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Everyone loves meatballs, so arm yourself with all the best Beef Meatball Recipes! From appetizers to spaghetti to soups and subs, these are all the best ground beef meatball recipes, all in one place. They're always easy, and always delicious!
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Easy Meatball Recipes
My favorite thing about meatballs is there's a meatball recipe for every occasion! Whether you're cooking for a party, family dinner, or just to prep a bunch of meals for later, meatballs have you covered. They're so versatile, I like to prep big batches and make my own homemade bags of frozen meatballs for later!
What makes these meatball recipes easy is how quick and simple they are to make. They're always one bowl meals that take almost no prep- just mix up the ingredients in a bowl, form them into meatballs, and cook them in the oven, slow cooker, air fryer, or even Instant Pot!
Looking for a fast dinner? Try your meatball recipes baked or in the pressure cooker. Or, for an ultra-easy dinner choose from my crock pot meatball recipe! Meatball sauce recipe included for the easiest spaghetti and meatballs you'll ever serve!
Italian Meatball Recipes
Air Fryer Meatballs
All the amazing flavor of Italian meatballs, done in 15 minutes! That's the magic of the Air Fryer!
Scroll to the bottom of the page for my go-to recipe for tender, fluffy Italian meatballs in the air fryer. It's one of my best Italian meatball recipes, and up there with the best meatball recipes for spaghetti!
Meatball Recipe Ideas
Don't feel limited to just Italian meatballs! Try out some of my other amazing meatball recipes, ranging from amazing Sweet and Sour Meatballs, perfect as a meatball appetizer recipe, or my best Swedish meatball recipes! There's really no going wrong!
Recipes Using Meatballs
Of course, a good meatball can be served in so many ways! Above are my favorite accessory recipes for meatballs, from ways to serve them to how to season up your own favorite recipe.
How to Freeze Meatballs
Meatballs are the perfect meal for making ahead and storing for later!
To freeze meatballs, mix and roll out the meat mixture, then place them on a pan lined with parchment paper in the freezer.
Transfer them to a freezer-safe bag once fully frozen and store, frozen, for up to three months.
How to Cook Frozen Meatballs
Cooking meatballs from frozen is so easy to do! No matter what you're cooking the meatballs in, add about ⅓rd more cooking time. For example, for a recipe that cooks for 15 minutes, cook the frozen meatballs for 20 minutes.
Make sure to always check the internal temperature of the meatballs with an instant-read thermometer! Meatballs need to be cooked to 160°F to be safe for consumption. Check my beef temperature chart for more!
Best Meatball Recipes FAQs
Meatballs taste incredible cooked any way, whether you fry, bake, or cook them in a slow cooker. Each has its benefits! Pan-frying meatballs tends to give the best browned crust, but can be the most oily. Baking them cooks each meatball perfectly evenly but doesn't always give the perfect browned surface. Personally, I love air frying my meatballs for the best of both worlds.
It's commonly wondered if milk or egg is better for soft meatballs, but they actually serve two completely different purposes! Egg is added to bind together the meat mixture so it doesn't crumble while cooking. Milk, in the meanwhile, is added to add moisture to the mix, so it stays juicy and doesn't get dry.
If you want to brown the meatballs before adding the sauce is up to you and how much time you want to spend cooking the meal! Browning them first can add a satisfying crust to the meatballs, but in slow cooker recipes, it's not practical to spend time browning the meat before adding the sauce. In most recipes, you can skip browning them and it will be just as delicious.
The best meatballs are made with a mix of milk, eggs, a fluffy filler like breadcrumbs, meat, and seasonings. It's important to add all of those aspects to ensure that the meatballs stay tender and fluffy after being cooked instead of getting dry or tough.
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📋 Recipe
Best Meatball Recipes - Air Fryer Meatballs
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground beef 80/20 mix
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- Sea salt to taste
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- Place the ground meat, breadcrumbs, and all seasonings except for cheese in a large bowl, then add all 4 eggs, beaten.2 lbs. ground beef, 1 lb. ground pork, 4 eggs, 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Add the Parmesan cheese, and stir to combine completely.1 cup Parmesan cheese
- Take gold ball sized hand fulls of the meat mixture and roll them into meatballs. Place on your air fryer rack or in the basket of your air fryer.
- Bake in air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes. Once 5 minutes is up, shuffle the racks, or turn the meatballs over if using a basket. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve as is or use in recipes, and enjoy!Sea salt
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes approximately 3 dozen medium-size meatballs. It is great for making enough to freeze for leftovers or make-ahead recipes.
- Don't overcrowd your racks when cooking them - spread them out so they cook evenly!
- Line your rack with aluminum foil for easy clean up!
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