Baked turkey meatballs get a Thai twist with the addition of red curry paste and ginger for a tender and moist homemade meatball that can be added to salads, rice and noodle bowls, or curries.
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“This was amazing. We loved it. A new go to!!” -Karin, FoodieCrush reader
Your Favorite Meatballs, Thai-Style!
Meatballs aren’t the sexiest recipe out there, but they might just be one of the most adaptable. Just like skewers and kebabs, meatballs can be made with nearly every type of protein (even grains) and nearly every culture’s cuisine has one.
Today we’re going balls out (DOH!) and mixing and kneading my favorite basic Thai ingredients with ground turkey to make tender, moist baked meatballs that channel my boyfriend Justin Timberlake by bringing baked meatballs sexy back.
While these easy, 8-ingredient Thai meatballs may not be 100% authentic or found on your local Thai restaurant’s take out menu, poultry recipes are. My chicken satay and Thai Basil Chicken recipes follow this culture’s poultry classics, but when you’re craving something with a twist, these meatballs will get you there.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- Use ground turkey with a little fat in the mix. Avoid using extra lean ground turkey. I aim for somewhere around 90% lean ground meat, if not a little less. Fat equals flavor and helps keep your meatballs from turning into tough nuggets when cooked.
- Panko breadcrumbs make the meatballs lighter. To lighten the meaty load, I use crispy panko bread crumbs to make the meatball bite lighter and less heavy. The ragged edges and broader sides of panko crumbs adds air to the meatball mix.
- Dampen your hands to make super smooth meatballs. Shaggy meatballs have that rustic look and taste just as yummy. But if you’re looking for a smoother surface, use wet hands when rolling the meatballs. If the meatballs become filmy or gummy, you’re using too much water.
Grab These 8 Basic Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground turkey — Can be swapped with ground chicken, if desired.
- Egg — The egg yolk adds fat to bind the meatballs so they won’t fall apart.
- Panko breadcrumbs — If you only have traditional breadcrumbs on hand, feel free to use the same amount of those instead.
- Green onion and garlic — Finely mince the aromatics so they disappear into the meatball mixture and infuse them with flavor.
- Fish sauce — Thai fish sauce adds a salty umami flavor that’s distinctively Thai. Substitute soy sauce if you prefer.
- Ginger or ginger paste — Fresh ginger or ginger paste sold in a tube both work well to add a hint of gingery heat.
- Red curry paste — Some brands are hotter than others, so give yours a taste to see if you need to use a little less than the recipe calls for.
How to Make and Roll the Thai Turkey Meatballs
- Mix well, but don’t over work the meat mixture. Mix the ground turkey with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, gently whisking the egg with a fork then folding everything together until lightly incorporated.
- Use a small scoop to keep your meatballs the same size. I use a small cookie scooper to measure out the meatball mix and place on a baking sheet. I do this step all at once, then go back and roll the meatballs all at once afterward to make it faster and less messy.
Heidi’s Tip: Lightly dampen your hands so the meat doesn’t stick when mixing and rolling into balls.
- Bake until golden brown. The secret to taking a pallid meatball to a perfectly bronzed and browned baked meatball is to bake them in a hot oven at 400°F just shy of being cooked all the way through, then crank up the heat to broil for 5 minutes or so to create that golden brown color without drying them out.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Baked Thai Turkey Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup minced green onion
- 3 cloves pressed garlic
- 1 ½ tablespoons grated ginger (or ginger paste)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or fish sauce)
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In large bowl, combine the ground turkey or chicken with the egg, panko breadcrumbs, green onion, garlic, fish sauce, ginger, red curry paste, and salt and pepper. Use a whisk to break the egg yolk and lightly fold the ingredients together. Gently knead the mix with damp hands until incorporated.
- Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 15 minutes for the breadcrumbs to soften, or up to overnight.
- Use a small scoop to form the meatballs into 1-inch balls and place on a cutting board. Dampen your hands and lightly shape and roll the meatballs between your palms and place evenly spaced on the baking sheet.
- Bake until no longer pink inside, about 20 minutes, then broil on high for another 5 minutes for a deliciously crispy crust. Remove from the oven. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Keep Turkey Meatballs From Falling Apart
To keep your meatballs from falling apart, be sure you’re following these steps:
- Avoid using extra lean turkey or chicken in the meatballs. Less fat makes them dry and they won’t bind as well.
- Use a binder like an egg.
- Don’t add large diced vegetables like onions or peppers that can cause the meatballs to fall apart because they break the ability to bind. Grate vegetables or finely dice if adding to the mix.
- Use a small scoop to pack the ball tightly.
- Use wet hands to mold the meatballs into tight, perfect orbs.
How and What to Serve With Thai Meatballs
Baked red curry turkey meatballs are a great for batch cooking in rice bowls, served with noodles, as an appetizer, or stuffed into a hoagie roll or bun.
- in Thai Meatball Coconut Curry over rice
- in Buddha Bowls with rice or noodles
- with Fresh And Easy Vietnamese Noodle Salad
- with Sesame Soba Noodles
- with Sweet And Sour Asian Pickled Cucumbers
More Meatball Recipes to Love
- Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
- Baked Turkey Meatballs With Creamy Polenta And Marinara
- Slow Cooker Sriracha Meatballs
- Saucy BBQ Meatballs
- Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Karin
This was amazing. We loved it. A new go to!!
Yum!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed!