Air Fryer Meatballs

I am obsessed with my air fryer and have shared way too many air fryer recipes on this site already. But, I’m not done because these air fryer meatballs are so delicious and easy and the perfect compliment to a bowl of pasta and red sauce.

This air fryer meatball recipe is pretty simple. These will go will with just about any sauce or gravy you want to serve them with. But, if you want something even more flavorful, try my stuffing meatballs. I also love that when you cook with your air fryer you can see all the liquid fat that drains off as they cook (it will be in the bottom of the air fryer, under the grate). So, this is a lighter option for cooking something delicious that hopefully your whole family will love.

Related: Not sure what to serve these with? Try this easy vodka sauce and any pasta or gnocchi you have on hand. And try my classic meatloaf recipe or sausage balls.

Ingredients

• Ground beef, pork or a mix – see notes
• Italian breadcrumbs
• Milk
• Egg
• Garlic
• Parmesan cheese – the powdery kind is great for this recipe
• Salt and pepper

If you want to add more spices to this mix, you totally can! Some things to try might be onion powder, cayenne, chili powder, or even Italian seasoning.

Directions

Mince the garlic.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix together to create a meatball batter. Use your (clean) hands to form 16 balls, roughly the same size.

Spray your air fryer grate with a little nonstick spray. Then place the meatballs inside.

Air fry at 400°F (204°C) for 12 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165°F, but you can also cut one open to check that it’s no longer pink inside (a tiny bit of pink is OK, but it should not be raw).

Serve warm with pasta and sauce, gravy and mashed potatoes, or whatever else your heart desires.

Tips & Notes

• If you want, you can add parchment paper to your air fryer. If you do, for this recipe I would recommend add some slits or holes to the center so the excess fat can drain off to the bottom (under the grate).
• The outside of these meatballs will be almost crispy, as the air fryer is a great tool for, well, air frying. 🙂 So, these also can make an excellent appetizer. But do take care not to overcook them or they can become dry.
• I like to use a mix of ground meat for this recipe. I often use “Boston Burger” ground meat, which is 60% beef and 40% pork and pretty common at the grocery store I frequent. But any ground meat can work in this recipe! Just keep in mind if you use a more lean (chicken, turkey) ground meat, the nutrition facts will vary from the ones in my recipe card below.

Serving Suggestions

Here are some vegetable and other side dish options to go with these air fryer meatballs:

• Roasted Carrots
• Roasted Asparagus
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Roasted Green Beans
• Baked Potatoes – in the oven, air fryer or microwave

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5 from 6 votes

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simple, juicy meatballs you can cook in the air fryer

Yield 16 meatballs

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 12 minutes mins

Total 22 minutes mins

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound ground beef (or a mix of ground meats)
• ▢ ⅓ cup Italian breadcrumbs
• ▢ ¼ cup milk
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic
• ▢ ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese (the powdery kind)
• ▢ salt and pepper

Equipment

• ▢
  Air Fryer

Instructions

• Mince the garlic.
• In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix together to create a meatball batter.
• Use your (clean) hands to form 16 balls, roughly the same size.
• Spray your air fryer grate with a little nonstick spray. Then place the meatballs inside.
• Air fry at 400°F (204°C) for 12 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
• Serve warm with pasta and sauce, gravy and mashed potatoes, or whatever else your heart desires.

Notes

If you want, you can add parchment paper to your air fryer. If you do, for this recipe I would recommend add some slits or holes to the center so the excess fat can drain off to the bottom (under the grate).

The outside of these meatballs will be almost crispy, as the air fryer is a great tool for, well, air frying. 🙂 So, these also can make an excellent appetizer. But do take care not to overcook them or they can become dry.

I like to use a mix of ground meat for this recipe. I often use “Boston Burger” ground meat, which is 60% beef and 40% pork and pretty common at the grocery store I frequent. But any ground meat can work in this recipe! Just keep in mind if you use a more lean (chicken, turkey) ground meat, the nutrition facts will vary from the ones in my recipe card below.

© Author Emma Chapman

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keywords air fryer, meatballs

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Air Fryer Meatballs

Amount per Serving

Calories

97

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

7

g

11

%

Saturated Fat

 

3

g

19

%

Trans Fat

 

0.4

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.3

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Cholesterol

 

32

mg

11

%

Sodium

 

91

mg

4

%

Potassium

 

97

mg

3

%

Carbohydrates

 

2

g

1

%

Fiber

 

0.1

g

0

%

Sugar

 

0.4

g

0

%

Protein

 

6

g

12

%

Vitamin A

 

42

IU

1

%

Vitamin C

 

0.3

mg

0

%

Calcium

 

42

mg

4

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.