Name: Air Fryer Meatballs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ⅓ cup breadcrumbs; ⅓ cup milk; 1 yellow onion (minced); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tablespoons freshly minced parsley; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 2 pounds of ground beef; 1 tsp paprika; 1 cup marinara sauce *optional for serving

These homemade air fryer meatballs are tender and juicy and ready for dinner in no time. Perfect for meal prep for a busy week or last minute appetizers for a party!

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Are you just in love with your air fryer? Every day I find new ways to use it to make life in the kitchen so much easier. My son uses it for quick after school snacks and late night munchies. So does my husband, but don’t tell him I notice him eating pizza rolls in the afternoon…

I use it for a quick dinner when I am tired and don’t want to cook anything complicated. And these air fryer meatballs are one of those quick dinners I’m talking about.

I whip up a batch of these juicy meatballs and serve them with rice, a salad, or few dipping sauce and we are good to go.

The best part is that they are so versatile. Add your favorite seasonings, switch up the dipping sauce, serve them with pasta or as a slider. The options are endless and keeps everyone happy.

More Meatball Recipes

Sweet and Sour Meatballs – Sweet and tangy
BBQ Meatballs – Smoky and perfect for football games
Hot Honey Meatballs – Sweet, spicy, and sticky
Lamb Meatballs – Perfectly seasoned and nice with tzatziki
Meatballs with Grape Jelly – Sweet and smoky crowd favorite

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simple ingredients for a recipe in a several bowls

See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.

Ingredient Notes

Ground beef – Use lean ground beef or ground chuck. I like a 93/7 blend but I admit using the 80/20 does give you really juicy meatballs.
Bread crumbs – I like the original breadcrumbs or Panko crumbs. You need these to soak up the milk and keep them moist. A little trick I learned in my family’s restaurant.
Spices – Keep it simple with salt, pepper, and paprika. The meat speaks for itself here.

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How To Make Air Fryer Meatballs

Add the meatball ingredients to a bowl. Mix gently to combine but don’t over mix or it will get tough and gummy.

Roll the meat mixture into small balls roughly 1.5 inch in diameter.

uncooked meatballs in an air fryer basket

Preheat the air fryer to 375F and give it a light spray with light olive oil spray. Place the meatballs in the air fryer basket in a single layer with some space around them.

Air fry meatballs for 8-10 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165F. For larger meatballs, extend the cooking time to 10-12 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and dip in your favorite tomato sauce.

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

classic italian meatball recipe in a stack with toothpicks

Storage & Reheating

Store any leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer, microwave, or oven until heated through.

You can freeze in heavy duty freezer bags before air frying or after cooking for three months. Cook frozen meatballs in the air fryer or oven until cooked through.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these over a bed of rice, with a salad, or your favorite dipping sauces like bang bang sauce, this Alabama white bbq sauce recipe, or this Big Mac sauce.

You can also just serve it with some cheese and your favorite pasta sauce.

best meatballs come on a toothpick with a dipping sauce

Oven Cooking

If you don’t have an air fryer or want to cook the whole batch at one time, bake them in the oven. Form the homemade meatballs and then place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees f for 15 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and the internal temperature reaches 165F.

Perfect Sizes For Meatballs

1 inch diameter is the best size for party meatballs, these sausage balls, or these mac and cheese balls.
1.5 inch diameter is great for serving with pasta or other type dishes.
2 inch diameter is the perfect size for meatball sliders or meatball subs.

More Air Fryer Recipes

Tapas Tips & Tricks

Substitute ground turkey with a little ground pork or Italian sausage instead of ground beef.
Try the packaged meatloaf spices you find in the meat department for even easier prep.
Season regular breadcrumbs with italian seasoning mix, or french fry seasoning, if you want to add more flavor.
Change up the size depending on how you are going to serve them. Use ice cream scoops to keep them all the same size.
Avoid crowding the air fryer so they cook evenly. The air needs room to move around them. If they are too close they will “steam” and not get brown.
Not only are they great with your favorite marinara sauce, but any of your favorite dipping sauces.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please leave us a five-star review in the comment section below. Thanks!

Pinterest pin image for air fryer meatballs recipe

This homemade air fryer meatballs recipe is a great way to meal prep ahead of time. Cook and store until ready to serve at your next party, gathering, or for an easy weeknight dinner.