Air Fryer Tahini Turkey Meatballs with Couscous
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These air fryer turkey meatballs are packed with tons of flavour and tahini which helps keep them moist. Pair them with pearl couscous for a complete meal that’s ready in 30 minutes!
I think I may have an actual obsession with making turkey meatballs. See these harissa meatballs and these Thai red curry meatballs for example. And I may be equally obsessed with my air fryer. So I knew that I had to put the two of them together. And this may just be my favourite method for cooking turkey meatballs, especially in the summer when I don’t want to turn my oven on.
The tahini in the meatballs adds a nice depth of flavour and also keeps them moist. I love pairing these air fryer turkey meatballs with pearl couscous, crunchy and cooling cucumber and of course, more tahini. The fresh herbs add tons of flavour. Use whatever you have on hand such as parsley, dill, mint, basil or cilantro. I love using a mix of basil, mint and parsley here.
Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make these air fryer turkey meatballs with couscous.
- egg
- ground turkey (dark meat preferred)
- garlic cloves
- parsley
- tahini
- red onion
- Aleppo pepper
- sumac
- kosher salt
- Israeli couscous (dry)
- extra virgin olive oil
- cucumber
- fresh herbs such as mint, parsley, basil and/or dill
How to Make Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
Making turkey meatballs in the air fryer is SO easy. Plus they take way less time than the oven, making it great for quick weeknight dinners too.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the turkey along with all other meatball ingredients and mix to combine. Set aside. Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF.
Using a small cookie scoop form the turkey into small golf-ball sized meatballs and transfer to the air fryer in an even layer. Spray lightly with avocado oil spray.
Bake for eight to ten minutes, shaking halfway through, until cooked through and browned. Work in batches to avoid too much overlap.
Tips
To make perfectly juicy air fryer turkey meatballs, be sure to follow these tips.
- Dark meat: ground dark turkey meat is my preference when making meatballs. Dark meat has more flavour and will be juicier than white meat. You can also use a mix of dark and white if you prefer.
- Don’t over mix the meatball mixture: mix until everything is just combined to avoid over working the meat, which could make it tougher.
- Grate the onion and garlic: Grating the red onion and garlic adds a little more moisture, plus it also melds into the mixture better and there aren’t large chunks in the meatballs.
- Squeeze out excess liquid from the onion: you don’t want the mixture too wet, so give it a good squeeze with your hands before adding to the meatball mixture.
- Add some breadcrumbs: if you want the texture of the meatballs to be firmer and hold their shape after baking, you can add in a little bit of breadcrumbs (like panko) into the mixture. I personally never do, and I don’t mind that the meatballs will flatten slightly after cooking.
Substitutions
- No onion: you can omit the red onion if you don’t want any onion flavour.
- Aleppo pepper: feel free to use chili flakes instead. Aleppo pepper is milder and has more flavour. It’s definitely a spice I recommend having on hand, you’ll love it, I just know it.
- No turkey: use ground chicken instead (again, opt for dark meat or a mixture of both).
Ingredients & Products I Recommend:
Tahini: I recommend using a high quality tahini brand that you love the taste of.
- Parallel Brothers Tahini is a great choice.
- Soom is another brand I absolutely love and highly recommend.
Kosher salt: I exclusively use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for all of my recipes. I prefer the texture, taste and consistency of this brand and highly recommend it for everyday cooking.
Which Air Fryer Do I Use & Recommend
I’ve tried three different air fryers over the years and here are my top two picks.
Cosori Air Fryer
The first air fryer I use and recommend is the Cosori. Here’s what I love about it:
- So crispy: this air fryer gets food super crispy, golden and brown without a lot of oil. Which is the whole point after all!
- Responsive: the digital touch is very responsive and easy to use.
- Size: it’s large enough to fit a good amount of food in it, without taking up too much space on the counter or tucked away.
- Heats up quickly: the preheat function is fast and works quickly.
- Cooks quickly: I love how powerful this air fryer is and appreciate how quickly it can cook food.
There’s not much I dislike about this air fryer to be honest. It performs amazingly well!
Buy Now → Our Place: The Wonder Oven
And the second, is the Wonder Oven from Our Place. Here’s what I love about it.
- Aesthetically pleasing: as with all Our Place products, the design is unmatched. This means you can leave it out on your countertop and don’t need to hide it away in a cluttered drawer.
- Non-toxic: the trays that come with the Wonder Oven are all non-toxic and made from stainless steel and aluminum with a toxin-free nonstick ceramic coating. This is SO hard to find with other types of air fryers and is the main reason I use it so much.
- Different cooking modes: this is not just an air fryer, it can air fry, bake, toast, roast, reheat and broil. I also love the steam function for bringing breads back to life.
Here’s what I don’t like about Our Place Wonder Oven:
Less powerful: I find the “air-fry” mode slightly less powerful than other standalone air fryers.
Hard to keep clean: the door and sheet tray have gotten quite dirty over the years and it’s hard to maintain it, even after cleaning after every use.
Stopped turning off: the older version I have has also stopped turning off, so I have to unplug it all the time. The newer version could be updated and this isn’t an issue anymore, I’m not sure?
Buy Now → 
More Air Fryer Recipes
Looking for more air fryer goodness, check these ones out!
- Air Fryer Calamari
- KFC Chicken in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer General Tso Chicken
- Chicken Katsu (air fryer)
- Air Fryer Mac & Cheese Balls
- Crispy & Easy Air Fryer Arancini
- Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
- Bang Bang Shrimp (air fryer)
- Crispy Brie & Fig Jam Stuffed Phyllo Bites
- Buffalo Chicken Strips (air fryer)
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
- Breakfast Taquitos (air fryer)
- Thai Sweet Chili Chicken (air fryer)
If you make these air fryer turkey meatballs with tahini please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products and services I have personally used and love. Disclosure here.
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Air Fryer Tahini Turkey Meatballs with Couscous
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
These flavourful and juicy tahini turkey meatballs are made in the air fryer for a quick and easy dinner. Serve it with couscous on the side.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 egg (large)
- 1 lb ground turkey (dark meat preferred)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 3 tbsps tahini
- 1/4 cup shredded red onion (squeezed of excess liquid with your hands after grating)
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1/2 tsp sumac
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
For the couscous and plate:
- 2 1/4 cups water (for cooking couscous)
- 1 1/4 cups Israeli couscous (dry)
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1–2 tsps water, as needed to thin tahini
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced thin
- fresh herbs for garnish (mint, parsley, basil and/or dill)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the turkey along with all other meatball ingredients and mix to combine with a spatula. Set aside. Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF.
- While the air fryer is warming up, start cooking the couscous. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Once boiling, add the couscous. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone and the couscous is cooked through. Drain any excess water if needed and set aside in a bowl. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt to taste.
- Using a small cookie scoop form the turkey into small golf-ball sized meatballs and transfer to the air fryer in an even layer. Spray lightly with avocado oil spray. Bake for eight to ten minutes, shaking halfway through, until cooked through and browned. Work in batches to avoid too much overlap.
- Pour the tahini in a small bowl and slowly drizzle in the water, starting with 1 tsp. Use a small whisk to stir until smooth and lighter in colour and runny.
- Add the couscous to a plate along with the meatballs. Drizzle with the tahini. Garnish with the cucumber and fresh herbs. Season with flaky salt and pepper if desired. Enjoy!
