Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs

My Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs are deliciously juicy and make such a simple weeknight main dish! I use ground beef and pork, plus some traditional pesto to give the best flavor. Cooking from frozen directions included!

Meatballs are a PRIME candidate for meal prep! Freezer-friendly? Check. Versatile? Check. EASY? Check!

If you’re in the mood for pasta, or roasted veggies, or a giant saucy meatball sandwich, these meatballs will fit right into the picture. Since you can cook them from frozen, they’re the best kind of main dish to keep on hand at all times.

They have delicious flavor on their own, but it’s not overpowering, so you can sauce them up and plug them in wherever you want.

What are the ingredients in these Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs?

This ingredients list is super simple – another reason I love these meatballs! 

• ground beef – I used 80% lean ground beef for this recipe. I would stay away from extra lean, as we do want some of that fat in our meatballs. Generally I use ButcherBox ground beef, but I ran out, so that’s why there’s a different beef pictured below.
• ground pork – Using two types of meat really ups the flavor of the meatballs, and gives you something different that you couldn’t get with just the one kind of meat. I recommend using the ground pork. If you have to switch out a pound of meat in this recipe for ground poultry, I would recommend switching the beef instead 🙂 I always get my ground pork from my Butcherbox meat delivery service (affiliate link!)!
• breadcrumbs – Ahh breadcrumbs, an ingredient of meatball recipes everywhere. You can use regular or Italian, whatever you have on hand.
• eggs – Another ingredient of meatball recipes everywhere, eggs help hold the meatballs together.
• traditional basil pesto– My favorite ingredient and possibly a surprise to some, pesto! Most traditional pesto recipes include pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, oil, and basil. All of these items add incredible flavor and moisture to the meatballs! And bonus, then you don’t have to add cheese, garlic, fresh herbs individually. It’s all in the pesto. WIN.
• garlic & onion powder – Onion powder and garlic powder add even more flavor to the meatballs! In powder form so there are no weird chunks.
• salt & fresh ground black pepper – I love fresh ground black pepper in almost every savory dish. Salt helps bring all the flavors together. I just use a basic fine sea salt here.

How do you make these Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs?

This main dish recipe could not get any easier! Unless it was meatloaf and you never even formed the balls. But that’s another recipe!!

Okay, here’s how you do it. Add ALL the ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and then get your hands dirty! Or don’t, and wear gloves which is what I do. 

Mix (squish) all the ingredients together until they are just mixed. Which means don’t overmix! Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. 

I like to use a slightly larger cookie scooper to form my meatballs. That way there are less meatballs to form, which means less time taken!

My scooper holds about 2 tablespoons of volume, and the scoop is 1 3/4 inch wide. If you have a smaller scooper, that’s totally fine! Just cook the meatballs for slightly less time and be sure to check the temperature.

Form all the meatballs and place them on a lined sheet tray. I usually bake several of the meatballs for dinner, and freeze the rest on a smaller quarter sheet tray that can fit into my freezer.

You can make more at one time if you want 🙂 Just leave about 1 inch of space between each meatball.

Depending on your cooking method, place the formed meatballs on a baking sheet or into your air fryer basket. Air frying is quicker but slightly more cleanup in my opinion. 

The meatballs are done with they are beginning to brown and crisp on the outside, and the internal temperature reaches 160F. Yum!

Can you air fry these meatballs?

Yes! You can absolutely air fry these meatballs. Air frying gives them a nice firm and crispy outside while keeping the inside juicy and delicious. It’s also a bit quicker than cooking in the oven! 

To air fry fresh raw meatballs, place the fresh meatballs into the air fryer basket in a single layer, not touching each other. Air fry for 9-12 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160F.

To air fry frozen raw meatballs, place them into the air fryer basket in a single layer, not touching each other. Air fry at 350F for 12-14 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160F.

Why use pesto in these meatballs?

Many traditional meatball recipes have some type of cheese, some liquid or oil, and some herbs involved. When you add pesto to your meatballs, it does all of that and more.

