Air Fryer Meatballs Recipe

Our Air Fryer Meatballs are easy to make and super tasty! Serve them as an appetizer or a main dish – either way, they’re a real crowd-pleaser!

What People Are Saying

“Hands down one of THE best meatballs I have ever had. The glaze is amazing!”

Kristin 22 MORE COMMENTS

Add these meatballs to your appetizer spread along with Air Fryer Honey Sriracha Cauliflower and your crowd will go wild!

Believe me when I say that cooking meatballs in the air fryer will change your life. Want more meatball recipes? Check out these Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs!

What You’ll Need

For the Meatballs:

• Ground protein: (try ground beef, ground pork, or veggie protein like Beyond Meat)
• Breadcrumbs
• Red onion: Dice it up beforehand
• Fresh parsley: Chopped up beforehand
• An egg: To help everything stick together
• Salt and Oregano: For a bit of spice

For the glaze:

• Ketchup
• Brown sugar
• Dijon mustard

Mixing up the Meatballs

1. Add your ground protein to a large bowl.
2. Add the diced red onion, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, egg, salt, and oregano to the bowl.
3. Combine thoroughly using your hands or a spatula, making sure that the ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout.
4. Shape the mixture into 1 to 1.5 inch balls.
5. Place a piece of foil or parchment in the bottom of your air fryer basket and arrange the meatballs overtop.

Cooking and Glazing the Meatballs

1. Air fry the meatballs at 380 degrees F for 8 minutes.
2. Combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl and brush the glaze over the meatballs.
3. Air fry the meatballs for another 7 minutes at 380 degrees F.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Why are my meatballs tough?

There are a couple different reasons why your meatballs may have come out too tough or chewy.

Leaving out the binder can cause too much moisture to render off while cooking, leaving the meatballs tough.

Don’t skip the breadcrumbs and eggs – you’ll need them to bind the meat together and keep it moist.

Another reason for tough meatballs is overcooking. There are several different types of air fryers on the market, and they all operate a little differently.

As with any other recipe, be sure to watch the meatballs so that they don’t overcook. You may need to adjust your cooking times by a minute or two.

Are Breadcrumbs Necessary in Meatballs?

Yep! The breadcrumbs act as a binder to hold your meatball mixture together.

Otherwise, the meatballs could fall apart and leave you with a mushy mess.

About a half cup of breadcrumbs and an egg mixed into the batter will do the trick.

If you’re gluten-free you can use gluten-free bread crumbs. For our vegan friends, you can make them with oats like this meatball recipe.

More Air Fryer Appetizers to Try!

We have so many air fryer recipes to choose from!

If you are having trouble figuring out which one to try next, we suggest: Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks , Air Fryer Fried Pickles and Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers. Also check out these mojo meatballs.

5 from 11 votes Print or Save Pin Recipe

Air Fryer Meatballs

Air Fryer Meatballs are easy to make and super tasty! Serve them as an appetizer or a main dish – either way they're a real crowd pleaser! Prep Time10 minutes minsCook Time15 minutes mins 4 Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• Air fryer

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• ▢ 1 lb ground protein (ground beef, ground pork, veggie protein)
• ▢ 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1/2 cup red onion diced
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic salt
• ▢ 1 tsp oregano

For the glaze:

• ▢ 1/4 cup ketchup
• ▢ 1/4 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tsp dijon mustard

Instructions

• Combine the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl.
• Roll the mixture into 1-1.5 inch balls.
• Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper or foil.
• Place the meatballs into the air fryer basket.
• Air fry the meatballs at 380 degrees F for 8 minutes.
• Mix the glaze ingredients together and brush over the meatballs.
• Air fry the meatballs for another 7 minutes at 380 degrees F.
• Remove the meatballs from the air fryer basket, then serve and enjoy!

Notes

Update: I’ve recently talked with people who have made this recipe in a Cuisinart Air Fryer Oven and also a Ninja Basket Air Fryer. Both of these units seem to run “hotter” than most air fryers. That means you will need to LESSEN the cook time. For this recipe, the cook time was almost cut in half. I would suggest cooking for 5 minutes, adding the sauce and cooking for 1-3 more minutes. Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.

Nutrition Information

Calories 309kcal | Carbohydrates 39g | Protein 24g | Fat 7g | Saturated Fat 1g | Cholesterol 41mg | Sodium 1351mg | Potassium 371mg | Fiber 7g | Sugar 20g | Vitamin A 452IU | Vitamin C 7mg | Calcium 60mg | Iron 7mg TRY AD FREE!