Name: Air Fryer Meatballs
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef; 1 onion (grated and squeezed from excess liquid`); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 1 egg; 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated); 1/3 cup bread crumbs (we use panko); 1/4 cup bell peppers (grated); 2 Tablespoons parsley (minced); 2 Tabelspoons oregano (fresh, minced); 1 teasooons each salt and pepper; 2 teaspoons oregano; 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

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Air Fryer Meatballs will be your new favorite meatballs recipe! Juicy, tasty, easy and quick meatballs! Serve them as is, or over your favorite spaghetti and meatballs. We went with the classic flavors of Italian meatballs today and they were absolutely a HIT with family and friends! Be sure to watch the video for TIPS and how to.

Our Juicy Spicy Turkish Meatballs recipe is my grandma’s recipe that has been handed down for generations and is one you MUST try. It’s saucy and delicious. Mots of our meatballs recipe have been made with lamb, like these Fall Harvest Bowl with Lamb Meatballs and Lamb Meatball Subs.

Today’s meatballs recipe is inspired by our latest trip to Italy and the wonderful flavors of that cuisine. We’ve tested Air fryer meatballs several times until we finally decided this is THE ONE🧡 And OMG you’ll know why as soon as you try it!

Why You’ll Love Air Fryer Meatballs

Like many of our Air Fryer Recipes, these have taken over the spotlight and for so many reasons.

The Air fryer does all the work for you! No mess around your stove or skillet.
Air fryer meatballs cook in less time than in your even, so it’s the quickest way to have meatballs on the table!
Meatballs come out perfectly crispy on the outside, yet super juicy on the inside.
No more dry meatballs!
You can flavor the in so many different ways, just use the same technique for cooking.
It works great for frozen meatballs, chicken meatballs, and just about any type of meatball recipe you have.
Any type of air fryer brand works great for this recipe!

Ingredients You Need

The ingredients and flavoring below are based on the classic Italian meatballs from our last trip to Italy. So while you may flavor the meatballs endlessly, today we’ve gone all classic and it’s SO good!

Beef. You can use a combo of beef and lamb if you’d like, but today we went all classic and used pure beef. Ground beef is obviously a must for the meatballs recipe. And finally, you have full control on how lean you want your meat to be.
Egg. This helps bind the meatballs
Panko bread crumbs. We prefer those for texture, however Italian breadcrumbs work just as well.
Parmesan cheese. For flavor.
Garlic, minced. Use fresh always.
Onions, grated. Make sure to remove any water after grating the onions.
Parsley. For freshness.
Fresh oregano. For taste and freshness.
Spice blend. Salt, pepper, oregano, paprika and a pinch of nutmeg.
Grated bell pepper. For sweetness and juiciness.

How to Cook Air Fryer Meatballs

Here’s a detailed step by step guide for perfect air fryer meatballs. If you’re more of a video person, make sure to watch the video above as well.

Mix

In a large bowl you’ll add all the ingredients over the ground beef.
We love using gloves to mix all the meatballs ingredients together. You want to break down the egg, blend the meat with the flavors so that the mixture looks evenly mixed.
Once the meatballs mixture is ready, you can either pop it in the fridge until ready to shape, or you may proceed right away. This is a great prep in advance step that you can make the day before for dinner the next day 💛

Shape
Our favorite tool and secret to evenly shaped meatballs is using an ICE CREAM SCOOP! YES you read that. Just like you would with cookie dough, the scoop created evenly shaped and perfectly portioned meatballs.
When you have evenly sized meatballs, then your cooking time is easy to control. You also ensure juicy meatballs every time you make them.
This step is optional. I take every scoop of meatballs and roll it between my hands for just a 5-8 seconds to make sure it’s an even round shape. This is purely aesthetic, but we LOVE it.
Repeat the same process with all the mixture and arrange the meatballs on a lined baking sheet as shown above.

Air Fry
Now it’s time for the magic. Place the meatballs in the basket of your air fryer. I have a large air fryer here which is about 8 quart. You don’t need that size as you can see it’s nearly half empty.
As with all our Air Fryer Recipes, we love a spray of avocado oil right before cooking. This helps the meatballs not stick to the air fryer basket, and furthermore, it helps with a nice delicate crisp crust on the meat.
Another crucial step is shaking the air fryer halfway. Remember the main source of heat comes from the top coil and it circulates in the basket area, so shaking ensures even exposure to heat.
A final sprinkle of parsley and your recipe is ready! Have a look at how perfect these are!! If you have a meat thermometer, you should aim for 165 degrees F.

