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Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs

June 6, 2022 by Dolly {Dash for Dinner} 3 Comments

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An air fryer basket with meatballs, and then a bowl topped with sauce and garnished with sesame.
An air fryer basket with cooked meatballs inside.
Meatballs glazed with sweet and sour sauce, and garnished with sesame seeds.
A bowl of glazed meatballs, garnished with sesame seeds.
An air fryer basket filled with cooked meatballs.
A bowl of glazed meatballs, garnished with sesame seeds.
A bowl of glazed meatballs, garnished with sesame seeds.
An air fryer basket filled with with cooked meatballs.
An air fryer basket with cooked meatballs inside.
An air fryer basket with cooked meatballs inside.
A bowl of glazed meatballs, garnished with sesame seeds.
A bowl of glazed meatballs, garnished with sesame seeds.
Meatballs in an air fryer.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy start to a meal, you HAVE to try these air fryer frozen meatballs. Ready in just 13 minutes, they are perfectly cooked and ready to be used in your favorite dishes. OR you can toss them with your favorite sauce for a delicious glazed meatball that works for either an appetizer or a main dish.

A bowl of glazed meatballs, garnished with sesame seeds.

One of my favorite easy meal starters is a bag of frozen meatballs! They cook up really quickly, and are a family favorite when served up with some sauce and some rice or pasta on the side.

These air fryer frozen meatballs have to be the EASIEST way to prepare frozen meatballs EVER. They are added to the basket of an air fryer and cook for just 10-13 minutes, and then they are ready to go! You can either serve them as an appetizer (think tossed with grape jelly and served with toothpicks) or as an easy weeknight meal idea.

We love ours tossed with some sweet and sour sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and served over a bowl of hot cooked rice (the Instant Pot method for white rice is my favorite). Another easy way to prepare them is tossing them with marinara and serve over cooked spaghetti noodles. Top with a little parmesan cheese and you’ll have instant spaghetti and meatballs!

You Will Need:

A bowl of frozen meatballs on a white and blue napkin, with an air fryer just out of view.
  • Frozen meatballs: You can use your favorite brand, or even homemade precooked meatballs that you have frozen for meal prep. I really like the ones from Costco, because they are a great size and a great price!
  • Sauce of choice: If you don’t have plans for adding your cooked meatballs to a prepared dish, you may be wondering how to serve them. I like to toss them with some sauce and serve over rice, or as-is with some steamed veggies on the side. Check out the list of suggestions below for some sauce inspiration!
  • Air fryer: Of course you’ll need an air fryer! I’m using my Ninja basket air fryer, but you can use an oven style one if you want. You’ll just need to add 1-2 minutes onto the cook time.

How to Make Frozen Meatballs in an Air Fryer

Shaking an air fryer basket full of meatballs.
An air fryer basket filled with cooked meatballs.

How to Cook Precooked Frozen Meatballs in an Air Fryer:

  1. Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF/177ºC.
  2. Add the frozen precooked meatballs in a single layer in the basket of your air fryer, leaving some space in between them.
  3. Cook for 10-13 minutes, or until browned and heated through. Shake the basket halfway through to ensure even browning and cooking.
  4. Remove the meatballs and serve as is, or serve with your favorite sauce.
Adding cooked meatballs to sweet and sour sauce and tossing to coat.

Adding Sauce

While you can serve the meatballs as-is, OR add to your favorite meals, adding a sauce of your choice can add BIG flavor without a lot of extra work. In fact, it only took an additional minute to warm up some store bought sweet and sour sauce to add to these perfectly cooked meatballs in the air fryer.

  1. Add your choice of sauce to a medium sized bowl.
  2. Microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute, or until hot.
  3. Add the cooked meatballs and toss to combine.
  4. Garnish with sesame seeds, parsley, parmesan cheese, or any toppings of your choice.
  5. Serve as is, or with a side of cooked rice or pasta.

Best Sauces for Serving with Frozen Meatballs

  • Marinara
  • Sweet and sour
  • Teriyaki
  • Barbecue
  • Honey Garlic
  • Gravy
  • Buffalo
  • Grape jelly
A close up of meatballs that have been cooked in an air fryer basket.

