Croquetes de Carne in the Air FryerMeat Croquettes

Croquetes sit in the glass case of every Portuguese café, next to the pastéis de bacalhau. They were invented as a way to use leftover meat from a cozido or a Sunday roast, and that's still the best way to make them.

They're finger-shaped, crunchy outside and soft inside. Have them with a squeeze of mustard and a cold drink.

The recipe

Croquetes de Carne in the Air FryerMeat Croquettes

Portuguese beef croquettes made from leftover stew or roast meat, crumbed and crisped in the air fryer. The café counter classic, and a great use of leftovers.

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Prep30 min

Cook10 min

Total40 min

Serves16 croquetes

Ingredients

MetricUS

Makes

16

croquetes

½×1×2×3×

• 400 g cooked beef or pork (leftover roast or stew meat), finely minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 30 g butter
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 200 ml milk or stock
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper
• To coat: 2 eggs, beaten, and 150 g fine breadcrumbs

Method

1. Soften the onion in the olive oil for 8 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the minced meat and stir for 3–4 minutes.
3. In another pan, melt the butter, stir in the flour, then whisk in the milk or stock to make a very thick sauce.
4. Mix the sauce into the meat with the egg yolk, parsley and nutmeg. Season well. Spread on a plate, cover and chill for at least 2 hours, until firm.
5. Shape spoonfuls into small logs, about 6 cm long. Dip each in beaten egg, then roll in breadcrumbs.
6. Spray with oil and air fry at 200 °C for 10 minutes, turning halfway, until golden.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

Serving

Eat them warm with yellow mustard, or tuck two into a bread roll for a croquete sandwich, which is a common café lunch in Lisbon.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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Amazon best seller

Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt Air Fryer

One of Amazon's best-selling air fryers. The 6 Qt basket fits a batch of pastéis de bacalhau or chicken thighs for four, and the ceramic coating is PFAS-free.

Tip: Size is what matters for Portuguese cooking: 5.5–6 Qt feeds 2–4 people in one batch.

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Air fryer parchment liners, 125 pack

Stops wet mixtures like pastéis and croquetes from sticking to the basket.

Tip: Never preheat the air fryer with an empty liner inside.

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TrendPlain glass olive oil sprayer

A fine mist of real azeite is what turns air-fried food golden. It's cheaper and kinder to non-stick baskets than aerosol sprays.

Tip: Fill it with a mild olive oil and keep it next to the air fryer.

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