The exact cook time can vary. Read below for our tips!
We’re meatball pros – and air fryer meatballs might be our new favorite way to cook them!
Made from a simple blend of beef, pork, onion, and a number of spices, these tiny air fried meatballs are juicy on the inside and nicely crispy on the outside!
Served up with your favorite dipping sauce, these meatballs make the perfect snack or appetizer.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
Before you make these air fryer meatballs, read through these recipe tips for best results:
- These meatballs are made with beef and pork – but you can also make turkey meatballs in the air fryer for a tasty yet leaner meatball!
- If you aren’t a fan of Dijon mustard, you can always swap it out for regular yellow mustard… or even a honey mustard for a bit more sweetness.
- Be sure to chop the onion really fine so that the chunks are small and the meatballs have a uniform consistency.
- Remember to clean up the air fryer right after it has cooled some since the meatballs can give off a little bit of meat grease.
- If you only have frozen meatballs, you can still make them. We have a recipe for frozen meatballs in the air fryer!
Step by Step Instructions
If you’d like to see visuals for how to make meatballs in the air fryer, you can follow the process photos in this section.
There are a few steps to making meatballs so these photos can help to guide you as you tackle this recipe!
First, peel the onion and cut it into very small pieces.
Then, add the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, chopped onion, egg, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika powder to a bowl.
Mix everything together with your clean hands until it is well combined. If the mixture feels very wet and it’s difficult to form meatballs, add some more breadcrumbs.
Form approximately 14 small meatballs in the palms of your hand and set them aside on a plate.
The meatballs should all have approximately the same size so that they will cook evenly.
You can make the meatballs slightly smaller or bigger, but keep in mind that the cooking time will be different than indicated below if you change the size.
Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once it is hot, place the meatballs onto the tray. Make sure to leave some space between them.
If your air fryer is very small, you might have to cook these meatballs in two batches.
Cook the meatballs for 13-15 minutes until browned on the outside and fully cooked through.
Every air fryer is slightly different, so your cook time might vary a bit.
Remove the cooked meatballs and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess grease. Then place them on your serving plate/bowl and serve hot.
Storage Tips
We don’t usually have many leftover meatballs. If you do, you can store them in a sealed container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
To reheat them you can place them back in the air fryer or just reheat them in the microwave.
What to Serve Air Fryer Meatballs With
Air fried meatballs – when made small – make a really nice appetizer. You can serve them with a little bit of Dijon mustard and a few toothpicks for easy eating!
You could also use these meatballs as an ingredient in another dish. Sometimes we like to make a simple broth, add the meatballs, and have a simple meatball soup.
For example, you could add canned pineapple (and the juice) to these meatballs, toss them in an oven pan, and make “sweet and sour” meatballs!
Related Recipes
For more great air fryer recipes, check out these tasty classics:
Air Fryer Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs, unseasoned
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium egg
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder
Instructions
- Add the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, chopped onion, egg, Dijon mustard, and spices to a bowl.
- Use your clean hands to mix everything together until well combined. If the mixture still feels overly wet, add a few more breadcrumbs.
- Form approximately 14 small meatballs in the palms of your hand and set them aside on a plate. They should all have approximately the same size so that they will cook evenly.
- Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the air fryer is hot, place the meatballs onto the tray leaving some space between them. If your air fryer is very small, you might have to cook these meatballs in two batches.
- Cook the meatballs for 13-15 minutes until browned on the outside and fully cooked through. Since every air fryer is slightly different, your cook time might vary a bit. If you made your meatballs larger, your cook time will be longer.
- Remove the cooked meatballs and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess grease.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
