Air Fryer Meatballs – Crispy and Juicy

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Easy Air Fryer Meatballs turn out as crispy as you remember your Grandmother’s fried meatballs! Air Fryer Meatballs are done in about 10 minutes and are so tasty!

If you have been keeping up with my air fryer education, you know that I have been trying all kinds of delicious foods in my air fryer, since Christmas! So far, I have made, Air Fyrer Chicken Wings, Air Fryer Pork Loin, Air Fryer Doughnuts and now these Air Fryer Meatballs!

I have made these air fryer meatballs with this Sweet and Sour Sauce and my old favorite, one of my most requested appetizers, this Cranberry Orange Sauce! These meatballs are the first thing that disappear when I take them to a potluck! Noone can resist them!

The air fryer is, without a doubt, one of the best kitchen tools I have added in decades! So, I will take you along on this journey to perfect cooking in the air fryer.

Tips for Cooking in Your Air Fryer

A few things I have learned about cooking in the air fryer are;

• Preheating the air fryer gives you a crispier outside with little, or no added oil.
• Use no stick spray, instead of oil, so that you can control the amount of fat in your food.
• Spray the inside of your air fryer with no stick, or wipe it with oil on paper towel, for easy cleanup.
• Some foods need no added oil, such as; Air Fryer Doughnuts and these Air Fryer Meatballs.
• Line tray with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
• Always spray rack with non stick spray, for easy cleanup.
• Use higher temperatures for quick cooking foods and lower temperatures for slower food.
• Cut foods in uniform sizes for more even cooking.

Are Air Fried Foods Healthier for You?

Air Fried Foods contain less fat than traditionally fried foods. In this fact alone, air fried foods contain less fat and calories, than traditionally fried foods.

Air fried foods can also aid in weight loss! Here is an interesting article that will walk you through the science of air frying foods!

How to Make Air Fryer Meatballs

1. Mix venison (or beef) and pork
2. Grate onion directly over meat to capture the juices.
3. About 2 tablespoons.
4. Grate garlic too.
5. whisk eggs in bowl.



6. Add eggs, breadcrumbs and spices to meat. If making meatballs for Italian sauce, add Parmesan cheese.
7. Mix gently, but well.
8. Form into balls. An ice cream scoop or cookie scoop works well to portion meat. Place on rack.
9. Air Fry at 350°F 5 minutes, until golden on one side. Carefully remove from air fryer, flip meatballs over. Continue to air fry another 5 minutes, until browned and internal temperature is over 165°F

This sauce is a delicious sweet and sour sauce that utilizes apricot preserves. Just add all of the ingredients to a saucepan, bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until thickened!

Air frying meatballs has become my favorite way to cook meatballs! Years ago I switched from pan frying meatballs to baking meatballs.

I appreciated the fact the baked meatballs turned out more round than pan frying, but I did sacrifice a bit on flavor and crispiness.

No longer, my friends! These air fryer meatballs are so much crispier than baked! I am now doing a happy dance in the kitchen! 🙂 !

Thanks for stopping by to check out this tasty recipe for Air Fryer Meatballs! Whichever sauce you pick, you will not be sorry that you tried these!

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Enjoy! And have fun cooking!

Xoxo,

Tools I Use to Make

Contains affiliate links, for full disclosure, see FTC Disclosure, here.

• Air fryer
• Tongs
• cookie scoop for portioning meatballs
• mixing bowls

Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Print

Air Fryer Meatballs

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

Easy Air Fryer Meatballs turn out as crispy as you remember your Grandmother's fried meatballs! Air Fryer Meatballs are done in about 10 minutes and are so tasty!

Course: Appetizer, entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer meatballs,

Servings: 48 servings

Calories: 55 kcal

Author: Beth Neels

Ingredients

For Meatballs

• 1.5 lbs ground, beef, venison, chicken or turkey
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp sage
• salt & pepper

For Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1 cup apricot jam
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp dry sherry
• 1 Tbsp grated onion
• 1 tsp grated garlic
• 1 tsp grated ginger

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For Meatballs

1. Grate onion and garlic right over bowl with the meat in it.

2. Whisk eggs. Add the rest of ingredients to bowl and mix, gently, but well by hand.
   

3. Form meatballs. For dinner meatballs, portion meat with ice cream scoop. For appetizer meatballs, portion with cookie scoop.

4. Place on air fryer basket, so the meatballs are not touching.

5. Air Fry at 400°F for about 5-6 minutes, until browned. Carefully remove from air fryer and flip with tongs. Continue to air fry about 5-6 more minutes, until browned and temperature is over 165°F.

For Sweet and Sour Sauce

1. Grate onion and garlic directly over small pot. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to very low. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour, until sauce is thickened.

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts

Air Fryer Meatballs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 55 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4g 6%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 20mg 7%

Sodium 60mg 3%

Potassium 60mg 2%

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 0.2%

Vitamin C 0.2%

Calcium 0.6%

Iron 2.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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