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Air Fryer Meatballs

Beef meatballs mixed with parmesan, breadcrumbs, and egg cook in the air fryer until the center hits 160°F. They brown on the outside without a skillet of oil.

Prep
15 min
Cook
13 min
Total
28 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
A batch of browned beef meatballs in an air-fryer basket, one meatball cut in half to show a cooked center with no pink.

Why you’ll love it

  • Moving hot air browns the outside while the center comes up to 160°F.
  • Parmesan and breadcrumbs keep the mix from shrinking into hard balls.
  • A slightly lower basket temperature gives the middle time to catch up.
  • You can see the color as they cook, which a closed oven hides.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat the air fryer to 370°F. In a bowl, mix the beef, breadcrumbs, parmesan, egg, garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder, and parsley until just combined.

  2. 2

    Roll 16 meatballs, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Pack them firmly enough to hold, but do not knead the meat.

  3. 3

    Set them in a single layer in the basket. Do not crowd them. They need space so the sides brown instead of steaming where they touch.

  4. 4

    Cook 8 minutes. Turn them so a pale side faces the heat.

  5. 5

    Cook 4 to 6 minutes more. Check the center of a middle meatball. It is done at 160°F, with no pink left.

  6. 6

    If you need a second batch, repeat the same time and temperature. The first batch can wait on a plate, tented loosely.

Pro tips

  • 85 percent lean beef browns without leaving a pool of fat in the basket. Very lean beef needs 1 tbsp oil in the mix or the meatballs dry out.
  • If a meatball reads under 160°F but the outside is very dark, give the batch 2 more minutes at 350°F rather than staying at 370°F.
  • Serve with pasta and marinara, or with rice. These are the meatballs alone, so plan a starch if this is dinner.

Easy substitutions

ground beef
ground turkey, cooked to 165°F
parmesan
the same amount of grated cheddar
dry breadcrumbs
crushed saltine crackers

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Cool them before bagging so they do not steam and turn soggy.

Reheating

Air-fry at 325°F for 4 to 5 minutes, until the center is hot. Add a minute or two from frozen, and check 160°F is still your floor if you are unsure they were fully cooked before freezing. They should already have been cooked once.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
350
Protein
29 g
Carbs
8 g
Fat
22 g
Fiber
1 g

Budget friendly · Air Fryer

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Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

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    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients