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    Home » Appetizer Recipes

    Asian Turkey Meatballs

    Published: August 29, 2021Updated: August 29, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See Our Full Disclosure Policy for More Information

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    Recipe Time :30 mins
    Servings: 6 people

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    Asian turkey meatballs in a black bowl with sesame seeds and green onions as garnish

    Asian Turkey Meatballs are a quick and easy recipe, and so versatile. The flavors are amazing and the best news is, they aren't dry!

    Asian turkey meatballs in a black bowl with sesame seeds and green onions as garnish

    If you have made turkey meatballs before, you know what I'm talking about. No matter what you add, they still tend to be dry and the texture is a little tough, but one ingredient changes all that.

    Cauliflower! Cauliflower rice to be specific. Even if you aren't a fan of cauliflower, give it a try. You'll never taste it in the meatballs, I promise!

    You also don't have to worry about finding uses for the leftover cauliflower, you can make one of these delicious recipes! I'll bet I can make you a cauliflower fan in no time with these healthy recipes!

    • Cauliflower Arancini Balls
    • Cauliflower Fried Rice ~ Ninja Foodi Recipe
    • Air Fried Cauliflower with General Tso's Sauce
    • Roasted Cauliflower Salad in the Ninja Foodi
    • Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot Cauliflower Mash
    • Cajun Jambalaya with Cauliflower Rice
    • Low Carb Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad
    • Keto Broccoli & Cheese Soup

    The great thing about meatballs is you can use them in so many ways. They are perfect for stir fries, in soups, as an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre, and so much more. If you aren't a fan of Asian flavors, you can change up the flavors and create your own delicious turkey or beef meatballs.

    Meatballs are also perfect for meal prep because you can make several different flavors and place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze either before cooking or after. Then, simply add the meatballs to your quick weeknight meals, like a healthy spaghetti sauce served over zucchini noodles, or a Greek Meatball Soup. If you need a basic beef meatball recipe, these are delicious.

    Find What You Are Looking for Quickly Collapse Table of Contents
    1 Frequently Asked Questions
    2 Ingredients & Substitutions
    3 Varieties of Turkey Meatballs
    4 How to Serve Asian Turkey Meatballs
    5 How to Make this Asian Turkey Meatball Recipe
    6 Asian Turkey Meatball Recipe

    Air Fryer Meatballs

    Meatballs in white bowl with a fork and napkin towards the back

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the Best Way to Form Turkey Meatballs?

    Making turkey meatballs is a little different from beef meatballs because the mixture is very tacky, especially if you aren't using any fillers, like bread crumbs. Instead of trying to form them by rolling them in your palms, I recommend using a cookie scoop. The one I use is about 1 Tablespoon and it's from Pampered Chef. Here is the link: Pampered Chef Small Scoop
    It works great for cookies, meatballs and I use the bigger scoop for delicious hushpuppies.
    If you are cooking the turkey meatballs right away, I heat the skillet and place meatballs directly in the skillet to cook. If you want to make them up ahead of time, I would use a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

    Can you freeze turkey meatballs?

    Absolutely! You can either freeze them with or without the sauce. Just make sure they cool completely before putting them into your airtight container. To freeze the meatballs without making the sauce, simply add a little water to the skillet and cover to steam until they reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F.

    Can I double or triple the Asian Turkey Meatball Recipe?

    This recipe is easy to double or triple if you need enough for a large crowd. You will want to brown the Asian meatballs in batches and then you can add them to a crock pot or a large pot and cook on low with the sauce until the meatballs are cooked fully and the sauce has reduced. If the sauce is too thin, you can make a little cornstarch slurry and bring the meatballs and sauce to a low boil for a few minutes or until the sauce is as thick as you like.

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    Ground Turkey

    If you didn't want to use ground turkey, you can certainly use ground beef, ground chicken , or even ground pork would work perfectly. When using either turkey, chicken, or lean ground pork, I would keep the recipe the same.

    When using ground beef, fattier ground pork, or another ground meat that isn't lean, I would recommend skipping the cauliflower rice and instead use dry bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs to absorb the extra juices and help the meatballs stay together.

    Cauliflower Rice

    The cauliflower rice is used to keep moisture in the lean ground turkey for juicy meatballs. I really recommend using it with leaner meats. While you can add more liquid moisture, that can make the meatballs difficult to form and hold together.

    If you don't want to use the cauliflower, try ricing some broccoli or even finely chopped zucchini will work.

