Tasty nuggets of joy aka baked turkey meatballs get a Thai twist with the addition of ginger, garlic, and red curry paste to keep them light, fluffy and moist when they’re dunked in a Thai coconut milk sauced easy dinner.
Turkey meatballs are simple. Simple ingredients. Simple to make. But don’t underestimate them.
So how do you make humble brown meatballs look like the belles of the ball? Plop them in a lush, velvety red curry coconut sauce topped with sprinkles of herby freshness. Suddenly, with the christening of a spatula as the dinner clock strikes time, their fairy tale allure matches the goodness within.
Here’s how to make this easy, flavor-filled bomb of a dinner. Snap! Your dinner’s fairy godmother has arrived!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- The coconut milk can really make or break these coconut curry meatballs. Choose a quality, full-fat variety of canned coconut milk. Lower fat coconut milk or cheaper brands can be more liquid than cream, resulting in a less flavorful, watery sauce.
- Use 85/15 ground turkey to make the Thai meatballs. Anything leaner than that will result in dry, tough meatballs.
- In an effort to be pantry ingredient conscious and cut down on the grocery list, a few of these ingredients are used in both the meatballs and the sauce. Read through the recipe before preparing to be sure you have enough on hand for both components.
What’s In This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Thai turkey meatballs — My favorite baked meatballs start with lean ground turkey that’s seasoned with soy sauce and spiked with red curry paste for bold Thai flavor. Egg and panko breadcrumbs are what bind the meatballs together.
- Ginger — Freshly grated or store-bought ginger paste will give the freshest ginger flavor.
- Coconut milk — Use a high quality canned coconut milk, preferably full fat. I prefer an organic, full-fat coconut milk. Shake the can as best you can, and if the coconut milk has separated put the contents of the can in a bowl and whisk as well as you can. The solids are the fat of the milk that should melt into the sauce when heated.
- Red curry paste — Use your favorite brand; we use the Thai Kitchen brand, which we don’t find too spicy.
- Brown sugar — Curries always need a little sugar to balance out the medley of spicy and umami flavors.
- Vegetables — Bell peppers and onions can be sliced quickly and cook at the same rate.
- Fresh cilantro — The perfect fresh garnish for finishing off the saucy Thai turkey meatballs.
How to Make Red Curry Thai Turkey Meatballs
- Shape and bake the turkey meatballs. All you have to do is combine the ground turkey, seasonings, and binding agents in a big bowl. Avoid overworking the ground turkey, or else the meatballs will turn out dense and tough. Roll the meat mixture into balls and bake until golden brown and crispy.
Heidi’s Tip: For easy meatball-shaping, first scoop the meat mixture into balls using a small cookie scoop. Once that’s done, dampen your hands with water before shaping into smooth balls (this prevents the turkey from sticking).
- Saute the vegetables. Slice the yellow onion and seeded red bell pepper into strips and sauté in a skillet with canola oil.
- Make the red curry sauce. Stir the red curry paste and ginger into the onion mixture for 1-2 minutes or until the ginger is fragrant. Cooking the red curry paste before adding liquid removes the raw ingredient taste and adds depth to the flavor.
- Simmer to thicken. When the vegetables are softened, add the brown sugar, fish sauce and coconut milk, cooking for the flavors to meld and the sauce to reduce and thicken.
- Finish the Thai turkey meatballs in the curry sauce. Once the meatballs are cooked through, add them to the sauce to simmer for an additional 5 minutes to make even more tender as they absorb the sauce and curry flavor. Serve straight from the pan and sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro or Thai basil.
FAQs
Yes! The meatballs can be baked and frozen for later, or make the sauce below while they’re cooking in the oven.
This recipe calls for red curry paste for a lightly spiced curry also used in my Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup and Thai Shrimp Curry.
Curry pastes are an essential building block in many Thai recipes. Most common in red, green, yellow, each curry’s individual characteristic depends on the chile it’s made from and range from spicy to sweet.
Simply put, fish sauce is fermented fish that has broken down to become a tangy, funky sauce. It’s flavor is salty, earthy, a little bit caramel-y sweet, and totally distinct.
