If you own an Air Fryer, you know you can prepare many meals in no time with this kitchen gadget. Quick, easy, and relatively clean compared to preparing a meal in a frying pan, for example. A good Air Fryer allows you to use the dishwasher for most of the parts that need cleaning. No need to do everything by hand – a non-stick pan will not be happy if you give her a spin in the dishwasher. These simple Air Fryer Meatballs here are a very popular snack at our house for years already. Served with a few potato wedges, they easily pass for a full meal, not only a snack, right?
I really love me an Air Fryer. Ready to bake/roast something instantly, great to do various dishes, and super easy to clean. On top much less energy is needed in comparison to a regular-sized oven… which normally also needs quite some time to be hot enough to work with.
Meatballs are crowd-pleasers and really easy to prepare. You can easily make them in a frying pan, but that also means your kitchen will be splattered with little fat droplets from the fat jumping out of the pan and probably smell like a burger food truck on a hot summer day. We have a mesh cover thingy for our pan but still… the fat will end up everywhere. Also – you constantly have to keep an eye on the meatballs, or they will burn. All of that… not a problem with an Air Fryer.
When preparing food in an Air Fryer, you should always pay attention to the manufacturer’s specifications. Not every device gets the job done in the same way. The devices vary in size, how quickly they heat up or how hot they can get, etc. Most devices usually come with a small recipe book with basic recipes and information about temperatures and cooking. Mostly basics like French fries, chicken wings, and meatballs, of course.
From experience with different devices, I think the temperature and cooking time in my recipe should be fine for most Air Fryers. A test run can never hurt, of course. Maybe your device even got a preset for meatballs. You never know.
5 good reasons to prepare meatballs in an Air Fryer
+ less dirt and/or grease splatters in the kitchen and minimal effort in cleaning
+ the preparation of the meatballs is done in no time and as soon as they are in the Air Fryer, the work is pretty much done
+ the finished meatballs taste great – no matter if you serve them hot or cold
+ perfect as a snack (e.g. for a picnic) or as a base for other meals
+ all in all – you will get juicy meatballs that taste great
Anyway. No matter if you prepare your meatballs in a frying pan or in an Air Fryer – I recommend working with (almost) room-temperature meat. Do not use ground beef or pork directly from the fridge to make meatballs. Let it sit on the counter (covered, of course) for some time before you start working with it.
When the ground meat is mixed with all the other ingredients you need for the meatballs, it’s advisable to let it sit for a bit longer so all the ingredients have the chance to »get to know each other a little better«. Both – working with meat that is not directly coming out of the fridge and the additional resting time – will result in better meatballs and more flavors. Well… we should also keep in mind to get higher-quality meat from a butcher instead of the cheap stuff from a discount supermarket. That normally also helps with the flavors.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(12 meatballs)
17.6 oz. (500g) mixed minced meat
1 red onion, finely diced
1 medium egg
2 tbsp. breadcrumbs*
1 tsp. dried oregano*
1 tsp. garlic powder*
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper*
salt, pepper
(12 Buletten)
500g Hackfleisch, gemischt
1 rote Zwiebel, fein gewürfelt
1 Ei (M)
2 EL Paniermehl*
1 TL Oregano*
1 TL Knoblauchpulver*
1/2 TL Cayennepfeffer*
Salz, Pfeffer
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel and finely dice the onion. Add the minced meat, diced onion, egg, breadcrumbs, and seasonings to a large bowl and mix to combine. Cover and let stand for about 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the Air Fryer to 390°F (200°C) if necessary (usually not required). Spray the bottom of the Air Fryer basket with a bit of olive oil and place 6-8 meatballs in the basket, depending on the size of your device. The meatballs should not be touching each other and have enough space all around. Bake the meatballs for about 12 minutes, turning them once in between. Depending on your Air Fryer, the cooking time may vary slightly. If you have a meat thermometer, you can check the core temperature. When it reaches 158°F-161°F, the meatballs should be cooked through and still nice and juicy.
1. Die Zwiebel schälen und fein würfeln. Das Hackfleisch zusammen mit der gewürfelten Zwiebel, dem Ei, Paniermehl und den Gewürzen in eine Schüssel geben und alles gut vermengen. Abgedeckt etwa 10 Minuten ziehen lassen.
2. Den AirFryer ggf. auf 200°C (390°F) vorheizen (normalerweise nicht notwendig). Den Boden des Korbes mit etwas Öl besprühen und je nach Größe des Geräts 6-8 Fleischbällchen in den Korb setzen. Die Bällchen sollten sich nicht berühren und genug Platz rundum haben. Die Buletten/Fleischbällchen für etwa 12 Minuten backen – zwischendurch einmal wenden. Je nach Gerät kann die Garzeit etwas abweichen. Wer ein Thermometer hat, kann die Kerntemperatur checken. Wenn diese 70-72°C erreicht hat, sollten die Buletten durchgegart sein und noch schön saftig.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Simple & Easy Air Fryer Meatballs
- Prep Time: 00:05
- Cook Time: 00:12
- Total Time: 00:30
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Air Fryer Recipes
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
Description
For all Air Fryer fans out there – these Easy Air Fryer Meatballs are the best. Juicy and packed with flavors and done in no time! So good!
Ingredients
17.6 oz. (500g) mixed minced meat
1 red onion, finely diced
1 medium egg
2 tbsp. breadcrumbs*
1 tsp. dried oregano*
1 tsp. garlic powder*
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper*
salt, pepper
Instructions
1. Peel and finely dice the onion. Add the minced meat, diced onion, egg, breadcrumbs, and seasonings to a large bowl and mix to combine. Cover and let stand for about 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the Air Fryer to 390°F (200°C) if necessary (usually not required). Spray the bottom of the Air Fryer basket with a bit of olive oil and place 6-8 meatballs in the basket, depending on the size of your device. The meatballs should not be touching each other and have enough space all around. Bake the meatballs for about 12 minutes, turning them once in between. Depending on your Air Fryer, the cooking time may vary slightly. If you have a meat thermometer, you can check the core temperature. When it reaches 158°F-161°F, the meatballs should be cooked through and still nice and juicy.
Notes
Enjoy air-fryin’!
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