For those following a ketogenic diet, finding quick, easy, and delicious recipes can sometimes be a challenge. Air fryer Italian meatballs are moist, tender, and savory, and full of flavor! This recipe for keto air fryer meatballs offers a convenient and satisfying solution, delivering flavorful meatballs without the carbs. Whether you're looking for a quick lunch, a party appetizer, or a simple weeknight dinner, these air fryer meatballs are sure to impress.
Why Air Fryer Meatballs?
The air fryer has become a beloved kitchen appliance for its ability to cook food quickly and evenly with minimal oil. This makes it an excellent choice for creating healthy and delicious meals, and these meatballs are no exception.
- Quick and Easy: With the air fryer, you can have homemade keto meatballs ready in under 30 minutes.
- Low Carb: This recipe is designed to be keto-friendly, with less than 1g of net carbs per serving.
- Healthy: Made with wholesome ingredients, these meatballs are a great source of protein and can be easily incorporated into a healthy meal plan.
- Minimal Mess: Air frying eliminates the greasy splatters that often accompany traditional cooking methods.
Key Ingredients and Their Keto-Friendly Benefits
This keto meatball recipe uses simple, readily available ingredients to create a flavorful and satisfying dish. Here's a breakdown of the key components:
- Ground Beef: The base of the meatballs, providing protein and a rich, savory flavor. Joanie usually uses an 80-20 blend for burgers and meatloaf recipes, but she wanted a little more fat (75-25) in the mix for this air fryer version of the classic Italian meatballs.
- Eggs: Act as a binder, helping the meatballs hold their shape.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds a salty, umami flavor and a creamy texture. Joanie also likes to include some parmesan in her mix. It gives the meatballs that creamy nutty flavor, as well.
- Spices: A blend of spices, such as garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, creole seasoning, basil, and oregano, adds depth and complexity to the flavor profile. Joanie used a four-part seasoning mix to add just the right spice to the recipe. The mixture of Smoked Paprika and Creole Seasoning with traditional Garlic and Onion Powder may seem eclectic, or at least cross cuisine in nature. However, just taste the result and you will agree, it really makes the recipe pop. Oregano - Frontier Co-op Cut & Sifted Oregano brings vibrant, robust flavor with its aromatic, earthy taste. This organic herb is a must-have for your pantry, adding depth to any savory dish. Best Uses - Ideal for Mediterranean and Italian recipes, oregano pairs wonderfully with tomato-based dishes, pizza, pasta, and roasted meats. It’s the perfect herb to enhance sauces, soups, and salads.
- Almond Flour: Used as a binding agent instead of breadcrumbs, keeping the recipe low in carbs.
- Heavy Cream: Adds moisture and richness to the meatballs. Heavy whipping cream adds body, flavor and texture to the keto meatballs, but you don’t have to use it.
Recipe: Keto Air Fryer Italian Meatballs
This recipe is adapted from several sources and combines the best techniques for achieving tender, flavorful, and keto-friendly meatballs in the air fryer.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef (80/20 or 75/25 blend)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Marinara sauce (keto-friendly, such as Rao's Marinara)
- Fresh basil, chopped (for garnish)
- Mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
- Prepare the Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, Parmesan cheese, minced onion, minced garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, smoked paprika, creole seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix well until combined. Then add the salt and pepper. Next add the almond flour and heavy cream. Mix until the meat mixture is easily able to form a loaf. If the mixture is too dry add the water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Form the Meatballs: Gently mix in the almond flour and heavy cream. Form the meat mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs (approximately 2 inches). This recipe makes 45 meatballs. You can cut the recipe in half or you can make the entire batch but freeze leftover meatballs raw.
- Preheat the Air Fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes. No need to pre-heat the air fryer either!
- Air Fry the Meatballs: Add the meatballs to the preheated air fryer basket in a single layer, making sure they don’t touch too much or over crowd the basket (work in batches if needed.) Lightly spray sir fryer basket with olive oil cooking spray. Cook in air fryer for 8 minutes at 400 degrees, removing basket around 8 minutes to quickly rotate meatballs.
