Let me show you how to make an easy Air Fryer Breakfast Sandwich that will be a game changer on busy mornings!
Are you ready for a new air fryer recipe?! I've been using my Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven for over 4 years now and I still love it! In fact, we use it multiple times a day!
Let me introduce you to my air fryer version of the sausage egg and cheddar cheese sandwich at Starbuck's. 🤩So much inspiration for new recipes comes from observing what I see other people order and enjoy when eating out, and this recipe is no exception!
While this is a pretty simple recipe, it actually has taken me forever to figure out how to explain the process so that it makes sense, lol. Adding a sausage patty is the tricky part, so you'll find a few different options on how to air fry them in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
I will show you how to cook the eggs in a pan or oven, layer and then wrap the ingredients so that all you (or your teenagers 😉 have to do in the morning is air fry the breakfast sandwich. Serve it with fruit or a smoothie and breakfast is set!
Jump to:
😍Why You'll Love This Recipe
Just like when making an egg casserole for your family, making more breakfast sandwiches than your family can eat in one day will save time on busy mornings!
- Meal Prep I make a batch of 6-12 breakfast sandwiches without sausage at a time, then refrigerate the ones we'll eat in the next 2-3 days and freeze the others. Then, just before air frying, I'll stick a thawed sausage patty in for my kiddos who want it with sausage.
- Protein and Fiber Egg and sausage are good sources of protein. If you use English muffins that are higher in fiber, you'll also get a dose of fiber. Protein and fiber will help you feel full. Fiber also helps to keep things moving through the digestive tract.
- Easy and Delicious Perfect for busy mornings and easy enough for older kids to heat up! Just take a wrapped sandwich from the fridge and air fry it for 7-10 minutes (exact amount of time will vary based on the actual ingredients and type of air fryer used). Good news - the hardest part is cooking the eggs. 😅
🙋♀️Dietitian Tip
Breakfast sandwiches are a great way to ensure your kids start their day with a dose of protein and fiber that will keep them feeling full longer. And, if you allow them to help you assemble and wrap these homemade breakfast sandwiches or heat them up themselves, they will gain independence in the kitchen. 🙌
This easy breakfast recipe can be modified based on your families' dietary needs. For instance, if your child has a dairy allergy, you can make the egg without milk and use vegan cheese (or no cheese at all). And if you are vegetarian, simply leave out the meat layer or use a veggie sausage patty.
🥚Ingredient Notes
- Sausage Patties I've recently discovered Applegate Naturals Savory Turkey Breakfast Patties, which taste really good. They are found in the freezer section of the grocery store, often in the 'natural,' 'organic,' or 'breakfast' parts of the freezer section. The instructions on the box say to thaw in the refrigerator and eat withing 5 days of thawing.
- Eggs Contain a variety of nutrients including protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals.
- Cheese Used for flavor. Use a cheese that your family likes. My family prefers deli sliced white American cheese or cheddar cheese.
- English Muffins I prefer to use Killer Classic English Muffins by Dave's Killer Bread because they contain more protein and fiber per serving than most other brands. Whole grain English muffins will work well, too!
👩🍳How to Make Air Fryer Breakfast Sandwiches
Here is a summary of the steps to making an air fryer breakfast sandwich. For a full list of ingredients and complete instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Whisk eggs and milk in a medium mixing bowl. Make the eggs in the oven or skillet.
- Assemble the breakfast sandwich by stacking each ingredient in a single layer in order from bottom to top: bottom half of an English muffin, sausage patty, egg, cheese, top half of english muffin.
- If making these with a sausage patty, remove the sausage patty and air fry it separately but still at the same time as the rest of the wrapped sandwich. Place on your air fryer basket and air fry until heated through.
- Carefully remove the breakfast sandwich and sausage patty (if using) from the air fryer. Place the warm sausage patty in the warm breakfast sandwich, serve and enjoy!
📱Helpful Tips
- There are two ways to make the eggs, in the oven or using a skillet on the stove top. The oven takes a little longer but with the skillet, you have to be there watching it.
- If you choose to make this without sausage, it will cook a lot easier and faster.
- For best results, place the cheese on top of the egg. The melted cheese holds the top layers together.
- If you like the taste of pepper, add a pinch or two to the egg mixture.
- In my opinion, there is enough salt in the cheese and sausage patty, so I do not suggest adding salt to the eggs.
- If you decide to store these in the freezer, place the frozen breakfast sandwich in the refrigerator overnight so they will cook quicker in the morning.
- I use a Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven. Cook time may vary depending on the air fryer you use.
- Always refer to the owner's manual for your specific air fryer before using something new, like wax paper, in the air fryer.
- Keep the wax paper away from the heating element. Again, follow the manufacturer's instructions for your air fryer.
- You can wrap the sandwiches in aluminum foil instead of wax paper if you prefer.
- I've tried taking the frozen sandwiches out of the freezer and placing them right in the air fryer but the cooking time was so long. Even after fifteen minutes, the center was still frozen. This is why it's best to air fry them once thawed.
- Canadian bacon or turkey bacon are great substitutes for sausage patties. Crispy bacon is best, so crisp up the bacon before assembling these English muffin sandwiches. Btw, I've heard air fryer bacon is superb, even with turkey bacon!
- Serve it with a side of fruit or a small smoothie and you'll have a complete breakfast!
❓Questions You May Have
I have not tried to make this using regular bread, but I would think it could work. If you try it, please leave a comment to let me know how it turns out!
