How To Make Instant Pot Pork Italian Sausage (Fresh OR Frozen!)

Instant Pot pork Italian sausage is a quick and flavorful meal that’s always a hit at our house and I know will be a family favorite recipe at your house too. Making pressure cooker sausage with the instant pot only takes a few simple steps and can also be turned into a variety of meals too!

I love experimenting with my instant pot as a pressure cooker, and I’ve discovered with a few quick tips Italian sausage comes out juicy, flavorful and fast every time!

How To Make Instant Pot Pork Italian Sausage

Sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council. All opinions and recipe are my own.

When I first got my Instant Pot, it was a little bit of a learning curve, but sausage was one of the first meats I tried cooking in it. I thought of sausage because I love that it has both the sauté and the pressure cooker feature.

I like Italian sausage to have a nice browned crispy outside, so this means I could easily both brown my sausage and pressure cook it in the same pot.

Using the Instant Pot makes dinner fast and keeps it all contained in one pot. Sometimes I’ll make a little extra on purpose and use the leftovers for these breakfast sausage and egg muffin cups with veggies. They work great for a weekend breakfast or to make a grab and go hot breakfast for the week.

Once you get the hang of cooking Italian sausage in a pressure cooker, you won’t have to babysit it like you would if you were cooking it on the stove top. Plus, sausage does tend to sizzle as it cooks, by using the instant pot everything is contained and easier to cleanup after, win win!

Can I Make Instant Pot Bratwurst Using This Recipe?

You totally can make instant pot brats using this recipe in method. I might change up the seasoning (but you don’t have to!). Any kind of link sausage can be used by using the steps in this recipe for sausage in the Instant Pot.

Pork overall is really flavorful and tender when you cook it in the instant pot. Try this Instant Pot Pulled Pork for another great dinner.

If you are cooking sausage patties or breakfast sausage which is traditionally smaller, cooking times in the instant pot would be different.

What Temperature Should I Cook Italian Sausage To In The Instant Pot

Instant Pot Sausage and all sausage no matter the flavor or type should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees to make sure it is safe to consume. Cooking Italian sausage in the pressure cooked doesn’t change the temperature rules to make it both safe and delicious! To take the temperature, use a meat thermometer and test it in the center of the sausage.

How Long To Cook Italian Sausage In The Instant Pot?

Link style pork sausage such as Italian sausage, brats and other flavors should be cooked for 13-15 minutes in the instant pot.

If your meat does not come out to the correct temperature, you can put it back in the Instant Pot for an additional few minutes. All pork sausage including Italian sausage, brats, and all other flavors should be cooked all the way through with no pink in the middle.

What Do I Serve With Instant Pot Sausage

I like to slice Italian sausage and throw it with veggies like salad or roasted green beans. You can also slide it on to a bun!

Add peppers, onions (and provolone cheese if you like!) to make it Philly Style. Or slice your Italian pork sausage and add it to pasta all in the instant pot for just a few ideas!

This Italian sausage also tastes great next to my Classic Italian Pasta Salad, creamy mashed potatoes or honey glazed carrots. I also love it with Instant Pot Red Potatoes, and then I only have one pot to clean as you can use the broth from the sausage and just add more water for some more flavor.

Can I Use Frozen Pork Sausage For This Instant Pot Recipe?

Yes! I recommend increasing your cook time by 2-3 minutes. Check your temperature when the sausage is finished cooking to make sure it is cooked all the way through to 160 degrees and brown all the way through the sausage.

Can I Make Pork Breakfast Sausage In The Instant Pot?

Yes, you can absolutely make breakfast sausage in the Instant Pot using this method. Italian Sausage is a much larger piece of sausage. I’d recommend reducing your cooking time, but I have not experimented with this… yet!

What Instant Pot Do You Have?

I have an 8 Quart Instant Pot Ultra 8 Quart ten in one. This recipe should easily cook in a 6 or 8 quart instant pot without adjustments. If you have a 3 quart instant pot, your recipe may need to be cooked in smaller batches.

Do I Use A Quick Release Or A Natural Release For The Instant Pot?

A natural release means you are allowing the pot to depressurize after cooking without letting out the steam yourself.

On the top of all Instant Pots is a “quick release” lever that allows the steam and pressure out of the pot much faster than letting the steam naturally release. Be careful when pushing the quick release lever, the steam is very hot.

I have found I like to let sausage naturally release for five minutes as it seems to help to keep them juicier. Then I carefully press the quick release lever to open the pot and release the rest of the steam before opening the pot.

Larger cuts of meat need a longer natural release time (10-15 minutes) to avoid drying out, but smaller sausages is ok to release after 5 minutes.

Can This Pork Sausage Recipe Be Made In Other Instant Pots?

This recipe can be made in a six-quart or eight-quart instant pot. If you have a different size, you may have to adjust your cooking time

Need more great fast pork dinner recipes?

My friend over at the Food Hussy has a great post with over 21 Meals With Pork You Can Make In Under 30 Minutes. (you may see my Instant Pot Sausage featured there too!) How’s that for putting dinner on the table fast?

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