Don't let your leftover mac and cheese go to waste. Instead, make these super easy and crispy air fryer mac and cheese balls! This recipe is perfect (and designed) to use up leftover cooked and cooled macaroni and cheese. Because leftover mac and cheese isn't always the best reheated, so why not turn it into something crispy and delicious. Once you have the mac and cheese balls formed, cooking them in the air fryer takes about ten minutes, and you only need a spritz of oil.

To make these air fryer mac and cheese balls easily, you'll need to have cooked and cooled macaroni and cheese. I used my stovetop gouda mac and cheese recipe to make these which worked great.

Ingredients

• leftover (cooked and cooled) macaroni and cheese
• shredded cheese (cheddar): optional, but adds more cheese pull to your mac and cheese balls.
• eggs: to coat the mac and cheese bites before rolling in breadcrumbs. Plus it helps the balls stay in tact.
• panko (or other type of breadcrumbs). Gluten free panko works too!
• smoked paprika: for a smoky flavour
• avocado oil spray
• flaky salt
• fresh chives

How to Make Crispy Mac and Cheese Balls in the Air fryer?

Turns out, making crispy mac and cheese bites in your air fryer is SO easy.

Once you have your cooked and cooled macaroni and cheese, all you need to do is roll them into balls, dip it into egg, then panko and bake.

Here is a more detailed explanation of what to do.

Once the macaroni and cheese has been cooked and cooled completely in a large bowl, add the cheese a little at a time to the bowl until mixed well.

Using a cookie or ice cream scoop, scoop the macaroni and cheese into balls and use your hands to form them.

Whisk the eggs in one bowl, and the panko and smoked paprika in another bowl.

Dip each ball into the egg and coat on all sides. Then transfer to the panko and coat on all sides.

Preheat the air fryer to 360ºF.

Place the mac and cheese balls in the air fryer and spray with avocado oil.

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes (flipping halfway through and spraying with oil on the other side), until the balls are lightly browned and crispy.

Remove the balls and season with a pinch of flaky salt and garnish with chives. Serve and enjoy!

Tips

• Add more cheese: If you're following my recipe for stovetop gouda mac and cheese, feel free to add more shredded cheddar (or gouda) to the cooled macaroni and cheese. This will make the mac and cheese balls more cheesy when you pull them apart.
• Let the cooked macaroni cool completely: it's essential that your cooked macaroni and cheese is cooled before handling. This is necessary for helping these air fryer mac and cheese balls hold together. It should be refrigerated for a minimum of four to five hours and works best with macaroni and cheese that has cooled in the fridge overnight.
• Spray the mac and cheese balls: don't forget to spray the mac and cheese balls with avocado oil spray before baking. This will help them to get crispy and browned.
• Use panko: I find panko the best for getting foods crispy. It has a great texture and I highly recommend using panko here.
• Mac and cheese balls not firm enough: if your mac and cheese isn't super firm after rolling into balls, place the balls in the freezer to firm up for 30 minutes prior to air frying.

Which Type of Macaroni Works Best for Air Fryer Mac & Cheese Balls?

I have personally tested this with my easy, homemade stovetop gouda macaroni and cheese.

If you are making this one (or something similar), it's best to leave off the panko on top of the whole dish when serving if you are going to be turning leftovers into balls. And don't bake the mac and cheese if you plan on using leftovers for these air fried mac and cheese balls.

I have not tested this with a boxed macaroni and cheese, so I can't say for sure if the sauce would thicken enough to hold the macaroni and cheese together.

This air fryer mac and cheese balls recipe works best with a homemade cheese sauce that thickens nicely in the fridge. Ideally, one that has had time to cool overnight in the fridge.

Substitutions

• Gluten-free: be sure to use a gluten-free macaroni and use gluten-free breadcrumbs, like this gluten-free panko.
• Dairy-free: use your favourite dairy-free shredded cheese. Pick one that melts well.
• Eggs: I haven't tried this recipe without eggs as you need something to coat the mac and cheese balls before rolling them in panko. The egg also helps the air fried mac and cheese balls hold together.

Leftovers, Storage & Freezing

Cooked air fryer mac and cheese balls can be stored in a sealed container for up to three days. Re-crisp them in the oven or air fryer for a few minutes before eating.

Rolled mac and cheese balls which have been coated in egg and panko but not air fried can be frozen. To do this, place the mac and cheese balls on a baking sheet with parchment paper in the freezer for one hour (or until firm). Transfer to a sealed container or freezer safe plastic bag and freeze for three months.

When you're ready to bake them, follow the baking instructions provided for the air fryer. Bake from frozen. Add a few extra minutes of cook time because they will be frozen.

How to Bake Mac & Cheese Bites in the Oven?

Although I love, love, love my air fryer and use it all the time, you can still make these bites in the oven if you don't have an air fryer.

To do so, spray the mac and cheese balls with oil and then bake at 425ºF for about 8 minutes. Flip and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Which Air Fryer Do I Use & Recommend

I've tried three different air fryers over the years, and my most recent is also my favourite.

It's the Wonder Oven from Our Place. I absolutely love it and highly recommend it, for several reasons.

• Aesthetically pleasing: as with all Our Place products, the design is unmatched. This means you can leave it out on your countertop and don't need to hide it away in a cluttered drawer.
• Non-toxic: the trays that come with the Wonder Oven are all non-toxic and made from stainless steel and aluminum with a toxin-free nonstick ceramic coating. This is SO hard to find with other types of air fryers and is the main reason I use it so much.
• Different cooking modes: this is not just an air fryer, it can air fry, bake, toast, roast, reheat and broil. I also love the steam function for bringing breads back to life.
• Compact size: I love how small and mighty it is. It won't take up much room on your countertops, something that was so important to me living in a condo with limited countertop space.

The only drawbacks I've noticed while using this is the timer function. It's not digital and can be hard to be precise when using it. So I prefer to just use the timer on my oven or microwave when using it to be sure it's exact. The knob also has to be turned off manually by turning it rather than having an on/off switch.

But honestly, other than those missing features, it's such a great appliance and I do recommend it.

You can check out Our Place Wonder Oven here!

More Appetizer Recipes

Looking for more appetizers, check these ones out!

• Air fryer calamari
• Caramelized French Onion Tart
• Clue Cheese Stuffed Pears
• Prosciutto Wrapped Persimmons
• Air Fryer Brie Bites with Fig Jam
• Vegan Cashew Queso Dip
• Air fryer coconut shrimp with Thai sweet chili sauce
• Harissa & squash red lentil dip  (vegan)
• Air fryer Jalapeño Poppers
• Healthy french onion dip
• Butternut squash hummus with fried sage and dukkah
• Bang Bang Shrimp (air fryer)

Ready to make this? Let's get to it!

If you make these crispy air fryer mac and cheese balls please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!

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