Air Fryer Italian Meatballs
These Air Fryer Italian Meatballs cook up crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Use them for spaghetti and meatballs or a meatball sub.
They air fry in just 12 minutes. So much easier than baking meatballs or cooking them in a skillet.
Easy Air Fryer Recipe
I love my air fryer for all kinds of things and meatballs are right at the top of my list. They are quicker to make than in the oven and much more hands off than cooking in a skillet. Plus the intense heat of the air fryer gets them really brown and crispy, but they cook fast enough to keep the inside juicy.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef and Ground Pork– a combination of beef and pork creates a flavorful, tender meatball.
- Parmesan Cheese– I use a block of Parmesan cheese and shred it on the small holes of a box grater.
- Breadcrumbs– You can use plain breadcrumbs or Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Panko crumbs or homemade breadcrumbs would work too.
- Onion– very finely dice it or it will be a little crunchy.
- Egg– acts as a binder.
- Italian Seasoning– instead of dried Italian Seasoning, you can use a combination of dried oregano and dried basil.
- Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder
Don’t Overcrowd The Air Fryer Basket
Don’t cook too many meatballs at once. Work in batches if necessary. In order to get them crispy on the outside, there needs to be room for the air to circulate around them. Shake the basket or individually flip them over part way through the cooking time so that they brown evenly.
Recipe Tips
- No need to preheat the air fryer unless your model requires it.
- Don’t use ground beef that is too lean. I use 90% ground beef and 80% ground pork. Meat that is too lean will produce dry meatballs.
- Don’t overmix the ingredients. Just gently mix them until evenly combined. Overmixing creates dense and tough meatballs.
- For a spicy kick, add a quarter to a half a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- A cookie scoop is useful for making sure the meatballs are all the same size.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Air Fryer Favorites
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Air Fryer Italian Meatballs
Equipment
Materials
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup bread crumbs
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Add first 10 ingredients to a large bowl. Gently mix them until evenly combined.
- Shape mixture into 14 meatballs.
- Spray air fryer basket with cooking spray and place meatballs in basket. Do not crowd. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Air fry at 380 degrees for 12 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
