How to Cook Bratwurst in the Oven

This is how to cook bratwurst in the oven with onions and bell peppers! Sheet pan brats are an easy meal that is cheap and everyone loves. Served inside rolls for a German meal with sauerkraut or as bangers and mash with mashed potatoes it’s packed with protein and a hearty meal.

Cooking Bratwurst in the Oven

I love how easy this is, and that all 5 of us love it for dinnertime. You see I grew up with a very German Grandfather, who took me to the Octoberfest in his city every year. I’m talking he wore his lederhosen, hat with pins from his hometown on it, and we always ate THIS!

To say this brings back lots of memories in an understatement. You don’t have to come from Germany to love this meal and now I have instructions for making it all sorts of ways.

We have shared all the things pork on our site. Of course these can be made with veal or or beef but most commonly pork. Cooking methods we’ve done in the past are: smoked brats, Ninja Foodi sausage, and how to steam Instant Pot beer brats (link above) in no time at all.

You can make these thawed or frozen. If you haven’t cooked from frozen before it’s quite easy and this is a great one to start with. Then you should read about how to cook a frozen roast in the oven.

Now we are throwing these babies right on to a baking sheet and cooking them with all the things you’d want to include on your buns. That is the way to cook right??!! A dump and go meal of sorts. No need to make air fryer peppers on the side and combine the two when done.

Sheet Pan Brats

Of course if you just want to make them as is and serve with sauerkraut then you could use a smaller pan. Now here you see two slightly different colors. The difference is the redder version is spicy and the other is “regular”. It is nice to have both if it is your first go around so your family can see which they like better.

How to Cook Johnsonville Brats in the Oven

Let’s talk about what to serve with brats? There are a ton of options. If you ate this as a child you likely have a MUST in mind but if you need a few suggestions boy do we have them.

Let’s start with what was cooked here on the same tray. A mixture of sliced red onion, yellow and red bell peppers looked good at the store so that’s that.

• Our Instant Pot fried cabbage is out of this world. We make this with corned beef and these.
• Some like potato or cucumber salad as cold options
• Corn on the cob is also a popular choice for some
• I have a whole other post all about simple cabbage recipes because we make it so often with all the things

The instructions are really quite easy. You always want to preheat your oven so everything bakes at the same temperature for the entire duration. Lay down the veggies with the meat on top and all of this should be tossed or brushed with a bit of olive oil. Seasonings are optional but salt and pepper are easy ones.

Cooking Frozen Brats in the Oven

Frozen doesn’t really change the cook time believe it o rnot. If you don’t want a sort of crispy texture on the outside of your baked brats I’d check at minute 25. You can toast buns on a griddle or in the oven as well to warm and get a bit crispy.

How to Cook Brats in the Oven

You always want to ensure the middle is cooked all the way thru of course since these are starting out as raw. Remember, brats and sausage are not the same thing. Many of the latter can be found precooked and you’re just warming at home. These need to reach the proper internal temperature before consuming to be safe.

• First you’re going to preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Slice all of the bell peppers and onions into thick strips. Place these into a bowl.
• Toss all of the veggies with olive oil and salt and pepper. Leave a little oil on the side to drizzle on bratwurst.
• Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper, aluminum foil, or spray with non stick spray. Pour veggies on top in a single layer. Lay meat on top of them. Drizzle remaining oil on meat.
• Bake bratwurst for 25-30 minutes turning meat half way thru cook time.
  • Use a meat thermometer in the middle of the meat to check if it has reached 160 degrees.

If you want to crisp outsides, broil for 2 minutes or so and then serve on buns with pepper mix and mustard. You could use your air fryer or grill brats outside too to get that crispy snap you want. Can take another 15 minutes or so including time to prep this additional step but worth it.

Brats in Oven 400

To serve, transfer into a casserole dish with hoagie rolls in a basket on the side and all the fixings available. Mustard sauce and our quick sauerkraut recipe is a must. If you have leftovers you can store them in a freezer bag once they are cooled and into the fridge they go.

Reheat within 1-2 days in a pan on your stovetop. You can pour a bit of beer in to steam with a lid. Looking for other tips and tricks to make meal time faster? Last week we shared how to cook frozen bacon in the oven, and how to cook frozen hot dogs for dinner as well.