How to Cook Brats in the Oven

For the best way to cook brats in the oven, follow this easy recipe. These bratwursts will be hot, crispy, & juicy, even without cooking them on a grill. One bite of these oven-cooked brats with the mild taste of spices and the yummy drippings, and you will be hooked.

Who knew baked brats from the oven were this quick, easy, and tasty? Learning how to cook beer brats is simple and all about making sure the inside is cooked to the right temperature and the outside casing is roasted to perfection. Served with some crispy deep-fried sweet potato fries or a hearty broccoli apple salad & you have a comforting meal hard to beat.

This recipe is great all year long but best in the cold weather months. When you are not for standing outside to fire up your grill and watch it cook, go for the oven method. It takes the same amount of time as grilling but you can also make a whole meal in the oven while these cook. To the sheet pan, you can add cubed potatoes and vegetables for a complete dinner that cooks all in the same amount of time.

This baked brats recipe is the best way to cook brats inside - hands down. You can cook a few or a few dozen using this method so it is great for a small dinner, a party, or even when serving brats to a crowd like if you are celebrating Octoberfest. Just get some great German beers, and kraut, and enjoy.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Bratwurst Calories & Nutrition Info
• Instructions for Cooking Brats
• Temperature for Cooking Brats in the Oven
• How to Make Brats in the Oven
• How Long To Bake Bratwurst in the Oven
• Bratwurst Internal Temperature
• Variations
• What to Serve with Bratwurst
• Bratwurst Toppings & Condiments
• Storage
• Top Tip - Make-Ahead Meal Planning
• FAQ
• How to Cook Brats in the Oven

Ingredients

This recipe only calls for one item, the main ingredient, bratwurst. The most popular store-bought brands are Johnsonville, Niman Ranch, Silva, and Boar's Head. This recipe to oven-bake them works on all of these brands of brats.

There are all sorts of condiments, sides, and sauces that go great with brats so continue reading to find out more about that as well. It is a great way to complete your meal.

Bratwurst Calories & Nutrition Info

Whichever brand you use, will dictate the exact amount of carbs, calories, and fat in your bratwurst. As a whole, they are made of meats that are ground up with seasonings such as nutmeg, white pepper, marjoram, and more. Brats are traditionally gluten-free, low-carb, keto, & low-sugar. However, check the packaging as some bratwurst may have powdered milk or egg and may not be dairy-free.

I am using Niman Ranch which is nitrate/nitrite-free, gluten-free, nightshade-free, and all-natural. The brats have 2 carbs and 240 calories per link. This brand is fully cooked but many are not and needs to be cooked a bit longer than this brand. For more great sausages check out Niman Ranch. The recipe card includes all the temperature and time information you need.

Instructions for Cooking Brats

Once I tried making brats in the oven for the first time, I knew this was my new favorite way to cook them. Especially when the weather was too cold to fire up the bbq in the backyard. I will not ever cook them on the stove in a skillet again. (way too messy with all that splatter)

Simply remove the sausages from the packaging. Please make a note if you have fully cooked or raw sausages. This will alter the cooking time a bit.

Temperature for Cooking Brats in the Oven

Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a baking sheet or dish with cooking spray. Place the bratwurst in a single layer on the sheet pan or dish. I am cooking 4 brats in the oven so a small round glass baking dish is just the right size.

How to Make Brats in the Oven

Once the oven is preheated, place the baking dish of bratwurst in the oven. You will begin baking the brats in the oven. Turn them halfway through cooking so they brown evenly on both sides. For cooking times, see below based on which type of sausages you have.

Hint: There is no need to poke these sausages. Doing so only quickens the juices from leaving the sausage casings. You will end up with juicier sausages this way - do NOT Poke them! They will cook slowly and should not split open or burst. If they do, that is ok. They all taste the same and either way the juices will run a bit out.

How Long To Bake Bratwurst in the Oven

As mentioned earlier, there are two kinds of brats. There are those that are already fully cooked so you simply want to heat them through. This will make them hot on the inside and brown on the outside for a lot of flavors.

For brats that are not already fully cooked, you will want to make sure you cook them a bit longers. This will not only make them hot & juicy but ensure they are prepared to the right temperature.

• Fully Cooked Brats - cook at 400° for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
• Raw or Uncooked Brats- cook at 400° for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through

Bratwurst Internal Temperature

Bratwurst should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160-165°. If you are having traditional pork, beef, & veal bratwurst, it is done at 160°. If you have chicken sausages, they need to cook to 165° internal temperature.

I have a quick-read thermometer, which I highly recommend. This makes it foolproof to know when the sausages are baking in the oven.

Variations

These easy oven-cooked bratwurst sausages are really a simple recipe. There is not much to switch up with it, but you can make a few small changes to alter the recipe and make it a bit your own. Here are two variations that I have done and work really well also.

Broiling Brats

I admit I like my hot dogs and sausages more on the well-done side. I like crispy casings that are shriveled up and ready to burst when you bite into them. If you like a crispy well-done brat, placing them under the broiler for a minute is the best.

Once done cooking on bake, I just switch to Broil-High and pop them under for a minute. The image above is after I have broiled the skins for added crispiness and the hot sausages now read 170°. (still juicy though!)

Toaster Oven Brats

This recipe also works in the toaster oven. This is great to do when you only have one or a few to make at a time. Set the toaster oven to 400° and get them going for 20-30 minutes. If your toaster oven has super-convection it will cook a bit quicker than in the regular oven.

Check for doneness and make sure the internal temperature is safe, as shared above. Just like when making bacon in the toaster oven, sausages are also so easy and tasty.

What to Serve with Bratwurst

For some great bratwurst side dishes, check out my list of what goes well with these oven-cooked beauties. If you want potatoes to go with your brats, salads, and more, check out WHAT TO SERVE WITH BRATS.

Bratwurst Toppings & Condiments

Here are some dipping sauces and condiments that go well with bratwurst. These are the best topping ideas for when you enjoy a bratwurst sandwich. You can serve these with or without a bun. When I do not have them in a bun, I love them with potatoes and applesauce for dipping. Here are some other great ideas to enjoy.

• Chopped Raw or Grilled Onions
• Sauerkraut
• Pickles & Pickled Vegetables
• Spicy & Regular Mustards
• Ketchup
• Coleslaw
• Swiss Cheese
• Thousand Island Dressing

Storage

Cooked brats store well in the refrigerator. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, seal them in a Ziploc bag, or place them in an air-tight container. Once ready, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Brats also freeze well. It is easy to store leftover cooked brats in the freezer. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, seal in a Ziploc bag, or place them in an air-tight container. Once ready, store in the freezer for up to 30 days. To defrost, place them back into the refrigerator for 48 hours. Once thawed, they are ready to reheat in the microwave or oven.

Top Tip - Make-Ahead Meal Planning

Precooked brats are a great meal-planning item. Simply make them ahead of time by cooking them in the oven. Let them cool slightly before wrapping them up and storing them in the refrigerator as directed above.

Warming them up is easy so it's perfect for leftovers & lunch at the office. I like to use them sliced up as an appetizer, on salads, in wraps, & in an omelet. Or keep the brats whole to add to a bun, and serve with mashed potatoes, or hash.

FAQ

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