The only thing better than mac and cheese are these gooey on the inside, crispy on the outside mac and cheese balls! Even better, I’ve used my beloved air fryer to get them crispy without the need for excess oil since these are already indulgent with all the carbs and cheese. These air fryer mac and cheese balls use an easy filling made with a combination of US cheddar and mozzarella from USA Cheese Guild, which both melt easily and provide lots of cheese pulls and a nice mild flavor.
By having an easy, cheese base, you can go wild with the coating like I did by using crushed Flaming Hot Cheetos, but feel free to use any chips you like. Try it out with crushed Kettle Chips, Cheez Its or Ritz Chips for a salty, savory coating, or go simple with seasoned panko bread crumbs.
It’s also a great way to repurpose leftover mac and cheese. Just coat it in panko bread crumbs or your favorite chips crushed up any leftover mac and cheese for this, whether it’s from a restaurant or homemade, like my breakfast mac and cheese or pumpkin mac and cheese for a fall twist. You could even use leftovers of my Crispy Prosciutto Mac and Cheese and coat it in crumbled up leftover Calabrian Chili Honey Butter Biscuits. Any of my other recipes would actually produce an even creamier inside to your mac and cheese balls since they use a bechamel base for the cheese sauce, but this recipe uses a shortcut by using cornstarch as an emulsifier to save time.
I’ve been loving my sleek Cosori 5 Quart Air Fryer that goes up to 450F to get things crispy quickly, but you could also make these in the oven and just increase the cooking time until they get nicely browned. The good thing about making them in the air fryer is that since they get crispy faster, there’s less chance of the filling drying out. Give these air fryer mac and cheese balls a try, and let me know how you customize it!
Air Fryer Mac and Cheese Balls
Ingredients
Mac and Cheese: (Substitute with leftover mac & cheese)
- 4 oz chifferi or elbow macaroni
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz cheddar
- 4 oz shredded mozzarella
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp mustard powder
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Dredging:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs or crushed chips
- Salt and pepper, optional
Instructions
- If using leftover mac and cheese, skip ahead to step 4 to prepare your dredging station.
- Cook the macaroni in a salted, boiling water until 1-2 minutes under al dente, then drain and add to a nonstick skillet along with the heavy cream and heat over medium-low.
- Toss the cheddar and mozzarella with the cornstarch in a bowl, then add it to the skillet along with the spices and cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour (or longer) until the mac and cheese is firm enough that you can mold it with your hands.
- Prepare your dredging station by having a separate shallow bowl for the flour, beaten egg, and bread/chip crumbs. If using breadcrumbs, season season with salt and pepper.
- Mold the mac and cheese into balls with your hands or using a cookie scoop.
- Dredge the balls first in flour, then egg, then bread/chip crumbs. If you want the mac and cheese balls to be more sturdy, put the coated mac and cheese balls back in the freezer for another 30 minutes (I don’t really think it’s necessary though).
- Preheat the air fryer to 450F or 400F depending on how high it can go. Then add the balls, spraying with canola oil to get them extra golden brown.
- Air fry for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Serve with dipping sauce like ranch or spicy mayo if desired.
