Asian-Inspired Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, include a burst of flavors and the most delightful sweet glaze (or dipping sauce). Make them as a main dish for your everyday enjoyment or as an appetizer for serving guests.
Have you tried making Air Fryer Meatballs yet?
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t use my air fryer for just anything and everything. In fact, I reserve it for the times I’m looking for something to be ultra crispy, or I’m avoiding a long bake time or lots of cleanup.
Enter: this air fryer turkey meatball recipe.
This is one of those instances where using your air fryer is worthwhile.
You get to skip the step of searing the meatballs in a skillet because the air fryer does a great job of making them crispy, plus they only take 12 to 14 minutes to make.
In this sense, we’re saving time by eliminating work and cutting down on the cook time, while still enjoying a nice juicy meatball.
If you love meatball recipes and have the time to prepare them in the slow cooker with tomato sauce, make my Crock Pot Italian Meatballs.
I make these meatballs gluten-free and soy-free, but I have included options for alterations.
Let’s discuss the fresh ingredients for these Asian-inspired meatballs.
Ingredients for Asian Turkey Meatballs:
Ground Turkey: We use lean ground turkey to make this healthy air fryer meatballs recipe. For fattier, juicy meatballs, use ground beef to make beef meatball.
Egg: One egg helps bind all of the meatball ingredients together and ensures amazing texture.
Avocado Oil & Toasted Sesame Oil: The combination of avocado oil and sesame oil brings some much needed fat to the meatballs. Sesame oil is there for flavor, but if you aren’t a fan of sesame or you don’t have it on hand, replace it with more avocado oil. You can also use olive oil here if you’d prefer. We’re avoiding dry turkey meatballs here.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: Gluten-free flour brings a nice spongy texture to the meatballs. I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but you can also use any 1:1 gluten-free blend you like.
If you aren’t gluten-free, use ½ cup of panko bread crumbs instead of the gluten-free flour blend.
Fresh Ginger, Garlic, Green Onions: The combination of fresh ginger, garlic cloves, and green onion its what brings a great deal of flavor to the meatballs.
Salt: Add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste. I use about ¾ of a teaspoon to be sure the meatballs are nice and flavorful.
For the Dipping Sauce: coconut aminos, green onion, fish sauce, toasted sesame oil, and garlic are all we need for a delightful sweet and savory dipping sauce.
If you don’t have coconut aminos on hand, replace it with 3 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or pure maple syrup.
Recipe Adaptations:
You can experiment with different flavors when making meatballs.
If you’re looking for Italian meatballs, omit the ginger and add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and onion powder, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and serve the meatballs with marinara sauce (or your favorite sauce) instead of the glaze. Serve with regular pasta and fresh grated parmesan cheese.
I definitely recommend making the dipping sauce because they add an amazing pop of flavor to the meatballs and also give them some moisture.
Now that we’re familiar with the simple ingredients list for air fryer ground turkey meatballs, let’s air fry meatballs!
How to Make Easy Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs:
Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl and mix until everything is well-combined. I use my hands to mix everything together but you can also use a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer.
If you have a stand mixer, you can use it with the paddle attachment to make meatballs. You can also use a food processor to make the turkey mixture.
Form 10 to 12 meatballs out of the meat mixture. If you have a cookie scoop or a small ice cream scoop, feel free to use it to form meatballs.
Transfer the meatballs to the air fryer basket in a single layer. You may need to do this in two batches if you have a small air fryer.
Air fry at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reach 165 degrees F or higher and the outside is golden brown.
Note: Depending on the size of the meatballs (if they are rather small), you may want to adjust the cooking time down by a minute or two so that the meatballs don’t become overcooked. If your turkey meat is very cold and/or you make large meatballs, air fry turkey meatballs for 12 to 14 minutes.
To verify the temperature, insert a meat thermometer into the center of the largest meatball (or spot check several meatballs) and wait until the numbers stop moving.
While the meatballs are cooking in the air fryer, prepare the dipping sauce.
Mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce together in a small bowl or measuring cup until well-combined.
You can use this as dipping sauce, or do as I do and toss the cooked meatballs in a mixing bowl with the sauce to coat them.
Serve these Asian Turkey Meatballs as an appetizer, or use them as a main entrée and serve them with your choice of side dishes like steamed rice (zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice for low carb) and sauteed vegetables.
Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
That’s it! A fresh and flavorful healthy meatballs recipe that is just teaming with flavor. This simple flavorful air fryer turkey meatballs recipe is the best way to cook homemade meatballs in a hurry for an easy meal.
Make this simple recipe for meal prep to enjoy during the busy workweek for a quick dinner, or serve meatballs as an appetizer at any gathering.
For those of you who enjoy air frying and adore chicken thighs, try my Crispy Air Fryer Asian Chicken Thighs recipe.
If you love making air fryer recipes, also try out these reader favorites.
More Healthy Air Fryer Recipes:
- Air Fryer Steak Bites
- Crispy Mediterranean Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Lemon Garlic Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Crispy Air Fryer Salmon
- Air Fryer Curry Cauliflower
- Easy Air Fryer Pork Chops
Enjoy these healthy turkey meatballs whenever the craving strikes!
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil*
- ⅓ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 3 stalks green onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp sea salt, to taste
For the Dipping Sauce / Glaze:
- ⅓ cup coconut aminos*
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fish sauce, optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl and mix until everything is well-combined. I use my hands to mix everything together but you can also use a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer.
- If you have a stand mixer, you can use it with the paddle attachment to make meatballs. You can also use a food processor to make the turkey mixture.
- Form 10 to 12 meatballs out of the meat mixture. If you have a cookie scoop or a small ice cream scoop, feel free to use it to form meatballs. Transfer the meatballs to the air fryer basket in a single layer. You may need to do this in two batches if you have a small air fryer.
- Air fry at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reach 165 degrees F or higher and the outside is golden brown.
- Note: Depending on the size of the meatballs (if they are rather small), you may want to adjust the cooking time down by a minute or two so that the meatballs don’t become overcooked. If your turkey meat is very cold and/or you make large meatballs, air fry turkey meatballs for 12 to 14 minutes.
- To verify the temperature, insert a meat thermometer into the center of the largest meatball (or spot check several meatballs) and wait until the numbers stop moving.
- While the meatballs are cooking in the air fryer, prepare the dipping sauce. Mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce together in a small bowl or measuring cup until well-combined.
- You can use this as dipping sauce, or do as I do and toss the cooked meatballs in a mixing bowl with the sauce to coat them.
- Serve these Asian Turkey Meatballs as an appetizer, or use them as a main entrée and serve them with your choice of side dishes like steamed rice (zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice for low carb) and sauteed vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
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