Perfect Air Fryer Scotch Eggs (Hard or Soft Boiled)
Scotch Eggs - crisp, savory sausage encasing creamy soft-boiled eggs - are quintessential British pub faire; perfect for brunching, snacking, and picnicking. Now you can easily make delicious Scotch Eggs at home in your air fryer!
Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove cold eggs from refrigerator and use a slotted spoon to carefully place them into boiling water. Do not crowd eggs in pan. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer for EXACTLY 6 minutes. (For a firmer egg, boil for up to 9 minutes.)
While eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath for the eggs in a large bowl. Use the slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the boiling water after the allotted time.Immediately submerge cooked eggs in the prepared ice bath for 10 minutes. The purpose of this step is to halt the cooking process; vital to achieving creamy, runny Scotch Egg centers.
Cover Boiled Eggs with Sausage
Divide the sausage into 6 equal portions, each weighing 2⅓ ounces (65 grams). Use a kitchen scale for this step if possible. Roll each portion into a ball and place in refrigerator.
GENTLY peel the prepared boiled eggs. Rinse each egg, and then use a paper towel to carefully pat it dry. Set aside.
Start with a COLD sausage ball, straight from the fridge. Place meatball in the center of an 8x8 parchment square. Gently pat the meatball down until you have an oval that is about a ¼-inch thick, and roughly 3 eggs long and 2 eggs wide.
Place the parchment square in your palm. Gently lay a cold, dry, soft-boiled egg on top of the sausage oval, with the ends of the egg perpendicular to the long sides of the oval. Gently pull the sausage away from the parchment as you wrap it around the egg.Continue until the sausage has completely released from the parchment and the egg is covered with sausage. Removed the thick sausage points at each end. Check the egg carefully for areas that might be too thin or too thick, and use the excess removed from the points to seal the edges and even out any thin spots.
When the sausage appears to be distributed uniformly around the egg, gently pass the egg carefully from one hand to the other a couple of times, allowing the warmth of your palms to smooth the outside surface a bit and the gentle pressure to even out any bumps or rough spots on the surface. If the sausage is too sticky, wet your hands with cold water and then gently dry them. You don't want to use "wet" hands, but slightly damp hands will discourage the sausage from sticking to them.
Repeat until all the eggs are covered with sausage.
Bread Sausage-covered Eggs
You will need three small bowls.Bowl 1: Wondra & garlic powder. (Stir to combine.)Bowl 2: Beaten egg.Bowl 3: Panko crumbs, brown sugar, and chili powder.
Roll each sausage-covered egg in flour mixture (Bowl 1) and shake off excess, then dip in the beaten egg (Bowl 2), and finally roll in the Panko crumbs (Bowl 3).When I finish rolling the eggs in the last bowl, I like to pass it carefully from one hand to the other a couple of times, to help form and structure the outside crust a bit; much like you would form a meatball, but exerting far less external pressure. Place breaded eggs on a plate until you have enough done for one batch. (2-6 depending on the size of your air-fryer.).
Air Fry Breaded Eggs
Preheat air fryer at 380°(195°C) for 10 minutes. Liberally spray the breaded eggs with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil mist, and set them in the air-fryer basket. Be sure to leave generous space around each one for air to circulate.
Air-fry eggs for 12 minutes, turning halfway through for more even browning. See NOTES for Advance Prep.
Serve alone, or with your favorite dipping sauce (i.e., Whole Grain Mustard, Sriracha-Mayo, Ranch, or Honey-Mustard Sauce, etc.).
Video
Notes
How to Prep Scotch Eggs in Advance
Partial Advance Prep
Method: Boil the eggs and then refrigerate them in their shells, then peel, wrap, and bread them immediately before air-frying. (Boiled eggs should be refrigerated for no more than 3 days.)
Time: Preheat air fryer at 380°F (193°C) for 5 minutes. Cook 13 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.
Full Advance Prep
Note: When Scotch eggs are fully prepped ahead of time and then refrigerated for more than a few hours, the egg white may take on a slightly gray color. This change in appearance has no affect on flavor or texture.
Method: Boiled and wrapped the eggs in advance, then bread and air-fry when desired. (Sausage-wrapped eggs should be refrigerated for no more than 24 hours in advance.)
Time: Preheat air fryer at 380°F (193°C) for 5 minutes. Cook 13 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.
To refrigerate cooked Scotch eggs, first allow them to cool completely, wrap tightly wrap in plastic film, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.