Frozen vegan sausages in an air fryer
From frozen — the short answer
180°C (356°F) for 8 min
- For
- 540g in total, 12 pieces, From frozen
- In
- Multicooker with air fry
- Published for
- Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK
- Preheat
- Yes, before the food goes in
- Part way
- shake the food at about 4 min
- Check
- Browned along the length rather than only underneath
- Safety
- Food cooked from frozen must reach the same core temperature as the same food cooked fresh — the frozen centre is the last thing to get there. Full rule below.
Eight minutes at 180°C, against nine to twelve for a frozen pork sausage.
From frozen
Before anything else
From national food-safety authorities, not from us. These take precedence over any cooking time below.
Requirement — Food safety (microbiological)
Food cooked from frozen must reach the same core temperature as the same food cooked fresh — the frozen centre is the last thing to get there.
Target: 70°C in the thickest part.
How to tell, without a thermometer
- No ice or cold spot at the centre when the thickest piece is cut open
- Steaming hot throughout, tested in the middle rather than the edge
If it has not got there: Reduce the temperature by 10–20°C and give it longer. A lower set point lets the centre catch up before the surface passes the point of no return, and it is the single most useful adjustment for cooking from frozen.
Important: If the packaging says the product must be thawed before cooking, follow it. That instruction exists because the manufacturer has tested cooking it from frozen and it did not reach temperature reliably.
The quick answer
180°C (356°F) for 8 min
A single published figure of eight minutes for twelve vegan sausages weighing 540g between them, not a range.
- Assuming
- 540g in total, 12 pieces, From frozen
- In
- Multicooker with air fry
- Published for
- Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK
- Preheat
- Yes, before the food goes in
- Result
- Heated through
Preparation
Frozen, with no oil and no preparation, as the row prints.
No oil needed.
While it cooks
At about 4 minutes: Shake the food
The chart tells the owner to shake or toss the food often and to check it frequently. It prints that beside the whole chart, not against this row, and gives no single point for it.
How to tell it is done
- Browned along the length rather than only underneath
- Firm rather than yielding when pressed
Where these figures came from — from frozen
- Applies to
- Specific to this model
- Why this rating
- A published row from the manufacturer's own guide for this appliance, held as the chart prints it: its amount, its preparation and its oil where it gives them, and nothing where it does not. Quantity is what makes a chart row checkable against the food in front of a reader, and this chart states one for almost every row.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-13
What this does not cover
- Published by the manufacturer for this appliance. It is evidence about this machine and is not general advice.
- This is a lidded cooking pot rather than a shallow drawer. Depth affects how much fits in one layer, and the quantity in the chart assumes the crisper basket.
Sources (1)
Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK — Inspiration Guide and cooking charts (PDF)
SharkNinja Europe Limited — Manufacturer cooking chart (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: The temperature, time and quantity for frozen vegan sausages.
States this directly
Passage read and verified
Retrieved 2026-08-13 from argos-support.co.uk
Retrieved from Argos's manual library for Argos product 735/0124, published alongside the instruction booklet as a second document.
What usually goes wrong
Split and hollow. The binder sets early and there is no fat continuing to render inside, so an overrun leaves a dry shell with a gap in the middle.
Running the appliance safely
The rules for the machine are the same whatever is in it: plug it straight into a wall socket, leave clear space round it, do not overfill it, do not leave it running unattended, and unplug it at black smoke or an electrical smell. They are set out once, each with its source and what to do if it has already happened, and not repeated on every food. Every rule for running an air fryer safely.
Vegan meat alternatives in fast-moving hot air
These products are protein isolates, starches and fats bound with methylcellulose or a similar hydrocolloid, and the binder is what governs their behaviour. It sets on heating and holds the shape, which is why they need no resting and tolerate a shorter cook than the meat equivalent — the published frozen vegan sausage time is eight minutes against nine to twelve for a frozen pork one. There is no fat to render and no connective tissue to break down, so extra time buys nothing at all and simply dries them; and because the added fat is usually coconut or rapeseed rather than animal fat, it liquefies at a lower temperature and leaves earlier.
Where to go from here
The pages that answer the questions this one tends to raise.
- Using a thermometer, and where to put itThe times above are for a piece that is not the one you are holding. A probe measures yours, which is what the safety rule on this page asks for.
- How food actually gets crispyWhy patting it dry, spacing it out and a little oil are all the same instruction — so you can apply it when a page runs out.
- Cooking from frozenUsually cooler and longer than the same food fresh, and never worked out from the fresh figure.
- Why published timings differIf another chart says something else, this is usually why — and which one to believe.
Easily confused with
- Sausages — A different cooking problem with a different answer.