Air Fryer Meatballs

Air Fryer Meatballs are easy to make and super tasty! Serve them as an appetizer or a main dish – either way they’re a real crowd pleaser!

Air Fryer Meatballs are the best easy appetizer! Add these meatballs to your appetizer spread along with Air Fryer Honey Sriracha Cauliflower and your crowd will go wild!

Believe me when I say that cooking meatballs in the air fryer will change your life. A few ingredients and 15 minutes is all you need to make them!

Ingredients in Air Fryer Meatballs

• A pound of ground protein (try ground beef, ground pork, or veggie protein like Beyond Meat)
• Breadcrumbs
• Red onion (diced)
• Fresh parsley (chopped)
• An egg
• Salt
• Oregano

For the glaze:

• Ketchup
• Brown sugar
• Dijon mustard

How to make meatballs

• First, add your ground protein to a large bowl.
• Add the diced red onion, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, egg, salt, and oregano.

• Combine thoroughly using your hands or a spatula, making sure that the ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout.
• Shape the mixture into 1 to 1.5 inch balls.
• Place a piece of foil or parchment in the bottom of your air fryer basket and arrange the meatballs overtop.

• Cook the meatballs for 8 minutes.
• Combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl and brush the glaze over the meatballs.
• Place the meatballs back into the air fryer and cook them for an additional 7 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy!

Are BReadcrumbs Necessary in Meatballs?

Ideally you’ll want to have some kind of binder to hold your meatball mixture together. Otherwise, the meatballs could fall apart and leave you with a mushy mess. About a half cup of breadcrumbs and an egg mixed into the batter will do the trick.

If you’re gluten free you can use gluten free bread crumbs or make them from your favorite gluten free bread.

why are my meatballs tough?

There are a couple different reasons why your meatballs may have come out too tough or chewy.

Don’t skip the breadcrumbs and eggs – you’ll need them to bind the meat together and keep it moist. Leaving out the binder can cause too much moisture to render off while cooking, leaving the meatballs tough.

Another reason for tough meatballs is over cooking. There are several different types of air fryers on the market, and they all operate a little differently. As with any other recipe, be sure to watch the meatballs so that they don’t overcook. You may need to adjust your cooking times by a minute or two.

More Air Fryer Appetizers You’ll Love!

• Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
• Air Fryer Fried Pickles
• Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers

PRO TIP: When cooking meat it is extremely important that you measure the internal temperature to make sure your meat has been cooked to completion. I highly recommend that you get a meat thermometer to keep handy when cooking in your air fryer!

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Air Fryer Meatballs

Air Fryer Meatballs are easy to make and super tasty! Serve them as an appetizer or a main dish – either way they're a real crowd pleaser!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer, air fryer meatballs, meatball appetizer, meatballs

Servings: 4

Calories: 309kcal

Equipment

• Air fryer

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 lb ground protein (ground beef, ground pork, veggie protein)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup red onion diced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp oregano

For the glaze:

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard

Instructions

• Combine the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl.
• Roll the mixture into 1-1.5 inch balls.
• Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper or foil.
• Place the meatballs into the air fryer basket.
• Air fry the meatballs at 380 degrees F for 8 minutes.
• Mix the glaze ingredients together and brush over the meatballs.
• Air fry the meatballs for another 7 minutes at 380 degrees F.
• Remove the meatballs from the air fryer basket, then serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 1351mg | Potassium: 371mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 452IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 7mg

Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.

Let’s talk! Drop me a comment below letting me know if you have ever made meatballs in an air fryer! If you have tried these meatballs, I’d love to get your feedback! Let me know in the comments below!