Can you cook raw sausages in the microwave

Sausages and sausage meat can be microwaved, whole or cut into chunks – and you don’t have to use any special dishes. Formal instructions will advise you to use a microwave browning dish, or a microwave roasting rack, but if you’ve neither of these then you can cook sausages in a microwave using whatever microwave safe dish you’ve got to hand. My dad used to simply lay the raw sausages down in the lid of a Pyrex casserole dish – I’ll often use a Pyrex jug to cook sausages and sausage meat from raw.

Table of Contents Show

How To Cook Sausages in a Microwave:
Microwave Sausage Cooking Times Chart.
Microwave Sausage Recipes:
How to Microwave Sausages
How to Microwave Sausages Successfully
Why You Should Microwave Sausages
Why You Shouldn’t Microwave Sausages
No Colouring
Peeling Skins
Lack of Meaty Flavour
Microwaving Sausages FAQs
What happens if you microwave sausages?
What is the best way to cook raw sausages?

Microwave Sausagemeat

Sausages will not brown or colour in a microwave oven, so you have to either use a browning dish, or use something to colour them, or simply accept that they aren’t browned and not worry about it! Whichever you choose to do will depend on how you feel and what you have available.

How To Cook Sausages in a Microwave:

Select your chosen dish.
Lay out your sausages, cut or whole, depending on what you’re doing with them once cooked. If you’re using anything to colour them then use that now, when using a jug I’ll toss in 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and give it a stir around.
Cover the dish and microwave on high power for 2-5 minutes, depending on how many sausages you’re cooking. Turn the sausages over half way through the cooking time so they get a chance at cooking on all sides and to the middle.
Check the sausages are cooked on the inside before serving – they should no longer be pink. If you have a digital meat thermometer, that’s handy, otherwise, do it by eye (I always do).

Microwave sausagemeat

Microwave Sausage Cooking Times Chart.

Here is a chart to guide you in how long it takes to microwave sausages in a typical 700-800 watt microwave oven. If your oven is stronger then they’ll take a little less time:

Microwave Sausage Cooking Times

Microwave Sausage Recipes:

I’ll typically use this method to cook sausages cut into chunks, or to cook sausage meat to serve in a pasta dish, such as sausage meat with spaghetti sauce.

You can microwave sausages before you add them to a slow cooker recipe, if you’re the sort of person who usually fries them first to make them more firm. It’s so quick to do, it makes sense!

About The Author

foodcheats

Sausages are a true staple. Whether they’re served in the morning alongside eggs and bacon or dished up in the evening with mash and gravy. But, can you microwave sausages and do they microwave well?

To microwave sausages, microwave them on high. It will take approximately 3 minutes to cook 2 sausages in the microwave. This time increases with the more sausages you want to microwave.

How to Microwave Sausages

Microwaving sausages isn’t too complicated, but there are a few steps you will want to follow before tossing them in:

Cut Up and Prick
If the sausages are attached to one another, use scissors or a knife to split them. Then prick the sausages several times using a fork.
Place into Microwave-Safe Dish
Lay the sausages into a microwave-safe dish ensuring they remain in a single layer. Try to limit the number of sausages you microwave to 6 at a time.
Cover
Cover the sausages in the dish with a lid, cling film or kitchen towel.
Microwave on High
Microwave on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes for 2 sausages, 4 to 5 minutes for 4 sausages or 6 to 8 minutes for 6 sausages. Check the sausages are cooked through after this time.
Peel Skins
The skins will peel from the sausages and be soft and chewy. It’s a good idea to remove the skins at this point.
Serve
Serve as you normally would alongside your standard breakfast fare or a good helping of mash for dinner.

How to Microwave Sausages Successfully

If you’re going to cook sausages in the microwave, then these are the 3 tips you’ll want to follow:

Prick Sausages – Pricking sausages before microwaving can prevent them from bursting and allows excess liquid to seep out. The last thing you want is a sausage exploding.
Brown Quickly Afterwards – Unfortunately, sausages cooked in the microwave will lack colour and texture. Once they are cooked, it’s a good idea to quickly toss them into a hot pan to brown. Be careful, however, as the lack of skin will make them fragile.
Drain – Liquid will drain from the sausages as they cook, so make sure you drain this liquid off.

Why You Should Microwave Sausages

When cooking sausages with a microwave, there are some obvious advantages:

Quick

It takes just a couple of minutes to cook standard sausages through. This would take 10 minutes or so in a frying pan and up to 30 minutes in the oven. If you’re pushed for time, this is the method to opt for.

Mess-Free

As is often the case with microwaving, there is far less mess and a significant reduction in the amount of washing up.

Be warned, however, that your microwave will still smell of sausages when cooking them. There is a chance that the sausages will explode if you do not prick them enough too. This is will leave you far from a mess!

Why You Shouldn’t Microwave Sausages

Unfortunately, when it comes to sausages, it does feel like the disadvantages can outweigh the benefits:

No Colouring

Sausages cooked in the microwave have no direct heat, so they will not brown.

This lack of colour can be quite unappetising, so you will have to grab a pan and brown them. This isn’t time-consuming, but it does add to the washing up you were trying to avoid.

Peeling Skins

When cooking in the microwave, you will also find that the skin peels away from the meat, so you must discard it. This can be strange if you’re used to having sausages with skins.

The skins can also be slimy or tough when cooked in the microwave because of the lack of direct heat.

Lack of Meaty Flavour

The liquid will seep out as you have to prick the sausages to prevent them from bursting. That loss of liquid will lead to a loss of flavour.

Unfortunately, these sausages lack meat flavour and often taste predominately of pepper and flavouring.

Microwaving Sausages FAQs

If you still have queries about microwaving sausages, then perhaps these FAQs will help you out a little:

Can You Defrost Sausages in the Microwave?

You can defrost sausages in the microwave easily. Place the frozen sausages onto a microwave-safe plate and use the defrost setting for a couple of minutes. Spread the sausages apart so they are no longer touching and microwave for a further minute until defrosted through.

Can You Reheat Sausages in the Microwave?

Yes, sausages can be reheated in the oven or the microwave. Pop them into the microwave for just 60 seconds to hot through. Sausages reheat better in the oven, however.

Can You Cook Italian Sausage in the Microwave?

Yes, Italian sausage can be cooked in the microwave like many other sausage varieties. Be warned, however, that the flavour will be a little bland. Italian sausages are usually cooked for their strong flavour, but this will be lacking when microwaved.

Ross is a freelance writer with a passion for delicious food and drinks, having worked in the hospitality industry in the past. He began working with Let’s Foodie when it first launched to provide information on how to reheat, freeze and microwave different foods.

What happens if you microwave sausages?

Sausages can be cooked in the microwave and will be perfectly safe. They won't be as crispy when cooked in a microwave, as they would be if you cooked them on the stovetop, but they will be thoroughly cooked and safe to eat. So, the answer to the question “Can you cook sausages in the microwave?” is Yes, you can!

What is the best way to cook raw sausages?

To start, drop your sausages into a large pot or saucepan and fill it with enough cold water to just cover the sausages. Put the vessel on the stove, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook just until the water reaches a gentle simmer—that should take about 6-8 minutes.