Air Fryer Meatballs
These air fryer meatballs are prepared with ground beef and Italian pork sausage! They are juicy, packed with flavor, and always a crowd-pleaser. Use them in subs, serve them as appetizers, or serve them with spaghetti.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef I prefer 80/20
- 1 pound ground Italian pork sausage I like sweet Italian sausage, but spicy will work as well
- ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400˚F.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground Italian sausage, seasoned breadcrumbs, egg, olive oil, sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion, parsley, and cilantro.
- Use your hands to mix all of the ingredients together until a homogenous mixture is achieved. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Form the mixture into 1.5-inch balls. You can use a cookie scoop if you’d like to keep the meatballs as close to equal in size as possible.
- Arrange the meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer's basket. Depending on the size of the air fryer, you might have to cook them in batches.
- Air fry for 10 to 12 minutes or until a test meatball is no longer pink on the inside or until the internal temperature registers at 165˚F on a meat thermometer.
- Remove the meatballs from the air fryer and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Ground Meat: I love using a mixture of beef and Italian pork sausage for my meatballs. You can, of course, use all ground beef or all Italian sausage if you choose.
- Breadcrumbs: I use plain breadcrumbs or pork rind crumbs for my meatballs, but you can also use seasoned breadcrumbs, panko crumbs, or gluten-free crumbs.
- Skip the cilantro if you do not like the taste of it; add more parsley if you want, or any other freshly chopped herbs.
- Don't overmix because the meatball mixture will be dense, creating tough meatballs. Mix everything just until incorporated.
- Make the meatballs equal in size so they will cook evenly and at the same time.
- Don’t crowd the air fryer. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket, and if you run out of room, cook the meatballs in batches.
- Oven Method: You can bake the meatballs at 375˚F for 18 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatballs registers at 165˚F.
Nutrition
Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 999mg | Potassium: 403mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 294IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg
