Home » Blog » Course » How To Cook Frozen Meatballs in the Air FryerHow To Cook Frozen Meatballs in the Air Fryer Pin RecipeRate RecipePublished: Oct 31, 2022 by Marlene Wallace · This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details. Frozen meatballs are cooked to perfection in the air fryer. They come out juicy, tender and absolutely delicious. Jump to Recipe Frozen meatballs cooked in the air fryer are the perfect weeknight dinner as they are both convenient and super fast to make. But most important, they are also incredibly delicious and a comfort food favorite with most families. Follow our easy meatball recipe for the best frozen meatballs you have ever made. Then simply toss with your favorite sauce and dinner is ready. Serve these yummy meatballs with marinara sauce, pasta and garlic bread or toss them with barbecue sauce and serve with corn on the cob and coleslaw. Either way, these delicious air fried meatballs will soon be a staple on your dinner menu. Table of Contents Why Cook Frozen Meatballs In The Air Fryer? Why You’ll Love This Ingredients Recommended ToolsInstructionsAndrea says….Make Meatballs In The Oven Or CrockpotStef says…. Recipe Tips How To Serve MeatballsHow To StoreHow To ReheatCommon QuestionsHow To Cook Frozen Meatballs in The Air Fryer Why Cook Frozen Meatballs In The Air Fryer? Air fryer frozen meatballs are a great, quick way to add protein to your meal. Frozen meatballs are not raw meatballs. Frozen meatballs are any type of meatball that has been cooked then frozen. You can buy make these yourself and freeze or buy them in your supermarket freezer section. Most frozen meatballs are a variety of Italian meatball. You can find a mixture of beef and pork meatballs or just beef meatballs. Sometimes you can find turkey or chicken meatballs as well. If you want to make your own try our turkey meatballs or chicken meatballs. This is the easiest thing to do with meatballs! If you don’t need a whole baking sheet full of meatballs just pop the amount you need straight from the freezer into your air fryer. You can cook just the amount you need in less cook time than the oven and save energy in the process! Just toss them in BBQ sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or marinara sauce once they’re cooked for an easy meal. Why You’ll Love This Notable: perfectly cooked, juicy and tender meatballs that are full of flavor and ready to be combined with your favorite sauce for an easy dinner or quick appetizerMain Ingredients: frozen meatballs, oil spray, BBQ sauce, marinara sauceCooking Method: air fryerNutrients: 19g of protein per servingCooking Time: 2 minutes prep time, 12 minutes cooking timePairs well with: marinara sauce, pasta and salad or barbecue sauce, coleslaw and cornbreadSpecial Equipment Needed: air fryer, high heat thermometer, instant read thermometer, oil mister , air fryer parchment paper Ingredients You may have all of these frozen meatball ingredients in your freezer or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts and print the recipe for how to cook frozen meatballs in air fryer. Pantry Ingredients: oil spray, bbq sauce, marinara sauceMeat Ingredients: frozen meatballs (use your favorite types of meatballs) WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you enjoy turning frozen meatballs into delicious family dinners, the you’ll love our amazing Swedish Meatballs. They are smothered in a rich and creamy sauce. This mouthwatering comfort food is done in only 30 minutes. Recommended Tools Links to our favorite tools are affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link we may get a tiny portion of the sale. Air Fryer – This recipe requires an air fryer. We have both this Cosori air fryer, which is wonderful, and this Cuisinart Air Fryer, which we also love. The Cuisinart also has convection oven and toaster oven capacity. You can buy an air fryer with a basket with high sides that food goes into or a tray type of machine. The trays are shallow but are usually longer and can accomodate more food in a single layer. Olive Oil Sprayer – We love this oil mister because it is super easy to use and you can spray oil, vinegar, wine or lemon juice, for example. It dispenses the perfect mist of oil, without making food too oily. Air Fryer Parchment – This ready made air fryer parchment paper is very convenient and fits perfectly inside the air fryer basket. It prevents your food from sticking to the air fryer basket and has holes to allow the hot air to circulate properly. Instructions This section shows how to cook frozen meatballs in air fryer, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. You can print the recipe with or without photos. PREPARE: Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket or tray with non-stick cooking spray or line with air fryer parchment paper. Then place the meatballs into the air fryer in a single layer. Do not crowd the air fryer and cook the meatballs in batches, if necessary. Spray the meatballs with oil spray and shake to coat. Andrea says…. The key to good air fryer meatballs is not overcrowding the air fryer basket. Make sure there’s room for the air to circulate around the meatballs. AIR FRY: Cook the meatballs at 380°F for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs. Shake the air fryer basket once or twice while cooking. At the end of the cooking time, use an instant read meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the meatballs is at least 165°F. Larger meatballs may require additional minutes to cook. SERVE: Warm your sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Finally, toss the cooked meatballs with your sauce. Serve. WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you want to try making your own meatballs from scratch, then you will love or Italian