Air Fryer Sausage Meatballs. The keys to delicious meatballs are the perfect balance of fat content to meat, and seasoning that does not overpower your taste buds, but leaves you craving another meatball… then another…
Using the combination of Grimm's Spicy Italian & Bratwurst Sausages, solves both those challenges and takes the guesswork out of meatball preparation. Simply remove the casing, toss them in a bowl with a couple of eggs, panko & fresh herbs, roll into balls and before you know it, you are enjoying The Ultimate Meatballs!
These meatballs are sooooo delicious on their own but create the perfect festive treat when served with orange-jalapeño-cranberry sauce and baguette rounds!
To avoid disappointment, make extra! We doubled the recipe!
Disclosure: I have participated in a paid partnership with Grimm's Fine Foods. Opinions in this post are my own.
Ingredients
- Spicy Italian Sausage (casing removed)
- Bratwurst Sausage (casing removed)
- Black pepper
- Eggs
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
Orange-Jalapeño-Cranberry Sauce
- Jalapeños
- White balsamic vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
- Rosemary finely chopped
- Water
- Orange zest
- Fresh or frozen cranberries
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix sausage, pepper, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, and basil.
Form 3 cm (1 ¼ inch) meatballs (approximately 28.5 g/1 oz) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly spray or brush a little olive oil on each meatball, then reshape with your hands to ensure the oil coats the entire ball.
Preheat air fryer to oven to 400°F.
Bake in batches for 8 minutes at 400°F, shaking the meatballs halfway through.
Serve with orange-jalapeño-cranberry sauce (instructions below) and baguette rounds for a delicious holiday appetizer.
Notes:
For crispier meatballs cook for an additional 2 minutes.
The olive oil is optional but helps create a crispier golden exterior.
Make extra to use on your favourite pasta or enjoy a mouth-wateringly good meatball sandwich!
Meatballs can also be baked in an oven at 400°F (on the parchment lined baking sheet – middle rack) for 10-12 minutes, shaking the pan 2-3 times for even cooking.
Orange-Jalapeño-Cranberry Sauce
Char the jalapeños directly on a grill, gas stove burner or on a hot griddle pan. Remove jalapeños, place in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a plate. Let steam for about 5 minutes. Using a paper towel wipe off charred skin, slice in half, remove seeds and finely dice.
To prepare the cranberry sauce add the white balsamic vinegar, sugar, jalapeños, salt, and rosemary in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stir to combine. Add water, then stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved, reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes.
Add orange and cranberries, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until cranberries have softened.
Spoon sauce into a bowl(s), cover and cool at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 2 cups.
Notes:
Use a larger pot than needed and watch the cranberries to avoid them boiling over and making a mess. Trust us, we have made that mistake before! 🙁
Leave a Comment
If you get the chance to try this Air Fryer Sausage Meatballs recipe please drop back and leave us a comment and rating here. We would love to know what you think! Thanks in advance, Elaine & James 🙂
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Sausage Meatballs
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 450 g 1 lb Grimm's Spicy Italian Sausage (casing removed)
- 450 g 1 lb Grimm's Bratwurst Sausage (casing removed)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ⅛ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ⅛ cup fresh basil chopped
- Olive oil - to lightly spray or brush on meatballs 4 teaspoons liquid - optional
Orange-Jalapeño-Cranberry sauce:
- 2 large jalapeños charred, seeds removed, and finely diced
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoons rosemary finely chopped
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 12 oz package fresh or frozen cranberries (3 cups)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix sausage, pepper, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, and basil.
- Form 3 cm (1 ¼ inch) meatballs (approximately 28.5 g/1 oz) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly spray or brush a little olive oil on each meatball, then reshape with your hands to ensure the oil coats the entire ball.
- Preheat air fryer to oven to 400°F.
- Bake in batches for 8 minutes at 400°F, shaking the meatballs halfway through.
- Serve with orange-jalapeño-cranberry sauce (instructions below) and baguette rounds for a delicious holiday appetizer.
Notes:
- For crispier meatballs cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- The olive oil is optional but helps create a crispier golden exterior.
- Make extra to use on your favourite pasta or enjoy a mouth-wateringly good meatball sandwich!
- Meatballs can also be baked in an oven at 400°F (on the parchment lined baking sheet – middle rack) for 10-12 minutes, shaking the pan 2-3 times for even cooking.
Orange-Jalapeño-Cranberry Sauce:
- Char the jalapeños directly on a grill, gas stove burner or on a hot griddle pan. Remove jalapeños, place in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a plate. Let steam for about 5 minutes. Using a paper towel wipe off charred skin, slice in half, remove seeds and finely dice.
- To prepare the cranberry sauce add the white balsamic vinegar, sugar, jalapeños, salt, and rosemary in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stir to combine. Add water, then stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved, reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes.
- Add orange and cranberries, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until cranberries have softened.
- Spoon sauce into a bowl(s), cover and cool at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 2 cups
Notes:
- Use a larger pot than needed and watch the cranberries to avoid them boiling over and making a mess.
Video
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Oh this is amazing! Can’t wait to try!
Hi Dina & Bruce!
Thanks so much for stopping by our blog, have a great day!
Elaine & James
When we decided to purchase an air-fryer, we couldn’t decide on a brand until we saw the Cosori shown in this recipe. We ordered the CP358-AF and are incredibly pleased with its performance. One of the first recipes we made was this meatball recipe and they were very good – nice crisp browning on the outside and tender on the inside. By using the sausage, there was an extra flavour boost that you don’t necessarily get with ground pork. We made the 1x size of the recipe and there was plenty to eat and extra to put away in the freezer. This is a definite keeper recipe!
Hello Barb,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review, we really appreciate that! We’re also thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe and your new air fryer! Our Chicken & Waffles recipe will be up on the blog soon!
Have a fantastic day!
Elaine & James!