Meatballs are classics because they are versatile, easy to make, and now you can even make air fryer meatballs!
We really enjoy how an air fryer meatball cooks, nice and textured on the outside, but tender and juicy on the inside.
We’re going to walk through all the basics to make perfect meatballs in the air fryer!
How to Make Meatballs
The essential components of a meatball are ground meat, a binding agent, and seasonings.
When you’re making homemade meatballs, it’s all about the meat, duh!
Choosing a high quality meat is going to bring more flavor to your meatballs.
While ground beef meatballs are the most common, you will also find lamb meatballs, pork meatballs, and even chicken meatball variations.
Check out our recipe for lamb meatballs on our greek flatbread pizza or this bacon wrapped meatballs recipe. You can even pick up ground bison for bison meatballs.
For this air fryer meatball recipe, we reached for our favorite ground meat: Omaha Steaks’ ground beef.
The blend is 80/20 which means an 80% meat to 20% fat ratio. This ratio ensures your meatballs have a ton of flavor and that they don’t dry out.
Looking for other easy ground beef recipes? Don’t miss our beef tostada recipe, cheeseburger pizza recipe, or our guide on how to make a juicy lucy, the classic cheese-stuffed burger!
When it comes to binding the meatball together, we used the traditional method of using an egg.
The egg combined with breadcrumbs helps to make everything stick together, improves it’s texture, and keeps the meatballs from drying out.
What can you use to bind a meatball other than egg? Reach for a splash of milk with your breadcrumbs, or even a spoonful of yogurt!
When it comes to seasonings, we love to add in minced onion and garlic.
For Italian meatballs, reach for dried Italian seasoning, fresh Italian parsley or oregano, or even opt for Italian breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs.
In order to avoid tough meatballs, avoid overmixing your ingredients.
An easy way to avoid overmixing your meat or the risk of overcooking or undercooking your meatballs is to use a small cookie scoop instead of rolling them in your hands.
You’ll have perfectly identical sized meatballs so that they all cook evenly. Plus your hands won’t get as messy as a result when you whip up our homemade meatball recipe.
How to Cook Meatballs
Meatballs can be cooked using a variety of methods.
Cooking your meatballs on a baking sheet in the oven is a common way to make meatballs, but we find that although they stay moist, the outside can lack texture.
Another way to cook meatballs is in a skillet. This can have the opposite result of the oven. Your meatballs will have extra texture, but can dry out quickly if they are overcooked. Also, if your meatballs are not well binded, having to flip your meatballs in the skillet can cause then to crumble.
What’s the best of both worlds when it comes to cooking meatballs?!? Making meatballs in the air fryer!
Using an air fryer creates a textured exterior without the risk of them crumbling and a tender, moist center.
We love our June smart oven because it converts into an air fryer with large air fryer trays. You can also make air fryer meatballs in an air fryer that uses a basket.
Meatball Sub
Once you make your meatballs in the air fryer, the possibilities are endless!
Eat your meatballs on their own, plop them on top of pasta, or make a cheesy, meatball sandwich!
We even cooked our meatball sub in the air fryer.
Once your meatballs are fully cooked from the air fryer, remove them, and toss them into a bowl of marinara sauce.
Slice a hoagie roll, add your sauced meatballs, cover in mozzarella cheese, and pop the whole meatball sub into the air fryer and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Another cute idea is to make Meatball Sliders!
Keto Meatballs
Looking for a tasty meal like a meatball sub, but without the carbs?
For a keto meatball recipe, just swap out your breadcrumbs for some almond flour.
It’s a lower carb substitute that acts as a binder. Another bonus? It’s gluten free!
After making your keto meatballs, cover them with chopped tomatoes and mozzarella cheese for a filling, hearty meal without all the carbs.
Air Fryer Meatballs
Makes 15 Meatballs
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Air fryer temperature: 375 degrees
- 1 pound of Omaha Steaks ground beef
- ⅓ cup of sweet yellow onion, minced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup of Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of Milk
- 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, avoiding overmixing.
- Use a spoon (or a small cookie scoop) to create 15 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on a greased air fryer tray or place them in a sprayed air fryer basket.
- Air fry the meatballs at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes, until the interior temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
- Let the meatballs cool momentarily, the devour! Feel free to try them in a meatball sub, with pasta, or smothered in cheese!
Note: To prevent tough meatballs, avoid overmixing.
For a gluten free or Keto meatball substitute the Italian breadcrumbs for almond flour.
Obsessed with your air fryer? Us too! Don’t miss our air fryer boneless wing recipe, air fryer chicken fried steak, or even air fryer turnover recipe for dessert!
Air Fryer Meatballs
Air fryer meatballs are juicy and tender inside with a great texture on the outside!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of Omaha Steaks ground beef
- ⅓ cup of sweet yellow onion, minced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup of Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, avoiding overmixing.
- Use a spoon (or a small cookie scoop) to create 15 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on a greased air fryer tray or place them in a sprayed air fryer basket.
- Air fry the meatballs at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes, until the interior temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
- Let the meatballs cool momentarily, the devour! Feel free to try them in a meatball sub, with pasta, or smothered in cheese!
Notes
To prevent tough meatballs, avoid overmixing.
For a gluten free or Keto meatball substitute the Italian breadcrumbs for almond flour.
Recommended Products
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This recipe was sponsored by Omaha Steaks, thanks for supporting the brands we love.
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