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You are here: Home / Air Fryer / Air Fryer Meatballs – Crispy and Juicy

Air Fryer Meatballs – Crispy and Juicy

January 20, 2019 By Binky 2 Comments

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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!

air fryer meatballs on white tray with mini forks stuck in them
Air Fryer Meatballs

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!

appetizer meatballs on green tray

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

3 meatballs on white tray with forks sticking out

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?

Meatballs arranged on green platter with colored toothpicks

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.

meatballs on white plate with bowl of meatballs in background

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

step by step instructional photos how to make air fryer meatballs 1

  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. step by step instructional photos how to make air fryer meatballs 2

  7. Add eggs, breadcrumbs and spices to meat. If making meatballs for Italian sauce, add Parmesan cheese.
  8. Mix gently, but well.
  9. Form into balls. An ice cream scoop or cookie scoop works well to portion meat. Place on rack.
  10. 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 fryer meatballs on white background and green plate

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! 🙂 !

close up of air fryer meatballs with sauce on green plate

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!

Don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter, so that you don’t miss any new recipes! Only 1 email per week, on Fridays! Sign up form is below!

Enjoy! And have fun cooking!

Xoxo,

Binky’s Signature

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 1 vote
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: 8 servings
Calories: 250 kcal
Author: Binky
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
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

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and purchase something, at no additional cost to you. See FTC Disclosure, here.

Filed Under: Air Fryer, Beef, Field To Table, Venison / Rabbit / Game Tagged With: air fried, air fryer, appetizers, meatballs, recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kim

    February 6, 2019 at 3:56 pm


    My husband got me an air fryer for Christmas, so I have been trying to figure it out! Going pretty well so far! I love the sound of this sauce! Interesting how you grate the onion in the meat.

    Reply
    • Binky

      February 6, 2019 at 4:08 pm

      I have been grating the onion and garlic in the meat bowl for many years! Thanks Kim, let me know how you like the sauce!

      Reply

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Welcome! Thanks for stopping by! I am Beth "Binky" Neels, wife, mother of 2 boys, 2 dogs and an obsessed cook! I have loved cooking since I was a girl! I will teach you how to answer the age old question, "What's for dinner?" And impart tips and tricks I have learned over the years, to make cooking easier and fun!

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