These Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs are juicy and so flavorful with an easy homemade teriyaki glaze. They come together quickly, making them an easy dinner idea for a busy weeknight over a bed of steamy rice or as a crowd-pleasing appetizer. You’ll love this healthier option using ground turkey and baking instead of frying.
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Helpful Reader Review
“This has been a family favorite for the last 3 years I believe… My picky little boys LOVE this dinner and request it often! It’s in our weekly dinner rotation- thanks for the awesome recipe!” – Mary ★★★★★
Homemade Teriyaki Meatball Recipe
Everyone loves these Teriyaki Meatballs. My family meets every Sunday night for a potluck-style meal at my parents’ house, and bite-sized appetizers are always the first things eaten. This is one of my favorite dishes to bring since the meatballs are quick to make and the recipe is easily doubled (or tripled) to feed our crowd. These fly off the plate!
Swapping pork and beef for ground turkey in this teriyaki meatball recipe cuts calories, making these a lighter option. Then I bake the meatballs at a high temperature in the oven instead of frying them, so they still have a delicious crust without drying out.
The teriyaki sauce takes just 5 minutes to mix and reduce on the stove, and then you’re ready to coat the meatballs. If you have any left over, I like to use it over Salmon, like in my Teriyaki Salmon Recipe, in Chicken Lettuce Wraps for lunch, or as a dip for my Egg Roll Recipe.
Ingredients for Teriyaki Meatballs
The recipe comes in two parts: the turkey meatballs and the Teriyaki sauce. Both are independently delicious (picture a chef’s kiss), but together… perfection.
- Ground Turkey – leaner than beef, ground turkey has a reputation for being dry/bland–but not here. The other meatball ingredients add so much flavor and keep the meat moist. You can swap this with ground pork, ground beef, or ground chicken if you prefer.
- Panko Bread Crumbs – Here’s one of those ingredients that hold moisture and create a great meatball texture since it’s crunchier than regular breadcrumbs. You could swap with regular breadcrumbs in a pinch, but use a little less so the meatballs don’t get dense. You can also use gluten-free panko crumbs for GF meatballs.
- Flavor – green onion, ginger (grated or ground), and garlic
- Egg – works with the panko to keep the teriyaki meatball from falling apart and moist. For egg allergies, you can try one of these substitutions for eggs recommended by Tasting Table
- Sesame Oil– adds great flavor and some moisture to the meatballs.
Ingredients for Teriyaki Sauce
While the turkey meatballs bake, I whip up an easy homemade Teriyaki sauce. You guys…this sauce. It makes me want to lick the pot. But I don’t because it tastes even better over rice with savory meatballs. You can find all of the sauces I used here in the international section of most grocery stores.
- Brown sugar offsets the savory, salty, and umami flavors in the sauce.
- Soy sauce – I use regular soy sauce, but you can use a gluten-free tamari or even low sodium. If using low sodium, reduce the sugar slightly.
- Hoisin sauce – adds depth, thickness, sweetness, and extra umami. You can also get gluten-free hoisin for GF.
- Sesame oil – take a quick trip down the international grocery aisle to find these delicious Asian recipe staples. I use toasted sesame oil, which has a strong nutty flavor and is sometimes labeled “pure,” but you can check the ingredient list on the bottle to make sure it states “toasted.”
- Aromatics – garlic and ginger – use fresh for the best flavor.
How to Make Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs
- Preheat – prep a rimmed baking sheet with foil and preheat the oven to 400
- Mix the meatball ingredients in a large bowl until just combined. Don’t overmix the meat or it can become tough. If the mixture seems dry, add milk or water 1 Tbsp at a time.
- Roll the meatballs into 1 1/4″-1 1/2″ balls and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 13-18 minutes or until cooked through. Turkey Meatballs are finished cooking when their juices run clear and the inside measures 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Be sure not to overcook the meatballs.
Natasha’s Pro Tip:
For more crisp edges on the meatballs, you can place an oven-safe rack on top of the foil-lined baking sheet to keep the meatballs raised out of the juices while cooking.
- Make the Teriyaki Sauce – add sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Combine the cooked turkey meatballs and Teriyaki sauce in a large mixing bowl. Serve immediately.
