Top Air Fryer Appetizers for Your Next Event
If you’re hosting a party or glamorous get-together and looking for air fryer dinner party recipes, you want options that will be quick and easy yet delicious and memorable. This guide delves into our top five picks for air fryer party snacks to serve to your guests before the festivities get underway.
How to Cook Sausage in an Air Fryer
Cooking sausages in an air fryer is quick and easy. Just note that cooking times may vary slightly depending on the thickness and type of sausage. Be sure to read the label before cooking. Typically, you should cook sausages to a minimum of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
For frozen sausages, you do not need to defrost them before cooking in an air fryer, but you should add roughly five minutes to the cooking time and ensure they are evenly spaced in the basket. Here are a few tips for cooking sausages in your air fryer:
- Prepare your food: Cut the ingredients into uniform pieces to ensure they cook evenly. In certain instances, you might lightly coat the ingredients with oil if needed. However, avoid using aerosol cooking sprays, mainly directly on the air fryer basket, as this can cause damage to the nonstick coating.
- Adjust the cooking settings accordingly: Choose the appropriate temperature and cooking time based on recommendations from the recipe and your user manual. Most air fryers have preset functions for standard food items, but you can manually adjust these.
- Add some water: To ensure that the sausages do not stick to the basket or start smoking, add a small amount of water to the bottom of the air fryer basket before putting the sausages in.
- Flip the sausages: For even cooking, turn the sausages halfway through the cooking process.
- Check for doneness: Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. Note the packaging instructions to achieve the precise temperature.
Top 5 Air Fryer Dinner Party Recipes
Here are a few examples of the many delicious appetizer recipes you can use for your next event.
1. Sausage-Loaded Tater-Tot Skewers
These sausage-loaded tater-tot skewers are ideal appetizers for those who enjoy a combination of the crispy texture of tater tots with the savory flavor of sausage. They will surely be a crowd-pleaser at your event, especially if you use the Premio Hot Italian Sausage to add extra spice and zing.
This is one of those simple air fryer recipes for a party where you can prepare the tater tots as the package describes. However, you might consider preheating the air fryer to ensure extra crispiness. Be sure to shake the basket halfway through for even cooking. Once done and cool enough, you can place the tots on the skewers while you cook the sausages to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Break up the sausages, and sprinkle them and some cheese over the tater tots. Bake in the air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese melts. Lay the tots on an attractive serving tray, including a bowl of your favorite dressing or dipping sauce.
2. Succulent Crescent Meatballs
Another of the best air fryer finger foods is deliciously succulent crescent meatballs, a convenient recipe that can easily be transferred to your air fryer. This appetizer combines the juiciness of the meatballs, seasonings such as fennel and black pepper, and a delightful flaky crescent dough.
Begin by mincing the onion and jalapeño. Prepare your choice of Premio sausage, such as the Hot Italian sausage or chili and garlic Premio Chorizo Sausage, for the meatballs. Once all the ingredients are ready, including the egg and tomato sauce, form the meatballs to the appropriate size.
Place the meatballs in the air fryer and space them out evenly. You’ll want to precook them at medium to high temperatures and remove them once browned. Once you’ve taken them out, preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While that is warming up, you can wrap the meatballs in the crescent dough before finally baking and serving them.
3. Stuffed Sausage Mushrooms Appetizer
For one of those easy but delectable air fryer party appetizers, be sure to try these stuffed sausage mushrooms. They may be bite-sized, but they offer a wonderful blend of flavors. Imagine the excellent combination of mushrooms, Italian Specialty Premio Sausage and melted cheese.
You can begin by cooking your sausage in your air fryer at the prescribed temperature, then move on to washing the mushrooms. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and cover the caps with a steak sauce or your preferred alternative. Insert the sausages into your mushrooms and place them in the air-frying basket.
Once these are nice and brown, remove them and add your choice of cheese to the top. Place the mushrooms back in the air fryer to bake for a few minutes until the cheese is nicely melted. For added taste and texture, you can garnish them with an appropriate herb like parsley, basil or rosemary.
4. Sausage and Butternut Squash Enchiladas
For a flavorful and hearty appetizer, try this delicious enchilada that’s perfect for any occasion. For this recipe, we recommend using a large saucepan to sauté the Sweet and Hot Italian Sausage in 1 teaspoon of olive oil until it is browned. Then, add another teaspoon of olive oil, jalapeños, garlic and onions, and cook until the sausage is nice and tender.
Stir in the other ingredients, including black beans, butternut squash, cumin, tomatoes, cilantro, water and chili powder. Cook on low heat, stirring as needed, and ensure the squash is tender. Lay your tortillas and fill them with the mixture, roll them up and cover them with enchilada sauce and Mexican cheese. Place them directly into the air fryer, or insert a foil layer for easy removal and cleaning.
Bake the enchiladas until the cheese has melted, and if desired, add scallions and sour cream before serving.
5. Cornbread Stuffing Muffins With Sausage
This is a delightful and convenient appetizer, combining the savory flavors of the Premio Mild Italian Sausage with the lovely sweetness of cornbread. To make these in your air fryer, preheat the fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and use muffin cups that are air fryer-safe, such as silicone. Add nonstick cooking spray to the cups and include cupcake liners in each.
Fill the cups halfway with the cornbread batter and mix the other prepared ingredients in a bowl, such as diced celery, onions and cranberries. Then, add a tablespoon of the filling to each of your muffin cups, filling them as close to the center as possible.
Bake the muffins for roughly 20 minutes, or what the muffin packet describes. If desired, you can garnish the muffins with green onion or an alternative.
Make the Best Air Fryer Hors D’oeuvres With Premio Foods
With your next big function coming up, you need ingredients that will add a unique element to your air fryer finger foods, and Premio Foods has just that. We have been making high-quality sausages with no fillers for over 40 years.
Our flavorful range of products will be an excellent addition to your appetizers, as we use only the finest ingredients. You can find a range of traditional Italian sausages and several other options to incorporate. Make your next event truly memorable by purchasing your desired Premio products at a store near you. Be sure to share your creation in the comments!