Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs

  • 15MINS
  • 16MINS
  • Serves 4
  • 204KCAL

You’ll look forward to dinner every time these Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs are on the menu! Made with lean chicken mince, they’re so easy to make from scratch in just over half an hour. Dish them up on a bed of rice, or with oodles of noodles!

  • Batch Cook pinchofnom.com
  • Dairy Free pinchofnom.com
  • Everyday Light pinchofnom.com

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories204
  • Carbs18g
  • Protein31g
  • Fat1.9g
  • Saturates0.5g
  • Sugars12g

The ingredients for Pinch of Nom's Sweet Chilli Meatballs are laid out on a kitchen counter, ready to begin cooking.

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!

Look no further if it’s an easy midweek meal you’re after! Our Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs recipe will be an instant hit from the first time you try it. 

Thanks to the fast-cooking magic of your air fryer, it only takes half an hour to make from scratch, and there are just 204 calories in each portion. 

We use lean chicken mince to keep things slimming friendly, and you should be able to find this in your usual supermarket. If you need to make your own at home, whizz up some chicken breast in a food processor. 

The sauce is sticky and sweet, with just a hint of chilli spice. Dish up the meatballs with rice, noodles or extra veggies and that’s dinner sorted!

If you don’t have an air fryer you can always make this recipe in the oven! The full method is here

What diets are these Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs suitable for?

This recipe can be enjoyed on dairy-free diets. 

If you’re cooking for people with allergies, be extra careful when checking ingredients and preparing food!

Do you need any special ingredients to make Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs?

Nope – all the ingredients are nice and simple! 

You will need an air fryer to make this recipe. 

We love hearing from you, submit any tips or tricks you have for this dish and we’ll review them and add some of them here. Just click here.

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We like this Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer if you’re happy to splash out on a fancy model. 

This Tower T17088 Vortx 9L Dual Basket Air Fryer with Smart Finish is a great budget-friendly model!

How many calories are in these Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs?

There are 204 calories per portion in these Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs, which means they fall into our Everyday Light category. 

This recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers. 

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.

Step 1

To a large bowl add the mince, chilli, garlic, ginger, garlic granules, onion granules, chilli powder, breadcrumbs and a little salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands until fully combined.

Step 1 pinchofnom.com

Step 2

Divide the mixture into 12 and then roll into golf ball sized meatballs. Place into the air fryer.

Step 2 pinchofnom.com Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Spray with a little low-calorie cooking spray and cook at 170°C for 16 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked through and turning golden brown on the outside. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.

Step 4

While the meatballs cook, spray a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a low heat. Add the chilli and garlic and fry for 4 minutes until softening. Add the ketchup, soy sauce, honey, sweetener, vinegar and water. Stir and bring to a very gentle simmer for 4 minutes until just thickening. Remove from the heat.

Step 4 pinchofnom.com Step 4 pinchofnom.com Step 4 pinchofnom.com

Step 5

Remove the meatballs from the air fryer and add to the pan. Stir to coat the meatballs in the sauce and serve with your choice of accompaniment.

Step 5 pinchofnom.com Step 5 pinchofnom.com

A close up shows Pinch of Nom's Sweet Chilli Meatballs served on a bed of rice. The meatballs are coated in a glossy, sticky sauce.

What could I serve with these Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs?

We like to serve these with rice, noodles or extra veggies! 

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How do you know when Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs are cooked?

You’ll need to cook this recipe in the air fryer until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. This should take around 16 minutes. 

Here in the UK, the standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and your family safe! 

How long can you keep Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs in the fridge?

Once you’ve served this recipe, you’ll ideally need to eat it within 4 hours.

You can store any leftovers in the fridge for around 3 days. Make sure that you allow them to cool before putting them in a container with a lid and chilling in the refrigerator. 

Can I freeze Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs?

This recipe CAN be frozen, but please do remember to do the following:

  • Make sure that you freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
  • Choose a container or a bag that is suitable for freezing.
  • Label your dish with the name of the recipe and the date that you froze it on.

How do I reheat Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs?

From chilled: Place in a microwavable container with a loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.

From frozen: Allow to defrost overnight and reheat from chilled. 

ORDER Our NEW cookbook Air Fryer NOW

Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs

You’ll look forward to dinner every time these Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Meatballs are on the menu! Made with lean chicken mince, they’re so easy to make from scratch in just over half an hour. Dish them up on a bed of rice, or with oodles of noodles!
  • Prep Time
    15 MINS
  • Cook Time
    16 MINS
  • KCals 204
  • Carbs 18G

Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • 500 g chicken mince
  • ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp onion granules
  • ¼ tsp mild chilli powder
  • 20 g panko breadcrumbs
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • low-calorie cooking spray

For the sweet chilli sauce

  • ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
  • 3 tbsp reduced-sugar and salt ketchup
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp white granulated sweetener
  • 2 tbsp white wine or rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp water

air fryer

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

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Instructions

  1. To a large bowl add the mince, chilli, garlic, ginger, garlic granules, onion granules, chilli powder, breadcrumbs and a little salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands until fully combined.
  2. Divide the mixture into 12 and then roll into golf ball sized meatballs. Place into the air fryer.
  3. Spray with a little low-calorie cooking spray and cook at 170°C for 16 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked through and turning golden brown on the outside. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
  4. While the meatballs cook, spray a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a low heat. Add the chilli and garlic and fry for 4 minutes until softening. Add the ketchup, soy sauce, honey, sweetener, vinegar and water. Stir and bring to a very gentle simmer for 4 minutes until just thickening. Remove from the heat.
  5. Remove the meatballs from the oven and add to the pan. Stir to coat the meatballs in the sauce and serve with your choice of accompaniment.

Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?

With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.



We agreed with Slimming World to remove their trademarked terms from our website

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ORDER Our NEW cookbook Air Fryer NOW

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