Easy Air Fryer BBQ Beef Meatballs (Fresh or Frozen)

Easy Air Fryer BBQ Beef Meatballs (Fresh or Frozen) is a quick recipe prepared with homemade BBQ sauce. This post includes the cook time and instructions for how long to cook and what temperature to prepare meatballs using the Nuwave, Power Air Fryer or any brand. Substitute turkey if you wish.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure here. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This post was originally published in December 2018. It has since been updated.

FOR THE FULL LIST OF INGREDIENTS AND COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST. BEFORE YOU SCROLL, THERE’S IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN THIS BLOG POST.

How to Cook Meatballs in an Air Fryer

1. Combine onions, garlic, shredded cheese, egg, almond meal, and seasonings in large bowl.
2. Use clean hands and combine the ingredients and form one large ball.
3. Use a spoon to form about 10 smaller meatballs.
4. Place the meatballs in the air fryer. Air Fry.
5. Remove the meatballs from the air fryer and drizzle them in BBQ sauce.

How Long to Cook the Meatballs

I let my meatballs cook for about 13-15 minutes. The key is to use a Meat Thermometer. The meatballs are ready when the internal temperature reachs 165 degrees F. Check out this post for a great Meat Temperature Guide.

Air Fryer Temperature

Load the meatballs into the air fryer and cook on 360 degrees.

Frozen Meatballs

Frozen meatballs will need 15-16 minutes of cook time. Always use a meat thermometer to test doneness.

Can You Substitute Breadcrumbs in This Recipe?

Yes, if you prefer to use breadcrumbs go for it. Substitute for the amount of almond flour used in the recipe.

Can You Make Meatballs Without Breadcrumbs?

Yes! I used Almond Meal in this recipe to ditch the carbs in breadcrumbs.

What’s the Difference Between Almond Flour and Almond Meal?

Almond flour is made from blanched almonds and typically have the skins removed and is ground more finely than almond meal. It’s commonly used in baked goods and bread recipes.

Almond meal typically still contains the skins and is more coarse. Almond meal works better for recipes that require breading. You can use almond flour in this recipe, but the results will differ. You can read more about The Differences Between Almond Flour and Almond Meal here.

How Many Calories Are in 2 Homemade Meatballs?

2 meatballs have 336 calories

You may also enjoy my Air Fryer Marinated Steak and Air Fryer Cheeseburgers.

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Looking for more keto recipes? Check out my listing of The Best Air Fryer Keto Dinner Recipes.

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5 from 2 votes

Super Easy Air Fryer BBQ Beef Meatballs

Easy Air Fryer BBQ Beef Meatballs (Fresh or Frozen) is a quick recipe prepared with homemade BBQ sauce. This post includes the cook time and instructions for how long to cook and what temperature to prepare meatballs using the Nuwave, Power Air Fryer or any brand. Substitute turkey if you wish.

Course dinner, lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer meatballs

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 5

Calories 336kcal

Author Brandi Crawford

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chuck beef You can also use standard ground beef
• ½ cup almond meal You can substitute for breadcrumbs if you wish.
• ½ cup chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon McCormick’s Grill Mates Steak Seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sugar-free BBQ Sauce

Instructions

Homemade Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce

• Get the recipe for Homemade Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce here.

Meatballs

• Add the ground chuck beef, almond meal, onions, garlic, cheddar, egg, worcestershire sauce, and seasonings to a large bowl.
  
• Using clean hands, combine the ingredients and form one large ball.
• Use a spoon and form 10 smaller meatballs. You can sit them on parchment paper to avoid contamination.
• Load the meatballs into the air fryer. It’s ok to stack them. I chose to cook them in batches instead. Optional: Line the air fryer with air fryer liners to prevent sticking. You can also spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil. 
• Cook the meatballs for 8 minutes on 365 degrees.
• Open the air fryer and flip the meatballs.
• Cook for an additional 5-8 minutes until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
• Remove the meatballs from the air fryer and drizzle in BBQ sauce. 

Video

Notes

If you aren’t looking for keto or low-carb you can use breadcrumbs as a substitute.

Frozen meatballs will need 15-16 minutes of cook time. Always use a meat thermometer to test doneness.

Recipe Tools Used in this RecipeAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Cosori Air Fryer

Air Fryer Parchment Paper

Meat Thermometer

Meat Chopper

Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)

Serving: 2meatballs | Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 26g

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Nutrition DataMacros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.