Easy Frozen Meatballs in Air Fryer

Name: Easy Frozen Meatballs in Air Fryer
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 16 frozen meatballs (or 4 meatballs per person)

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Frozen Meatballs in Air Fryer are juicy, lightly crispy on the inside, and packed with flavor, a lifesaver for busy weeknights. These are the quickest and easiest meatballs you will ever make. They taste delicious and can be thrown together with some sauce for an easy main meal in less than 15 minutes!

Frozen meatballs cooked in the air fryer.

If you are looking for an excellent idea for a quick dinner, this meatball recipe is it. You can have a delicious meal on the table in minutes. This is one of my favorite recipes for an easy dinner.

These air fryer meatballs have the juiciest interior and work for small and larger meatballs. So if you are making a main dish, quick snack, or a quick appetizer, this meatball recipe is a handy way to make a tasty meal without too much prep work.

Use frozen homemade meatballs or buy store-bought. Either way, skip the takeout and enjoy a home-cooked meal tonight!

Air fryer frozen meatballs are one of the easiest things to make and are perfect for weeknight meals, holiday gatherings, or game days. Everyone loves meatballs!

Want more meatball recipes? Check out Venison Meatballs With Sweet and Sour Sauce, which you can make with any meat type, and Easy Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs and Low Carb Meatballs Without Bread Crumbs.

More Frozen Food in Air Fryer

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More Frozen Food in Air Fryer
Why you will love frozen meatballs in the air fryer
Ingredients
How to cook frozen meatballs in air fryer
Can I make my own frozen meatballs?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tips
More Tasty Air Fryer Recipes
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Food safety
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Why you will love frozen meatballs in the air fryer

QUICK RECIPE: These meatballs cook much faster than on the stove or in the oven; mine were done in just 8 minutes!

EASY RECIPE: This is an easy way to get a meal on the table, fast! Open a bag of frozen meatballs, dump them in the air fryer basket, set the temperature and time, and that's it! It doesn't get much easier than that!

GREAT MAIN DISH: Everyone will love them, and they go with anything! They turn out perfect every single time. Just add your favorite sauce for a meal ready in minutes!

NO EXTRA OIL: No extra olive oil is needed for these meatballs. The meatballs do not stick to the air fryer basket.

ONE INGREDIENT: Yup, only one ingredient. Meatballs. Any kind. I used leftover meatballs that I had frozen. You can easily find frozen meatballs in any grocery store. Any type of meatballs will work—even vegan meatballs. Get little meatballs for an appetizer and larger ones for the main dish.

PERFECT FOR WEEKNIGHT MEALS: These are perfect for quick weeknight meals with no prep. Pair them with Frozen Broccoli and Instant Pot Rice for a quick meal!

Ingredients

To make these air-fried meatballs from frozen, you only need one ingredient. You guessed it, frozen meatballs! 🙂

I used frozen beef meatballs made with ground beef. You can also use chicken meatballs or a mixture of pork and beef. Venison meatballs also work well. Use turkey meatballs for a healthier option. I used homemade meatballs that I froze in a Ziploc bag.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to cook frozen meatballs in air fryer

To cook frozen meatballs in the air fryer, preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees f. Open the bag of frozen meatballs, and place meatballs in the air fryer basket. Make sure they are in a single layer and are not touching. Set the cooking time for 8 minutes for meatballs about 1 to 1.5-inches in size.

Shake the basket halfway through the cooking time. Use tongs to remove the meatballs from the air fryer basket. Place them in a large bowl with your favorite sauce. Serve them as is, or with rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes for a meal everyone will love!

Because all air fryers cook differently, and some cook hotter than others, you may need to adjust the cooking time. For example, if your meatballs are not hot enough, place them back in the air fryer tray for 1 or 2 additional minutes.

Frozen meatballs in the air fryer basket

Can I make my own frozen meatballs?

Yes, of course! To easily make your meatballs, prepare meatballs as you normally would. Try this recipe for a delicious low-carb meatball.

It is best to get the size of your meatballs to be the same, for even cooking. To do this, I like to use a cookie scoop to get meatballs the same size quickly.

Place raw meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the uncooked meatballs into a preheated 350-degree oven for 40-45 minutes until the meatballs are golden brown.

The internal temperature of the meatballs should be 165 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer or instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meatballs.

Cool the meatballs, then flash freeze them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet for an hour or two until they are frozen. Next, transfer frozen meatballs into a Ziploc bag, remove as much air as possible, and seal the bag. Now you have your homemade frozen meatballs ready anytime you want a quick dinner, and you can feel good knowing they do not contain any artificial ingredients.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How long to cook frozen meatballs in an air fryer?

It takes about 8 minutes at 400 degrees F to cook frozen meatballs in the air fryer.

Can you cook raw beef meatballs from frozen?

Yes, you can cook raw beef meatballs from frozen. However, the cooking time will need to be extended by a few minutes, depending on the size of your meatballs.

Should meatballs be frozen raw or cooked?

You can freeze meatballs either raw or cooked. I find it more convenient to cook the meatballs first and then freeze them; that way, I can grab them whenever I need a quick meal.

Variations

Make these air fryer meatballs from frozen, then toss them in your favorite sauce. Some great ideas to try are:

Add bbq sauce to the cooked meatballs
Add tomato sauce to the cooked meatballs
Make a meatball sandwich or meatball sub sandwich
Add cooked meatballs to spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce, and top with parmesan cheese.
Be sure to try these delicious Swedish meatballs with frozen meatballs.

Equipment

To make meatballs from frozen, you need an air fryer. The one I used for this recipe was the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer. It has an eight qt capacity with two baskets, making it easy to cook enough food to feed my family in no time! I highly recommend it!

I also have an Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer. It was very reasonably priced and has a large basket so I can cook food in larger batches.

Storage

Fridge: Cooked meatballs will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.

Freezer: The meatballs were already cooked and frozen before frying them in the air fryer. If they are refrozen, bacteria could start growing on them, which is not good.

Top tips

Use homemade meatballs that are frozen for best flavor, and you can feel good knowing that the meatballs contain no artificial ingredients.
The length of time to cook the frozen meatballs depends on the size of the meatballs, the size of your air fryer, and how hot the air fryer cooks. Keep an eye on the meatballs to make sure they do not overcook.
Shake the air fryer basket halfway through the cooking time so the meatballs cook evenly.

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