Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs

Name: Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey; 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt; 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1/3 cup milk; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Jump to Recipe | Pin Recipe

This super-easy Turkey Meatball Recipe utilizes the power of the air fryer to give you an oil-free, lightened up version of a classic meatball without sacrificing flavor. They're perfect on top of spaghetti or even on their own as a snack or appetizer!

Side close up shot of multiple meatballs stacked on a black plate garnished with herbs and parmesan cheese. — This healthy turkey meatball recipe will quickly become a staple in your household!

Jump to:

👩🏻‍🍳 Why You'll Love This Recipe
🥘 Ingredients Needed
🔪 Instructions
👪 FAQs
💭 Other Helpful Tips
📖 Variations
🥗 Suggested Companion Dishes
🦃 More Turkey Recipes
📋 Recipe Card
💬 Reviews and Comments

👩🏻‍🍳 Why You'll Love This Recipe

For the longest time, I only made store-bought frozen meatballs, and then I realized how easy it is to make your own. Not only that, but ground turkey meatballs are much leaner than beef, so they're better for you!

They also taste incredible and come out so crispy and delicious from the air fryer, but they're still nice and moist on the inside. Trust me, once you start making these, you won't miss those frozen meatballs!

This turkey meatball recipe is perfect for spicing up a quick spaghetti dinner or even to serve on their own. The red pepper flakes give them a little kick and they're so flavorful.

I recommend trying them with my Chicken Pesto Pasta for a complete and filling meal, but they'll go perfectly with just about any classic pasta dish!

Another great air fryer recipe are these Air Fryer Boiled Eggs, which are excellent to make for a quick and reliable breakfast!

And if you really love turkey, try this hearty Creamy Turkey Soup. Or for even more meatballs, make these yummy Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs or a batch of One Pot Meatball Stroganoff!

🥘 Ingredients Needed

Overhead shot of ingredients- ground turkey, Italian seasoning, bread crumbs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes. — With only eight ingredients, this healthy meatball recipe is super quick and easy to prepare!

ground turkey - a great lean substitute for ground beef, and with all of the seasonings and flavors in this turkey meatball recipe, you won't even notice the difference!
garlic salt
Italian seasoning - a fast and easy way to pack a lot of flavor.
red pepper flakes - these definitely give your meatballs a kick, so feel free to reduce the amount or omit entirely.
Worcestershire sauce - provides an extra punch of umami flavor.
milk - helps all of the ingredients come together and form a workable mixture.
Parmesan cheese - gives your meatballs a bit of cheesiness.
bread crumbs - I used seasoned bread crumbs to give my ground turkey meatballs extra flavor.

🔪 Instructions

Four panel collage of process shots- combining ingredients, forming meatballs, and baking in air fryer. — Ready in less than 20 minutes, these healthy turkey meatballs are super easy to prepare!

Combine ground turkey, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, milk, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs in a bowl.
Portion out the mixture into mounds of about 1 ½ tablespoons. Roll them between your hand to create balls.
Drop the meatballs in the air fryer basket, making sure to leave room between them for even frying.
Air fry for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. If you want more even browning, you can flip them at the halfway mark, but I usually just let them go!

👪 FAQs

Why are my turkey meatballs rubbery?

The number one reason for this happening is overworking the meat before it's cooked. Be sure to roll the meatballs loosely and not apply too much pressure to the meat. It can be helpful to mix all of the other ingredients thoroughly, then add the ground turkey and stir just until combined.

How do you keep ground turkey meatballs from falling apart?

One way to prevent this is to soak some pieces of bread and add them into the mixture, which help to hold the meatballs together. You may also want to roll the meatballs in some flour before air fryer to help prevent sticking, which could also cause them to fall apart when removing from the air fryer.

What can I serve with meatballs besides pasta?

These ground turkey meatballs are pretty versatile so they go with just about anything. Serve them with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, on rolls with your sauce of choice for a delicious sandwich, over rice, or even cut up on top of a salad.

How do you know when ground turkey meatballs are done?

One sure-fire way to know is to use a meat thermometer and check to see if they've reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F. You can also check visually by cutting one in half and making sure the meatball isn't pink and is more or less the same color all the way through.

Side shot of multiple meatballs stacked on a black plate garnished with herbs and parmesan cheese. — A healthy alternative to the classic red meat meatball, these air fryer turkey meatballs are just as tasty!

💭 Other Helpful Tips

These ground turkey meatballs can also be made in the oven if you don't have access to an air fryer. Pop them on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes at 450 degrees F.
If you're still finding your meatballs are falling apart, mix an egg into the meat mixture to act as a binding agent.
Use a small ice cream scoop as a tool to make all of your meatballs roughly the same size, which will help with even cooking.
These meatballs are great to make in large batches and freeze to reheat

This turkey meatball recipe is so easy to prepare with only a few steps and 10 minutes of cook time. You can have them put together and in the air fryer by the time the water boils for your pasta!

📖 Variations

You could also try this recipe with ground chicken, another ground meat that's a bit leaner than ground beef but still nice and flavorful.
Feel free to adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your liking. If you enjoy spicy food, increase the amount. If spicy food isn't your thing, reduce the amount or even omit them altogether.
For extra nutrition, roughly chop some spinach and add it to the meat mixture.

🥗 Suggested Companion Dishes

This turkey meatball recipe goes great with so many dishes, but here are a couple of suggestions.

For this Easy Ground Turkey Pasta Broccoli Dinner, just eliminate the step where you cook the ground turkey and substitute these ground turkey meatballs instead.

If you're looking for a super light meal, serve them with this Chipotle Lime Edamame on the side, or crumble a couple of meatballs on top of this Kale Caesar Salad!

🦃 More Turkey Recipes

Brie Grilled Cheese with Turkey - take your grilled cheese to the next level with this classy and upgraded version of the classic sandwich.
Crock Pot Turkey Legs - this recipe has been in my family for a few generations now and it's still impossible to beat the flavor of a good old fashioned turkey leg.
Thai Turkey Burgers - a twist on the turkey burger you know and love, these burgers are bursting with flavor!
Ground Turkey Alfredo Casserole - a perfect, easy weeknight meal the whole family will love!

Overhead shot of multiple meatballs stacked on a black plate garnished with herbs and parmesan cheese. — The whole family will enjoy these flavorful and delicious and healthy turkey meatballs!

Turkey Meatball Recipe

Love this recipe? Awesome! Please give it a 5 star ⭐ rating below! And if you make this, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram. You can find me at DizzyBusyandHungry or #dizzybusyandhungry!

📋 Recipe Card