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    Home » Appetizer » Air Fryer Meatballs

    Air Fryer Meatballs

    Jun 28, 2021 by Cindy This blog generates income via ads.

    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! #meatballs #airfryer #airfryermeatballs #meatballrecipes via @vegetarianmamma
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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!

    meatballs on a white plate sprinkled with chopped green pieces of parsley

    AIR FRYER MEATBALLS RECIPE

    Contents show
    1 AIR FRYER MEATBALLS RECIPE
    2 Ingredients in Air Fryer Meatballs
    3 How to make meatballs in air fryer
    4 Are Breadcrumbs Necessary in Meatballs?
    5 Why are my meatballs tough?
    5.1 More Air Fryer Appetizers You’ll Love!
    5.2 Pro Tips
    6 Air Fryer Meatballs
    6.1 Equipment
    6.2 Ingredients
    6.2.1 For the meatballs:
    6.2.2 For the glaze:
    6.3 Instructions
    6.4 Notes
    6.5 Nutrition
    6.6 Related Posts
    6.6.1 95+ Cosori Air Fryer Recipes
    6.6.2 Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs
    6.6.3 Air Fryer Recipes

    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. Want more meatball recipes? Check out these Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs!

    A few ingredients and 15 minutes is all you need to make them!

    meatballs glazed with a brown-orange sauce and sprinkled with bright green herbs on a white plate

    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 and Dijon mustard

    How to make meatballs in air fryer

    • 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!
    9 meatballs sprinkled with green parsley arranged on a white plate aside a red and white striped towel

    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. For our vegan friends, you can make them with oats like this meatball recipe.

    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.

    skewered meatballs with a brown glaze and fresh parsley on a bright white round plate

    More Air Fryer Appetizers You’ll Love!

    We have so many air fryer recipes to choose from!

    If you are having trouble figuring out which one to try next, we suggest: Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks , Air Fryer Fried Pickles and Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers. Also check out these mojo meatballs.

    Pro Tips

    • Use Any Air Fryer: This recipe can be made in an air fryer unit with a basket or an air fryer oven. If you're using an air fryer oven, place your food on the middle rack and select the "air fry" function.
    • Check your food as it cooks! Since each air fryer runs differently, sometimes air frying is a trial and error process. When cooking a new recipe, be sure to check on your food often. This will help you avoid over or undercooking, and help you learn your air fryer's specific ways!

    Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment AND rating below! It helps other readers!

    Be sure to tag @AirFryerEats on instagram, if you share a picture on the gram! Let's get social, you can follow me on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or join one of our Air Fryer Facebook Groups: Air Fryer Recipes, Air Fryer Recipes for Seniors and Gluten Free Air Fryer Recipes.

    Don't forget to subscribe to our EMAIL newsletter.

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 11 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 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Total Time25 minutes mins
    Course: Appetizer, Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: air fryer, air fryer meatballs, meatball appetizer, meatballs
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 309kcal
    Cindy - Air Fryer Eats
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    Equipment

    • Air fryer

    Ingredients

    For the meatballs:

    • 1 lb ground protein (ground beef, ground pork, veggie protein)
    • ½ cup breadcrumbs
    • ½ cup red onion diced
    • ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tsp garlic salt
    • 1 tsp oregano

    For the glaze:

    • ¼ cup ketchup
    • ¼ 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!
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    Notes

    Update: I've recently talked with people who have made this recipe in a Cuisinart Air Fryer Oven and also a Ninja Basket Air Fryer.
    Both of these units seem to run "hotter" than most air fryers. That means you will need to LESSEN the cook time. For this recipe, the cook time was almost cut in half. I would suggest cooking for 5 minutes, adding the sauce and cooking for 1-3 more minutes.
    Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the "Air Fry" function.

    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
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    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.

    You are probably here because you love air fryers as much as we do! If you are looking for a few more simple recipes, I would suggest that you take a look at our Frozen Hamburgers in Air Fryer Post! You will learn what temp and time to start with and you can adjust from there! Trust us, once you try it, this will be your preferred cooking method for hamburgers!


    When it comes to frozen foods in your air fryer, we have you covered there too! You can check out our Best Frozen Foods for your Air Fryer Post! Or you can skip directly to our most popular frozen food posts: Bagel Bites in Air Fryer, Air Fryer Corn Dogs, Air Fryer Biscuits,Air Fryer Tater Tots, Totino’s pizza rolls air fryer and Frozen turkey burger.

    Are you looking for MORE air fryer recipes? Let us make that EASY for you! With this ebook bundle, you get oodles and oodles of air fryer recipes at your finger tips! You can even PRINT the recipes! Grab a copy of these air fryer e-cookbooks today! Email us at [email protected] for more information!

    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!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anita

      December 27, 2019 at 9:06 pm

      5 stars
      The meatballs recipe is so simple, and it's great that this recipe uses an airfyer to make them. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Erika

      December 27, 2019 at 9:10 pm

      5 stars
      This is a great air fryer recipe! Yum!

