Whip up these juicy Italian-style meatballs within the air fryer in below Half-hour! I take advantage of this simple technique to make fast, freezer-friendly air fryer meatballs, excellent for weeknight dinners, appetizers, and meal prep.
For one more fast and simple strategy to prepare dinner meatballs, attempt my Instant Pot meatballs. Or, for a make-ahead choice, these crockpot meatballs are a vacation favourite!
This simple air fryer meatballs recipe is ideal for busy nights in the course of the week. They’re finished in below Half-hour, filled with taste, and lighter than pan-frying. Plus, the air fryer makes these meatballs tremendous handy! Serve them with dinner, as an appetizer, or freeze them as a simple meal prep choice. Are you able to inform I’m obsessed?
Why You Ought to Make Meatballs within the Air Fryer
Sooner than the oven. As a lot as I really like baked meatballs, cooking meatballs within the air fryer is faster and simpler to wash up afterward.
Much less oil than frying. Talking of cleansing up… air fryer meatballs require a fraction of the oil it takes to fry meatballs on the stovetop. With out the splatters!
Crispy exterior, juicy inside. I’ll present you make juicy air fryer meatballs that maintain their form, excellent for pairing with pasta or dipping sauces.
Nice for meal prep. You’ll be able to simply meal prep meatballs for the week, in order that they’re able to reheat for last-minute lunches and dinners.
You’ll Want These Elements
Scroll right down to the recipe card for the total, printable components checklist, quantities, and step-by-step directions.
Floor Beef and Pork – I like to make use of a mixture of lean floor beef and floor pork in my meatballs, for taste and juiciness. You may as well make turkey or hen meatballs within the air fryer as a leaner protein choice.
Milk – Just like how milk can tenderize the bottom beef in Bolognese recipes, a splash of complete milk (or 2%) makes the meatball combination moist and tender.
Egg – A frivolously overwhelmed egg helps bind the meatball components.
Parmesan Cheese – Whereas I like to recommend freshly grated Parmesan, pre-grated will work right here, too. Pecorino Romano and Grana Padano cheese are good options.
Breadcrumbs – Together with the egg, breadcrumbs act as a binder for the meatball components. If you happen to don’t have breadcrumbs, you may make them! Reduce bread into cubes to dry out within the toaster or oven. Then, blitz the bread within the blender or meals processor to make fantastic crumbs.
Herbs and Seasonings – I take advantage of freshly minced garlic, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper. You’ll be able to substitute Italian seasoning with particular person dried herbs like thyme, basil, and oregano.
The right way to Make Air Fryer Meatballs
Right here’s make the perfect air fryer meatballs, step-by-step, in below 20 minutes. What I really like most about this recipe is how rapidly the combination comes collectively, and chilling the meatballs is elective, which is a significant time saver on weeknights.
Mixing the Meatball Combination
An important piece of recommendation I’ve right here is, don’t overmix! Overmixing yields dense, robust meatballs. I like to mix the bottom meat and seasonings and produce the meatball combination collectively by hand. In any other case, gently fold the components collectively utilizing a picket spatula or spoon. This retains the meatballs juicy.
Mix the components.Combine gently, then scoop.
Mix the components. Add your meatball components to a big bowl and blend effectively. Use a light-weight contact and blend simply till the components are evenly mixed. You’ll be able to put together your meat combination a day or two prematurely and maintain it coated within the fridge till you’re able to roll and bake the meatballs.
Form and Cook dinner the Meatballs
Now, observe these steps to portion the combination into balls utilizing a cookie scoop:
Scoop and roll the meatballs.Cook dinner, rotating midway via.
Form the meatballs. I discover the perfect dimension for air fryer meatballs is 1 ½ inches. Scoop and roll the meat combination onto a baking sheet for now. At this level, you’ll be able to prepare dinner your meatballs instantly, or chill them within the fridge for 15-Half-hour. Chilling helps the meatballs maintain their form and makes them a bit simpler to deal with, nevertheless it’s not 100% obligatory.