If you use a frozen breakfast sausage, I suggest cooking the sausage separately according to the package instructions. Assemble the sandwich without sausage and then air fry the English muffin with egg and cheese while the sausage cooks.
Once the sausage is cooked, carefully place it in the prepared egg and cheese breakfast sandwich between the egg and English muffin layers.
I do suggest preheating your air fryer first when making this breakfast sandwich. When I forget to preheat my air fryer, I air fry it for an extra 2 minutes.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Salmon from Frozen
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken
- Air Fryer Kale Chips
More Breakfast Recipes
Did you make these air fryer breakfast sandwiches and love them? Please let me know by giving this recipe a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review or comment below. A 5-star rating is the best compliment!
Remember to follow me on Instagram @carrots.and.cookies for more easy recipes and nutrition tips!
Easy Air Fryer Breakfast Sandwich
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 English Muffins I use Dave's Killer Bread brand.
- 6 Eggs Large eggs
- 2 tablespoon Milk
- 6 Turkey or Veggie Sausage Patties Fully cooked frozen turkey or veggie sausage patties, thawed. I use Apple Gate Farms Savory Turkey Sausage Patties.
- 6 Slices of cheese Thinly sliced.
Instructions
Make the Eggs: Option 1
- Preheat the oven to 350℉
- Whisk the eggs and milk together in a medium mixing bowl.
- Pour egg mixture into a greased 9x11 baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut into 6 equal pieces.
Make the Eggs: Option 2
- Whisk the eggs and milk together in a medium mixing bowl.
- Heat a greased skillet on the stove over medium heat.
- Pour egg mixture into a greased skillet and let cook for one or two minutes. Then use a spatula to pull the edges in toward the center and allow some of the uncooked egg from the top to come down to the bottom of the skillet. Use the back of the spatula to flatten the eggs down back into a flat even layer.
- Continue to cook until the eggs are cooked through. Use the tip of a spatula to break the cooked egg into six equal parts.
Assemble the Breakfast Sandwich
- While the eggs are cooking, break the English muffins apart into halves.
- Layer the sandwiches from bottom to top: bottom half of the English muffins, thawed (cooked) sausage patty (optional), egg, one slice of cheese, top half of the English muffins. *see notes about the sausage.
- Wrap the assembled breakfast sandwich with wax paper.
Air Fry the Breakfast Sandwich: Option 1 (without sausage of any kind)
- Preheat your air fryer to 350℉.
- Air fry the breakfast sandwich for 3 minutes, until heated through OR if you made this ahead of time and are air frying a cold breakfast sandwich without sausage, air fry for 4-5 minutes.
- Carefully remove from the air frier and enjoy!
Air Fry the Breakfast Sandwich: Option 2 (Using Sausage)
- Preheat your air fryer to 350℉
- This is the fastest way I have found to air fry this sandwich: Remove the breakfast sandwich from the wax paper and remove the sausage patty from the sandwich. Re-wrap the breakfast sandwich without the sausage and air fry is separately from the sausage.
- Set the sausage patty in your air fryer next to the wrapped breakfast sandwich with egg and cheese and air fry for 4 minutes, until sausage is heated through.
- Use tongs to carefully remove the wrapped sandwich and sausage patty, then place the sausage patty back in with the egg and cheese sandwich. Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
-
- I have made these breakfast sandwiches so many ways and there just isn't a quick way to air fry them so that the sausage gets hot enough and the cheese doesn't burn without cooking the sausage separately. This is why I provide you with different ways they can be made using an air fryer.
- Optional: add a few pieces of baby spinach when layering the egg and cheese. I got this idea from the 'Egg White' at La Colombe in the airport 🙂
- If you will be eating these sandwiches right away, air fry the assembled and wrapped breakfast sandwich with the sausage for about 7 minutes. Check to be sure the sausage is hot enough. If it isn't, air fry for another 1-2 minutes.
- If you choose to make this without sausage or, if serving it right away, cook the sausage as the eggs are cooking, it will cook a lot easier and faster.
- If the sausage patties are still frozen, cook them according to the package instructions while the eggs are cooking.
- There are two ways to make the eggs, in the oven or using a skillet on the stove top. The oven takes a little longer but with the skillet, you have to be there watching it.
- For best results, place the cheese on top of the egg. The melted cheese holds the top layers together.
- I use a Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven. Cook time may vary depending on the air fryer you use.
- Always refer to the owner's manual for your specific air fryer before using something new, like wax paper, in the air fryer.
- Keep the wax paper away from the heating element.
- You can wrap the sandwiches in aluminum foil instead of wax paper if you prefer.
- If you decide to store these in the freezer, place the frozen breakfast sandwich in the refrigerator overnight to defrost before air frying them.
- I've tried taking the frozen sandwiches out of the freezer and placing them right in the air fryer, but the cooking time was so long. Even after fifteen minutes, the center was still frozen. This is why it's best to air fry them once thawed.
- Canadian bacon or turkey bacon are great substitutes for sausage patties. Crispy bacon is best.
- Serve it with a side of fruit or a small smoothie and you'll have a complete breakfast!
Louette coulson says
what if we don't have an air fryer can we use a toaster oven ?
Kristi says
You should be able to, but it will take longer. An air fryer is essentially a mini convection oven, so hot air gets blown around to cook food faster. Let me know how it works for you!