Slightly spicy Air Fryer Turkey Spinach Meatballs with 2 types of cheese! These air fryer ground turkey meatballs are loaded with spinach and have no breadcrumbs or egg for a healthy and keto recipe; Perfect for a frozen appetizer prep too.
Another one of those ‘I can’t decide what flavor air fryer meatballs I want to make’ kind of situation here.
I keep making all these lists so I had a bunch of options in mind – bbq turkey meatballs, Buffalo sauce, sweet and sour, Asian inspired, just too many. As usual the Instagram poll helped.
To be honest I was actually hoping for these spinach and cheese turkey meatballs as well since I could sneak in some vegetables for dinner without having to taste them.
Totally worked out here, because all this tastes of is juicy turkey with a slight spicy cheesy flavor!
Air Fryer Turkey Spinach Meatballs Ingredients
These healthy turkey meatballs are not only made in the air fryer, but also have no breadcrumbs and no egg, but use almond flour for the breading instead!
- Ground Turkey – I used 99% Lean for a low calorie meatball recipe, but 93 would be a good option too.
You can also use ground chicken breast and make air fryer chicken meatballs. - Frozen Spinach – You can use fresh, but the process would take a bit longer.
- Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Almond flour – To replace the breadcrumbs
- Onion
- Minced Garlic
- Italian Seasoning or other dried herbs like Oregano or Basil
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt & Pepper
Are air fryer turkey meatballs keto?
Since there are no breadcrumbs in this recipe, this recipe for air fryer turkey spinach meatballs is already keto friendly.
For a higher fat content, you can make these meatballs with regular shredded Mozzarella cheese and ground turkey with higher fat content.
How to make Turkey Meatballs in the Air fryer
These Greek or maybe Italian style Turkey meatballs are extremely easy to make in the air fryer when using frozen spinach and shredded cheese; Just mix the ingredients, shape and cook!
- Defrost the frozen spinach (or let it thaw) then squeeze out all the water; Too much liquid will make the meatballs not stick to each other.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix – Ground turkey, spinach, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, almond flour, chopped onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red chili flakes, salt and pepper.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of your air fryer; this is to prevent any meat juices from dripping to the bottom of the air fryer basket.
- Scoop out about 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture, roll into balls and place in the air fryer basket.
Leave enough room between each (so that the air has room to flow), and work in batches if needed.
Another option is to shape the mix into patties and make air fryer turkey spinach burgers!
How long do you cook Turkey Meatballs in an Air Fryer?
Cook the spinach turkey meatballs in the air fryer for 7 minutes at 400˚F.
The outside should be just slightly golden. If you cook it too long, the meat will dry out on the inside.
Can you Bake?
To make baked turkey spinach meatballs, place the balls on a slightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 23 minutes at 350°F.
How to store Turkey Spinach Cheese Meatballs:
These air fryer Greek turkey meatballs are perfect for a weekly meal prep and can be stored in the fridge or freezer.
Store cooked turkey meatballs in the fridge for 5 days in an airtight container.
To freeze, place each meatball on a baking sheet and place in freezer for 1-2 hours so each meatball freezes individually. Then transfer to freezer-safe zipper bag or container and freeze up to 2 months.
You can reheat them in the microwave or air fryer!
To reheat meatballs in air fryer:
For reheating meatballs in the air fryer, cook for about 3 minutes from the fridge and about 5-7 minutes if from the freezer.
Make Healthy Air fryer Frozen Turkey Meatballs:
These turkey meatballs great for a make ahead air fryer frozen appetizer or just a meal prep.
Roll the turkey spinach and cheese mixture into meatballs, place them on a baking sheet and then place the sheet in the freezer.
Let the meatballs freeze individually for about an hour or two.
Transfer the frozen turkey meatballs a freezer-safe zipper bag, or use a freezer safe container and store for up to 2 months.
To air fry frozen meatballs:
Cook the frozen turkey meatballs in the air fryer straight out of the freezer for about 10 minutes. The outsides should turn slightly golden.
Some more Easy Ground Turkey Recipes to try:
- Cream Cheese stuffed Turkey Spinach Burgers
- Low Carb Turkey Zucchini Enchiladas
- Spicy Jalapeno Turkey Zucchini Burgers
More quick and easy air fryer appetizers you’ll love
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Mozzarella Sticks (Gluten Free)
- Air Fryer Goat Cheese Balls you Must Make (Gluten Free)
- Healthy Mixed Vegetable Falafel
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Crispy Smoky Sweet Potato Fries
Air Fryer Turkey Spinach Meatballs (Keto & Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Turkey Breast, 454g, Lean/Extra Lean
- 10 oz Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed 280g, see notes for fresh
- ⅓ cup Shredded Mozzarella, Reduced Fat, 75g
- ¼ cup Grated Parmesan
- ⅓ cup Almond Flour, 27g, see notes for sub
- 1 small Onion, chopped, 106g
- 1 tablespoon Garlic, Minced, 3-4 cloves
- 2 teaspoon Dried Parsley Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, or other Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Chili Pepper Flakes
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Defrost/thaw frozen spinach and squeeze out all the water using paper towels (Make sure you get as much out as possible).
- In a large bowl combine turkey, spinach, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, almond flour, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, chili flakes, salt and pepper and mix well until uniform.
- Spoon out a heaping tablespoon worth of the mix and use hands to shape into meatballs (about 25).
- Transfer to parchment lined air-fryer basket.
- Leave enough room for air to flow, work in batches if needed.
- Cook at 400˚F for 7-9 minutes until cooked.
- Repeat with remaining meatballs
Notes
- To prepare fresh spinach:
- Heat a large saucepan over medium and cook until completely wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
- Allow to cool (place in fridge or freezer to speed up), then squeeze out all the water using paper towels. (Make sure you get as much out as possible).
- Chop into small chunks.
- To replace almond flour, use ¼ cup bread crumbs.
- To bake, place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 23 minutes..
- Fridge: 4-5 days in an airtight glass container. Microwave on high for 1 minute until warmed through.
- Freeze: Cook meatballs and cool. Transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze. When frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze. Thaw and reheat in microwave to serve.
- Prepare mix and keep in fridge up to one day in advance.
- To freeze: Roll into balls, Place meatballs on baking sheet in freezer and allow freeze. When frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze. Keeps 1-2 months.
- Cook from frozen for 10 minutes.
- Servings: 25 2” meatballs | Serving size: 5
- Calories: 196kcal
- Fat: 5.4g | Saturated fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 6.5g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g
- Protein: 29g
Nance says
OMG… I made these for dinner and my whole family loved them! I mixed equal parts of Primal Kitchen’s Chipotle Lime Mayo and Grey Poupon mustard as a dip and they were amaze-ball-meatballzzzz!!!!! Thank you!!!
Lou says
I just made these and they taste amazing! Another healthy and delicious recipe from Haylee!
Haylee Jane Monteiro says
Yes! Perfectly juicy and cheesy and spicy; I’m so glad you tried another one of my recipes and liked it. I can’t wait to see what you go for next Lou 🙂