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Teriyaki Meatballs

These sweet and spicy Teriyaki Meatballs can be served as a two-bite appetizer or over sticky rice as an entree. Either way, it’s a winning choice that the family is certain to ask for time and time again.

Teriyaki Meatballs

Easy Teriyaki Meatballs Recipe

I love making these double duty kind of recipes. By that I mean, dishes that can be served in different ways depending on the occasion. You’ll note in this particular recipe, the focus is the delicious meatball. When making Asian inspired meatballs, I often use Chinese 5 Spice to season them. While it’s in inexpensive ingredient, I recognize it’s not a spice blend most people typically have on hand. So, I broke it down in the spice ingredients for the same result. It gives a more rounded flavor to the meatballs adding that Asian flair we’re going for with this recipe. How to make homemade Teriyaki Meatballs ingredients:

  • Meatballs – Pork sausage, ground beef, panko breadcrumbs, green onions, buttermilk or milk, teriyaki or soy sauce, cilantro, lime juice, large eggs, garlic cloves, salt, black pepper, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, fennel seed, ground clove or allspice and ground cinnamon.
  • Sauce – One bottle of sweet Thai chili sauce, one 11 bottle teriyaki marinade (i.e. Lawry’s or similar), light brown sugar.
  • Garnish – Toasted sesame seeds and chopped chives.
Teriyaki Meatballs

How to Make the BEST Teriyaki Meatballs Recipe

  • Kitchen tools you’ll need to make homemade Teriyaki Meatballs: Medium bowl, measuring cups and spoons, sharp knife and cutting board, small saucepan, meatball scoop and broiler pan or sheet pan fitted with an oven safe rack.
  • For a timesaver, you can make the meatball mixture one day in advance and place it into an airtight container and pop it into the fridge overnight to expedite preparation.
  • You can also pre cook the meatballs. Form the meatballs and bake per the recipe then cool and freeze. Once frozen, place into a plastic storage bag and keep frozen for up to 2 months.
  • You can use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the ground beef called for using the same amount, if preferred.
  • The Lawry’s teriyaki marinade that I use for the sauce in this recipe is available on the condiment aisle of most grocery stores. It’s thicker than typical teriyaki sauce which lends the best texture to the meatball sauce. K.C. Masterpiece also has a tasty honey teriyaki marinade as well as other brands found on the Asian foods aisle. Use your favorite brand.
  • If you’d like to thicken the sauce further, you can do so using a cornstarch slurry. To make a cornstarch slurry: In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in just enough cold water to dissolve, then stir it into the sauce. Repeat until desired thickness is achieved.
  • Store Teriyaki Meatballs chilled in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
  • Reheat in single servings in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat.
baked Teriyaki Meatballs

More Meatball Recipes to Make

Meatballs are consummate party food. They’re incredibly versatile, and can become a pleasing addition to pasta and rice dishes. Some other recipes you may like to try:

Teriyaki Meatballs with sauce

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

Teriyaki Meatballs

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Beef, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian Inspired, Southern
Keyword: meatball-recipes, teriyaki-meatballs-recipe
Servings: 60 meatballs
Calories: 45kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 lb ground bulk pork sausage
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk or milk
  • 1/4 cup teriyaki or soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 4-6 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp fennel seed
  • 1/4 tsp ground clove or allspice
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Sauce:
  • 1 12.5 oz bottle sweet Thai chili sauce
  • 1 11 oz bottle teriyaki marinade (i.e. Lawry's or similar)
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • toasted sesame seeds and chopped chives for garnishing optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a broiler pan or a large baking pan fitted with a rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • To a medium size mixing bowl add ground beef and pork, panko, green onions, milk, teriyaki sauce, cilantro, lime juice, eggs, garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, red pepper flakes, clove and cinnamon.Using your hands, mix everything together thoroughly.
  • Form into bite sized 1 inch meatballs and place onto the rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until no pink remains.
  • Meanwhile, make sauce. In a medium saucepan, simmer together Thai chili sauce, teriyaki marinade and brown sugar until slightly thickened and reduced. Keep warm.
  • Add meatballs to sauce, gently stir to coat. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chives, if desired.
  • Serve immediately with picks as an appetizer or over rice drizzled with sauce, as an entree.

Notes

Slow Cooker Method: While meatballs bake, simmer sauce on high in a slow cooker. Add meatballs, stir gently to coat. Simmer on low for 1-2 hours then keep warm until serving. 
  • At the end of conventional or slow cooking, you can thicken the sauce further using a cornstarch slurry. To make, mix 1 Tbsp of cornstarch in just enough cold water to dissolve. Stir into the sauce, repeating until the desired thickness is achieved. 
  • The Lawry’s teriyaki marinade I use for the sauce in this recipe is available on the condiment aisle of most grocery stores. It’s thicker than typical teriyaki sauce which lends the best texture to the meatball sauce. K.C. Masterpiece also has a tasty honey teriyaki marinade as well as other brands found on the Asian foods aisle. Use your favorite brand.
  • If using 1 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice, omit ginger, clove and cinnamon. Reduce red pepper flakes and fennel seed to 1/2 tsp each, or to taste. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

6 Comments

  1. Melissa,
    This looks so delicious! I love how you include tips with specific product brands and detailed instructions for your recipes. Your photographs are always so beautiful too! Very helpful! I always look forward to receiving your recipes in my inbox. Happy New Year!

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