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Air Fryer Cranberry Meatballs

Name: Air Fryer Cranberry Meatballs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 28 ounces meatballs ((any type), frozen); 14 ounces jellied cranberry sauce; 12 ounces chili sauce

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Air Fryer Cranberry Meatballs — Cranberry Meatballs are a perfect holiday appetizer and can easily be made in your air fryer! This recipe is easy to prep and cook but still tastes fantastic.

The meatballs come out nice and crispy on the outside with that sweet cranberry taste we all know and love! They will make you want to dive right into them as soon as they finish cooking. These meatballs would also be great served over mashed potatoes or rice for dinner too. Serve them up this year at your next family gathering or holiday party; everyone will ask for the recipe once they try these delicious little bites!

I’ve been making these meatballs for years. I usually make them with my grandmother’s recipe, but this year she passed away, and it just felt right to try something new. With Thanksgiving coming up, I decided to give the air fryer a shot. It was so easy! The cranberry sauce made everything taste that much better too. My family loved them, and they’re perfect for any occasion or meal of the day!

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do around here!

If you are looking for some great Air Fryer Appetizers to grace your holiday table this year, some of our favorites are AIR FRYER ITALIAN STUFFED MUSHROOMS, AIR FRYER BACON WRAPPED DATES, AIR FRYER ROASTED PEPITAS and AIR FRYER PARMESAN CRUSTED POTATOES.

Ingredients Needed For Air Fryer Cranberry Meatballs

Frozen or Fresh Meatballs
Cranberry Sauce
Chili Sauce

How To Make Air Fryer Cranberry Meatballs

Today, I used frozen meatballs. I just added them directly onto the tray. If you have an air fryer, basket, add them to the basket. Set the temperature to 350 degrees F (air fryer setting) for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash up the canned cranberry jelly sauce. Mix in the chili sauce. Mix well.

Once the meatballs are finished cooking (air frying), add them to the sauce. If you want, you can heat the sauce, but the sauce is at room temperature and the meatballs hot; they are somewhere between room temperature and hot.

HOW TO COOK FROZEN MEATBALLS IN AIR FRYER

In the world of meatball brands, we have many different sizes and shapes. That’s why our air frying times for each size are so vast!
Check the frozen meatballs as they cook up in the air fryer. Since every air fryer is slightly different, cooking times will vary.
Single-layer will work best for frozen foods, including meatballs.
Shake your basket several times during the cooking process for best results.
Do not defrost first; they cook up best from the freezer to the air fryer. No thawing is needed.

How To Serve

I love making this dish for friends and family. The flavors combined will have everyone asking for more, so put out platters full of delicious appetizers.

Some of my favorites are:

Storing Leftovers

If you have any leftovers, put them in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 or 4 days!

To Freeze: When freezing meatballs, let them cool completely at room temperature before transferring to an airtight container or freezer bag. Place in your fridge for up 2 months. For best results, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Then reheat in the air fryer or microwave.

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