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Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs

You’ve finally found the best way to cook frozen meatballs in the air fryer that are soft and juicy! Air frying meatballs at a lower temperature will let them cook evenly without the outsides getting tough.

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Air Fryer Meatballs on a white plate

Air Fry Frozen Meatballs: You Life is About to Change!

Air frying frozen meatballs makes a great dinner idea that cooks in just minutes. You get perfectly cooked meatballs every time!

Add your favorite sauce and eat them on top of a sub or spaghetti for a kid-friendly option or serve them as an appetizer.

This recipe uses premade meatballs that are already cooked and frozen. This is how most frozen meatballs are purchased here in the US.

Air Fryer I recommend: Large, easy to clean, square basket, burner on top and bottom. Click to see it.

Can You Cook Frozen Meatballs in the Air Fryer?

Yes, you can! Air frying frozen meatballs cooks them like they were made in the oven but cook quicker!

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Air Fryer Meatballs Frozen ingredients

  • Large or small precooked frozen meatballs
  • Your choice of sauce

What brands are good for air fryer frozen meatballs?

There are a lot of store-bought frozen meatball brands out there. These are my favorite for the best-tasting frozen meatballs. They all come pre-cooked and just need to be heated with the directions included in this post!

  • Rosina Home-Style Meatballs
  • Nature’s Rancher Fully Cooked Angus Beef Meatballs (found at Whole Foods)
  • Farm Rich Italian Style Meatballs
  • Omaha Steaks Fully Cooked Beef Meatballs
Frozen Meatballs in Air Fryer

How to Cook Frozen Meatballs in the Air Fryer

STEP ONE: Preheat your air fryer to 320 degrees.

STEP 2: Place the frozen meatballs inside the air fryer basket and air fry frozen meatballs for 9 to 11 minutes until thoroughly heated, turning the meatballs halfway through cooking.

Larger meatballs may take 11-13 minutes.

STEP THREE: Remove the meatballs from your air fryer and enjoy!

Cooked meatballs inside air fryer

How long to cook frozen meatballs in air fryer?

The cooking time depends on the size of your meatballs no matter how you cook them, including in the air fryer.

  • Smaller meatballs or mini meatballs – 9 to 11 minutes
  • Larger meatballs – 11 to 13 minutes
Title and Shown: Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs (on a white plate and in the air fryer)

Tips To Air Fry Frozen Meatballs

  • Start the temperature low. This will result in a more tender meatball that’s not dried out and overcooked
  • Use a meat thermometer to check the insides of the meatballs to ensure they’re heated all the way through
  • Do not overcrowd the meatballs. Air fryers need airflow to cook food evenly. Place the meatballs in a single layer not touching to get the best results. Make a second batch if needed
  • You can use beef meatballs, chicken meatballs, or turkey meatballs! These directions are tailored to work for all types of meatballs
  • Use frozen pre-cooked meatballs — if you have raw meatballs, use my directions for cooking homemade meatballs in the air fryer
  • Always preheat. These air fryer frozen meatballs work best when the air fryer is preheated. It ensures they’re cooked evenly and don’t dry out on the outside while still being cold on the inside

What To Serve with Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs

Air Fryer Meatballs on white plate

Best sauces to serve with Meatballs

How to Reheat Meatballs in the Air Fryer

Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

  1. Preheat your air fryer to 320 degrees.
  2. Cook the meatballs for 3-4 minutes, until heated thoroughly.
  3. Remove the meatballs from the air fryer and enjoy!

More like this Frozen Meatballs Air Fryer recipe

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Cooked meatballs inside air fryer

Frozen Meatballs in Air Fryer

Samantha Erb
How to cook frozen meatballs in the air fryer for a golden brown outside and juicy inside.
4.50 from 54 votes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 9 minutes
Course Air Fryer Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 160 kcal

Ingredients

  • 12 frozen meatballs large or small

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your air fryer to 320 degrees.
  • Place frozen meatballs in the air fryer and cook for 9 to 11 minutes,* until warmed thoroughly.
  • Remove the meatballs from the air fryer and enjoy!

Video

Notes

*cook 9 to 11 minutes for smaller meatballs and 11-13 minutes for larger meatballs

How to Reheat Meatballs in the Air Fryer:

1. Preheat your air fryer to 320 degrees.
2. Cook meatballs for 3 to 4 minutes until warmed thoroughly.
3. Remove from the air fryer and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 8gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 373mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2g

This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!


samantha

About Samantha

I’ve always had a love of cooking and creating new recipes, so it only made sense to create a food blog so I could share those recipes with you. This site is designed to provide easy and flavorful recipes with as little ingredients as possible. That means you still get great flavor combinations without all that extra time and effort. Read more...

4.50 from 54 votes (54 ratings without comment)

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