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Air Fryer Meatballs are crispy on the outside, perfectly juicy on the inside, and take just 15 minutes to make. This is your classic Italian meatball recipe at its best!
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- Best Air Fryer Meatball Recipe
- How to Make Meatballs
- How to Cook Meatballs in the Air Fryer
- How to Cook Meatballs in the Oven
- Meatball Internal Temperature
- Air Fryer Meatball Sauce
- Isabel's Air Fryer
- How to Freeze Meatballs
- How to Reheat Meatballs
- How to Store Meatballs
- Meatballs in Air Fryer Tools Needed
- Air Fryer Recipes
- Best Air Fryer Meatballs
- Reviews
Best Air Fryer Meatball Recipe
At our house, we are obsessed with meatballs! We love them with Sunday Gravy and honey sriracha sauce and in Italian Wedding Soup and Instant Pot Meatballs. But from the first I made them in the air fryer, they quickly became our favorite way to prepare them.
I've been experimenting with making air fryer recipes, and I thought, "why not make meatballs in the air fryer?" It's one of the best ideas I have ever had! I can't believe how quickly they come together and how crispy but juicy they are.
There is something about the crispy outside and the soft and juicy inside. This recipe truly resembles your grandmom's old-fashioned fried meatballs without the guilt!
Ground beef meatballs are easy to make in just minutes. Once you have them all rolled and ready to go, they cook in no time.
The best part about air fryer meatballs is how quickly they cook and the results! Crispy outside, juicy inside... they are truly the best.
Try my Homemade Italian Meatballs too!
How to Make Meatballs
- Place 1 pound ground pork and 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, beat 4 eggs. Then, add them to the bowl with the meat.
- Mix in 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Stir it all together.
- Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese to the mixture. Stir to combine completely.
- Divide the mixture into meatballs by rolling the meat into a ball shape using your hands.
How to Cook Meatballs in the Air Fryer
- Add meatballs to your air fryer tray, evenly spaced apart so none of them are touching. I love my 10-Quart Air Fryer for this.
- Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Swap the trays: move the bottom tray to the top rack, and the top tray to the bottom rack. Cook for another 5 minutes. After taking it out of the air fryer, sprinkle with sea salt to taste.
How to Cook Meatballs in the Oven
- After meatballs are rolled, add them to a baking sheet and bake in your oven at 425°F for 15-20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and add to your favorite sauce.
Meatball Internal Temperature
Always cook your meatballs until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
I love to follow this beef temperature chart and use a meat thermometer to ensure the perfect meatball temperature.
Air Fryer Meatball Sauce
For the best meatball sauce ever, give my Easy Meatball Sauce Recipe a try! It's the perfect complement to these crispy, juicy meatballs.
I also love meatballs dipped in my Garlic Butter Sauce or with One Pot Spaghetti. So good! Or, check out my list of all the best sauces for meatballs!
Isabel's Air Fryer
It's amazing what you can cook with an air fryer! I love mine and highly recommend it. It even has a steaming function to re-hydrate stale bread!
photo courtesy of Our Place
How to Freeze Meatballs
This recipe makes enough for 3 dozen meatballs, which means it's perfect for freezing!
- Mix the beef and roll out your meatballs. Place any you're not intending to use on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure they aren't touching!
- Add to the freezer for about 1 hour until they're frozen solid. Remove from the baking sheet and add to a freezer-safe bag or container. Label with the freezing date.
When ready to enjoy, cook in the air fryer for 15 minutes instead of 10.
How to Reheat Meatballs
Reheat leftover air fryer meatballs in the microwave in 1-minute intervals until heated through, or on a baking sheet under the oven broiler for about 3-5 minutes until crisp and heated through.
How to Store Meatballs
Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container or zip-lock bag for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 3-4 months.
Meatballs in Air Fryer Tools Needed
Air Fryer Recipes
If you love these meatballs, you'll love my Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf and Korean Meatballs!
Try more of my Easy Vacation Meals for ideas of what you can make while on vacation.
Best Air Fryer Meatballs
Video
Equipment
- Air fryer OR oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 pounds ground beef - 80/20
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
How to Make Meatballs
- Place 1 pound ground pork and 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, beat 4 eggs. Then, add them to the bowl with the meat.
- Mix in 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Stir it all together.
- Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese to the mixture. Stir to combine completely.
- Divide the mixture into meatballs by rolling the meat into a ball shape using your hands.
How to Cook Meatballs in the Air Fryer
- Add meatballs to your air fryer tray, evenly spaced apart so none of them are touching.
- Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Swap the trays: move the bottom tray to the top rack, and the top tray to the bottom rack. Cook for another 5 minutes. After taking out of the air fryer, sprinkle with sea salt to taste.
Notes
- This meatball mixture makes about 3 dozen medium-size meatballs.
- Serve with best ever meatball sauce recipe for a delicious combination of flavors!
- How to Cook Meatballs in the Oven: Add meatballs to a baking sheet and bake in your oven at 425°F for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Debbie Chambers says
Hi, your nutrition label shows the calories as being 579 - is that per meatball? Or per serving? How many in a serving are there to equal 579 calories? Thank you, they do sound very good! Debbie
Em Beitel says
Hi Debbie! Thank you so much for your question! We've updated the recipe for accuracy. This recipe will make about 3 dozen medium-sized meatballs, so that's about 129 calories per meatball. For the 579 that would've been about 4 to 5 meatballs per person.
We hope you love them! Please let us know what you think!
Donna says
Do you spray the tin foil with any kind of spray?
Em Beitel says
Hi Donna! No, no need. Thank you and enjoy!
Diane says
The family loves them! These are now a staple in our household. I usually swap out 1/2 the ground beef out with ground chicken or turkey, but everything else is kept exactly the same. They are so easy to pull out of the freezer and I can make dinner in just a few minutes. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Isabel Laessig says
I am so happy to hear this, Diane. So glad you all enjoyed it!