Air Fryer Beef-Stuffed Potato Croquettes

Crispy on the outside and LOADED on the inside. These Air Fryer Beef-Stuffed Potato Croquettes take leftover mashed potatoes to a whole other level! They’re packed with a juicy meat filling, and are perfect for a satisfying and crunchy appetizer at your next party!

Croquettes are crispy rolls or balls that are made by mashing up meats, veggies, or other stuff together, breading those babies and then frying them for that crispy crust.

I want to say that in terms of stuffed croquettes, cheese is the most popular filling option. At least that’s what it looked like when I Googled “stuffed croquettes”.

But the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of croquettes is beef. 

I grew up eating beef croquettes every Sunday morning after church. We’d go buy freshly made ones – along with some pastries and such – at the store before heading back home. 

It wasn’t just my family though; This is quite a common practice where I come from (Goa, India).

But those croquettes aren’t like these ones. They’re Portuguese Beef Croquettes which are basically all-meat-only.
P. S. I also grew up eating a lot of Portuguese-inspired food coz Goa was ruled by the Portuguese and that’s now part of our cuisine.

Anyway, I decided to combined both versions to create this perfect finger food.

Perfectly easy:

• Boil potatoes, add flavorings, mash
• Cook ground beef
• Shape potato, add beef, cover with potato

Shaping notes:

I’d recommend being a little careful when shaping the croquette. Keep your palms slightly damp/moist. If they’re too dry, the mashed potatoes will just stick on your palms and leave a mess.

You could also shape all the potatoes first, and then just put them all together.

Air Fryer & Coating:

Since these just go straight in the air fryer, you don’t really need the bread crumbs. I did most of mine without. Just brush the croquettes with almond milk and cook.

This also keeps them gluten-free and paleo, and cuts down on a lot of the calories too/

Air Fryer Beef-Stuffed Potato Croquettes

Print recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 14 2½” x 1” croquettes

Calories: 32kcal

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Crispy on the outside and LOADED on the inside. These Air Fryer Beef-Stuffed Potato Croquettes take leftover mashed potatoes to a whole other level! A juicy meat filling inside crispy potatoes without breadcrumbs, these are perfect for a paleo gluten-free party appetizer!

Ingredients

Potato Coating:

• 2 small Russet Potatoes, 340g
• 1½ Tbsp Green Onion, Finely Chopped , 10g
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• ¼ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper

Beef Filling:

• 3.5 oz Ground Beef, 96% Lean, 100g
• ¼ tsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Onion, Diced, 20g
• 1 tsp Garlic, Minced, 5g
• 3 Tbsp Green Onion, Finely Chopped, 20g
• ¼ cup Green Peppers, 37g
• 2 Tbsp Parsley, Chopped, 8g
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
• ¼ tsp Salt

For Cooking:

• 2 Tbsp Almond Milk, Unsweetened
• 1 cup Bread Crumbs, Optional, 4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread Toasted and Crumbled

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F or use Air-Fryer.

Prepare potato coating:

• Cut the potato into large wedges, place in a pot over medium heat and cover with water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes until potatoes are tender but still firm.
• Drain and mash with green onion, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Prepare filling:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium and fry the onions and garlic for 2 minutes until translucent.
• Add ground beef, vegetables and seasoning and cook for 5-7 minutes until meat is no longer pink.

Assemble:

• Prepare 2 shallow bowls with almond milk in the first and optional bread crumbs in the second.
• Divide mashed potatoes and filling into 28 and 14 equal portions respectively.
• Use hands to shape a potato portion into an oval patty. Place a portion of filling on it, and cover with another potato portion. Roll into a croquette shape.
• Dip the croquettes first into the almond milk and then coat with breadcrumbs, if using.
• Air-fry for 20 minutes at 375°F until golden brown and crisp, or bake at 400°F for 25 minutes.

Notes

• Nutrition value is calculated for russet potatoes, and does not include bread crumbs coating. Add 30 calories each if using.

Nutrition:

• Servings: 14 2½” x 1” croquettes | Serving size: 1 croquette
• Calories: 32kcal
• Fat: 0.4g | Saturated fat: 0.1g
• Carbohydrates: 4.9g | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.4g
• Protein: 2.1g