The olive oil in the pesto keeps these meatballs MOIST and delicious. I’m sure the cheese helps too. A little pesto (just 1/3 cup) goes a long way here. I started my tests with twice as much and found a smaller amount did just as much work.

Do meatballs freeze well?

Yes! Meatballs freeze really well, as long as you store them correctly. More on that below!

It’s super easy to freeze meatballs. Once they’re cooked, you can’t even tell they were frozen!

Meatballs are super handy to have in the freezer because they can be cooked directly from frozen and used in a few different meals.

Can uncooked meatballs be frozen?

Absolutely! I prefer to freeze meatballs before cooking them. It’s really not necessary to cook and then freeze the meatballs at home, because you’ll have to cook them again before eating anyway.

Freezing the meatballs raw skips a cooking step! Just make sure they are fully cooked before you eat them.

How do you freeze these meatballs?

Whenever I make a batch of these meatballs, I usually cook a few, and freeze the rest. This is a perfect example of batch cooking, or cooking for the freezer!

Freezing meatballs is simple – use your scooper to form the meatballs just like the ones being cooked. You can always roll them into balls if you don’t have a scooper.

Place the meatballs directly on a lined sheet pan that fits into your freezer (important!). They can be super close together, but try not to let them touch. I have to use a quarter sheet pan (affiliate link!) to fit into my freezer, but it works!

Next, freeze on the sheet for 4 hours to overnight. Once the meatballs are completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer safe container – I use larger size Stasher Silicone Food Storage Bags (affiliate link!) for this purpose.

I learned this method from my friend Steph at Meal Plan Addict – check out her article on How to Prep & Freeze Meatballs for more detailed pictures and info!

How do you cook frozen raw/uncooked meatballs?

Generally, frozen uncooked meatballs can be cooked in any method you would cook fresh raw meatballs, they just might need a few more minutes of cook time.

To bake frozen raw meatballs, preheat oven to 375F. Place frozen raw meatballs on a foil lined rimmed sheet pan. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160F.

To air fry frozen raw meatballs, place them into the air fryer basket. Air fry at 350F for 12-14 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160F.

Read further down the post and check out the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

What are some serving ideas for these meatballs?

These meatballs make a simple and versatile main dish for a variety of grains, veggies and sides. Here are some ideas:

• Serve with classic spaghetti and your favorite red sauce
• Serve with pasta and your favorite cream sauce – doesn’t have to be marinara
• Serve on a hoagie roll and broil with some sauce and fresh mozzarella for a Meatball Sub Sandwich
• Serve with roasted veggies and rice + more pesto for a pesto meatball rice bowl
• Cut meatballs in half and put them on a pizza with mozzarella! Okay, need to go try this

Meal prep ideas for these Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs:

Meal prep can look a little bit different for everyone. Here are my best ideas for preparing these Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs ahead:

• Prep and freeze the whole batch (or what’s leftover), then keep them in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.
• Cook half of the meatballs for dinner tonight, then prep and freeze the rest of them for future meals. 
• You can cook all of the meatballs and then freeze the leftovers, but you still have to cook the meatballs again to reheat. I prefer to freeze the meatballs raw to skip the double cooking steps. This could also reduce the quality and make them a little less juicy! Freeze raw 🙂 
• Prep and cook these meatballs, then portion them into meals of your choice for the family – a roasted veggie rice bowl with meatballs would be a good idea! Store in the fridge and enjoy within 4 days.

How to store, freeze & reheat:

Store in the fridge: Portion any leftover cooked meatballs into airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Store in the freezer: Flash freeze raw meatballs as directed above for 4 hours to overnight, then transfer to a freezer safe container (I use a Stasher 1/2 Gallon Storage Bag (affiliate link!) for this!). Use within 3-4 months for best quality.

Reheat from the refrigerator: Reheat with the rest of your meal in the microwave for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, or reheat in the air fryer at 350F for 8-10 minutes until sizzling.

Cook from the freezer: Check the recipe card for specific appliance instructions!