Helpful Reader Review
“These turned out great! I love how fast, inexpensive, and so yummy these meatballs are. In my past experience, ground turkey would always turn out dry, but these were very juicy.” – Kseniya ★★★★★
How to Serve Teriyaki Meatballs
These turkey teriyaki meatballs are just so versatile. I like to garnish with sesame seeds and chopped chives for a beautiful presentation. Then, I serve them alone as a quick snack, over rice for dinner, or on a plate with toothpicks as a delicious appetizer. Here are a few ideas on what to enjoy with this recipe:
- Over Cooked Rice, Cabbage Fried Rice, Quinoa, ramen noodles, or egg noodles.
- With Asian Chopped Salad Recipe, Roasted Broccoli, Vegetable stir fry
- Served on No Knead Bread or in Hamburger Buns as a meatball sub or meatball sandwich
Storage and Reheating
If you manage to have any leftovers (how?), you can store the meatballs easily for lunch or a quick snack the next day.
- To Refrigerate: once the meatballs cool, store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: cool the meatballs and then place them on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Flash freeze them by placing them into the freezer for 2-3 hours. Once frozen, store them in a freezer-safe zip-top or container for up to 3 months. You can freeze with sauce or keep the sauce separate.
- To Reheat: place frozen meatballs in the Air Fryer or Oven at 375 or reheat in a saucepan. If the sauce gets thick, thin it out with a bit of water.
Baked Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs are one of my favorite appetizers to serve at large family potlucks and also one of my family’s favorite 30-minute meals for weeknight dinner. These leaner take on crowd-pleasing meatballs will certainly become a go-to for your family as well!
Teriyaki Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 16 oz lean ground turkey
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs, or use GF crumbs
- 1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or grated
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
For the Teriyaki Sauce:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce, or use GF hoisin
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce, or use GF tamari
- 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger or 1/8 tsp ground ginger
To serve:
- Sesame seeds and green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat – Line a 17×12 rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil. Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Combine meatball ingredients – in a large bowl: ground turkey, bread crumbs, green onion, egg, fresh ginger, pressed garlic clove, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Use your hands or a spoon to mix just until combined. The mixture should feel moist. If it seems dry, add milk or water, 1 Tbsp at a time.
- Roll meatballs – into 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" balls and bake at 400 for 13-18 mins or until juices run clear or a meat thermometer reads 165˚F. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
- Make Teriyaki Sauce – Simmer the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently or until slightly thickened.
- Combine Meatballs and Sauce – Transfer warm meatballs to a mixing bowl, drizzle with warm sauce, and toss to combine. Serve over rice, garnished with chives and sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
- Refrigerate Leftovers – Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze – Flash freeze meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet until solid and then store in an airtight container or freezer zip-top bag.
- Reheat from frozen – Place in the oven at 375˚F or the air fryer until heated through. You can also reheat in a saucepan. If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of water to thin it out.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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Do you use toasted sesame oil or regular sesame oil for this recipe.
thank you
Hi Monique, we have a picutre of the oil we used towards the beginning of the recipe. We used regular sesame oil. I hope that helps.
These are terrific!!! I made them exactly as the recipe said and they were moist and flavorful! Even my ex hubby tried them and said I knocked them out of the park. I will definitely be making this recipe again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Teresa! Thank you for the wonderful review!
This recipe was so easy to make and delish!
Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
So juicy and delicious! I started with 6lbs of ground turkey when making these so I ended up with LOTS of meatballs. Was too lazy to make the sauce and instead heated 2 bottles of teriyaki sauce (soy vay veri veri brand). Served with jasmine rice and an asian salad kit (costco) that I added chopped yellow bell pepper, tomato and cucumber to – such a quick meal to throw together. This one is a keeper!
Sounds like you found a new favorite! Thank you for sharing your great review with us, Kitti!
I love the sauce but had two problems with the meatballs. Truth be told I cut in some very tiny pieces of pineapple for added sweetness; other than that use the recipe as written. My problems were 1) the meatballs fall apart when I removed them from the oven, and
2) the mouth feel was rather gritty and left a filmy feeling coating.
I’m not sure how much of my problem was my pineapple modification and how much the recipe but is there a trick to holding them together?
