These Air Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls are perfect for any day of the week. Air fry them for a healthier version of your favorite appetizer.
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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.
The Air Fryer is pretty amazing when it comes to my fried favorites, especially appetizers. I’ve done air fryer egg rolls, chicken wings, and bacon-wrapped chicken bites. It was about time I did another favorite of mine, macaroni and cheese balls.
Whether you call these mac and cheese bites or balls, these are a must-try in your Air Fryer.
Traditionally, these bites are deep-fried but I figured why not give it a go in my Air Fryer. It's healthier, less messy, and pretty easy. So let’s get right to it.
The Kind of Mac and Cheese needed for this recipe
Before I get into the making of this dish, I’d like to discuss the right kind of macaroni and cheese to make this work. You’ll need leftover mac and cheese that has been cooled and refrigerated in a bowl or pan so that it sticks together. That will make the balls easier to roll and hold together.
You will also need a mac and cheese that has a cheese sauce that will thicken once refrigerated. Most macaroni and cheese will do this but some may not. Baked macaroni and cheese usually thickens up once refrigerated.
If you’re making the macaroni and cheese the same day you make the bites, you will need to cook it, let it cool, and refrigerate it for about 4 hours.
I’ve made this recipe with both this creamy baked macaroni and cheese and this Air Fryer Mac and Cheese leftovers.
How to Make Air Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls
First, using your leftover refrigerated macaroni and cheese, take large chunks, about 2 Tbsp, and roll into balls. Set aside.
Create a dredging station by adding egg and milk to one bowl, whisking to combine. Then in another bowl, add panko breadcrumbs, garlic salt, salt, and cooked chopped bacon. The bacon is optional in this recipe, I’ve made it with and without, both yummy.
Grab a macaroni and cheese ball and place in egg and milk mixture, coating the entire ball, then add to the panko mixture, then add to a lined parchment paper cookie sheet. Repeat for all the balls and then place in the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.
When your 30 minutes are up, remove the macaroni and cheese balls from the freezer. Preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees. Place the macaroni and cheese balls into your air fryer basket in a single layer, making sure they don’t touch. Air fry for 8-10 minutes until light and golden on the outside. Remove, serve, and enjoy.
ProTip: These are good on their own but are even more amazing with a dipping sauce. I like Sweet Thai Chili Sauce while my daughters opt for Bbq. Hubby eats them as is without any dipping sauce.
Looking for Ideas of what to Serve this with? Try these out:
Watch this video tutorial and see how I make these mac and cheese bites from start to finish.
Air Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls
Ingredients
Instructions
- Using your leftover refrigerated macaroni and cheese, take large chunks, about 2 Tbsp, and roll into balls. Set aside.
- In a bowl, add egg and milk and whisk to combine. Then in another bowl, add panko breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and chopped bacon if using, and stir to combine.
- Grab a macaroni and cheese ball and place in egg and milk mixture, coating the entire ball, then add to the panko mixture, then add to a lined parchment paper cookie sheet. Place in the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your air fryer on 360 degrees. After the 30 minutes, remove the macaroni and cheese balls from the freezer and place them into air fryer basket in a single layer, making sure they don’t touch. Air fry for 8-10 minutes until light and golden on the outside. Remove, serve, and enjoy.
Sharee says
Delicious and easy to make
SheLaw says
Tried making these with box mac and cheese. They turned out great! I left the mac and cheese in the freezer overnight, then refrigerated again after rolling, and again after dredging and breading. The extra time and steps took longer but the process itself was easy and the results were excellent!! Will definitely make these again!
Tanya says
Thank you SheLaw! Thank you for the feedback on the box mac and cheese too 🙂
Lee says
This was just what I was looking for!
Made it with some of our leftover homemade baked mac n cheese and it was perfect!
I can't imagine it would work as well with boxed Kraft or something since that stuff's super soft and meant to be eaten right out of the pot (or is that just me?) anyway.
The addition of chopped bacon is a brilliant idea.
Jeffrey Bellend says
Only specific types of Mac and cheese will work with this recipe. Obviously that info isn't provided, so if you're going to take a stab at this, cross your fingers that you have a pasta that will work.
