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Perfect Air Fryer Meatballs for Any Occasion

Have you tried making air fryer meatballs yet? If you haven’t, you should. It’s so quick and easy; it’s the perfect midweek dinner!

Meatballs are a staple in our household. They are easy to make, whether you make them yourself from minced beef or buy the meatballs already moulded into balls.

Any variety of meatballs can be made in the air fryer, and they only take 8–10 minutes to cook.

air fryer meatballs

How To Make Meatballs In An Air Fryer

The recipe below is enough to make 12 meatballs, but you can use more or less depending on how many people you are cooking for.

They can be made in any air fryer model; I have tested them in a Proscenic, Cosori, Ninja, and Phillips.

What You Need:

meatballs next to air fryer
  • 12–24 fresh meatballs (to make your own from raw mince, see the recipe below)
  • Your choice of sides and sauces. Popular choices are spaghetti and classic tomato meatball sauce.

If You Are Making Your Own Meatballs From Scratch

  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 egg
  • 75g-100g breadcrumbs
  • Seasoning
  • Dried mixed herbs/fresh herbs
  1. Combine all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
  2. Once everything is well mixed, using your hands, roll the mince into equally sized meatballs. You might want to oil your hands slightly to prevent the meat sticking to you.

Cooking Meatballs In An Air Fryer

Whether you are cooking premade or meatballs made from scratch, the next steps are the same.

meatballs in air fryer

Place the meatballs in the air fryer. Cook them at 180°C (350°F) for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs. It’s a good idea to check on them halfway through, turn them over, and give them a shake.

If you are serving the meatballs in a tomato sauce with spaghetti, you can make this while the meatballs are in the air fryer.

cooked meatballs in air fryer basket

If you wanted to, you could transfer the cooked meatballs to an ovenproof dish, pan, or liner that fits your air fryer and pour the sauce over the top. Return it to the air fryer and cook at the same temperature for a further 3 or 4 minutes or until the sauce is piping hot all the way through.

meatballs in sauce with spaghetti that have been cooked in an air fryer

To finish off, serve the meatballs with spaghetti and some melted cheese. Enjoy!

You might also like:

My collection of air fryer recipes is getting quite long now; below are a few that might interest you!

air fryer meatballs

Air Fryer Meatballs

Yield: 12 meatballs
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 21 minutes

Air fryer meatballs are a quick, tasty, and healthier alternative to traditionally fried meatballs, offering a perfect blend of crispiness on the outside with juicy tenderness inside.

Ingredients

  • 500g lean beef mince, (1 pound)
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1tbsp breadcrumbs, (optional)

Instructions

  1. If you are making meatballs from scratch, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
  2. Using your hands, form small round balls (this recipe makes about 12, depending on size of meatballs)
  3. Place the meatballs in air fryer basket and cook at 180C/350F for 8 to 10 minutes. Check half way through and turn over/shake about.
  4. If you want to add a sauce, either make it/heat it on the stove while the meatballs are cooking or alternatively you can heat the sauce in the air fryer with the meatballs. You will need to transfer the cooked meatballs to an ovenproof dish/pan that will fit in the air fryer basket. Pour the meatball sauce on top and place container in the air fryer basket. Cook at 180C/350F for about 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce is hot.
  5. Serve with spaghetti and melted cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 267Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 137mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 38g

Did you make this recipe?

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Michelle

Tuesday 6th of September 2022

Thank you so much, just got my airfryer and was worried about how to cook meatballs. Your page is fab x

Denise

Saturday 15th of May 2021

Looks good, will try it

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