These Sweet Chili Sauce Meatballs are juicy and tender with a sweet and spicy Thai Chili sauce. They're great for an easy weeknight dinner served over rice or make them for an appetizer. Super simple to make and ready in under an hour!
I'm all about some juicy meatballs and these my friend, are just that! They're baked with milk soaked breadcrumbs, and a combination of ground beef and pork, which brings in just enough fat to keep the meatballs nice and tender in the oven.
This recipe is a new family favorite and I love it because you can make it ahead in the day and just warm the meatballs up in the crockpot for an hour or so before dinner.
For more of my favorite meatballs recipes, try these Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Meatballs, Mini Meatballs, and Asian Turkey Meatballs.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Quick and Easy. It's actually really simple to make your own meatballs and they taste so much better! We're using a store-bought Chili Sauce to save on time.
- Versatile. Make these as a game day appetizer or serve them for dinner with white rice and teriyaki broccoli or spicy cucumber salad.
- Flavor Packed. The meatballs are so juicy and tender to bite into and they are thickly coated in chili sauce, then garnished with sesame seeds and fresh green onion for big taste!
- High in Protein. Ground beef and ground pork both offer high protein. Serve it with rice and veggies for a healthy dinner!
For more high protein dinner recipes, try this Ground Chicken Stir Fry, Honey Sriracha Shrimp and Crockpot Birria Tacos.
Ingredients:
Ground Beef: I prefer to use a 85/15 lean to fat ratio for meatballs because it's not too greasy like 80/20, but doesn't dry out like 93/7.
Ground Pork: Only 8 ounces is mixed into the ground beef, but I find it makes the best meatballs.
Onion, garlic, and ginger: Adds flavor into the meatballs. Mince everything really small to avoid any large chunks in the meatballs.
Bread and Milk: Bread is soaked in the milk, then torn apart into pieces and added to the meatballs to create extra moisture when baking. This is a Chefie Tip I learned from Guy Fieri early on in my cooking days. It makes a huge difference in making the best meatballs!
Egg: Binds the ingredients together.
Sweet Red Chili Sauce: A sweet and mildly spicy sauce that is tangy from the rice vinegar and big on Asian flavors. It's already really thick and coats the meatballs really well.
Green onion and sesame seeds: For garnish and texture.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Not big on green onion? Top these meatballs with fresh cilantro instead.
- If you're gluten free, leave out the bread and milk step.
- The meat can be substituted with ground turkey or ground chicken, but you will need to mix about ½ cup of Italian or Panko breadcrumbs to keep them from falling apart. The mixture gets really sticky with chicken or turkey and it tends to dry out faster versus ground beef and pork.
- In a pinch, you can substitute the ground pork with sausage. Just make sure it's not a really flavorful one, like maple or Italian, or it might be a bit weird tasting with the Asian inspired flavors.
For more Asian inspired recipes, try these Thai Shrimp Tacos, Carrot Cucumber Salad and Teriyaki Beef Bowls.
How to Make Sweet Chili Meatballs:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the slice of white bread in the bottom of a large bowl and pour over milk. Allow it to get soggy for a few minutes, then pull it apart into smaller pieces.
Step 2: Into the same bowl, right over the milk soaked bread, add ground beef, ground pork, grated ginger, egg, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until mixed well.
Step 3: Roll into meatballs (between 1 and 2 tablespoons in size) and add onto a baking rack topped cookie sheet. Note: Line it with parchment paper or foil to help with the greasy mess. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the internal temperature of the meatballs reach 165 degrees. Use a thermometer and insert it into the center point of the meatball. Cook time will depend on the size of the meatballs.
Step 4: Once the meatballs are cooked, pull them out of the oven and set on the stovetop.
Step 5: Heat the sweet Thai chili sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.
Step 6: Remove the meatballs from the baking rack and toss in the sauce. Top with sesame seeds and green onion. Serve plain or over rice and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- When grating ginger, peel the outside off with a paring knife or spoon, then grate the inside on a microplane grater to make the fresh ginger very fine.
