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You are here: Home / Method / Air Fryer Recipes / Air Fryer Meatballs

Air Fryer Meatballs

Published: October 5, 2020 | Updated: October 7, 2021 | By: Jordan

20.2K shares

This post may contain affiliate links which will not change your price but will share some commission. Please read my privacy policy.

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The best Air Fryer Meatballs – tender, juicy chicken meatballs made with ground chicken, zucchini, and a few pantry staple spices. These easy chicken meatballs are the perfect party appetizer and ready in just 10 minutes!

If you love this Air Fryer Meatball recipe, then you are going to love these Parmesan Chicken Meatballs and this Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip even more!

air fryer meatballs on a white plate with toothpicks

Air Fryer Meatballs Recipe

Meatballs are definitely a favorite in our household. Not just because they are easy to make and packed with flavor, but because they are so versatile when it comes to getting a quick lunch or dinner on the table. 

I have made meatballs on the stove and I have made meatballs in the oven, but let me tell you – nothing tops an air-fryer meatball!

Just like everything else you make in the air fryer, these meatballs are perfectly crisp on the outside and so juicy and tender on the inside.

Here’s to the tender and juicy perfection! You will literally never make them any other way again, I promise.

These meatballs are also Whole30 and Keto friendly!

Air Fryer Meatball Ingredients

  • Meat: I like to use ground chicken for mine, but you can use ground pork or ground beef instead.
  • Zucchini: Grated zucchini is what makes these meatballs extra moist and keeps them from drying out.
  • Spices: A few pantry staple spices and herbs give these Air Fryer Meatballs so much flavor!

A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

air fryer meatballs on a white plate with a lemon wedge

Making Meatballs in the Air Fryer

1. Preheat the air fryer. Start by preheating your air fryer to 400° F.

2. Grate the zucchini. Using a grater, finely grate your zucchini into a mesh strainer. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt to extract the excess water and gently press down on it with your fingers to drain the liquid.

3. Make the meatball mixture. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add your ground chicken, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, parsley, oregano, egg, and drained zucchini and mix.

forming meatballs with a cookie scooper

4. Make the meatballs. Form the mixture into 16 1-inch balls using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop. If you don’t have a cookie scoop two spoons or your hands will do!

5. Cook the meatballs. Place the chicken balls in the air fryer with space in between (I recommend cooking in batches) and cook 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through, until fully cooked through.

I like to dip mine in Homemade Chick-Fil-A Sauce!

Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs

Whether you’re freezing the meatballs from this recipe or using a box of frozen meatballs, here’s how to cook them in the air fryer:

  1. Preheat the air fryer to 400 F and arrange the frozen meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving about an inch of space in between each one.
  2. Air fry for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway, or until meatballs are slightly crisp and completely cooked through.

What to Serve with Meatballs

  • Crispy Whole30 Roasted Mini Potatoes
  • Easy Sauteed Green Beans With Garlic And Lemon
  • Israeli Couscous With Mushrooms
  • Air Fryer Zucchini
  • Tomato Ricotta Pesto Pasta
chicken meatball on a silver fork

How do you air fry frozen meatballs?

Whether you’re freezing the meatballs from this recipe or using a box of frozen meatballs, here’s how to cook frozen in the air fryer:

  • Preheat your air fryer to 350°F
  • Place the meatballs in the air fryer basket
  • Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway, or until meatballs are slightly crisp and completely cooked through.

How long should you cook meatballs in sauce?

Carefully drop each meatball into your simmering sauce, cover the saucepan, and simmer over low heat for about 5 – 8 minutes. 

Can you overcook meatballs?

Is there anything you can’t overcook? There are many ways to overcook a meatball whether in the air-fryer or while simmering in the sauce.

Keep an eye on your meatballs, you don’t want to burn them and you don’t want them to dry out!

Should I cook meatballs before putting them in sauce?

If you follow this recipe, then yes, cook air-fry the meatballs before placing them in the sauce. However, if you don’t want to use the air fryer, you can cook them slow and low in the sauce. A slow cooker is great for this!

Place the uncooked meatballs in the simmering sauce, cover, and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes.

More Air Fryer Recipes To Try

  • Citrus Soy Asian Salmon
  • 15+ Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
  • Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
  • Best Air Fryer Fish Recipes
  • Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

WANT TO TRY THIS AIR FRYER MEATBALL RECIPE?

