These are the best air fryer turkey meatballs that take 5 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook! They're super moist, healthy, and full of flavour, perfect served with a marinara sauce, pasta, in a sandwich, or as a snack!
I find cooking meatballs way easier in the air fryer. They maintain their shape better, stay more moist, and are healthier! This recipe uses a lean turkey ground meat, minced garlic, chopped parsley, paprika, breadcrumbs, and seasoning to make the air fryer turkey meatballs.
You only need to cook them in the air fryer for 10 minutes and you've got yourself super delicious and easy to prep turkey meatballs. I love to prep them in advance, store them in the fridge, and eat them throughout the week with various meals! If you're a fan of meatballs, then you've got to check out my air fryer chicken meatballs tossed in a buffalo sauce and served with a blue cheese sauce.
They'd be great served alongside pasta dishes like my sweet potato pasta sauce, lemon boursin pasta, or my pea and asparagus pasta.
If you're looking for something lighter, then serving them with my Vietnamese-style salad would be a great option!
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Why you'll love this recipe
Air fryer: These air fryer turkey meatballs are really low maintenance and healthy because you're using your hefty air fryer to cook them. I rolled them into balls just smaller than a golf ball, and then cooked them for 10 minutes at 180C/ 355F.
Quick: These turkey meatballs in the air fryer come together in less than 20 minutes. Just make the ground meat mixture, form them into balls, and cook in the air fryer.
Meal Prep: What's so great about this recipe, is that you can double or triple the ingredient quantities to give you more meatballs portions. I love storing the meatballs in air tight containers in the fridge and serving them with pasta, as a meatball sandwich, or in a curry! You can also freeze them for up to 4 months too!
If you love meatballs, then you have to check out my Greek meatballs (keftedes), they're full of freshness and make you feel like it's summer!
Ingredients
Ground turkey: I love using ground turkey mince meat, it's super lean and really healthy. Due to the lack of fat in this lean 5% fat turkey meat, the meatballs aren't as juicy as a 20% fat ground meat, but that's why we season the meat to create that flavour! If you're looking for a different kind of meat...chicken, beef, or pork are great options for meatballs too!
Parsley: For freshness, we've used parsley. If you don't like it, then feel free to use coriander, thyme, oregano, or mint.
Paprika: For spice and extra flavour, I've used sweet paprika. You could also use chilli flakes, chili powder, or cayenne pepper. Make sure to start by using a little pinch at a time.
Breadcrumbs: I've used panko breadcrumbs so they absorb the juices and flavours from the air fryer turkey meatballs. You can also blend up your own breadcrumbs if you have some leftover bread.
Garlic: I love using fresh garlic cloves that are then finely minced. You can also use garlic granules if you like!
Seasonings: Pepper and salt will suffice for this recipe. But feel free to add any seasonings you fancy whether you like things more spicy, less spicy, more herby, or less!
Check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and details.
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, chopped parsley, minced garlic, paprika, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Step 2: Using a fork, begin combining the mixture until a rough paste forms. You don't want to knead the mixture or this will make the balls dense by removing the air.
Step 3: Tear off a bit of the mixture and roll into a ball in the palm of your hand. Roll into balls that are the size of a golf ball. Place in the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes at 180C/355F.
Step 4: Keep an eye on the turkey meatballs in the air fryer because the heat can vary depending on the type of air fryer you use. Once they're golden on the outside, they're ready!
Step 5: Serve them up with a drizzle of oil and some parsley as nibbles. Or you can serve them in a pasta, in a sandwich, or in a curry!
What to do with leftovers
Storage: Once you've cooked your meatballs, leave them to cool, then place them in an airtight container and into the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Once cooked, leave your turkey air fryer meatballs to cool. Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and into the freezer for up to 4 months. Before reheating, thaw the meatballs in the fridge overnight.
Reheating: You can either reheat the meatballs in the microwave until piping hot, or pop them back into the air fryer for 5 minutes at 180C/355F.
FAQs
Once the air fryer turkey meatballs are golden brown on the outside and reach an internal temperature of 165F/74C, they're cooked.
Depending on the size of the meatball, they'll take longer or shorter. If your meatballs are the size of golf balls, then 10 minutes is enough time at 180C/355F.
I love serving them alongside any pasta dish, noodle dish, or in a sandwich.
Other recipes you might enjoy!
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The BEST Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer I've used Ninja Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 500g ground turkey lean fat % so between 2-7%
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- 5g parsley finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 40g breadcrumbs I used panko
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, chopped parsley, minced garlic, paprika, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
- Using a fork, begin combining the mixture until a rough paste forms. You don't want to knead the mixture or this will make the balls dense by removing the air.
- Tear off a bit of the mixture and roll into a ball in the palm of your hand. Roll into balls that are the size of a golf ball. Place in the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes at 180C/355F.
- Keep an eye on the turkey meatballs in the air fryer because the heat can vary depending on the type of air fryer you use. After 10 minutes and once they're golden brown on the outside, they're ready!
- Serve them up with a drizzle of oil and some parsley as nibbles. Or you can serve them in a pasta, in a sandwich, or in a curry!
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