Dinner Ideas Using Cooked Meatballs

  • Meatball parmesan: Top with warmed marinara sauce, then shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Garnish with parsley.
  • Swedish meatballs: Toss with a creamy gravy and serve with mashed potatoes. This recipe from The Recipe Critic looks amazing!
  • Meatball subs: Toss the cooked meatballs with hot marinara sauce and fill sub buns with the marinara and meatballs. Top with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese and broil for 1-2 minutes to toast the bread and melt the cheese.
  • Sweet and sour meatballs: Toss the cooked meatballs with hot sweet and sour sauce, garnish with sesame seeds and serve over hot cooked rice.
  • Barbecue meatballs: Toss with warmed BBQ sauce and serve over rice or in toasted sub buns.
A bowl of glazed meatballs, garnished with sesame seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you cook frozen meatballs in the air fryer?

Yes! Meatballs can easily be cooked from frozen in the air fryer. Just make sure they are added to a preheated basket, and they cook to an internal temperature of 165ºF. At 350ºF they should cook within 10-13 minutes, although toaster oven models will take a bit longer to cook.

Can you cook frozen meatballs from frozen?

Yes! Most brands of frozen meatballs are designed to be cooked from frozen, and they actually tend to cook better versus thawing them. Cooking from frozen helps ensure that they don’t burn and lose moisture, since their frozen state slows down the cooking process.

How long would you cook frozen meatballs in the air fryer?

If you are cooking your meatballs in a basket style air fryer at 350ºF, your meatballs should be ready in 10-13 minutes. Oven style models will need 1-2 minutes more time to cook. Once the meatballs have cooked through and have browned evenly, remove them from the air fryer and toss with your favorite sauce (if desired) and serve.

More Easy Air Fryer Dinner Ideas

  • Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders
  • Air Fryer Ham and Cheese Sliders
  • Air Fryer Sausage and Peppers
  • Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
  • Air Fryer Chicken Breasts – Well Plated
A stack of glazed meatballs, garnished with sesame seeds.

Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs

This recipe for air fryer meatballs is ready quickly, and is perfect for a quick and easy dinner idea. Just toss with your favorite sauce and you're ready to serve!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Air Fryer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer dinner ideas, easy dinner ideas, frozen meatballs
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 295kcal
Author: Dolly (Dash for Dinner)

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 24 frozen meatballs
  • 1 cup sauce optional
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF/177ºC.
  • Add the frozen precooked meatballs in a single layer in the basket of your air fryer, leaving some space in between them. You may need to work in batches if you don't have enough room to do this.
  • Cook for 10-13 minutes, or until browned and heated through. Shake the basket halfway through to ensure even browning and cooking.
  • Remove the meatballs and serve as is, or serve with your favorite sauce.
  • To glaze with sauce: Warm 1 cup of your favorite sauce in a medium sized bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  • Add the meatballs to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve with rice, pasta, or with a side of steamed vegetables.

Video

Notes

No crowding: If your air fryer basket can't fit all of the meatballs in a single layer with some spacing in between, you may need to work in batches.
Gluten free: Select meatballs that are free from fillers and gluten.
Keto/Low Carb: Select meatballs that contain no added sugar or breadcrumbs. Check the overall net carb count to ensure it is low. Serve with a sugar free, low carb option like sugar free marinara sauce or alfredo sauce.
Best Sauces for Serving with Meatballs:
  • Marinara
  • Sweet and sour
  • Teriyaki
  • Barbecue
  • Honey Garlic
  • Gravy
  • Buffalo
  • Grape jelly

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 327mg | Potassium: 161mg | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Please note that some of my blog posts here at Dash for Dinner may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please see my Disclaimer for more information.

Filed Under: Air Fryer, Recipes

Previous Post: « One Pan Creamy Garlic Chicken {Keto + Low Carb}
Next Post: Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Chicken »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Steve

    June 6, 2022 at 11:10 am

    5 stars
    This recipe for meatballs in the air fryer was really easy. It’s already getting hot here, and so I didn’t want to make them in the oven. I think I’ll be making them in the air fryer from now on!

    Reply
  2. Dexter

    January 21, 2023 at 9:54 pm

    Turned out great! But made meatball sub instead, with green peppers,onions, spicy marina sauce And provolone .

    Reply
    • Dolly {Dash for Dinner}

      January 25, 2023 at 8:17 am

      Sounds delicious!

      Reply

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