HI Elissa, I haven’t had that experience with this recipe so I suspect it was due to modifications. When I made these, they kept together without any issues. I suggest making the recipe as written since I haven’t tried that add-in. A “gritty” or “filmy” texture is also strange. Was the ground turkey fresh and not cooked while partially frozen? Cooking partially frozen meat can cause texture issues.
Best. Meatballs. Ever!!!! Juicy and flavorful. And I plan to use the teriyaki sauce in all different kinds of dishes. Keep sharing! 🙂
Hi Nikki! This made my day! Thank you so much for this awesome review!!
Could these be frozen?
Hi Dina, I haven’t tried freezing, but I think that would work to pre cook and then freeze them. If freezing raw, I would thaw completely in the fridge before baking and add the sauce to the cooked meatballs per the recipe.
Would you be able to cook these in the crockpot. Or maybe make them before and keep them warm in the crock pot for potluck /hosting events
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work to reheat/ keep them warm in a crockpot. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe. 🙂
Will chicken work?
Yes, ground chicken would probably taste even better, particularly ground chicken thigh meat 🙂
These turned out great! I love how fast, inexpensive, and so yummy these meatballs are. In my past experience, ground turkey would always turn out dry, but these were very juicy. Thank you for all the work you do. Being able to get amazing recipes for free, how great is that!
You’re welcome Kseniya! I’m happy to hear how much you love this recipe. Thanks for following and sharing your excellent review!
Could it be ground beed instead turkey??
Hi Mario, ground beef will give you a slightly different flavor profile and beef tends to be a little more dry in meatballs but I think you could make it work.
When making beef meatballs, I add freshly pre-cooked jasmin rice. The rice helps to make them moist.
Great tip Jane, thanks for sharing!
I have never heard of hoisin sauce. I wonder what it is made of and how it tastes. Would you say that it is necessary or could it be skipped?
Hi Jane, it is like a sweet, thick teriyaki sauce. There are recipes for homemade hoisin sauce online but it seems easier and less expensive to purchase it unless you need large quantities of it.
Do you ever make anything that isn’t amazing? just curious!! Made this Sunday, part 2 of Natasha’s kitchen weekend. Made a double recipe..mercifully…thought would have leftovers.. and I tripled the sauce..as my son was coming and likes sauce… Supreme hit.. and son took everything home for himself.. after lunch.. Perogies for supper that night …lol THanks again..
You’re welcome Helyn! You’re too sweet, lol! I’m glad to hear how much you love the recipe. Thanks for following and sharing your fantastic review!
I have made this recipe several times and it is always a big hit. I would like to make it as an appetizer for a New Year’s Eve party. I work the 2 days before the party and would love to make them ahead of time. Do you think baking them and leaving them in tha fridge for 2-3 days would work. My idea is to then combine the meatballs and sauce in a slow cooker to heat them up. Please let me know your ideas, I know you are a pro at hosting 🙂
Hi Jenny, I haven’t tried them that way but it does sound nice! You might need to add a little more sauce if reheating in the slow cooker. Also, side note: I haven’t hosted for almost 2 years (living with my parents while house hunting/ building a house). I’m so excited for hosting again in 2018!! 🙂
Delicious! A huge hit in our home. I did reduce the amount of sugar, halved the amount, but kept everything else the same. Amazing flavour! In my “keeper” recipes. Thank you Natasha!
My pleasure Lori! I’m happy to hear how much you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Wow Natasha this teriyaki sauce is amazing. Add it to steak and asian veggie stir fry last night and it was a huge hit. Have made the meatballs before too and they are awesome. Love your recipes.
What a great suggestion! I’m glad you love the recipe Lorraine! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
These meatballs are wonderful. Made them several times. Would not change it. But I do triple the sauce as we really really love it. Thank you for a great yummy recipe.
You’re welcome Sherry! I’m so glad everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
you go girl!
Is there any alternative to pressed garlic?? Would minced do the job?. Thanks
Yes, you can finely mince the garlic if you prefer 🙂
Natasha, if I wanted to make these a day ahead of time, should I coat the meatballs with the sauce right away or do it the day of?
Hi Nadia, I think you could do it either way. I coated with sauce right away and it worked great reheated the next day 🙂
Hi Natasha. Can I used pork instead of turkey?
Hi Vicki, I think that should work fine 🙂