- Serve: Serve the air-fried meatballs hot with keto-friendly marinara sauce, additional Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil for garnish. Joanie also likes to garnish with a little parmesan, and even basil, to keep with that delicious Italian theme.
Marinara Sauce
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add the olive oil and chopped onions and cook for 4 minutes until slightly translucent.
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the basil and oregano.
Tips for Perfect Air Fryer Meatballs
- Don't Overcrowd the Basket: Cook the meatballs in batches to ensure even cooking and browning. From the pictures above, you will see that Joanie did not crowd her meatballs. As a result, there was no need to shake them half way through the frying process.
- Use a Meat Thermometer: To ensure the meatballs are cooked through, use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C).
- Adjust Seasoning to Taste: Feel free to adjust the spices and seasonings to your liking.
- Add Cheese: Swap in a different melting cheese, like provolone or Monterey Jack, for the mozzarella.
Serving Suggestions
These keto air fryer meatballs are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways:
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
- Appetizer: Serve them as a party appetizer with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.
- Main Course: Pair them with zucchini noodles ("zoodles") or cauliflower rice for a complete and satisfying keto meal. This keto air-fryer meatballs recipe upgrades the common meatball with keto-friendly ingredients in a lovely, creamy tomato-based sauce.
- Lunch: Pack them for a quick and healthy lunch. Actually, we made a double mix so we could have a lot of leftover lunches.
- Meal Prep: Make a big batch and store them in the refrigerator or freezer for easy meal prep.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerating: When the meatballs cool, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they will keep for about four days. To store air fryer meatballs, let them cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Yes, these meatballs are a great choice for freezing until you’re ready to enjoy them again. Place raw meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer until they are frozen. Then transfer the frozen meatballs to a glass container or large sealable baggie. For longer storage, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, where they’ll last up to 3 months. Another option is to freeze the meatballs in the sauce. In this case, put the cooled meatballs and sauce in a freezer container. They can be frozen easily in a zip lock bag and reheating them is a snap. We have not yet tried reheating them in the “air fryer” after freezing.
- Reheating: You can reheat the meatballs and sauce in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Reheat meatballs in the air fryer at 390 for 2-3 minutes. Or you can add the meatballs to some spaghetti sauce and heat them in a cast iron skillet like I do in this cast iron meatball recipe. If cooking from frozen add an additional 5 minutes to the cooking time.
Variations and Additions
- Change the Cheese: Cheeses: Parmesan and mozzarella cheese give the meatballs a tangy flavor.
- Add Worcestershire Sauce: Some keto dieters avoid Worcestershire sauce, but others find it acceptable in small quantities. This flavor powerhouse will certainly enhance the meatball’s flavor if you decide to use it. Look for a brand with minimal carbohydrates.
- Use Different Ground Meat: Ground turkey is also a keto-friendly protein that’s low in carbs, so you can use it in this keto meatball recipe. That means if you use 1 lb ground turkey, you’ll want to also use 1 lb of ground turkey sausage.
- Add Bacon: Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaf is the perfect party appetizer. With the bite of Italian sausage and the sweet tang of barbecue sauce, you have a real winner!
A Note on Air Fryers
We did a lot of research before deciding on our Cosori Air Fryer. It has become a major gift item for the Holidays and we can see why. Quicker meal prep, ease of use, uniform results with measured cook times, no greasy splatters, and a lot of fun. This was a major step for Joanie, since she is so used to creating in her kitchen, blending ingredients, chef-style techniques for sauces, and using her stove top and Dutch Ovens. We do suggest a 5.8 quart if you have a spot for the larger size. The Cosori has a more square-like basket and it just holds more than the round basket models. We like the digital pre-sets and the 1700 watts of power. The Cosori model we chose can also be controlled with a phone app over WiFi - it even responds to Alexa.
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