What to Serve with Air Fryer Meatballs

While you can serve them endlessly of course, here are just a few ways to enjoy them:

Homemade Marinara Sauce with spaghetti is the most popular one!
Burrata Pasta
Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Lentil Fall Harvest Buddha Bowl
Pita Bowl
Ultimate Garlic Bread
Thai Salad With Peanut Dressing

Air Fryer Meatballs TIP and FAQ

Choose your favorite type of meat to start with, you can make it with chicken too!
You have a choice to make them as lean as you want to.
Make sure to mix the ingredients well into the ground beef, also make sure to squeeze out any extra liquid from the onions and bell peppers. Watery meatballs will fall apart when cooking.
The meatball mixture can be made two days in advance and stored in the fridge, and shape them on the day you’re cooing them.
Use an ice cream scoop for even meatballs.
Even meatballs will cook evenly which is ideal for meatballs to remain juicy and not dry out.
Preheating your air fryer for 3 minutes will save you some time, but it’s NOT a must.
We love shaping the meatballs for a few second extra into perfect round shape, but this is optional.
Spraying your air fryer with avocado oil will ensure the meat doesn’t stick to the basket.
Avoid overcrowding the basket for the meatballs to cook evenly.
Make sure to shake halfway because that way the heat distributes evenly among the meatballs
The meatballs are ready when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, or when golden brown.

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Meatballs/Make in Advance

Store the leftover meatballs:

Store the cooked meatballs in air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively you may place them in a single layer in a ziploc bag and freeze them for a month.

Reheat

To Reheat the meatballs, air fry them at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, shaking halfway. If frozen, thaw the meatballs and reheat the same way. You can likewise reheat in the microwave or oven if you prefer, but we recommend not.

Make in Advance

You can premix the beef and all the ingredients and keep that in the fridge for two days max in your fridge. Scoop and air fry the day you’re serving it. On busy days, we blend the mixture the night before, so after a long of work, dinner would be ready in minutes.

Best Air Fryer Recipes

5 from 4 votes

Air Fryer Meatballs

Course Air Fryer, Appetizer, Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine American, Italian, Mediterranean

Keyword air fryer meatballs, how to cook meatballs, how to make meatballs, meatballs, meatballs recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 451 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

Beef

2 lbs ground beef

Meatballs

1 onion grated and squeezed from excess liquid`
3 garlic cloves minced
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1/3 cup bread crumbs we use panko
1/4 cup bell peppers grated
2 Tablespoons parsley minced
2 Tabelspoons oregano fresh, minced
1 teasooons each salt and pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

In a large bowl you'll add all the ingredients over the ground beef.
We love using gloves to mix all the meatballs ingredients together. You want to break down the egg, blend the meat with the flavors so that the mixture looks evenly mixed.
Once the meatballs mixture is ready, you can either pop it in the fridge until ready to shape, or you may proceed right away. This is a great prep in advance step that you can make the day before for dinner the next day 💛
Our favorite tool and secret to evenly shaped meatballs is using an ICE CREAM SCOOP! YES you read that. Just like you would with cookie dough, the scoop created evenly shaped and perfectly portioned meatballs.
When you have evenly sized meatballs, then your cooking time is easy to control. You also ensure juicy meatballs every time you make them.
This step is optional. I take every scoop of meatballs and roll it between my hands for just a 5-8 seconds to make sure it's an even round shape. This is purely aesthetic, but we LOVE it.
Repeat the same process with all the mixture and arrange the meatballs on a lined baking sheet as shown above.
Now it's time for the magic. Place the meatballs in the basket of your air fryer. I have a large air fryer here which is about 8 quart. You don't need that size as you can see it's nearly half empty.
As with all our Air Fryer Recipes, we love a spray of avocado oil right before cooking. This helps the meatballs not stick to the air fryer basket, and furthermore, it helps with a nice delicate crisp crust on the meat.
Another crucial step is shaking the air fryer halfway. Remember the main source of heat comes from the top coil and it circulates in the basket area, so shaking ensures even exposure to heat.
A final sprinkle of parsley and your recipe is ready! Have a look at how perfect these are!! If you have a meat thermometer, you should aim for 165 degrees F.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Air Fryer Meatballs TIP and FAQ

Choose your favorite type of meat to start with, you can make it with chicken too!
You have a choice to make them as lean as you want to.
Make sure to mix the ingredients well into the ground beef, also make sure to squeeze out any extra liquid from the onions and bell peppers. Watery meatballs will fall apart when cooking.
The meatball mixture can be made two days in advance and stored in the fridge, and shape them on the day you're cooing them.
Use an ice cream scoop for even meatballs.
Even meatballs will cook evenly which is ideal for meatballs to remain juicy and not dry out.
Preheating your air fryer for 3 minutes will save you some time, but it's NOT a must.
We love shaping the meatballs for a few second extra into perfect round shape, but this is optional.
Spraying your air fryer with avocado oil will ensure the meat doesn't stick to the basket.
Avoid overcrowding the basket for the meatballs to cook evenly.
Make sure to shake halfway because that way the heat distributes evenly among the meatballs
The meatballs are ready when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, or when golden brown.