Cook dinner. Prepare the meatballs contained in the air fryer basket. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer, or the meatballs will steam as a substitute of crisp (chances are you’ll must prepare dinner in batches). Then, prepare dinner at 380ºF for 10-12 minutes, flipping the meatballs midway via. Do an inside temperature verify on the finish of cooking to make sure your meatballs have reached 165ºF.
Get pleasure from! If you happen to’re serving your air fryer meatballs with sauce, you’ll be able to add them to the sauce instantly. In any other case, I counsel letting the meatballs relaxation for five minutes earlier than serving.
Serving Strategies for Air Fryer Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs. A basic! As talked about, serve air fryer meatballs with marinara sauce (or your favourite tomato sauce) over an enormous bowl of pasta.
As an appetizer. These meatballs make a tasty appetizer with dipping sauces like honey mustard, do-it-yourself BBQ sauce, or the candy chili sauce from these bang bang meatballs.
Subs and sandwiches. Tuck these meatballs inside a hoagie bun for meatball subs or in between Hawaiian rolls or dinner rolls for sliders.
Meal prep. Divvy the air fryer meatballs into meal prep containers with rice, zucchini noodles, or roasted greens for simple on-the-go meals in the course of the week.
Meatball Variations
I really like serving these Italian-style air fryer meatballs over spaghetti with marinara sauce. That being stated, they’re an important clean canvas, and these are another enjoyable variations you’ll be able to attempt:
Asian air fryer meatballs. Coat these meatballs with teriyaki glaze or borrow the sweet-tangy-spicy sauce from my sesame meatballs recipe.
Swedish meatballs. Make simple Swedish meatballs within the air fryer and add chopped yellow onion, allspice, and nutmeg to the meat combination. Afterward, serve them with creamy beef gravy.
Spicy air fryer meatballs. Add chili flakes to the meatball combination or use the smoky chili sauce from my Chipotle meatballs recipe.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Can I make these forward of time?
Sure! You’ll be able to roll the uncooked meatballs as much as 48 hours forward and maintain them coated within the fridge till it’s time to air fry.
Can I freeze uncooked or cooked meatballs?
Each! Pre-freeze the uncooked or cooked meatballs on a baking sheet and switch them to a freezer bag. You’ll be able to prepare dinner the frozen meatballs within the air fryer, including further cooking time as wanted (uncooked meatballs will want extra time). Use an instant-read thermometer to verify that the inner temperature reaches 165ºF.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers. Retailer the cooked meatballs with or with out sauce in an hermetic container. Leftovers final within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
Reheat. In case your meatballs don’t have sauce, you’ll be able to return them to the air fryer at 350ºF for a couple of minutes to reheat. In any other case, use the range or the microwave.
Freeze. Freeze the meatballs on a baking sheet first, then switch them to an hermetic container or resealable bag. Freeze for as much as 2 months. You’ll be able to reheat the meatballs from frozen or thaw them within the fridge first.
Whip up juicy meatballs within the air fryer in Half-hour! These fast air fryer meatballs are scrumptious over spaghetti. They’re additionally freezer-friendly and nice for meal prep.
1 pound floor beef
1/4 pound floor pork
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg, frivolously overwhelmed
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Mix the entire components in a big bowl. Combine effectively.
Kind the meat combination into 1 ½-inch balls utilizing a medium cookie scoop. Non-compulsory: chill the rolled meatballs for 15-Half-hour previous to cooking. It is a tip nice for making forward as effectively.
Preheat the air fryer to 380°F.
Place the meatballs within the air fryer basket, taking care to not crowd them collectively. Chances are you’ll must prepare dinner in two batches.
Cook dinner for 10-12 minutes, rotating midway via. The inner temperature ought to measure 165ºF.
Let the meatballs relaxation for five minutes earlier than serving or add them to your favourite sauce instantly.