Low carb air fryer turkey meatballs is one of our favorite healthy low carb meals. It’s also great on pasta for the kids. We love serving air fried turkey meatballs as a snack, appetizer or for dinner. And it only takes about 15 minutes of air frying time to make a delicious batch of homemade healthy turkey meatballs

holding air fryer turkey meatball

Juicy Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs

Are you craving homemade meatballs that’s healthy and made with ground turkey? Then you have to try our air fried turkey meatballs recipe! Made from scratch, we love turkey meatballs because they’re a lighter type of meat but still flavorful. With the addition of garlic or you can use any of your favorite seasonings to give this simple ground turkey a lot of flavor. Best of all, ground turkey meat has less calories than most other meats so turkey is a good choice if you’re watching what you eat.

plate of air fryer turkey meatballs with pasta

Can you use ground chicken instead?

Sure! You an replace the turkey for ground chicken. The texture and flavor will be very similar. You can find ground turkey in most large supermarkets. But if you have a hard time finding ground turkey in your grocery store, ask the clerk. Sometimes they sell the ground turkey pre-packaged and stored in the freezer section. If you buy the frozen ground turkey meat, make sure to thaw it first.

Video: Healthy Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs Recipe

Keto or Low Carb Air Fried Turkey Meatballs

It’s simple to make turkey meatballs even more keto friendly. To make these meatballs even more low carb and keto, just replace the regular bread crumbs with more keto fillers. For example, the most popular replacements would be using almond flour or crushed pork rinds. The almond flour or crushed pork rinds is a great keto friendly alternative for bread crumbs. It doesn’t dilute the flavors either.

Tips for Air Frying Turkey Meatballs

  • BREADING: Tender meatballs need some type of breading. Adding some dried bread crumbs really makes the air fried meatballs juicy. You can also use crushed crackers. It’s a great way to use up old crackers. If you want a low carb or keto friendly version, we discuss the below options below. The breading will help make the meatballs more tender and less dense.
  • Don’t pack meat down too much, be gentle when forming the meatballs don’t press on the too firmly. This will make the mixture too dense and less soft and crumbly. Be gentle but don’t pack the meat too tight.
  • Do you need to add egg? Yes, you need egg. The egg is what makes them juicy in the center.
  • You need a light oil spray: To keep the meatballs from being dry, a light spray of oil on the outside of the meatballs will keep them from drying out during air frying.
  • Leave space between the meatballs. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. You want just a single layer inside the basket. For a smaller air fryer or if you are making a larger batch, cook in batches if needed.
  • Remember to turn the meatballs halfway through when you cook meatballs so that they air fry evenly on all sides.
  • This meatball recipe is perfect as an appetizer or add some sauce and serves with pasta (everyone loves spaghetti & meatball), on rice, or as a meatball sandwich or sub.
  • All air fried turkey meatballs recipe details are in the recipe box below.
plate of air fryer turkey meatballs with pasta

Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs {Homemade}

If you have a smaller air fryer or are making a larger batch of meatballs, make sure you don't overcrowd the meatballs in the air fryer. Cook in batches if needed.
Adjust timing if you make smaller or larger meatballs.
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound (454 g) raw ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup (27 g) breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt , or taste
  • black pepper , to taste

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Mix together all the meatball ingredients in a bowl (turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper).
    Turkey meatball ingredients in a bowl
  • To make rolling the meat balls easier, lightly oil your hands to help keep the meat from sticking to your hands when shaping the meatballs.
    Spraying hand with oil
  • Shape the meat into 12 evenly sized meatballs about the size of a heaping 1/8 cup (a medium cookie scoop also works great for forming even sized meatballs).
    A ball of turkey meatball mix in hand
  • Preheat air fryer at 380°F/193°C for 4-5 minutes.
    Touching the Air Fryer panel
  • Lightly spray the basket/tray of the air fryer with oil. Add the meatballs into an even layer. Spray the meatballs with oil to lightly coat.
    Spraying raw turkey meatballs in air fryer basket
  • Air Fry at 380°F/193°C for 8 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and then spray with additional oil if they look dry.
    Turning turkey meatballs with tongs
  • Increase heat to 400°F/205°C and continue to Air Fry for another 2-4 minutes or until cooked through and to your liking.
    Fully cooked turkey meatballs in air fryer
  • Serve as a main dish, serve on pasta with sauce, on rice, or in a sandwich. Or make into appetizers. Skewer with toothpicks and serve with your favorite sauce.
    Turkey meatballs on plate of pasta

If your air fryer is preheated or if you are cooking multiple batches, you may need to reduce timing by a few minutes (unless preheating is called for in the recipe).

Video

YouTube video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 177kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 310mg, Potassium: 398mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 98IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 2mg
plate of pasta and air fried turkey meatballs

Different ways to serve turkey meatballs

There’s so many possibilities for serving meatballs beyond the spaghetti and meatballs tradition. Sure, this classic comfort dish of spaghetti and meatballs is always satisfying. But if you’re looking for something different, here’s some yummy possibilities with air fryer turkey meatballs

  • Love sliders? You should make meatball sliders out of these.
  • Meatballs sub sandwiches are fantastic! Add extra marinara sauce and cheese on top.
  • We love serving them as appetizers! You can serve them as they are with some toothpicks.
  • Use differnet sypes of sauces: Add your favorite sauce on top for juicer meatballs like marinara sauce, alfredo sauce of any type of hot sauce.
  • Other comfort food ideas: Serve with different types of pasta, rice or noodles. Kids will love these meatballs with pasta.
  • If you love parmesan cheese, add a sprinkle on top for more flavor. Add some mozzarella cheese on top and let them melt on the meatballs. YUM!
  • Add them sliced as a pizza topping. Or you can just halve them for pizza. We love meatball pizza!