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Zucchini meatballs are a quick and easy, healthy meal you can make in less than 20 minutes. A perfect recipe for a simple weeknight dinner that whole family will love. Plus they are gluten free, low-carbs Whole 30 and packed with protein and nutrition. A freezer-friendly recipe!
I adore a good meatball recipe and these are my new favorite. These zucchini meatballs come together quickly by mixing up some hearty ground turkey, shredded zucchini and some herbs and spices.
They are cooked perfectly until crispy and juicy in the air fryer and have become a new family favorite.
What more could you want in a meatball? Plus these meatballs are so good for you since they are Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Whole30, Low-carb and Paleo. All the things. They are also a wonderful way to sneak more veggies into your diet and use up any extra zucchini you may have lingering in the back of your refrigerator.
Another great option for using up that leftover zucchini is these Zucchini Pizza Boats that are so amazing and great for a fun healthy Italian-style meal. We also love this Air Fryer Zucchini.
What makes these zucchini meatballs healthy?
These meatballs are loaded with nutrition like protein, vitamins A and C and healthy fat. They contain no eggs, no dairy and almost no carbs, which makes them a light and healthy recipe your whole family will love.
Plus they are air fried using no added oil, so they are crispy and delicious without any guilt or extra calories. Yippee!
Ingredients needed to make this recipe
How To Make Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
- Mix up the ingredients. Add all of the meatballs ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well to combine.
- Roll into balls. Use an ice cream scoop to roll the balls into even size meatballs. This recipe make about 12-15 meatballs.
- Cook. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F and add some foil or an air fryer liner to the bottom of the air fryer. Place some of the meatballs into the bottom of the air fryer basket about 1 inch apart (you will probably need to do this in batches). Cook the meatballs at 390 degrees F for 6 minutes, flip them over and cook them for 4-5 more minutes until they are super crispy on the outside and cooked through.
- Serve. Remove the zucchini meatballs from the air fryer basket and roll them in your favorite tomato sauce and serve over cooked spaghetti or with roasted veggies.
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl Mix to combine Roll into even size balls Place meatballs in air fryer basket Cook Serve
Get the full list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below.
Serving suggestions
We like to enjoy these healthy zucchini meatballs over some gluten free spaghetti, with Zucchini Noodles or Butternut Squash Noodles. Here are some other healthy ways to serve this recipe.
- Enjoy them with a side of Oven Roasted Potatoes and Carrots or with some yummy Sautéed Spinach with Garlic.
- Serve them with some delicious Crispy Roasted Broccoli or crazy good Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts.
- Pair them up with a crisp and fresh salad like this Easy Kale Salad or this Italian Chopped Salad.
Meal prep tips
I love a good meal prep recipe and these meatballs are perfect for your weekly meal prep since they store easily and reheat nicely.
To store these meatballs, let them cool completey and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating these zucchini meatballs, remove them from the refrigerator and cook them in the air fryer are 390 degrees F for 4-5 minutes. Then remove them, roll them in some sauce and serve.
Make them ahead of time
You can easily make these turkey zucchini meatballs ahead of time by mixing up the meatball mixture then form the meatballs and place them on a lined baking sheet or clean plate. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours before cooking them.
Storing suggestions
To store these meatballs, let them cool completely and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Easily reheat in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 2-3 minutes or in the microwave.
Freezing and reheating meatballs
To pre prep and freeze these meatballs: You Can roll the meatball mixture into balls, transfer the uncooked meatballs to a freezer-friendly container or bag and freeze them until you are ready to cook them. They will keep in the freezer for up to 30 days.
To cook them from frozen, you can place them frozen right into the air fryer and cook them as directed in this recipe or defrost them in the refrigerator overnight and then cook them.
More Healthy and Delicious Meatball Recipes to try!
- Baked Eggplant Meatballs
- 10 Minute Healthy Turkey Meatballs
- Easy Butternut Squash Vegan Meatballs
- 20 Minute Healthy Greek Meatballs
Recipe tips
- Use good quality 93/7 ground turkey for the the best tasting meatballs.
- Shred the zucchini using the smaller side of your box grater.
- Make sure to squeeze the extra moisture out of the zucchini by placing it onto a clean kitchen towel and squeezing it a few times over the sink or a bowl before adding it to the meatball mixture.
- Flip the meatballs halfway through the cooking time so they get nice and crispy on all sides.
- Roll the meatballs in some sauce right after they are done cooking so the sauce sticks to them while they are nice and hot.
- Baking these in the oven, place them onto a lined baking sheet and cook them at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. To cook them from frozen: Bake them at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
Did you try this recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!
PrintEasy Air Fryer Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 12–15 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Zucchini Meatballs are so easy to make and are packed with so much flavor. They are cooked in the air fryer and made with ground turkey and shredded zucchini which adds lots of nutrition as well as color. They are perfect for a healthy light lunch or dinner any day of the week. These meatballs are gluten free, Whole30, Low-carb, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free and Paleo.
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds 93/7 ground turkey
- 1 cup shredded zucchini – with the extra moisture squeezed out
- 1 tablespoon olive oil – optional for extra crispy meatalls
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup tomato sauce – optional for serving
Instructions
- Prep the zucchini. Shred the zucchini and place it onto a clean kitchen towel. Then squeeze the towel tightly over a bowl of the sink to get rid of any excess moisture in the zucchini.
- Mix up the ingredients. Add all of the meatball ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well to combine.
- Roll into balls. Use an ice cream scoop to roll the balls into even size meatballs. This recipe make about 12-15 meatballs.
- Cook. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F and add some foil or an air fryer liner to the bottom of the air fryer basket. Place some of the meatballs into the bottom of the air fryer basket about 1 inch apart (you will probably need to do this in batches). Cook the meatballs at 390 degrees F for 6 minutes, flip them over and cook them for 4-5 more minutes until they are super crispy on the outside and cooked through.
- Serve. Remove the zucchini meatballs from the air fryer basket and roll them in your favorite tomato sauce and serve over cooked spaghetti or with roasted veggies.
Notes
- Use good quality 93/7 ground turkey for the the best tasting meatballs.
- Shred the zucchini using the smaller side of your box grater.
- Make sure to squeeze the extra moisture out of the zucchini by placing it onto a clean kitchen towel and squeezing it a few times over the sink or a bowl before adding it to the meatball mixture.
- Flip the meatballs halfway through the cooking time so they get nice and crispy on all sides.
- Roll the meatballs in some sauce right after they are done cooking so the sauce sticks to them while they are nice and hot.
- To make these in the oven, place them onto a lined baking sheet and cook them at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
- To bake these in the oven, place them onto a lined baking sheet and cook them at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. To cook them from frozen: Bake them at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
- To store these meatballs, let them cool completely and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze after being cooked: let them cool completely, transfer them to a freezer-friendly container or bag and freeze them for up to 30 days. Reheat them from frozen in the oven at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: Healthy dinner Ideas
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Italian
These came out so perfect! I appreciate that they are low in Weight Watchers points too.
★★★★★