Name: Air Fryer Pesto Turkey Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 23 min
Ingredients: 1 Pound lean ground turkey; 1 Large egg; 1/4 Cup fine breadcrumbs; 1/4 Cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade); 1/4 Cup shredded parmesan cheese; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 1/4 tsp kosher salt; 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

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These air-fryer turkey meatballs, flavored with pesto and parmesan cheese take only 8 minutes to cook. They work well as an appetizer or part of the main meal. Serve them with dip, on a salad, or with your favorite pasta. They are packed with flavor and made with just seven simple ingredients.

A plate of turkey meatballs with parmesan cheese.

Coming together quickly with just a handful of ingredients, these air fried turkey meatballs make a fast weeknight dinner or simple appetizer.

We love them on caesar salad or pasta, but they are also great on their own with sides such as Street Corn Pasta Salad or Creamy Jalapeno Mac and Cheese.

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We love meatballs, and these pesto turkey meatballs may just be one of my favorites.

This recipe is super quick to make. The prep time is less than 20 minutes and, using the air fryer, they cook in less than 10 minutes. There is no mess to clean up from the spattering that can occur when you cook meatballs on the stove, and they are far quicker than baking them in the oven.

These turkey meatballs are full of flavor from the garlicky, basil pesto, and parmesan cheese and are delicious on pasta. They make a great addition to Baked Feta and Tomato Pasta but are also delicious on spaghetti. As a meal, we also enjoy eating them with a salad.

They also are a nice addition to an appetizer platter and are perfect for parties or alongside snacks such as Air-Fryer Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings on game day. Serve them with a dish of warm marinara sauce or your favorite Ranch Dip.

The air fryer gives the exterior of the meatball and nice browned finish, just like the frying pan, and the inside stays nice and moist.

If you don’t enjoy turkey, you can easily make chicken meatballs instead by substituing ground chicken in place of the turkey.

These meatballs freeze extremely well both raw or cooked and I love having a bag of them in the freezer for quick meals throughout the week.

Ingredients & Substitutions

For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

The ingredients you will need to make these pesto turkey meatballs are:

Lean ground turkey – I prefer to use lean ground turkey from the thigh as it has more flavor and results in meatballs that have more moisture, but you can use turkey breast if you prefer. You can also use lean ground chicken if you can’t find, or don’t like turkey.

Pesto sauce – I keep things simple and use a store-bought pesto, but you can make your own if you like. If you are allergic to nuts, then you can make your own nut-free pesto. Alternatively, you can use red pesto for a different flavor, and if you don’t like pesto sauce, you can substitute it with a red sauce such as marinara.

Breadcrumbs – These act as a binder to help hold the meatballs together. I use fine breadcrumbs, but you can use Panko breadcrumbs. If you are gluten-free, choose your favorite gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Egg – Acts as a binder and helps add moisture. If you have an egg allergy you can leave this out, but you will also want to reduce the breadcrumbs to avoid dry meatballs.

Parmesan cheese – This recipe works best with freshly shredded parmesan cheese, but you can use the store-bought grated parmesan that comes in a can if that’s all you have. Other cheeses that work well are Asiago, Romano, and feta.

Seasonings – I use an Italian seasoning for my turkey meatballs along with salt and pepper. But you can use almost anything you like. Keep it simple with just a bit of basil and oregano, or add garlic powder, onion powder, or chili flakes.

Be sure to cook the meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray. I don’t find a need to turn my meatballs as my air fryer circulates the air fairly evenly, but if you find your air fryer does not circulate the air evenly then you will want to turn the meatballs halfway through the cook time.

Baked turkey meatballs in a sigle layer in an air fryer basket.

Storing Leftover Meatballs

Leftover meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can also store them in an airtight container in the freezer for several months.

Turkey meatballs can be frozen raw or cooked. To freeze raw meatballs, form the meatballs and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Stick them in the freezer for a few hours until they feel mostly frozen then move them to an airtight container or ziplock bag.

Leftover meatballs can be reheated in the air fryer, microwave, or oven.

Turkey meatballs on a plate with fresh basil andd parmesan cheese.

Cooking Frozen Meatballs in the Air Fryer

Turkey meatballs cook well from frozen and there is no need to thaw them before tossing them in the air fryer.

Place the meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray and set the appliance to 360°F.

Cook the meatballs for about 15-18 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through. Depending on the size of the meatballs, you may need to add an extra couple of minutes to the cooking time.

Turkey meatballs are cooked when an instant-read thermometer shows the internal temperature of the meatballs to be 165°F.