    Spices & Liquids

    The spices and liquids I used in this recipe can be modified to your liking. While I chose Asian flavors, you can switch them up to be BBQ-influenced or a simple sweet and sour sauce.

    If you love Asian food, I'm sure you will love these Asian-style turkey meatballs. If you haven't tried fish sauce, I definitely suggest grabbing a bottle. While it smells really fishy, it does not impart any fishy flavor into the meatballs. However, it does add an incredible depth of flavor that is hard to duplicate with another ingredient. You can try to substitute for it with Worcestershire sauce.

    The garlic chili sauce adds a nice balanced heat to both the meatballs and the sauce, but you can certainly omit it if you aren't a fan of any spice.

    I really recommend the use of fresh ginger in both the sauce and the meatballs, but you can use 1 teaspoon ground ginger for every 1 Tablespoon of freshly grated ginger in the recipe.

    Varieties of Turkey Meatballs

    If Asian Turkey Meatballs just aren't your flavor of choice, no worries! There are so many other combination of flavors that you can put together to create the meatballs you will love.

    Some classic flavors that would be great with these turkey meatballs are:

    • BBQ Turkey Meatballs
    • Sweet & Sour Turkey Meatballs
    • Traditional Turkey Meatballs with Gravy
    • Mexican Inspired Turkey Meatballs
    • Italian Turkey Meatballs

    To make different flavors of meatballs, combine the ground turkey with the riced cauliflower and then add in seasonings that complement the flavors you want. For example if you want BBQ meatballs, I would add a touch of your favorite BBQ sauce to the meat mixture and maybe even a touch of liquid smoke.

    Always keep in mind that when you want to make a lot of changes to meatball recipes, you can always mix up the mixture and cook a flattened small disc of the meat mixture to check the flavor balance. I recommend doing this whenever you are making any ground meat recipe, it's a great way to make sure your meatballs or meatloaf are seasoned properly.

    How to Serve Asian Turkey Meatballs

    These meatballs are wonderful as an hors d'oeuvre or a meal. If you want to serve them as a meal, add them to some freshly sautéd vegetables and serve with white rice or brown rice.

    You can also make a lettuce wrap with these Asian-inspired meatballs. Simply add your favorite veggies, cut into small strips, add a few meatballs and wrap them up for a delicious lunch.

    Or, keep them warm in a crockpot and serve them at a party for a delicious hors d'oeuvre.

    How to Make this Asian Turkey Meatball Recipe

    Making the Meatball Mixture

    I always recommend prepping your ingredients before you get started. These meatballs are easy to make and cook quickly, so having all your ingredients ready to go will make it even easier.

    In a medium bowl, combine turkey, riced cauliflower, soy sauce, orange zest, brown sugar, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, and salt. Mix well.

    mixing the ground turkey with ingredients to make meatballs

    Making the Sauce

    Combine the honey, rice vinegar, orange juice (about 2 tablespoons), grated ginger, garlic, and chili sauce in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

    making sauce for asian turkey meatballs

    Cooking the Asian Turkey Meatballs

    Heat a large 10" skillet on medium high heat for a few minutes. If you don't have a large skillet, you can use a smaller one and brown the meatballs in batches. Or, you can also use your oven to cook the meatballs. Simply scoop the mixture onto a rimmed baking pan and set the oven temperature to 325F for baked meatballs.

    Add about 1 Tablespoon of avocado oil or your oil of choice. I also like to add about 1 teaspoon of a toasted sesame oil for flavor.

    heating skillet to cook turkey meatballs

    When the oil is hot, but not smoking, use your scoop to scoop about 1 Tablespoon of turkey mixture into the skillet.

    You can make the meatballs any size you like, even mini meatballs would be fun to add to a sweet-and-sour-style soup. Make sure to adjust the cooking time based on the size. The meatballs I made were formed with a small scoop and would be considered a small meatball about 1" in diameter.

    Add the meatballs to the hot skillet and brown on one side, which takes about 5 minutes or so. Flip the meatballs and let cook another 1-2 minutes.

    browning asian turkey meatballs in skillet

    Add the sauce, cover and turn the stove down to medium low heat.