PIN IT to your chicken recipes, meatball recipes, or air fryer recipes board to save it for later!
Find me on Pinterest for more great recipes. I’m always pinning!

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Did you make this recipe? Post a photo on Instagram and tag me @JZEATS or #JZEATS so I can see! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think, too!

air fryer meatballs on a white plate with toothpicks
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
4.93 from 26 votes

Air Fryer Meatballs

The ultimate Air Fryer Meatballs – tender juicy meatballs made with ground chicken, zucchini, and a few pantry staple spices.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer meatballs, chicken meatballs
Servings: 16 meatballs
Calories: 50kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark
Author: Jordan

Equipment

  • Ninja Air Fryer
  • GoWise Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 1 large zucchini
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400° F.
  • Finely grate the zucchini into a mesh strainer. Add 1/2 tbsp salt to extract the excess water and allow it to sit over the sink while you prep the other ingredients. Gently press down on the grated zucchini with your fingers to drain the excess liquid.
  • In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, parsley, oregano, egg, and drained zucchini.
  • Form the chicken mixture into 16 1-inch balls using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop.
    forming meatballs with a cookie scooper
  • Place the meatballs in the air fryer with space in between (you might need to work in batches) and cook 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through, until fully cooked through.
    air fryer meatballs on a white plate with a lemon wedge

Video

Notes

To cook frozen meatballs in the air fryer:
  • Preheat your air fryer to 350°F
  • Place the meatballs in the air fryer basket
  • Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway, or until meatballs are slightly crisp and completely cooked through.

Nutrition

Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 197mg | Vitamin A: 156IU
Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Tried this recipe?I’d love to see your dish, mention @jzeats or tag #jzeats!
20.2K shares

Published: October 5, 2020 Filed Under: Air Fryer Recipes, Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes, Whole30

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nart at Cooking with Nart

    October 29, 2020 at 12:34 am

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. These meatballs are delicious and not dry at all!

    Reply
  2. Anjali

    October 29, 2020 at 5:19 am

    5 stars
    I love how much healthier these meatballs are compared to traditional meatballs, but they taste just as good!!

    Reply
  3. Danielle Wolter

    October 29, 2020 at 6:16 am

    5 stars
    These meatballs came out delicious! So juicy plus they were so easy to make in the airfryer!

    Reply
  4. David

    October 29, 2020 at 7:39 am

    5 stars
    Yum! these look great, and a bit lighter with chicken. I definitely love my air fryer! I liked the idea of adding zucchini, too.

    Reply
  5. Charla

    October 29, 2020 at 7:56 am

    5 stars
    Can’t wait to make this recipe again. I’m a bit one dimensional and only used my air fryer for fries and breaded chicken.

    Reply
  6. Dannii

    October 29, 2020 at 8:06 am

    5 stars
    I have never thought to do meatballs in the air fryer. These were so crispy and delicious.

    Reply
  7. Matt Freund

    January 19, 2021 at 3:26 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe. The meatballs come out fantastic.

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      January 19, 2021 at 6:21 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Valerie M.

        July 7, 2022 at 6:17 pm

        How big is a large zucchini? Can you give me a weight or measurement to use?

  8. Erica

    January 19, 2021 at 11:52 pm

    The picture looks like it has cheese and bread crumbs, but I don’t see it in the ingredients??? What am I missing? I was planning on making these tomorrow. Thanks

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      January 20, 2021 at 12:24 am

      Hi – you aren’t missing anything. The ingredients in the recipe card are correct. There are no breadcrumbs and no cheese, but you can add those if you’d like.

      Reply
    • Young

      February 21, 2021 at 12:29 pm

      I was confused to because the picture had breadcrumbs & Parmesan cheese but it’s not on the recipe card.

      Reply
      • JZ Eats

        February 22, 2021 at 3:55 pm

        Thanks for your feedback! I’ve removed the photo to avoid confusion, it looks like I had added the wrong one!

  9. Nobaddays68

    February 21, 2021 at 9:53 pm

    5 stars
    WOW! First off, I LOVE your website, it’s stunning and the photos are incredible. This recipe was truly one for the books and I’ll be visiting your website weekly for new recipes! Thank you so much for all these amazing recipes.

