If meatballs is one of your favorite things to eat, then this air fryer meatballs in Teriyaki sauce is going to win your heart as you can consume them guilt-free! Teriyaki sauce makes these already delicious meatballs absolutely irresistible!
I have shared many meatballs recipes till date as it is one of those dishes which I discovered and fell in love with after I had started my journey as a food blogger. Any meatball dish can prove to be an easy crowd-pleaser thanks to its fancy look and also because it’s extremely satiating to our taste buds.
Today’s recipe of air fryer meatballs in Teriyaki sauce is an upgrade to the traditional meatballs as it uses modern technology and helps you cut down on a significant amount of calories.
I used minimal oil in it and that too only to ensure the meatballs retain their tenderness after air frying; but it is 90% less oil than your regular fried meatballs.
You can use Teriyaki sauce of your choice – homemade one or store-bought one. In today’s recipe I have used a store-bought Teriyaki sauce, but I promise to make a homemade version too and share with you all very soon!
What are air fryer meatballs?
Meatballs is quite a traditional recipe which has been very popular since ages. Typically meatballs are fried in oil of your choice or sometimes baked.
Now with the advancement of technology, traditional recipes are also being experimented to see if they can be improvised in terms of taste, flavor, health benefit and ease of making using tech. Same is the case with these air fryer meatballs.
Air fryer has proved to be the most successful invention of the last decade and is still gaining its popularity exponentially thanks to its ability to cut down on extra calories by cutting down significantly on the amount of oil.
These air fryer meatballs are very similar to your regular meatballs only without even one-fourth of the oil. Just a tablespoon of oil in the meatball mixture to ensure they retain the tenderness of a regular meatball and hence it’s a delight for all mindful eaters!
Why should you prefer air fryer meatballs?
Simply because they are significantly lower in empty calories and they are way too easier to make than the fried version! Whenever there is a frying involved, I dread the aftermath of it as you will have oil splattered all over your kitchen counter around the stove.
The very thought of the effort it would need to clean up after such cooking puts me off and I refrain from making recipes involving frying. These air fryer meatballs solve that problem effortlessly and I just love it for that!
You just have to prepare the meatball mixture and roll the balls. Then leave it to the air fryer to do its job while you relax on the couch reading your favorite book! Voila! You have a clean kitchen and a delicious dinner ready simply hassle-free! Sounds like a dream?
How to make these meatballs if you don’t have an air fryer yet?
If you still haven’t made up your mind about owning an air fryer, it is perfectly alright! You can still make these delicious meatballs in Teriyaki sauce using the traditional method of cooking i.e. by shallow frying this in oil.
If you are shallow frying your meatballs, then skip the olive oil while making the meatballs mixture. While shallow frying, the meatballs will absorb some of the oil and hence will retain their tenderness.
After frying the meatballs, place them on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper to let the excess oil soak up as you don’t necessarily need to consume the extra oil.
You can also bake these meatballs in your oven. Arrange them in a single layer on a grilling rack placed over a baking sheet. Then bake them at 180 C / 350 F for 30 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
Once you are done with your meatballs either by frying or baking, you can proceed with the next step of tossing them in Teriyaki sauce and you have your sumptuous dinner ready!
Ingredients to make air fryer meatballs
The ingredient list for making these air fryer meatballs is not very long. Let’s check them out!
Chicken: You will need minced chicken for making your meatballs. You can either buy minced chicken from your butcher or you can opt to do what I do. I usually buy chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut them up in small chunks and then mince them in my grinder. I find the store-bought chicken mince too fine to be used in any recipe whereas my home-ground chicken mince is much stickier and hence easier to bind for making meatballs.
Eggs: You will need a couple of eggs which will ensure your meatballs remain soft and tender. Do not skip adding eggs.
Garlic & Onion Powder: The primary aromatics of your meatballs are garlic and onion powder. If you don’t have powders handy or you don’t want to buy a full jar of garlic & onion powder just for this recipe, worry not! Feel free to substitute with grated ginger and minced or pureed garlic. They will work as good as powders.
Green/Spring onion: Green onion adds an incredible freshness to any dish it is added to and same is the case with this one. Add a handful of chopped green onions, both green and white parts, and enhance the flavors of your meatballs multi-times!
Olive Oil: Since I am air frying my meatballs, I added about a tablespoon of olive oil in the chicken mixture. The oil will help retain the tenderness of the meatballs.
Soy sauce: Since this is an Asian inspired recipe, a splash of light soy sauce will add an amazing depth of flavor.
Breadcrumbs: You will need about half a cup of breadcrumbs to add a kick of crispiness to your meatballs.
