These are without a doubt the best Air Fryer Meatballs! Easy to make without eggs & breadcrumbs, and done in under 1 hour. These Swedish style meatballs are juicy, tender - and prettier than any meatball you ever cooked any other way.
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These delicious air fryer meatballs are based on my regular, tried and tested, very best meatball recipe without bread crumbs and eggs - adapted for the air fryer.
Cooking them in the air fryer gives you healthier & prettier meatballs - but requires you to be a bit more careful not to overcook them.
Don't worry though - using a meat thermometer makes it super easy to make sure your air fryer meatballs are "just-done" - and if you don't have one, I have some other tips in store as well.
Why you will love this recipe
- It's quick and done in less than 1 hour (30 minutes resting time included)
- It's easy with just a few simple steps
- Prettier than meatballs cooked stove top or in the oven
- Air fryer meatballs are healthier than other meatballs
- The meatballs keep together perfectly (thank you, potato)
- They're allergy friendly without eggs and gluten - and cream can be switched for a dairy free alternative
- No onion pieces - so it's great for those super picky eaters as well
- Simple ingredients you likely already have at home
- Super juicy meatballs - especially if using a meat thermometer
What you need to make them
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Meat: I recommend a 50/50 mix of ground beef & ground pork - you want the flavor from the beef and the fat from the pork. You can change this ratio, but less pork can make the meatballs drier. You can also make lamb meatballs or turkey meatballs using my recipe for turkey burgers.
- Boiled potato: This is how you get the meatballs to hold together without eggs & breadcrumbs. Use leftovers or peel it, boil it and let it cool down.
- Yellow onion can be switched for red onion or shallots
- Worcestershire sauce: some kinds have gluten, so please check if gluten free is important to you
- Cream: I like to use heavy cream, but half and half or milk work as well, as does dairy free
How to make Air Fryer Meatballs
- Place all the meat in a bowl and add the spices
- Mix well with your hands, until there are no traces of the spices
- Add Worcestershire sauce, shredded potato & shredded onion
- Mix well again, using your hands, until everything is well combined
- Add cream
- Mix one more time, with your hands, until the cream is well incorporated
- Cover with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes (or more), bring it out and roll into meatballs
- Preheat your air fryer by running it for 5 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Then bring out the basket and brush lightly with vegetable oil.
- Place meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket, and air fry for 3 minutes at 350°F (175°C)
- Bring out the basket and shake to turn the meatballs, then air fry for 3 more minutes at 350°F (175°C)
- Check for doneness - either by using a meat thermometer (the inner temperature should be 160°F (70°C) or by cutting into a meatball and checking that it's cooked all the way through (ie no pink inside). If they're not done, air fry 1 more minute and check again.
Tips & tricks
- For easiest meatball rolling dip your fingers in some water first, and repeat whenever the meatballs start sticking to your fingers
- Try to make them even in size for even cooking
- Cook meatballs in a single layer - depending on the size of your air fryer, you might need to cook them in batches
- Cooking time can vary with your air fryer model - if you know your air fryer is "fast" or "slow", please adjust the times accordingly but always make sure the meatballs are cooked through before eating
- Use a meat thermometer for the juiciest result
- Don't want to cook them in the air fryer? No worries - check out this meatball recipe for alternative cooking methods.
- Prep ahead: Make the meatball mixture ahead of time and either roll them out ahead of time as well, or roll them just before frying. You can keep them uncooked, in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. Don't stack them, or they might stick together.
- You can cook them from room or fridge temperature - if cold, add one minute to the cook time and cook them for 4+3 minutes
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Store leftovers in the freezer to keep them for up to 3 months, reheat them in the air fryer
- Reheat meatballs in the air fryer at 350°F (175°C), in 2 minute intervals
Recipe FAQ
When air frying, a lot of fat will drip off which makes air fryer meatballs healthier than alternatives - but it also means they run a higher risk of drying out. To avoid this, make sure to not overcook them. Using a meat thermometer helps with this.
To keep meatballs from drying out you need to do 2 things:
1. Add enough fat
2. Avoid ingredients that will dry them out
To make sure to add enough fat, I recommend mixing pork and beef. Pork is fattier than beef, which means your meatballs will be juicier. If you use only lean ground beef the meatballs will be much more likely to turn out dry.
Breadcrumbs will dry out your meatballs, since they absorb moisture. This is why I recommend using a potato as the binder instead. The starch in the potato will help keep the meatballs together, without drying them out.
You can serve meatballs in a million different ways. Some of my favorite ways to have meatballs include with potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberry jam, with pasta and marinara sauce or your favorite pasta sauce and with mashed potatoes.
You can also serve meatballs as an appetizer, with a dipping sauce like BBQ sauce, blue cheese sauce or an avocado sour cream sauce.
More quick & easy air fryer recipes
Love cooking things like air fryer meatballs in your air fryer? Me too! Here are some of my favorite things to make:
- Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Homemade Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
- Easy Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
- Air Fryer Tater Tots (homemade!)
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
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Recipe
Air Fryer Meatballs
Print RateIngredients
- ½ lb ground pork
- ½ lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine table salt
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and shredded
- 1 boiled potato peeled and shredded
- 2 tablespoon cream
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place all the meat in a bowl and add white pepper, black pepper and salt. Mix well until there are no traces of the spices.½ lb ground pork, ½ lb ground beef, 1 tsp ground white pepper, ½ tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp fine table salt
- Add Worcestershire sauce, shredded onion and shredded potato and mix well, until none of the components can be easily distinguished.½ tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 small yellow onion, 1 boiled potato
- Add cream and mix until well combined.2 Tbsp cream
- Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- After at least 30 minutes, bring it back out and roll into meatballs.
- Preheat your air fryer by running it for 5 minutes at 350°F (175°C).
- Brush the air fryer basket lightly with vegetable oil, then place meatballs in the basket in a single layer.1 tsp vegetable oil
- Air fry at 350°F (175°C) for 6 minutes, shaking them around once halfway, until cooked through. The inner temperature of the meatballs should be 160°F (70°C) and there should be no pink inside.
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
Video
Notes
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Meat: I recommend a 50/50 mix of ground beef & ground pork - you want the flavor from the beef and the fat from the pork. You can change this ratio, but less pork can make the meatballs drier.
- Boiled potato: This is how you get the meatballs to hold together without eggs & breadcrumbs. Use leftovers or peel it, boil it and let it cool down.
- Yellow onion can be switched for red onion or shallots
- Worcestershire sauce: some kinds have gluten, so please check if gluten free is important to you
- Cream: I like to use heavy cream, but half and half or milk work as well, as does dairy free
Tips & tricks
- For easiest meatball rolling dip your fingers in some water first, and repeat whenever the meatballs start sticking to your fingers
- Try to make them even in size for even cooking
- Cook meatballs in a single layer - depending on the size of your air fryer, you might need to cook them in batches
- Use a meat thermometer for the juiciest result
- Don't want to cook them in your air fryer? No worries - check out this Meatball recipe for alternative cooking methods.
- Prep ahead: Make the meatball mixture ahead of time and either roll them out ahead of time as well, or roll them just before frying. You can keep them uncooked, in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. Don't stack them, or they might stick together.
- You can cook them from room or fridge temperature - if cold, add one minute to the cook time and cook them for 4+3 minutes
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Freeze leftovers to keep them for up to 3 months
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
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