      Reply
      • Cindy

        December 27, 2019 at 9:29 pm

        Thanks Erika! I hope you liked the air fryer meatballs!

        Reply
    3. Amy

      December 27, 2019 at 9:24 pm

      5 stars
      These meatballs look so tasty, I bet they're amazing!

      Reply
      • Cindy

        December 28, 2019 at 3:12 am

        Thanks Amy, for checking out the Air Fryer Meatballs. Be sure to stop by and let us know how they turned out for you!

        Reply
    4. Alina | Cooking Journey Blog

      December 27, 2019 at 10:16 pm

      5 stars
      I love this glaze! Meatballs always is a great idea for dinner, for me - these are perfect to serve with rice.

      Reply
      • Cindy

        December 28, 2019 at 2:56 am

        Thank you Alina, I am so glad you love the glaze! It is literally one of my favorites! So sweet but yet a perfect blend of savory too!

        Reply
    5. Sara Welch

      December 27, 2019 at 10:22 pm

      5 stars
      Another great recipe for my air fryer! This looks too good to pass up!

      Reply
      • Cindy

        December 28, 2019 at 2:56 am

        Thanks for checking out our air fryer meatballs Sara! I hope you love them as much as we do!

        Reply
    6. Tim Parker

      May 15, 2020 at 6:43 pm

      5 stars
      Confession time. I'm a newly single dad with a young 11 yr old son that is really my life. I have to say that I'm a Grill Meister with many years of experience.

      When it comes to everyday cooking, not so much. I'm really a total newb. Yesterday after reading the incredible recipe on the meatballs, I asked my son if he was ready for an adventure with dad trying to make dinner. He was all excited to see dad cook anything that wasn't on a grill.

      We took the recipe, gathered all the ingredients and we were off. It was actually a lot of fun for my "special assistant" as he was helping actually form the meatballs. We followed the recipe step by step. We felt really adventurous so we decided to try and make the suggested sauce too.

      My son was smiling ear to ear when he tasted the meatballs. They were absolutely delicious.

      The generosity everyone has shown to those of us "me" with not a lot of experience and it's greatly appreciated.

      If I could give the meatballs recipe 10 stars, I sure would. Made me look like a superstar.

      Reply
      • Cindy

        May 16, 2020 at 3:47 pm

        Tim, thank you so much! I am so glad that you are finding great things in our air fryer facebook group! Thank you SO much for coming back to the recipe and leaving a rating and a comment. It means so much to us! Your story melts my heart, I am so glad that both you and your son loved the meatballs!

        Reply
    7. Dena

      June 30, 2020 at 1:32 pm

      I plan on making the recipe this evening. Why do you need to use parchment paper? I thought the air needed to circulate.

      Reply
      • Cindy

        July 02, 2020 at 12:21 am

        Hi Dena! You don't have to use parchment if you don't have any or don't like. I like to use for this particular recipe because it helps with clean up and it helps to keep the moisture and sauce on the meatballs instead of draining away from them and drying them out 🙂 🙂 Enjoy!

        Reply
    8. Michelle

      July 06, 2020 at 6:37 pm

      5 stars
      I made these with beyond meat to make them vegetarian. I served them to my meat loving friends over the weekend and they LOVED them. They didn't even know it was veggie. I think they were distracted by the delicious glaze!

      Reply
      • Cindy

        July 06, 2020 at 6:47 pm

        That's awesome Michelle! You know its a win when the meat eaters love it too! Thanks for coming back and letting me know!

        Reply
    9. Kristin

      July 31, 2020 at 1:56 am

      5 stars
      Hands down one of THE best meatballs I have ever had. The glaze is amazing!

      Reply
      • Cindy

        July 31, 2020 at 3:25 pm

        Yay Kristin! So glad you liked the meatballs, I have to agree with you that the glaze is amazing!!

        Reply
    10. Matt Freund

      January 19, 2021 at 5:22 pm

      5 stars
      I love these meatballs. Meatballs come out fantastic in the air fryer. My new got method.

      Reply
      • Cindy

        January 20, 2021 at 1:00 am

        Thanks Matt, I am so glad you enjoyed them and loved the new method~ Thanks for coming back and letting us know!

        Reply
    11. Matt Freund

      February 04, 2021 at 9:53 pm

      5 stars
      These meatballs are really tasty and easy to make.

      Reply
      • Cindy

        February 04, 2021 at 9:55 pm

        Thanks Matt! I am so glad you liked them, they are so easy! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment/rating! It helps other readers!

        Reply
    12. L Moore

      June 10, 2021 at 6:14 pm

      This recipe does not give the temperature needed.

      Reply
      • Cindy

        June 10, 2021 at 9:36 pm

        Hello, thanks for commenting. You can find the temp needed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, so just above where you commented 🙂 It is 380F 🙂

        Reply

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