Tanya says
Thanks for the feedback. However, I mentioned the type of macaroni in the blog post. "Before I get into the making of this dish, I’d like to discuss the right kind of macaroni and cheese to make this work. You’ll need leftover mac and cheese that has been cooled and refrigerated in a bowl or pan so that it sticks together. That will make the balls easier to roll and hold together." I've also linked two macaroni and cheese recipes that I used to make these mac and cheese balls.
Alexandra says
I plan on making these for thanksgiving but I won’t have time to make them the day of so I’ll have to make them the day before. Anyone know how I should reheat them the day of? I may or may not have access to an air fryer.
Tanya says
Hi Alexandra, I would form the macaroni balls and dredge them and place them in the freezer per the instructions. You can do that part the day before. When it's time to cook them for Thanksgiving dinner, place them in the air fryer. They may just need to cook for a couple of minutes longer since they will be frozen longer. With no air fryer, I would do 400F in a pre-heated conventional oven for about 10-12 minutes.
KatieBell says
Well I definitely couldn’t get it to work for easy Mac 😂 BUT I just mixed it all together anyway and air fried and it was still delicious!! Definitely going to try with a different macaroni but 10/10
Tanya says
lol, Thank you KatieBell. I haven't tried it with easy mac but that's good to know.
Cynthia says
I had to freeze the Mac n cheese before I breaded it, but the extra time was WORTH IT!! I can’t wait to try this recipe over and over!
Tanya says
Thank you Cynthia! So glad you liked the recipe.
Jenny says
So good ! I used yesterday's homemade mac n cheese made with smoked gouda and cheddar.
Tanya says
That sounds delicious Jenny!
Emily says
Made these with homemade dairy-free Mac and cheese and they were incredible! We misted ours with avocado oil before putting them in the fryer, and they were incredible. Thanks for sharing!
Tanya says
Thank you Emily! So glad you liked them 🙂
Taylor says
What is the best Mac and cheese to use? I did velveeta and didn’t seem to work
Tanya says
Velveeta from a box? That may be too soft to hold it together. I've used the air fryer mac and cheese recipe and the creamy baked mac and cheese recipes that I have on my site. I also make sure that the mixture has been refrigerated for a few hours before i try to mold them into balls.
Holly Tittle says
How long does the macaroni need to be refrigerated? It just says old and I let it sit in the fridge for 3 hours and it wouldn't roll into a ball.
Tanya says
Hi Holly, the minimum amount of time I've let the macaroni set in the fridge is 4 hours.
Jo Loos says
@Tanya, I tried with Kraft and it sat overnight. It would not hold into balls. So sad.
Emily says
@Jo Loos, I had the same problem. My solution was to refrigerate the macaroni in a shallow container, and then slice the macaroni into chunks right in the container. We ended up with cubes instead of balls, just as tasty!
Tanya says
Great idea Emily 🙂
Jordyn says
@Holly Tittle, I had the same problem, but once I semi rolled it and put them in the egg and panko, it all held together nicely.
Cheryl says
Can these be made up ahead of time and sealed in bags for another time. Freeze and then throw in the AF. Should you air fry first then freeze or not freeze I was curious thinking these for the holidays thanks
Tanya says
I don't see why not. I've placed them in the freexer for a few hours and then made them and they were delicious.
Erica says
How long would I need to air fry from frozen?
Tanya says
I've done them 10 minutes from frozen.
Melissa says
What is the flour used for? I see it in the ingredients list, but not used in the recipe.
Tanya says
Hi Melissa, The flour was included in error. I initially coated the macaroni balls in flour first when testing the recipe but then realized that I didn't even need it. Thank you for pointing it and my apologies it was in the ingredient list. I've removed it 🙂
Ashley says
I love finding new ways to use my air fryer and everyone loved these. Will definitely make them again!
Jenn says
DITTO to the sweet chili sauce dipping sauce - fantastic! Thanks for the tasty recipe!!
kathy monk says
@Jenn, OMG I want these and the sweet thai chili sauce goes on a lot of stuff
Denise Gordon says
@kathy monk, where’s directions for sweet thai chili sauce. Please.