Homemade Meatballs in Air Fryer

Meatballs in an air fryer may not be on your radar or you might ask what’s the point. Let me tell you they are so yummy!! I love how the meat is tender on the inside but has a nice crispy texture on the outside. Find this one and many more on our easy air fryer recipes page.

We have gone over how to cook frozen meatballs before, but homemade is always best! You too should try them both ways and see which you prefer. Any brand of fryer will work with these instructions. You can throw them into a pot of spaghetti when done or toss with a sauce and serve as an appetizer too.

If you are using this pot it will be the lid that is attached you will use to get these crispy and cook all the way thru to the center. Other than that the directions below with the temperature and timing will be the same, depending on how large they are of course (that may cause it to vary a bit). You could use the Ninja Foodi meatloaf recipe and form into balls essentially.

Ingredient Notes

I would suggest using 80/20 ground beef as a little bit of fat will help it bind together so they don’t fall apart AND make them moist and juicy. If yours is very lean I would cut it with half a roll of ground sausage (we love HOT Jimmy Dean).

In addition to that you’ll want an egg and some breadcrumbs. I like to add a packet of onion soup mix for flavor unless you want to season on your own.

Optional but I will say that if you haven’t added shredded parmesan cheese into this mixture I suggest that you too. It is delicious.

Meatballs in Air Fryer no Breadcrumbs (option)

You definitely need a binding agent. Most use Italian breadcrumbs with an egg but there are many alternatives like crushed crispy fried onions, oats or crushed crackers works so it sticks together and you can roll them into balls and not fall apart. We love our basic meatball recipe, you should really try it too.

Variations and Substitutions

If you have seasonings of your own that are musts then by all means go with that. This is literally what I use to make my family meatloaf, and I just portioned them out into smaller balls. You can use other proteins though like chicken meatballs and those work the same way.

Whether you want to know how to cook meatballs on the stove or air frying, I typically will make a meatloaf mixture and then just roll it into balls. The larger they are the more tender they will be inside, but may take an extra minute. The biggest thing to remember is to make them all the same, or very similar, size so they’re all done at the same time. This is what I use in my ground beef mixture.

How Long to Cook Homemade Meatballs in Air Fryer

That depends on their size of course but typically you will need about 10 minutes, depending on how well done you want the center to become. A lot less time than how long to cook meatballs in oven because you cut out the long preheating time and you won’t get the outside as crispy as this method.

Let them sizzle away until lightly browned to your liking. It is so quick and easy with such a fast cook time. In under 30 minutes you can have this and a side of cauliflower and butter noodles!

I use the measurements below but honestly, I normally don’t even measure the bread crumbs. What I do is add all the other stuff and add some from the container, mix, add a bit more if it is still sticky. When it reaches this consistency you see here I know I have enough added.

If your meatballs are really tacky you probably need a bit more. When forming and the sizing of these babies, the larger they are the longer they will take to cook thoroughly, obviously. However, if you don’t like your hamburger well done then larger is probably the best size for you. I prefer a golf ball size meatball so there isn’t really any pink inside and the outsides are nice and crispy!

Can you add sauce?

Yes, when done you can throw them into a pot of spaghetti, toss with spaghetti sauce, alfredo, a jar of barbecue sauce is easy or during the holidays use the ingredients in our cranberry meatballs and serve as an appetizer!

FAQ

We love meatballs in the air fryer personally. It gets the meat tender inside with a crunchy outer layer that’s really great. Then you can add them into a pot of spaghetti or toss with sauce and serve as a high protein appetizer.

Of course, we do it all the time. You can cook homemade meatballs with ground beef, egg and breadcrumbs this way. The best part of this method is the grease drains away from the meat, and you get a crispy outside for each piece.

How to save leftovers

They save well when cooled inside freezer bags in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can then reheat in the microwave or air fry in Ninja Foodi the next day for about 3 minutes until warmed. Other dishes you will love served alongside of these, finger food style are; Our air fryer fried shrimp and empanadas in air fryer are the bomb!!! Here are our saucy Ninja Foodi chicken wings you can make after too