These glazed asian turkey meatballs are incredibly versatile and can be served over Asian noodles, rice, salads, and more. The 5-ingredient hoisin glaze is sweet, salty, and full of umami!
Meatball Ingredients:
- Lean ground turkey (I prefer 93%)
- Panko breadcrumbs (preferably whole-wheat, gluten-free if needed)
- garlic
- scallions (aka green onions)
- egg
- fresh ginger (dried will work too)
- toasted sesame oil
- kosher salt & black pepper
Glaze/Sauce Ingredients
- Hoisin sauce
- fresh lime juice
- low-sodium soy sauce
- toasted sesame oil
- fresh ginger (dried will work too)
- Panko breadcrumbs (preferably whole-wheat, gluten-free if needed), optional
- sesame seeds, optional
- cilantro and scallions for serving, optional
How to make asian turkey meatballs
The ingredients of these turkey meatballs are pretty straight forward—breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, and a few flavorings.
For these meatballs I love using fresh ginger, but no need to run to the store if you don’t have any on hand, dried ground ginger works too.
You'll also see that this recipe calls for toasted sesame oil
—a must both in the meatballs and the glaze! Be sure to use toasted sesame oil, regular sesame oil doesn't offer nearly as much flavor.
To make the process easier and quicker, I skip searing the meatballs and instead opt to toss them into the oven from the get-go. The straight-forward method means these can be prepped and done in just 35 minutes. Not bad for a delicious dinner on a weeknight!
Want to mix up the flavors? Try one of these sauces next time!
- Puttanesca
- Trapanese Pesto
- Miso Pesto
- Romescao Sauce
- Carrot Top Pesto
- Classic Tomato Sauce
- Arugula Pesto
- Chimichurri
- Green Curry
You can also make these with ground pork, ground chicken or ground beef!
Make these Asian meatballs a meal!
- Top a bed of gochujang noodles with a few of these hoisin-glazed meatballs!
- Serve meatballs with a simple cilantro rice (recipe coming soon!)
Asian turkey meatball appetizer
Decrease the size of these hoisin-glazed meatballs by a tablespoon (and decrease the baking time to about 10 minutes). Arrange glazed meatballs on a serving platter and sprinkle with desired toppings. Don’t forget toothpicks or tongs!
Want to make more of a statement? Serve the mini meatballs on a platter with a pile of bibb lettuce leaves and bowls of various toppings. This makes a great interactive appetizer and allows guests to make their own lettuce wraps.
More Meatball Recipes You May Like...
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Pesto Pasta with Chicken Meatballs
- Turkey Swedish Meatballs
- Harissa Lamb Meatballs
- Instant Pot BBQ Meatballs
Make sure to tag me @ZESTFULKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM or comment below if you make these asian meatballs!
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Glazed Asian Turkey Meatballs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 20 meatballs (5 servings) 1x
- Category: Lunch/Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Baked tender turkey meatballs get tossed in a delicious sweet, salty and umami hoisin glaze! Ready in just over 30 minutes, these Asian meatballs make the perfect weeknight meal or go-to appetizer.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground turkey (93% lean)
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (2 teaspoons)
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Glaze
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or ¾ teaspoon dried ground ginger)
- 2 tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed), for serving (optional)
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, for serving (optional)
- Chopped cilantro and scallions for serving (optional)
Instructions
Meatballs
Heat oven to 425°F degrees; coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Mix turkey, ½ cup Panko, garlic, scallions, egg, 2 teaspoons ginger, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, salt, and pepper together using hands. Using 2 heaping tablespoons at a time, roll turkey mixture into 20 meatballs (1½ ounces each); arrange on prepared baking sheet.
Bake meatballs until browned and an instant read thermometer inserted in the centers reached 145F, 15–20 minutes.
Glaze
Meanwhile, whisk together hoisin, lime juice, soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon ginger in a large bowl.
Add warm meatballs to sauce and gently toss to coat; transfer to a serving dish.
Combine panko and sesame seeds. Sprinkle Panko mixture, cilantro and scallions over meatballs.
Notes
Make these gluten-free: use gluten-free Panko breadcrumbs.
Ground turkey: depending on your store, ground turkey can be sold by 1 pound, 1.2 pounds, or 1.5 pounds. I find 1.5 pounds of 93% lean ground turkey works best, but you can also use 1 pound or 1.2 pounds. 85% lean ground turkey works well (a bit more decadent), but avoid 97% or 99% lean ground turkey.
Mix up the meat: these meatballs can also be made with lean ground chicken, pork or beef.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 268
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 1006mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 6.5g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 29g
- Cholesterol: 135mg
Keywords: Asian turkey meatballs, hoisin glazed meatballs, asian meatballs, hoisin glazed turkey meatballs
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These went together in a flash and are so full of flavor - I served them with your gochujang noodles - Thanks Lauren!
★★★★★
Great idea to pair them with the Gochujang Noodles. So glad you enjoyed them, thanks for the comment!