Keto Air Fryer Italian Meatballs are moist, tender, savory, and so full of flavor! You will not miss the bread crumbs and no need for pork rinds. These delicious little appetizer meatballs will form together quickly into golf-ball size meatballs that are perfect for a quick lunch, brunch, or side dish. The best part is that they are only 1g of carbs per serving and take only 8 minutes to cook. They are perfect every-time!
We have a lot of ground beef mixes in many of our Keto recipes. You may want to take a look at our traditional non-air-fryer recipes.
Swedish Meatballs – Creamy and Low Carb
Cooks in 35 minutesDifficulty: EasyKeto Swedish Meatballs are an amazing rich and creamy low carb sauce smothers the delicious meatball appetizers!
Albondigas in Spanish Red Sauce
Cooks in 55 minutesDifficulty: EasyAlbondigas in Spanish Red Sauce is a Tapas in Spain – delicious! This one has a smoky tasty flavor that goes perfectly with Manchego cheese and low-carb Sangria.
Keto Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaf
Cooks in 50 minutesDifficulty: EasyKeto Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaf is the perfect party appetizer. With the bite of Italian sausage and the sweet tang of barbecue sauce, you have a real winner! Try our sugar-free barbecue sauce for dipping.
However, this recipe is all about our “Air Fryer.” Joanie loves the new addition to her kitchen. I suspect we will be posting a lot of new recipes using this tool with Joanie’s Tasty Low Carb touch!
Ingredients
Joanie usually uses an 80-20 blend for burgers and meatloaf recipes, but she wanted a little more fat (75-25) in the mix for this air fryer version of the classic Italian meatballs. We have heard so much about air fryers drying out recipes that we wanted to make sure our Keto Air Fryer Italian Meatballs were juicy and moist. The blend she chose works well. Joanie also cut the standard time down to 8 minutes for her meatball recipe. Some of the trials she made with various recipes in the air fryer taught her that the cook times are often a bit high.
Joanie used a four-part seasoning mix to add just the right spice to the recipe. The mixture of Smoked Paprika and Creole Seasoning with traditional Garlic and Onion Powder may seem eclectic, or at least cross cuisine in nature. However, just taste the result and you will agree, it really makes the recipe pop. Joanie also likes to include some parmesan in her mix. It gives the meatballs that creamy nutty flavor, as well. Feel free to experiment – after all it is a meatball!
Our Air Fryer Choice – Cosori 5.8 Quart Size
We did a lot of research before deciding on our Cosori Air Fryer. It has become a major gift item for the Holidays and we can see why. Quicker meal prep, ease of use, uniform results with measured cook times, no greasy splatters, and a lot of fun. This was a major step for Joanie, since she is so used to creating in her kitchen, blending ingredients, chef-style techniques for sauces, and using her stove top and Dutch Ovens. But, she really enjoys her Cosori Air Fryer and looks forward to preparing more Keto recipes.
We do suggest a 5.8 quart if you have a spot for the larger size. The Cosori has a more square-like basket and it just holds more than the round basket models. We like the digital pre-sets and the 1700 watts of power. The Cosori model we chose can also be controlled with a phone app over WiFi – it even responds to Alexa. You can find the model we recommend by clicking any of the Cosori Air Fryer links or pictures in this post.
Preparation Tips
Our Marinara Sauce can be used as a garnish, a dipping sauce, or as a base sauce, should you decide to use your air fryer meatballs over “zoodles” for a delicious pasta dinner. This is our “House” Marinara sauce that you will find in many of our recipes. We usually make a larger batch and keep some handy in the refrigerator. We use it a lot and it goes fast. To view more recipes using our Marinara Sauce, use our handy search window at the top right menu of our blog’s pages and posts.
From the pictures above, you will see that Joanie did not crowd her meatballs. As a result, there was no need to shake them half way through the frying process. Actually, we made a double mix so we could have a lot of leftover lunches. They can be frozen easily in a zip lock bag and reheating them is a snap. We have not yet tried reheating them in the “air fryer” after freezing. Joanie likes to thaw frozen items and then reheat either on the stove top, oven, or microwave.
The nutrition calculation for our Keto Air Fryer Italian Meatballs contains our marinara sauce, although you will likely have leftover sauce. Still, the carb count is so low that it will not really impact the Keto friendly nature of this recipe. Joanie also likes to garnish with a little parmesan, and even basil, to keep with that delicious Italian theme. Also, keep in mind that air fryer times will vary depending upon the wattage, the brand, and how crowded you make your basket.
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Low Carb Air Fryer Italian Meatballs – The Perfect Quick and Delicious Appetizer or Low Carb Lunch
Keto Air Fryer Italian Meatballs are so quick – 8 minutes and serve! Perfect for an appetizer, a quick and healthy lunch, or an elegant dinner. Less than 1g of carb per serving and so delicious. The air fryer dream recipe! If you are looking for start to your low-carb journey and air fryer is a great tool and this is a recipe that qualifies as Tasty Low Carb!
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