    Reply
  10. SaraG

    March 16, 2021 at 7:46 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe…ground chicken is usually bland, but the spice combination in this recipe made the ground chicken very tasty and moist! Made this twice in one week!

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      March 18, 2021 at 2:39 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  11. Jacqui

    March 20, 2021 at 6:57 pm

    5 stars
    These were fantastic! Will definitely make again. These came out as zero points on the Weight Watchers Purple plan.

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      March 22, 2021 at 4:36 pm

      So glad you enjoyed!!

      Reply
  12. Nadia

    April 28, 2021 at 4:52 pm

    Hi, I made these two nights ago and they turned out pretty good. Thanks for sharing. Now, my question is: can I prepare them the night before, keep them in the refrigerator and air fryer them the next day?

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      April 28, 2021 at 5:14 pm

      Hi Nadia – yep you can prep them the day before!

      Reply
  13. Danielle

    May 10, 2021 at 9:23 am

    These look amazing and I can’t wait to try them. I am always looking for sides to serve with dishes. Any suggestions for these meatballs?

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      May 10, 2021 at 9:49 am

      I love to serve them over spaghetti squash, with sweet potatoes, or sautéed veggies like mushrooms and zucchini.

      Reply
  14. Naz

    June 24, 2021 at 12:19 pm

    Is there a replacement for zucchini?

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      June 27, 2021 at 10:21 pm

      You could use a yellow squash instead

      Reply
  15. Claudia Estrada

    July 2, 2021 at 10:19 pm

    5 stars
    Turned out delicious. Although I made some changes. I put half of the oregano and garlic and added a little paprika, and pre-cooked white corned meal because I felt the mixture was too leaky to form the balls.
    They were juicy and tender.

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      July 11, 2021 at 5:36 pm

      Glad you enjoyed! Make sure you are draining the zucchini really well to remove the excess water.

      Reply
  16. Maria

    July 13, 2021 at 9:17 pm

    5 stars
    I really liked these but I think the crushed red pepper was way too much! Do you mean 1/2 tsp, not 1/2 Tablespoon?

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      July 14, 2021 at 11:35 am

      I enjoyed them with 1/2 a tbsp but you can definitely adjust to your liking!

      Reply
  17. Angela Maedl

    September 12, 2021 at 11:53 am

    Planning on making these tonight they look great but instead of zucchini I wanted to try using frozen spinach. Just worried about them staying together have you tried it that way?

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      September 12, 2021 at 12:44 pm

      Hi! I haven’t tried them that way but I would make sure you are using chopped frozen spinach and that you drain it really well because spinach carries a lot of moisture. Let me know how they turn out!

      Reply
  18. Kathleen McCarthy

    January 5, 2022 at 8:11 pm

    Can I bake this in the oven?

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      January 5, 2022 at 10:19 pm

      Sure! Bake them at 400 F for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 165 F.

      Reply
  19. Valerie M.

    July 9, 2022 at 9:12 am

    How much shredded zucchini should i use (1 cup…2 cups..?) OR roughly how many pounds is a large zucchini? I want to make these tomorrow, so please reply. Should it be equal portion to the meat? Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      July 9, 2022 at 4:59 pm

      I didn’t measure, but I’d say about 1/2-3/4 cup.

      Reply
  20. Valerie M

    July 11, 2022 at 12:25 pm

    3 stars
    Preface to say, i am a novice at using my air fryer. The meat mixture was very wet. I even pressed the zucchini between paper towels. The meatballs stuck to the basket so i had much difficulty trying to flip them even though i sprayed the basket with oil. After the allotted time, they still looked raw so i put them in for another 5-6 minutes hoping they would get golden brown and crisp like your photo. Gave up and put the rest of the batch into the oven. I’ll hide them in sauce and hope they taste better than they look.

    Reply
    • JZ Eats

      July 11, 2022 at 1:55 pm

      I’m sorry to hear that! Did you remove all the liquid from the zucchini before adding to the bowl with the chicken? It sounds like there was still a lot of liquid in there.

      Reply

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about meI’m that girl behind the camera and the creator of all the delicious recipes on this website. I’m a Baltimore food blogger who enjoys nothing more than food!
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