These spicy glazed honey sriracha meatballs are healthy, flavorful and really easy to make.
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Meatballs are really easy to make from scratch, and these lean turkey meatballs are both healthy and flavorful. Coated with a simple honey sriracha glaze, they are juicy and tender with a little kick of spice.
I love sriracha! We put it in everything, like in this Sriracha Aioli or my favorite Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts. But sriracha meatballs is probably the best dish I've made with it yet.
Ingredients
Ground turkey: Use any ground turkey. You can also substitute with lean ground beef if you prefer.
Breadcrumbs: I use plain breadcrumbs, but panko breadcrumbs also work well. These help the meatballs hold their shape, and the breadcrumbs soak up the juice from the meat, preventing them from drying out.
Egg: Binds the meatballs together. Use a flax egg or an egg substitute if you want to make them egg free.
Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper: Seasoning is added for extra flavor.
Sriracha: A very popular type of hot sauce. Easy to use, tastes, and one of the main components of the honey sriracha sauce.
Honey: I love to use runny honey. This adds a little sweetness to the sauce, and gives it a great texture.
Rice vinegar: Adds a little kick to the sauce. Don't worry - it won't taste vinegar-y!
Garlic & ginger: I use garlic puree and ginger puree to save time, but you can also grate raw garlic and ginger if you prefer.
💡 TIP! You can totally also cook store bought meatballs, or frozen meatballs, and coat these with the honey sriracha sauce.
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl. I like to use my hands to simply mash everything together, almost like a dough.
Preheat your oven to 375 °F / 190 °C.
Then, roll out equally sized small meatballs, and put these on a baking sheet covered baking pan. This recipe will make around 20 meatballs, depending on their size.
Bake the turkey meatballs in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are cooked through. You can make sure that they are done by inserting a meat thermometer into the middle of the meatballs. Their internal temperature should read 165 °F / 74 °C.
Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the honey sriracha glaze in a small pot, and stir while you bring it to a light simmer on medium heat. Leave it to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, before you remove it from the heat and set it to the side.
When the meatballs are ready, remove them from the oven, and cover them with the honey sriracha glaze.
Optionally, you can add some toasted sesame seeds and diced scallions on top, then serve the honey sriracha meatballs with your favorite side dishes.
Top tips
Here's all of my best advice to help you succeed with this simple turkey meatball recipe:
- Only mix the meatball ingredients until they are just combined. Be careful not to overwork the meat, or they might be a little tough.
- The meatballs can require a different baking time than suggested, based on how big they are and the temperature inside your oven. To check if they are done, you can cut a meatball in two and make sure that there's no pink meat in the middle, or you can simply use a meat thermometer!
Serving suggestions
I love serving these meatballs on toothpicks as an appetizer, but they are also really well suited to be served as a main course for lunch or dinner. Here are some side dishes that I think they pair really well with:
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges - Crispy potato wedges, made easy in your air fryer.
- Chili Lime Rice - This flavorful rice with a hint of spice is an excellent pairing.
- Mediterranean Roast Vegetables - Sheet pan roast vegetables are easy to make, and taste great.
- Chinese Garlic Green Beans - These amazing garlicky green beans are super crispy.
- Carrot Rice - Add shredded carrots to your rice to add extra vegetables to your meal.
- Authentic Tzatziki Sauce - This Mediterranean yogurt sauce is perfect to dip meatballs in.
Variations
Gluten free: Use gluten free breadcrumbs to make gluten free meatballs.
Less spicy: You can use a little less sriracha, or substitute for a milder chili sauce if you want to make them a little less spicy.
Leftovers
Honey sriracha meatballs can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost them in a refrigerator overnight, and reheat them in a microwave, oven, air fryer or skillet, and serve them warm.
Any leftovers can be served as a main with your favorite sides, or they can be added to other dishes, such as sandwiches.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, however it's usually recommended that you replace the breadcrumbs with another binding agent.
Sriracha is a hot sauce and tastes spicy with a hint of garlic and sweetness. Different brands can have slightly different flavors.
You might also like these recipes
- Air Fryer Meatballs
- Sausage Meatballs
- Sweet Crockpot BBQ Meatballs
- Beef and Pork Meatballs
- Baked Turkey Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Meatball Stew
Recipe
Honey Sriracha Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey (500 g)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Honey Sriracha Glaze
- 3 tablespoons sriracha
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic puree (or 1 grated garlic clove)
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste (or 2 cm ginger, grated)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl. I like to use my hands to simply mash everything together, almost like a dough.
- Preheat your oven to 375 °F / 190 °C.
- Then, roll out equally sized small meatballs, and put these on a baking sheet covered baking pan. This recipe will make around 20 meatballs, depending on their size.
- Bake the turkey meatballs in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are cooked through. You can make sure that they are done by inserting a meat thermometer into the middle of the meatballs. Their internal temperature should read 165 °F / 74 °C.
- Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the honey sriracha glaze in a small pot, and stir while you bring it to a light simmer on medium heat. Leave it to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, before you remove it from the heat and set it to the side.
- When the meatballs are ready, remove them from the oven, and cover them with the honey sriracha glaze.
- Optionally, you can add some toasted sesame seeds and diced scallions on top, then serve the honey sriracha meatballs with your favorite side dishes.
Video
Notes
- Only mix the meatball ingredients until they are just combined. Be careful not to overwork the meat, or they might be a little tough.
- The meatballs can require a different baking time than suggested, based on how big they are and the temperature inside your oven. To check if they are done, you can cut a meatball in two and make sure that there’s no pink meat in the middle, or you can simply use a meat thermometer!
- Honey sriracha meatballs can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost them in a refrigerator overnight, and reheat them in a microwave, oven, air fryer or skillet, and serve them warm.
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