Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Why It Works

• Moistening the panko with grated shallot and garlic juice builds flavor while ensuring tender meatballs.
• Air-frying browns the meatballs quickly and evenly while keeping the process easy and hands-off.

If there were ever a party appetizer designed to make you look wildly competent with almost no effort, it’s these air-fryer cocktail meatballs. They’re bite-size, deeply savory, and—most importantly—designed for that glorious hosting sweet spot where you can get most of the work done early, then swoop in at the last minute with a glossy, just-warmed glaze like the kitchen hero you are. There are multiple make-ahead options: You can shape the meatballs and let them hang in the fridge before cooking for a day, or you can cook and glaze them up four days ahead, then simply warm them when guests start drifting toward the snack table. A quick toss in a skillet turns them into a sticky, sweet-and-sour crowd-pleaser.

In this recipe, developed by our colleague Julia Levy in our Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen, the meatballs themselves come together quickly. Instead of a traditional milk panade, her meatball recipe relies on the liquid from grated shallots and garlic to moisten the panko. It’s a tiny trick that hydrates the breadcrumbs while also layering in allium flavor. A deeply flavorful mixture of beef and pork keeps the meatballs tender, and the air fryer handles the browning without having you hover over a skillet. No splatter, no batch-frying fatigue—just evenly cooked meatballs in a breezy six to eight minutes per batch.

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

But the real party trick is the glaze. Julia wanted something wintery and jewel-toned, sweet yet tangy, that felt at home next to a cheese board or a holiday punch bowl. Pomegranate juice forms the base, simmered with ketchup and honey until it thickens into a barbecue-adjacent gloss. White miso is the secret ingredient that reins in the sweetness and adds a savory backbone that will make people ask, "Wait, what is that?" (in the best way).

When it’s time to serve, the meatballs slip into the skillet, get coated in the shiny pomegranate-miso sauce, and emerge ready for their close-up. Scatter them with fresh mint and a handful of pomegranate seeds, and you’ve got a low-lift, high-reward appetizer that tastes every bit as festive as it looks. Perfect for parties, potlucks, or anytime you need a guaranteed hit.

This recipe was developed by Julia Levy; The headnote was written by Leah Colins.

Keep Screen Awake

For the Meatballs:

2 medium shallots (80 g total), peeled

2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and grated on a rasp grater such as a Microplane or finely chopped

1/2 cup panko

8 ounces (226 g) ground beef

8 ounces (226 g) lean ground pork

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half the amount by volume

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Pomegranate-Miso Sauce:

1 cup (240 ml) pomegranate juice

1/3 cup (75 ml) ketchup

1/4 cup (60 ml) honey

3 tablespoons (45 ml) white miso

1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half the amount by volume

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh mint, for garnish

Pomegranate seeds (arils), for garnish

For the Meatballs: Grate shallots using largest holes of a box grater and transfer to a large bowl. Add panko, and stir to combine; let sit to moisten for 5 minutes. Add beef, pork, egg, salt, cumin, and pepper, and using your hands, mix until just combined, making sure not to overmix.

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley 1.

With wet hands (to keep the meatballs from sticking), form 24 meatballs and transfer to a large plate. (Meatballs should be about 1 ounce each; 1 1/2-inch wide; a scant 4 teaspoons per ball.)

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley 1.

Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 400°F (205ºC) for 5 minutes. Place half of the meatballs in preheated air fryer basket, spacing at least 1/2-inch apart. Cook until browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each meatball registers 160°F (71 °C), 6 to 8 minutes, flipping meatballs halfway through cooking time. Transfer to a plate; repeat process with remaining meatballs.

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley 1.

For the Pomegranate-Miso Sauce: While meatballs cook, in a large skillet, whisk together pomegranate juice, ketchup, honey, miso, salt, and pepper until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium, and simmer, whisking occasionally, until mixture is thickened into a glossy glaze, 5 to 7 minutes.

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley 1.

When ready to serve, add meatballs to glaze in skillet, and toss to coat. If necessary, reheat meatballs in glaze over medium heat until warmed through. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with mint and pomegranate seeds, and serve.

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Special Equipment

6-quart air fryer, large skillet

Make-Ahead and Storage

The shaped, raw meatballs can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day before cooking.

The cooked, glazed meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. To serve, reheat meatballs in the glaze in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop until warmed through, thin with water if needed to avoid scorching.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
293	Calories
8g	Fat
39g	Carbs
18g	Protein

×

Nutrition Facts Servings: 8 Amount per serving Calories 293 % Daily Value* 8g 11% Saturated Fat 3g 14% 65mg 22% 718mg 31% 39g 14% Dietary Fiber 4g 16% Total Sugars 27g 18g Vitamin C 9mg 46% Calcium 58mg 4% Iron 2mg 13% Potassium 567mg 12% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)