We LOVE anything buffalo chicken! But, especially when eating out, “anything buffalo chicken” is usually not the healthiest choice. We also love meatballs because they are simple, delicious, and meal-prep friendly. That being said, when we got the idea to make buffalo turkey meatballs, lightening up the sauce and packing in some extra veggies, we ran with it!

We’re so excited about this recipe for many reasons. The sauce packs so much flavor, but without the heaping amount of butter traditional buffalo sauce contains. Only two ingredients! Are you noticing a trend with our affinity for the simple? Obvi, we used ghee, which still has a lot of fat, like butter, but lacks lactose (a lil’ tongue twister action for ya).

Have no fear, if you do not have an air fryer (sorry for your loss) you can make these in the oven; however, everything we’ve made using the air fryer has been outstanding, and this time was no different! I swear the air fryer has magical powers. These meatballs have a delightfully crisp outside, with a moist (sorry, had to) inside. Get rollin’ and report back!

Air Fryer Buffalo Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey (or ground chicken)
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup diced carrots
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• salt and pepper, to taste
• cooking spray

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp ghee; we used Himalayan Pink Salt Grass-Fed Ghee Butter by 4th & Heart.
• 1/3 cup hot sauce; our go-to is Frank’s.

Instructions:

1. Spray air fryer basket with cooking spray and preheat air fryer to 400°F.
2. Combine meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix using your hands until thoroughly combined. Form meatballs into roughly 1.5″ balls. You should get about 20 meatballs.
3. Cook meatballs in preheated air fryer for 12 minutes, turning halfway through. NOTE: You will need to cook the meatballs in two batches, making sure not to overcrowd the air fryer.
4. When the second batch of meatballs is almost finished frying, heat ghee and hot sauce in small sauce pan over medium-low heat. When ghee is melted, whisk to combine. Remove from heat.
5. When meatballs are finished frying, toss in sauce.                                                    HACK: I like to put the meatballs in a Tupperware, pour the sauce over the meatballs, put the lid on tightly and shake to ensure even coating.
6. Garnish with toppings of your choice: blue cheese crumbles, scallions, etc., and serve!

Yield: 20 meatballs
Serving size: 5 meatballs

278 calories per serving • Fat: 17.2g • Carbohydrates: 3.8g • Protein: 23.4g