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These air fryer turkey meatballs are juicy, tender, and cook up in no time! They are healthy, satisfying, and super versatile.
If you’ve cooked turkey breast, turkey bacon, or turkey burgers in the air fryer, you’ll no doubt love my turkey meatballs.
I make them all the time because they are just as juicy as you’d expect pan-fried or baked ones to be, but cook up in a fraction of the time!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Healthy. Compared to ground beef or chicken, using ground turkey has less saturated fat and calories.
- Fast. These meatballs take less than 10 minutes to cook from prep to plate.
- Versatile. Toss them through a sauce, stuff them in a meatball sub, or serve them over some salad: the possibilities are endless. I typically cook them as a dinnertimee main dish but they make a healthy appetizer too.
- Mess-free. Probably my favorite reason for using the air fryer is that there is no deep frying or pan-frying AKA no oil splutter or clean up.
What I love most about this recipe is just how incredible the texture is. Just like in our original air fryer meatball recipe, the combination of ingredients guarantees that the meatballs are never dry or flavorless and are perfectly juicy and moist in the middle.
Ingredients needed
This recipe calls for simple meatball staple ingredients that you’ll likely already have on hand. Here is what you’ll need:
- Ground turkey. Both lean and standard ground turkey work. I prefer the former as it is healthier and yields a more tender meatball.
- Breadcrumbs. Standard or wholewheat. I don’t recommend panko bread crumbs as they tend to dry out the meat when air frying.
- Garlic. Always use the fresh kind, not dried garlic.
- Dried basil. To add flavor.
- Salt. To taste.
- Egg. Room temperature.
- Milk. Adds moistness to the meatballs.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to air fry turkey meatballs
These meatballs are an easy meal and follow just 4 simple steps below:
Step 1: Preheat the air fryer. Start by preheating the air fryer at 200C/400F for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Mix all the meatball ingredients. In a large bowl, add all your ingredients including the ground turkey, and mix using a spatula or even your hands to thoroughly work the mixture.
Step 3: Shape meatballs. Using your hands, shape 12-15 meatballs. I like lightly wetting my hards beforehand as it helps the meat from sticking to my fingers.
Step 4: Air fry the meatballs. Place the meatballs in a greased air fryer basket. Air fry for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. The meatballs are ready to eat once they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
Step 5: Rest and serve. Allow the meatballs to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe tips and variations
- Do not over-cook. Like any recipe that calls for ground turkey, you don’t want to cook the meatballs any longer than necessary. To ensure perfection, my #1 tip is to check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer. Once it reaches 165F, the meatballs are ready.
- Use other ground meat. As long as it is ground/ minced, they are equally good with any type of your favorite meat, especially beef.
- Add aromatic mix-ins. Change up the flavor by grating in an onion, adding a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, or finely chopped veggies.
- Toss through a sauce. If I’ve made a batch of my pomodoro sauce or sugo (Italian tomato sauce), I love to toss the meatballs through them and serve them over pasta. You can also use any marinara sauce.
- Add more spices. I kept things simple with just some dried basil, but you can add smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dried parsley, or even some Cajun seasoning.
Storage instructions
To store. Place leftover cooked meatballs in a shallow container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze. Freezing them in airtight containers or freezer-safe bags helps them retain their juicy tenderness for up to 6 months.
To reheat. Either reheat in a non-stick skillet until hot or back again in the air fryer.
Meal prep tip
I love to prep a batch of these meatballs and freeze them, uncooked, for quick and easy weeknight meals. To do this, wrap the uncooked meatballs in saran wrap and store them in the freezer. They keep well for up to 6 months and can be cooked from frozen.
Frequently asked questions
If you let your meatball mixture sit for too long before shaping them into meatballs, you risk them becoming mushy once cooked.
If you use pre-frozen and pre-made meatballs, you can add them directly into the air fryer. Air fry them for 10 minutes at 200C/400F, shaking the air fryer basket several times throughout.
If you omit the eggs or milk, you risk the meatballs falling apart during the cooking process. To ensure this doesn’t happen, please stick to my recommended measurements.
Yes, if you don’t want to air fry them, you can bake them in the oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease the top. Place the shaped meatballs on it and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once.
More air fryer recipes to try
- Air fryer hamburgers
- Air fryer pork tenderloin
- Air fryer meatloaf
- Air fryer fried chicken
- Air fryer chicken parmesan
- Air fryer ribs
Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 200C/400F.
- Add all the meatball ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until combined.
- Shape out 12-15 meatballs and place a single layer into a greased air fryer basket.
- Air fry the turkey meatballs for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. Once the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165F, they are ready to eat.
- Let the turkey meatballs rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe originally published December 2022 but updated to include new information for your benefit.
This was my lunch today. Its not enough to say thank you. Veeery delicious.
This dish looks exactly how it was on cartoons haha. I never tried pasta like this. Can it also be chicken meatballs?
Made 12 meatballs and cooked for exactly 10 minutes (used a thermometer to check internal temp). These are perfect and so quick! Quick, simple and delicious recipes are a favorite in our home. Thank you 🙂
So welcome, Kim!
great! not dry at all – 12 min exactly
Thanks, Cass!!!
Sooooooo good!!
Perfect! I had grown tired of turkey meatballs until now. Juicy and delicious!
These meatballs were soooo tasty! And so easy to make! One of the easiest air fryer meatball recipes I have made yet! I did end up cooking them for almost 20 minutes to ensure the turkey was completely cooked but overall delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!