These Sticky Asian Turkey Meatballs are delicious, tender and tossed into an asian inspired glaze. Just like my mini meatball recipe, these are the perfect dinner or appetizer idea and only take about 30 minutes to make! Serve them with rice for an easy meal.
These Asian Meatballs are just WOW! The sauce turns into a thick glaze and coats each meatball perfectly. Then, they are topped with fresh green onion and sesame seeds. They truly are a bite sized burst of flavor!
If you're big on time saving meals with tons of flavor, this recipe is for you! Also, try my Glazed Salmon, Chicken Mushroom Stir Fry and Chicken and Chorizo Pasta.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It only takes a little over 30 minutes to whip up
- This is the perfect appetizer or dinner idea
- It is packed with flavor from the asian meatballs to the glaze
- Ground turkey is a great option for meatballs because it is lower in saturated fats, but still offers great flavor and high protein
- This recipe is fantastic to meal prep on Sunday and eat during the week
If you are looking for other quick and easy dinner ideas like this one, be sure to check out our Thai Shrimp Tacos with Asian Slaw and Chicken Fajita Wraps. Also, this Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad or Asian Carrot Cucumber Salad would be fantastic to pair with these meatballs!
The Ingredients:
The Meatball Ingredients:
Ground Turkey- High in protein and makes great meatballs with less saturated fat than ground beef. If you love ground turkey, check out my Lentil Turkey Soup too!
Egg & Panko-The binder for the meatballs. They help to hold all of the ingredients together for easy rolling and baking.
Grated Ginger and Minced Garlic- For Asian Inspired flavor.
Sriracha- For touch of heat.
The Asian Glaze Ingredients:
Soy Sauce- For a salty and umami taste (Umami means savory)
Honey- Sweetness to perfectly balance the soy sauce
Rice Vinegar- To add a bit of acidity to the glaze
Hoisin Sauce- Salty and Sweet flavor & helps to thicken the sauce
Sesame Oil- Strong earthy oil used in Asian cooking
Grated Ginger- Sweet and spicy flavor
Cornstarch- Added to thicken sauce
Sriracha- For a Touch of heat
Green onion or chives and sesame seeds- To garnish & for a little crunch
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Sticky Asian Turkey Meatballs:
Step 1: Make the Meatballs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, add in ground turkey, panko, egg, garlic, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, ½ teaspoon sriracha and salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix together the ingredients and roll into large bite sized meatballs. Spread them out evenly on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake the meatballs for 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Step 2: Create the Asian Glaze
Add 1 tablespoon of water into the cornstarch and mix it up into a watery paste.
In a large skillet, add in soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, hoisin, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 teaspoon sriracha, and cornstarch mixture. Mix this together and heat on medium low until bubbling. Stir and reduce to low heat for at least 10 minutes.
Step 3: Once the meatballs are fully cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes.
Step 4: Toss the Turkey Meatballs into the Asian glaze and sprinkle with green onion or chives and sesame seeds.
Step 5: Serve with toothpicks for an appetizer or over rice for a full meal. Enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Don't roll the meatballs too large. You want them bite size, not as big as a meatball you would make for spaghetti and meatballs.
- Try to roll the meatballs in similar size, so they cook at the same time.
- Be sure to make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. If you sprinkle in cornstarch in without water, the sauce will have white powder chunks in it. Not cool!
- The sauce should get nice and thick and turn into a glaze. If it is not thickening, increase heat. If this doesn't help enough, add in one more teaspoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon water.
For a full meal, try serving these meatballs paired with my Fried Rice on the Blackstone Grill, Broccoli with Teriyaki Sauce, Chili Oil Ramen, or Coconut Jasmine Rice.
Recipe FAQs:
Absolutely! If you use ground beef, use half the panko called for in this recipe.
This allows the meatballs to stay intact in a meatball shape and makes it easier to make the sauce on the stovetop without having to worry about the meatballs burning. Plus, they taste delicious like this. I've tried cooking meatballs in every way and always come back to baking them.
In this recipe, we use egg and panko to bind the Asian meatballs together. In Italian meatballs, I like to use breadcrumbs, egg, and parmesan cheese.
Meatballs will cook according to the size you roll them. For medium sized meatballs, they will need to cook for at least 20 to 25 minutes and have an internal temperature of 165 degrees when finished.
Storage & Reheating:
These meatballs taste the best served fresh, but you can save the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
My preferred method for reheating is the oven. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until hot. You can also microwave them in 30 second increments until hot.
Love Asian flavor? Try these Chicken Wings with Asian Sauce, Sweet Chili Sauce Meatballs and Beef Teriyaki Bowls too!
Freezing Meatballs:
If you are freezing the recipe, bake the meatballs and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes until hot all the way through. Make the Asian glaze fresh the day you reheat them.
More Easy Appetizer Ideas You Will Love:
If you tried this Asian 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
Asian Turkey Meatballs
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These Asian Turkey Meatballs are tender and tossed in an asian inspired glaze. They are the perfect dinner idea and only take about 30 minutes to make! Serve them up with rice for an easy meal!
Ingredients
The Meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 egg, whisked
- ½ cup panko
- ½ teaspoon sriracha
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
The Asian Glaze
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons green onion or chives and 2 teaspoons sesame seeds (For garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add in ground turkey, panko, egg, garlic, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, ½ teaspoon sriracha and salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix together the ingredients and roll into large bite sized meatballs. Spread them evenly on parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- While the meatballs are baking, start the sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of water into the cornstarch and mix it up into a watery paste. Pro Tip: If you sprinkle in cornstarch without water, the sauce will have white powder chunks in it.
- In a large skillet, add in soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, hoisin, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 teaspoon sriracha, and cornstarch mixture. Mix this together and heat on medium low until bubbling. Stir and reduce to low heat. Cook sauce for at least 10 minutes.
- The sauce should get nice and thick and turn into a glaze. If it is not thickening, increase heat. If this doesn't help enough, add in one more teaspoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon water.
- Once meatballs are finished, allow them to cool for a few minutes.
- Toss them into the glaze and sprinkle with green onion or chives and sesame seeds.
- Enjoy! These are delicious with white rice or serve with toothpicks for the perfect appetizer idea.
Notes
Don't roll the meatballs too large. You want them bite size, not as big as a meatball you would make for spaghetti and meatballs.
Try to roll the meatballs in similar size, so they cook at the same time.
Be sure to make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. If you sprinkle in cornstarch in without water, the sauce will have white powder chunks in it. Not cool!
The sauce should get nice and thick and turn into a glaze. If it is not thickening, increase heat. If this doesn't help enough, add in one more teaspoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon water.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: asian
Robert says
This glaze is AMAZING!! Love the flavor.