Air Fryer
Air Fryer Meatballs
Air fryer beef meatballs browned all over in 12 minutes. Why you check the middle with a thermometer and mix with a light hand.
Ingredients
- 500g beef mince (15-20% fat)
- 1 egg
- 40g dried breadcrumbs
- 30g parmesan, finely grated
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Method
- Put everything into a bowl and mix gently with your hands until just combined. Overworking makes them dense.
- Roll into golf-ball-sized meatballs, about 20 in all.
- Lay them in the air fryer basket in a single layer with space between them. Cook in batches if needed.
- Air fry at 190°C (375°F) for 10-12 minutes, shaking halfway, until browned all over.
- Check one in the centre: it should read 75°C (165°F), be steaming hot and show no pink.
- Serve as they are, or drop them into a hot tomato sauce for a couple of minutes.
Notes
- Check the temperature, not the clock. Meatball size changes the time more than anything.
- Mix with a light hand. Squeezing the mince hard makes tight, rubbery meatballs.
- Beef with some fat (15-20%) stays juicy. Very lean mince dries out.
- Wet your hands before rolling and the mince will not stick to them.
- Air fryer models vary. Treat the times as a guide, go by colour and crispness, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
More More Air Fryer Recipes
Air fryer models vary in power and basket size, so treat the times here as a guide — go by colour and crispness rather than the clock, and adjust the seasoning and glaze to your taste.
Recipe source: Method corroborated across published air-fryer beef meatball recipes: A Beautiful Mess, Feel Good Foodie and The Big Man's World (raw beef meatballs at 190°C (375°F)/375°F for about 10-12 minutes, shaken halfway, single layer). Minimum safe internal temperature for minced beef is 71°C (160°F)/160°F (USDA/FoodSafety.gov); we check for 75°C (165°F)/165°F in the centre for margin, in line with the UK Food Standards Agency's advice that mince is cooked until steaming hot with no pink.