- Allow the breadcrumbs to soak for a minute, then really tear apart into small pieces so every meatball gets a bit.
- Try and roll the meatballs in similar size so they cook at even temperatures.
- Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperature when baking. Depending on how large you roll the meatballs will determine how long they need to bake. Stick the internal thermometer into the center of the meatball and make sure it reads 165 degrees before pulling from the oven.
- If the brand of Chili Sauce you get is on the runnier side, whisk together 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and pour it into the sauce while it's heating up. Once you bring it to a boil, the sauce should thicken. If it get's too thick, just add a tablespoon of water until it's the right consistency.
Recipe FAQs:
It's the most delicious sweet and spicy sauce with a bit of tanginess from the rice vinegar. It's quite thick right out of the bottle and warms up to coat the meatballs. Look at the bottle and you can usually see the heat levels. The brand I used had a medium heat and wasn't too spicy.
It's usually in the international isle at the grocery store near bottles of soy sauce, and chili oils. Make sure to buy the "Sweet Thai Chili Sauce" and not chili oils. Chili oils are extremely hot and not at all the right texture for this dish. If you can't find it in the international isle, look near the ketchup and salad dressings.
Choose a type of meat with some fat content, like ground beef and ground pork. This helps to keep the meat from drying out when cooking. Also, add egg and try using milk soaked bread to keep the meatballs really tender. Check the internal temperature while baking and don't overcook!
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, place back in the 350 degree oven until warm or heat in a saucepan on the stovetop. Don't reheat for too long or they will dry out.
More Weeknight Dinners to Try:
If you tried this Sweet Chili Meatball Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Sweet Chili Sauce Meatballs
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 15-20 meatballs 1x
Description
These Sweet Chili Sauce Meatballs are juicy and tender with a sweet and spicy Thai Chili sauce. They're great for an easy weeknight dinner served over rice or make them for an appetizer. Super simple to make and ready in under an hour!
Ingredients
- 1 piece white sandwich bread
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 16 ounces ground beef 85/15
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons yellow onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated fine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 ounces or ¾ cup Sweet Red Thai Chili Sauce, store-bought
- 2 tablespoons fresh green onion, sliced thin on a bias
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the slice of white bread in the bottom of a large bowl and pour over milk. Allow it to get soggy for a few minutes, then pull it apart into smaller pieces.
- Into the same bowl, right over the milk soaked bread, add ground beef, ground pork, grated ginger, egg, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until mixed well.
- Roll into meatballs (about 1 to 2 tablespoons in size) and add onto a baking rack topped cookie sheet. Note: Line it with parchment paper or foil to help with the greasy mess. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the internal temperature of the meatballs reach 165 degrees. Use a thermometer and insert it into the center point of the meatball. The cook time will depend on size of the meatballs.
- Once the meatballs are cooked, pull them out of the oven and set on the stovetop.
- Heat the sweet Thai chili sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.
- Remove the meatballs from the baking rack and toss in the sauce. Top with sesame seeds and green onion. Serve plain or over rice and enjoy!
Notes
- When grating ginger, peel the outside off with a paring knife or spoon, then grate the inside on a microplane grater to make the fresh ginger very fine.
- Allow the breadcrumbs to soak for a minute, then really tear apart into small pieces so every meatball gets a bit.
- Try to roll the meatballs in similar size so they cook at even temperatures.
- Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperature when baking. Depending on how large you roll the meatballs will determine how long they need to bake. Stick the internal thermometer into the center of the meatball and make sure it reads 165 degrees before pulling from the oven.
- If the brand of Chili Sauce you get is on the runnier side, whisk together 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and pour it into the sauce while it's heating up. Once you bring it to a boil, the sauce should thicken. If it get's too thick, just add a tablespoon of water until it's the right consistency.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Asian
Holly
So juicy and the chili sauce is the perfect topping!
Tara Smithson
Totally agree! Thanks so much for the review.