Seasoning: Add salt and pepper to season your meatball mixture but add very less salt as soy sauce and Teriyaki sauce both are quite salty.
Teriyaki sauce: After your meatballs are perfectly air fried, you will need the luscious Teriyaki sauce to toss up your soft & tender meatballs.
How to make air fryer meatballs in Teriyaki sauce?
Step 1: If you got chicken mince from the store, then you will have to skip this step. If you bought chicken thighs and want to make your own chicken mince, then first wash and pat dry them well. Then cut them into small cubes and put them in the grinder. Grind them until you have finely minced chicken.
Step 2: Take the minced chicken out in a large mixing bowl. Add garlic & onion powder, soy sauce, olive oil, egg and about ½ teaspoon of salt. Give a mix using your hand to ensure all aromatics are evenly distributed. Hand mixing is preferable as it ensures even mixing compared to mixing with a spatula.
Step 3: Now add the breadcrumbs and green onions. Give a final mix again using a light hand. Do not overmix the meatball mixture as it may produce tough meatballs if overmixed.
Step 4: Take about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mince mixture in your palms and roll it into a meatball of approximately 1-inch diameter. Repeat the process with remaining meatballs.
Step 5: Preheat your air fryer at 180 (if yours needs preheating as mine does) and set the timer to 20 minutes. Once hot, place the meatballs in the air fryer basket in a single layer i.e. without placing one on top of another.
Step 6: Spray or brush some oil on the meatballs and start air frying them. Halfway during the cooking time, open the fryer basket and give it a good shake and put it back in to continue cooking.
Step 7: After about 20-25 minutes, your meatballs should turn golden brown and completely cooked through. To ensure, you can cut one up and see if the meat has turned completely opaque without any pink traces. If not done, put them back and start the air fryer for a couple of minutes more.
Step 8: While your meatballs are getting done, you can prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, big enough to hold all the meatballs, add the teriyaki sauce and let it warm up a little.
Step 9: When your meatballs are done completely, take them out and toss them up in the warm teriyaki sauce in the skillet. Give a good shake so that each meatball is coated well with the sauce.
Step 10: Garnish your Teriyaki air fryer meatballs with freshly chopped green onions and white sesame seeds. Serve warm with a bowl of white rice. Enjoy!
My other favorite meatballs recipes:
Recipe inspired from Jo Cooks
- Chicken thigh - 500 gms, skinless & boneless
- Egg - 2
- Garlic powder - 1 tsp (read above for substitute)
- Onion powder - 2 tsp (read above for substitute)
- Olive oil - 1 tbsp
- Soy sauce - 1 tbsp (preferably low sodium)
- Breadcrumbs - ½ cup
- Green onion - 4 stalks, finely chopped (both white and green parts)
- Salt if needed
- Teriyaki sauce - ¾ cup
- Green onion to garnish
- Wash and drain any excess water from the chicken thighs. Chop them into smaller cubes. Then put them in a grinder and grind until minced.
- Take the minced chicken out in a large mixing bowl. Add garlic & onion powder, soy sauce, olive oil, egg and about ½ teaspoon of salt. Give a mix using your hand to ensure all aromatics are evenly distributed.
- Now add the breadcrumbs and green onions. Give a final mix again using a light hand. You can use a spatula as well for mixing but hand mixing is preferable because you anyways have to use your hands for rolling the meatballs.
- Do not overmix the meatball mixture as it may produce tough meatballs if overmixed. Now take about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mince mixture in your palms and roll it into a meatball of approximately 1-inch diameter. Repeat the process with remaining meatballs.
- Preheat your air fryer at 180 (if it needs preheating as mine does) and set the timer to 20 minutes. Once hot, place the meatballs in the air fryer basket in a single layer i.e. without placing one on top of another. (Read above if you don’t have an air fryer and want to do it on stove top.)
- Spray or brush some oil on the meatballs and start air frying them. Halfway during the cooking time, open the fryer basket and give it a good shake and put it back in to continue cooking.
- After about 20-25 minutes, your meatballs should turn golden brown and completely cooked through. To ensure, you can cut one up and see if the meat has turned completely opaque without any pink traces. If not done, put them back in and start the air fryer for a couple of minutes more.
- While your meatballs are getting done, you can prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, big enough to hold all the meatballs, add the teriyaki sauce and let it warm up a little.
- When your meatballs are done completely, take them out and toss them in the warm teriyaki sauce in the skillet. Give a good shake so that each meatball is coated well with the sauce.
- Garnish your Teriyaki air fryer meatballs with freshly chopped green onions and white sesame seeds. Serve warm with a bowl of white rice. Enjoy!
Liked the recipe? Let us know!