Meatballs recipe. These classic Italian meatballs are simply the best, and pair well with spaghetti, pizza or meatball sub sandwiches. Or try our Italian Air-Fried Meatballs. Make Meatballs In The Oven Or Crockpot OVEN: You can also cook meatballs in the oven at 400ºF for 10-20 minutes depending on the size of your meatballs. Make sure they reach an internal temperature of 165ºF. SLOW COOKER: Frozen meatballs can be cooked in the crockpot for 3 hours on high together with your favorite sauce. We recommend using BBQ or marinara sauce. Before serving, check the internal temperature of the meatballs using an instant read thermometer. They should be at least 165ºF in the middle. See our Crockpot BBQ Meatballs Recipe. Stef says…. Meatballs aren’t just great for dinner, they also make the perfect party snack, game day food, or appetizer. Easy to make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are a huge crowd pleaser and every fan of buffalo chicken wings will absolutely love these meatballs. Recipe Tips Follow these tips to make the best frozen meatballs in the air fryer. Tip: Do not defrost meatballs before cooking.Tip: Cook meatballs in a single layer. Make sure they aren’t touching. Do not stack them on top of each other. Tip: Spray meatballs with oil. Use an oil sprayer or basting brush to lightly oil the outsides of the meatballs. This will help them brown up nicely while cooking. They do not need a lot of oil. A fine mist is great.Tip: Shake the basket once or twice while cooking. This helps the meatballs cook evenly. How To Serve Meatballs Our families adore meatballs in all shapes and forms. They are so versatile and incredibly delicious. Our favorite homemade meatballs are: Air Fryer Meatballs, Chicken Meatballs, Turkey Meatballs and Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs. In case there isn’t enough time to make meatballs from scratch, we love turning frozen meatballs into super yummy dinners as well. Have you tried our Swedish Meatballs, Crockpot BBQ Meatballs or Meatball Pasta Casserole. Or cook your frozen meatballs and make one of these quick meal ideas: Meatball Calzones Hawaiian Roll Meatball Sliders Meatball Stuffed Biscuits Easy Basil Pesto Pasta With Meatballs How To Store Refrigerate: Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container or ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freeze: Cooled leftover meatballs can also be frozen in a freezer safe container or ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Defrosting: We recommend cooking frozen meatballs while frozen for best results. How To Reheat The best way to reheat meatballs that have been refrigerated is by putting them back into the air fryer. You can also reheat meatballs in the microwave, using a microwave safe dish. Preferably use a dish with a cover to avoid splatter inside the microwave and trap the moisture inside the meatballs. Alternatively, you can also reheat leftovers in a saucepan on the stovetop. Common Questions How do you know when meatballs are fully cooked? Meatballs are fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Insert a meat thermometer into one or more of the meatballs after cooking to read the temperature. Is it possible to cook homemade meatballs in the air fryer? Yes, of course. Try our recipe for the Best Air Fryer Meatballs. These easy homemade meatballs cook to juicy, tender perfection in the air fryer. What can I make with meatball leftovers? You can use leftover meatballs for scrumptious sandwiches, sliders or even as a filling for calzones. Additionally you can wrap them in biscuit dough for delicious Meatball Sub Bombs. No ratings yet How To Cook Frozen Meatballs in The Air Fryer Author Andrea + Stef Course Appetizer, Main Dish Cuisine American, Italian Prep Time 2 minutes minutes Cook Time 12 minutes minutes Total Time 14 minutes minutes Print Pin Rate 4 servings Frozen meatballs are cooked to perfection in the air fryer. They come out juicy, tender and absolutely delicious. Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark EquipmentAir Fryerair fryer parchment paperoil misterinstant read thermometer Ingredients 1x2x3x▢ 1 lb frozen meatballs▢ oil sprayGarnish:▢ BBQ sauce▢ marinara sauce InstructionsSpray the bottom of the air fryer basket or tray to prevent meatballs from sticking. Alternatively, use air fryer parchment paper.Place meatballs into the air fryer in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to cook in batches.Spray meatballs with oil spray. Shake to coat.Cook at 380°F for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of your meatballs. Shake the air fryer basket once or twice while cooking.Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meatballs to make sure they’re fully cooked at 165°F. Warm your sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Toss the cooked meatballs with your sauce. Serve. Notes Do not defrost meatballs before cooking. Meatballs come in many sizes. Cook time will vary depending on the size of meatball. Air fryers come in a wide variety of styles and shapes. Cook time varies depending on the type of air fryer. Cook meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer. Do not overcrowd them or stack meatballs on top of each other. Spray the meatballs with olive oil, avocado oil or a vegetable oil spray to help them brown easier. Remove meatballs from the air fryer and toss meatballs with your favorite sauce after the meatballs are fully cooked. NutritionCalories: 298kcal | Protein: 19g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 325mg | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg Did you create this? Share it on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest for more cleverly simply recipes. Email Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe PinShareTweet