Made a massive batch of Mac & Cheese and wondering what to do with the leftovers? These Air Fryer Mac & Cheese Balls are the answer. I couldn’t actually believe how easy it was to make these. They turned out so great and simply addictively delicious. These are great as leftover recipes by switching things up a little, or they are terrific as party snacks too!
To make these air fryer mac & cheese balls, you need to first make your mac & cheese. You can check out my Ultimate Mac & Cheese recipe for it or use any other mac & cheese recipes you prefer. Leftovers would work best because the cheese sauce solidifies after chilling overnight so that it holds its shape better when shaping them into balls.
How to make Mac & Cheese Balls in an Air Fryer
I personally like to mix a little chopped fresh chives into the mac & cheese for a little extra boost of flavours before rolling them into balls. But it’s completely optional.
Scoop roughly a tablespoon or more mac & cheese and roll into the shape of a ball. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes so that they firm up better.
In the meantime, mix together golden breadcrumbs with garlic powder, paprika and dried oregano. In a separate bowl, mix together the beaten eggs and a tablespoon of milk.
When the mac & cheese balls are ready, dip each of them into beaten eggs and then roll them in the seasoned breadcrumbs mixture until fully coated.
Preheat your air fryer to 180°C. Briefly grease your air fryer basket and place the balls into it. Do not overcrowd and cook in batches if needed. Cook for 8 minutes. Then shake up the basket a little, spray some oil/brush a little bit more oil on the basket, and pop it back in to cook for another 4-5 minutes until golden and smelling heavenly.
Serve immediately and ideal with a spiced dipping sauce!
Read also: Ultimate Spiced Mac & Cheese Recipe
Check out other Air Fryer recipes:
Air Fryer Mac & Cheese Balls
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 cups Leftover Mac & Cheese chilled
- 1 large Egg beaten
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 1 cup Golden Breadcrumbs
- 1½ tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 2 tbsp Chives optional, chopped
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- If using, mix the chopped chives with the leftover mac & cheese.
- Scoop roughly a tablespoon of the mac & cheese and roll into the shape of a ball. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes so that they can firm up better.
- In the meantime, mix together golden breadcrumbs with garlic powder, paprika and dried oregano.
- In a separate bowl, mix the beaten egg with a tbsp of milk.
- Dip each mac & cheese ball into beaten eggs and then roll them in the seasoned breadcrumbs mixture until fully coated.
- Preheat your air fryer to 180°C.
- Briefly grease your air fryer basket and place the mac & cheese balls into it. Do not overcrowd and cook in batches if needed. Cook for 8 minutes.
- Then shake up the basket a little, spray some oil/brush a little bit more oil on the basket, and pop it back in to cook for another 4-5 minutes until golden. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Leftover mac & cheese works better than freshly made mac & cheese because the cheese sauce would have solidified when chilled as leftovers, which makes it easier to shape it into balls.
- Freezing before cooking helps to further solidify and firm up the mac & cheese balls, preventing them from falling apart.
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