Recipe This | Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs (2024)

Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs. Delicious and quick turkey meatballs cooked in the air fryer. Perfect for a quick dinner, or post exercise snack.

You can use any turkey meatballs in the air fryer. Whether they are thawed, frozen or make ahead, simply follow our time and temps for perfect meatballs.

We originally shared with you how to make turkey meatballs in air fryer back in 2016 and we are updating them again for 2021.

Turkey Meatballs In Air Fryer

Here at Recipe This we LOVE meatballs in the air fryer. We have already shown you how to recreate my aunts air fryer meatballs recipe, done air fryer frozen meatballs, made vegan veggie balls and today we wanted to take a trip down memory lane to our favourite turkey meatballs in the air fryer.

But first I have a cultural confession to make.

We lived in Portugal for 13 years and couldn’t get any turkey mince to make our own turkey meatballs in the air fryer.

We were gutted because even though we loved making meatballs with beef mince, we loved the idea of mixing the meat up and doing either turkey meatballs or chicken meatballs.

Our plan b was to instead use turkey breast and then ground it in the meat mincer. We then had our own very lean mince turkey that we could use to make ahead meatballs, burgers etc.

But it was such an effort compared to buying some minced beef, that it was a Milner family treat.

Therefore, since moving back to England we have binged on turkey mince like it’s the best thing since sliced bread and can’t get enough.

I found some frozen turkey meatballs in the freezer from Morrisons and thought they would be ideal for showing you how to quickly make air fryer turkey meatballs with.

Plus, as well as our free newsletter, we also have a free air fryer mini course. It is ideal for air fryer beginners or those that want to get more confident with their air fryer. The free course runs for 5 days with a new lesson delivered each day to your inbox.

Weight Watchers Turkey Meatballs

If you have not made turkey meatballs, just think of them like other air fryer meatballs, the big difference being that they are lower calorie and perfect for Weight Watchers and Slimming World.

I often like to do a few days of Weight Watchers on their blue plan and because you can have as much lean turkey as you like, you can make your own turkey meatballs, freeze them in bulk and use them for WW blue days.

You can then do the same for Slimming World when you are on their SP days too.

Can You Air Fry Turkey Meatballs?

Yes, you can. You will love air fried turkey meatballs as they are the best. They can be dumped in the air fryer after prepping them, or you can use shop bought or frozen ones.

They then cook in the air fryer and any excess fat off the turkey meatball will drip into the air fryer basket making your turkey meatballs as lean as possible.

Take a look at this picture of the bottom of our air fryer after some air fried turkey meatballs.

This easily wipes clean and makes your meatballs even better.

Frozen Turkey Meatballs In Air Fryer

I recommend that you use frozen turkey meatballs in the air fryer. You can make a big batch of them ahead and then freeze them.

Then you can cook them as and when you need them.

Or plan B you buy them pre-packaged as fresh (like we did) and then freeze them for later.

They then pop out into the air fryer very easily and are never stuck together.

Should You Use A Meatball Press?

When we last showed you how to prep turkey meatballs for the air fryer, we used a meatball press.

It impressed me with how easy it was to use and how it creates the best looking turkey meatballs that you have ever seen.

You feed the meatball mixture into the press and then the meatball press does the hard work for you.

It also helps with portion control and getting the shape of the meatball perfect.

Its personal choice if you want one or not. If you eat meatballs a LOT then I would highly recommend getting one and this is the meatball press we used.

Turkey Meatballs Air Fryer Ingredients

Meatballs – You can use any frozen turkey meatball. Or you can buy fresh like we have done and then freeze for later. We find that frozen turkey meatballs cook better than fresh.

Oil – We recommend towards the end of cooking, spraying your turkey meatballs with extra virgin olive oil. This will help make them crispier and stop the turkey from becoming dry.

Seasoning – I find that shop bought meatballs can be flavourless. Step this up a level by seasoning with salt and pepper.

Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this air fryer meatballs recipe, it has just been our Philips Air Fryer. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of air fryer beginner recipes and perfectly fits a big batch of turkey meatballs in it.

How To Cook Turkey Meatballs In Air Fryer?

• Load. Add a batch of your frozen turkey meatballs into the air fryer basket. Aim for a single layer for a better even cook.
• Cook. Air fry your turkey meatballs until almost cooked. Then shake the air fryer basket. This will help turn your meatballs and deal with any meatballs that are stuck to your basket.
• Coat. Spray with a little extra virgin olive oil and this will help with crisping. Before air frying at a higher temperature.

How Long Do You Cook Turkey Meatballs In An Air Fryer?

The air fryer turkey meatballs time is JUST 17 minutes. This includes the initial 12 minute cook time, followed by shaking the meatballs for any stuck to the basket and then adding an extra 5 minutes just to make sure they are cooked through.

Do note though, we are cooking air fryer turkey meatballs from frozen and if thawed you can reduce this down to 8 minutes, followed by a final 3 minute cook.

How Do You Know When Turkey Meatballs Are Done?

You know when turkey meatballs are done because they are piping hot in the centre and don’t have any pink left.

I find the easiest way if you don’t have a thermometer, is to place a knife through the thickest part of a meatball. When you touch the knife in the same spot, if its piping hot, then the meatballs are cooked.

What Temp To Air Fry Turkey Meatballs?

The BEST air fryer turkey meatballs temperature is 180c/360f. This is known in the air fryer world is medium and will perfectly cook your meatballs.

Go lower and they will be underdone and go higher, and you will have dry meatballs.

BUT if you would like crispy meatballs, you can increase the temperature to 200c/400f for the last 3 minutes.

Reheat Turkey Meatballs In Air Fryer

You can also use the air fryer to reheat turkey meatballs. Simply load leftover precooked turkey meatballs into the air fryer basket and spray with a little extra virgin olive oil.

Then air fry your turkey meatballs for 4 minutes at 160c/320f.

More Air Fryer Frozen Recipes

• Air Fryer Frozen Burgers
• Air Fryer Frozen Corn On The Cob
• Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
• Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
• Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables

Can’t make it now? Then pin it for later!