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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I love these! I’ve made them about 5 times so far and would like to freezer prep a few batches for when baby comes. Do you recommend freezing them raw or cooked? Cooked with the sauce or without? Thanks!
Thanks, Ali. We’re glad you love this! I haven’t tried freezing them, 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.
I doubled the meatball recipe and hoped to use 1/2 the sauce to avoid the extra sugar. Even still, the sauce coated the meatballs very well! However, I felt the meatballs lacked a pop of flavor. With that said, I did use ginger paste (I didn’t have fresh). I am excited to try the recipe again with fresh ginger and add a touch of salt (or soy sauce) to the meatball recipe. Thank you for the recipe!
Made these out of ground pork as I don’t like turkey, but they were delicious and will definitely make them again….thanks
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Jeanne!
Made my teryaki meetballs with ground pork as I don’t like turkey, but they turned out fantastic and would definitely make them again…thanks
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Jeanne!
These are amazing. I had a hard time waiting for the hubs to get home – couldn’t stop licking the sauce spoon. So yummy
Thank you for your good comments and feedback!
These have taken my meatballs to a whole new level. I am in love with this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
You’re so welcome, Rebecca. So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is so tasty. Not too salty, perfect amount of sweetness. I used more green onion because I love it. Very tasty 🤤
Thanks for your good comments and review, Jessica!
This recipe is so good!! We do ground chicken instead of turkey sand even my picky 1 year old loves these!! Also made them in the air fryer once and amazing !! But do you happen to know how many calories, fats , carbs & protein is in this dish?
Hi Felicity, The serving size and nutrition can be found at the beginning of the print-friendly recipe card (located at the bottom of the recipe post). The nutrition label shows counts “per serving.” Hope that helps!
This has been one of our favorites. I’m not sure my kid took a breath while eating multiple plates of it. He told us to add that to our favorites to make again. 😊 Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! Great to know that this is now one of your favorite recipes at home.
The cooking time in the meatBalls had to be doubled and the sauce turned into a sticky mess that could not be pored over the meatballs it’s like there was a liquid ingredient missing here , so disappointed as I’ve tried many of your recipes but this one didn’t work!
These are very good. My 16 year-old has requested these multiple times…and he is a little picky. So, this is a score for sure. Thanks Natasha!
That is the best when kids love what we parents make, especially the picky ones. That’s so great!
Natasha this is a winner!!! Wow loved it so much.They only thing I changed was that after baking the meatballs for 12 minutes,they looked a bit pale so I fried them a bit on the stove with olive oil to give them some color.
Thanks for your comments and feedback, Yashira. I’ve never experienced that before, was it perhaps because of the meat that was used? But I’m glad that you were able to make it work!
I notice you have a chicken teriyaki recipe but the teriyaki sauce has different ingredients from your meatballs and salmon. Can the sauce from your meatballs and salmon be used on chicken? If so, how many chicken thighs?
Hi Jessica, I haven’t tested that but I think it’s a great idea!
One of my family’s favorites.
Great to hear that, Roz. I hope you and your family will love all the other recipes that you will try!
So good! I thought it sounded like a lot of sugar in the sauce so I tasted it before I added any and I’m glad, it was plenty sweet without any sugar at all! Maybe it depends on the brand of hoisin sauce you use, and obviously each person’s preferences. Really delicious recipe though, thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
These were awesome!!!! Served with rice and broccoli. I think I will cut the sugar in half next time, and they will still be delicious
Aren’t they so good! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Love these meatballs. Family fav. Will make again! Thanks so much Natasha.
5 stars
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Best teriyaki meatballs!!!
Thank you so much for your great comments and feedback!
Omg! This is delicious! Btw everything I make from your recipe is great! My favorite is your teriyaki salmon my son who dislikes fish will only eat your teriyaki salmon! You need to publish a book soon! Keep up the great work and God bless.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Shivani! You’re so nice.
Delicious substituted turkey for beef and increased sauce by one third for extra sauce on rice.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing that with us, Jennifer.
So, you used ground beef instead of turkey? I am wanting to try that. All you had to do different was add more sauce?