or pasta.

Watch out for

• !Most andouille (Aidells, Savoie's, supermarket Cajun smoked) is FULLY COOKED — you're just crisping and heating it, so go by browned edges, not a thermometer.
• !If you have FRESH (raw) andouille from a Cajun butcher, treat it like a raw sausage instead: cook to 160 °F (71 °C) internal, about 12–14 minutes with a flip.
• !Slice into ¼–½ inch coins for the most caramelized surface; whole links work too but take a few minutes longer and brown less.
• !Keep the coins in a single layer with a halfway shake so the cut faces crisp instead of steaming where they touch.
• !Add any sugary glaze (honey, mustard-honey) only in the last couple of minutes — it scorches fast in the dry heat.

FAQ about andouille sausage in an air fryer

What temperature should I cook andouille sausage at in an air fryer?

Cook andouille sausage at 400 °F (204 °C). The convection air at this temperature browns the exterior quickly without drying the centre.

How long does andouille sausage take in an air fryer?

Andouille sausage takes 9 minutes total at 400 °F (204 °C). Shake the basket once at 5 minutes so both sides cook evenly.

Do you need to shake andouille sausage in an air fryer?

Yes — shake the basket once at 5 minutes. Loose pieces (andouille sausage) settle into the basket and the bottom layer stays pale unless you redistribute them halfway through.

Do you need to preheat the air fryer for andouille sausage?

Preheating is optional for andouille sausage — most modern air fryers reach temperature in under 2 minutes and the food's total cook time already accounts for the ramp-up. If you do preheat, reduce the total time by 1–2 minutes and check earlier than usual.