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.
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Keto Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaf
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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!
Keto Air Fryer Italian Meatballs
Course: Small PlateCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy18
10
minutes8
minutes91.2
kcal1.3
g18
minutesKeto Air Fryer Italian Meatballs are the perfect quick appetizer or luncheon meal for Keto dieters. You will have less than 1g of net carbs per serving, and all that delicious taste! This is an Air Fryer dream recipe!
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Ingredients
- Air Fryer Meatballs
1 pound 450 g Ground beef 75/25 blend
2 2 Eggs
1 ½ teaspoons 1 ½ teaspoons Garlic powder
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon Onion powder
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning Tony Chachere
1/4 cup 60 g Parmesan grated
3 tablespoons 3 tablespoons Basil fresh, chopped
Pepper to taste
Non-stick cooking spray
- Marinara Sauce
1 ounce 1 ounce Olive oil
1/4 cup 40 g Onions chopped
2 cloves 2 cloves Garlic chopped
15 ounces 425 g Tomatoes crushed
2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons Basil fresh, chopped
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon Erythritol
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon Sea salt
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Air Fryer Meatballs
- Combine the ground beef, eggs, spices, parmesan, and one-half of the chopped basil and mix well in a medium bowl.
- Roll the meat into golf ball size shaped meatballs and set aside.
- Pre-heat air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Add meatballs to the pre-heated air fryer basket. Spray with cooking spray and cook for 8 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Serve hot with marinara sauce, additional parmesan cheese, and remaining chopped fresh basil.
- Marinara Sauce
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add the olive oil and chopped onions and cook for 4 minutes until slightly translucent.
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the basil and oregano. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the erythritol, salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Chef’s Notes
- The carb count is for one meatball. This calculation could be cut even further without the marinara sauce. The tomatoes in the sauce accounts for 1g of carb per serving. However, you will likely have leftover marinara sauce, if served as shown, and even less carbs.
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 91.2kcal
- Carbohydrates: 1.8g
- Protein: 5.8g
- Fat: 6.7g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4g
- Cholesterol: 37mg
- Sodium: 177mg
- Potassium: 148.2mg
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Sugar: 0.8g
- Vitamin A: 364IU
- Vitamin C: 4mg
- Calcium: 30mg
- Iron: 1mg
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