It’s fair to say that I'm not the biggest fan of fried foods. So when my brother moved back from Colorado and offered me his air-fryer (because he didn’t like it) I was pretty excited to get to play with it. Over the last year of air-frying I have learned a few tips and tricks. There is definitely a bit of a learning curve when it comes to the air-fryer.

Not everything is great when being air-fried rather than deep dried. And that’s just the nature of it. Of course, the deep fried things tend to be more greasy, but they are also more crisp and tend to take less time. So when making these delicious Mac & Cheese Balls, my brother and I decided to have a fry off.

These Mac & Cheese Balls are rather easy to make and they’re a great way to use up leftover macaroni and cheese. I used some shells and cheese, but any mac & cheese here will work so long as it’s cold. Rolling it up into balls is the most ‘difficult’ and messy part. I used a glove to do it and then quickly put them all in the freezer to set up.

I’m happy to report that my air-fried Mac & Cheese Balls were just as good as the regular fried ones. They were cheesy and melty and perfectly gooey. The only real difference that any of us could tell was that the regular fried ones were a little more crisp and held together a little butter. Other than that, it would be difficult to tell which was which in a blind taste-test.

Step-by-Step Photos:

Nutritional Claims: Sugar Conscious • Low Potassium • Kidney Friendly • Vegetarian • Pescatarian • Peanut Free • Tree Nut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Pork Free • Red Meat Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Mustard Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free • Sulphite Free • Kosher