    Allow the meatballs to steam for about 5 minutes to completely cook them to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

    adding sauce to meatballs and covering to steam

    Remove the lid and reduce the sauce until it thickens and coats the meatballs. When the sauce is thick enough it will stay separated for 3-5 seconds when you run a spatula through it.

    reducing asian sauce in skillet with meating

    Add roasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions for garnish. Serve & Enjoy!

    asian turkey meatball in black bowl taking one out with toothpick
    Asian turkey meatballs in a black bowl with sesame seeds and green onions as garnish

    Asian Turkey Meatball Recipe

    Recipe By: Louise
    Easy & Quick recipe that is full of flavor and versatile. Serve as a full meal or an hors d'oeuvre.
    4.80 from 5 votes
    Add to My Favorites Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine Asian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 198 kcal
    Turn this on when cooking to prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    Turkey Meatball Mixture

    • 1 pound ground turkey
    • ½ cup riced cauliflower
    • ½ Tablespoon grated ginger
    • 1-2 teaspoons orange zest zest from 1 medium orange
    • ½ Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
    • 1 teaspoon fine grind sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
    • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
    • ½ Tablespoon soy sauce

    Sauce Ingredients

    • ¼ cup honey
    • ¼ cup rice vinegar
    • 2 Tablespoons juice from orange
    • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
    • ½-1 Tablespoons chili garlic sauce

    Oil for cooking

    • 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
    • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

    Garnishes

    • 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
    • 2 green onions chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Make the turkey mixture by adding all the ingredients into a medium size mixing bowl and mixing well.
    • Make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients into a small to medium bowl and whisking to combine.
    • Heat a 10" skillet on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of avocado oil and 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. Heat oil.
    • Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of meatball mixture into hot skillet. Repeat until all the meatballs are in the skillet. By the time you get all the meatballs in, begin flipping them over. The one side should be nicely browned.
    • When all the meatballs are flipped over, cook another 1-2 minutes and add the sauce. Cover and allow the meatballs to steam for about 3-5 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
    • Remove the cover and reduce the sauce until it is thick and coats the meatballs. Adjust your heat down if needed. You want a nice gentle boil to reduce the sauce, but not hot enough to burn the sauce.
    • Pour the meatballs and sauce into a bowl and top with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve & Enjoy!

    Video

    https://youtu.be/IIcHHCJanko

    Notes

    Nutritional values are provided as a courtesy and thesaltedpepper.com makes no guarantees of accuracy. We do our best to ensure they are accurate, but many factors influence nutritional values that are beyond our control. Different brands of items have different nutritional values, so it is always best to do your own independent nutritional analysis based on the items you are using in a recipe if you require a high level of accuracy. Thesaltedpepper.com will not be held accountable for any errors in the displayed nutritional information.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 61" meatballsCalories: 198kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 19gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 735mgPotassium: 341mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 79IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg
    Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine Asian
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG

    Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.

    Picture of Louise.

    She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.

    Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.

    Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.

    Ninja Foodi 101

    Simply Cooking with Louise

    Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.

    She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information

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    Comments

    1. Vicki Robison

      December 10, 2021 at 11:23 am

      5 stars
      I love these SO MUCH!! I was thinking about making them up ahead of time and freezing to prep for holiday parties.. Have you tried freezing them?

      Reply
      • Louise

        December 11, 2021 at 10:55 am

        Yes, they freeze fine. I reheat with steam or in a frying pan with a little water and a lid on low.

        Reply
    2. Jan

      September 27, 2021 at 4:07 pm

      Hi Louise, I'm so excited to test out your recipes they all look delicious, finding good Ninja Foodi recipes is difficult. What could I substitute for the Cauliflower, would rice work? I never cook on my stove and rarely in my oven for over a year now, thank you for creating this site!

      Reply
      • Louise

        September 27, 2021 at 8:07 pm

        You can omit the cauliflower, but I wouldn't substitute rice. The idea behind the cauliflower is to keep the meatballs moist. You don't taste it at all, it's simply for moisture. You can add finely grated and chopped carrots or riced broccoli if you want or, like I said before, simply omit it.

        Reply
    3. Cindy

      September 05, 2021 at 3:03 pm

      5 stars
      Of course yours look perfect, but mine tasted great. The ground turkey seemed very soft after mixing, but the meatballs ended up quite firm. My picky son saw me making them and said he wouldn’t touch them, but ended up eating a bowl! My husband said the sauce tastes like Korean barbecue. The sauce is to die for! I found General Tso’s sauce at ALDI and substituted for the chili garlic sauce, other than that followed the recipe to a T. I served them over white rice 😋

      Reply
      • Louise

        September 06, 2021 at 8:46 am

        I'm so glad you all enjoyed them!

        Reply

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