A good quality fish sauce hardly tastes fishy at all, and adds the unique salty bite that can’t be imitated by substituted ingredients in Vietnamese and Thai cooking.
When choosing fish sauce, always choose a high quality fish sauce that hasn’t been left opened in your cupboard for too long (the fishy flavor will become more pronounced.) And know that smaller quantities of the sauce goes a long way.
This is my favorite brand of quality fish sauce that can be found online or at many Asian grocery stores.
What to Serve with Thai Red Curry Meatballs
- over white, brown, or coconut rice
- over rice noodles, pad thai noodles, soba noodles or pasta
- with Sweet And Sour Asian Pickled Cucumbers
- Broccoli and Shiitake Mushrooms With or Without Soba Noodles
- Crunchy Asian Cucumber Watermelon Salad
- Stuffed Artichokes with Thai Shrimp Salad
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Thai Turkey Meatballs In Coconut Curry Sauce
Ingredients
For the Thai Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko
- 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
For the Coconut Curry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ red bell pepper sliced
- ½ yellow onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 13.5 ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- chopped cilantro , for garnish
Instructions
For the Baked Turkey Meatballs
- 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, 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 5-10 minutes for a deliciously crispy crust. Remove from the oven and add to the coconut curry sauce.
For the Curry Coconut Sauce
- While the meatballs are baking, prepare the coconut curry sauce. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and red bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the ginger and and red curry paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often so the vegetables don't burn but become soft and fragrant.
- Add the coconut milk and add the brown sugar and fish sauce or soy sauce and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes then add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and if it needs more salt, add a dash or two more fish sauce or soy sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve over rice or noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
More Thai-Inspired Recipes to Try Now
- Shrimp In Thai Coconut Sauce
- Thai Quinoa Salad
- Thai Coconut Chicken And Rice
- Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup
- Thai Coconut Noodle Salad
- Creamy Thai Beef Curry
More Ground Turkey Recipes to Try Now
- Basic Baked Thai Turkey Meatballs
- Greek Turkey Burgers With Tzatziki Sauce
- Grilled Turkey Kofta Skewers With Yogurt Sauce
- Turkey Bolognese Lasagna Toss
- Best Ever Turkey Burgers
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Jenny
Great recipe but I think the cooking time for meatballs is way too long. They came out dry as a bone on the inside. Family loved the sauce and the taste of the meatballs. I would reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes, 5 minutes in the broiler. Since they are only an inch thick they dry out fast. I added a rack under the meatballs so they brown more evenly. I also added a tablespoon of extra fat to the meat mix and it was still dry. I think it’s possible the panko crumbs might be the culprit. Next time I make it I’ll try it without crumbs and with less time in the oven. Still great base for a quick weeknight meal that seems a lot more elaborate/difficult than it is to do.
Sorry they were dry for you Jenny, I haven’t had that issue. Good tips on the rest of your comment for others to consider.
Linda
I used an organic coconut whole milk, the sauce still turned out very thin. I just added a small amount of corn starch to help thicken slightly. The meatballs are very delicious and very easy to make. Loved the spiciness flavor.
Great idea to add the cornstard for thickening.
Amanda
This was super tasty (and easy)! I actually made the meatballs the day before when I already had the oven turned on. I threw them in the fridge and then just warmed them in the sauce the next night for dinner.
Agreed Amanda, It’s a great make-ahead meal! Glad you liked it too.
Denise
Made this for dinner. One of the best new recipes I’ve made in a long time. I had it saved on Pinterest for so long and finally made it. Will definitely share and make again.
Glad it worked out Denise!
Jodie
Very tasty and easy to make. I served them with rice, sweet & sour pickled cucumbers and naan bread.
Sounds delicious Jodie!
Ofelia
Absolutely delicious, especially the next day.
Happy to hear it Ofelia!
Amber
Delicious! I used palm sugar instead of brown sugar because that’s what I had on hand. Made the meatballs out of ground pork because we have a lot of that in the house; the pork was an excellent substitute! I was a little thrown with the “number of servings” this recipe claims to make. I’d say it’s better suited as four servings. I also will plan to double the sauce next time since I like it real saucy.
Glad you enjoyed Amber!
Ang
Absolutely delish
Glad you enjoyed!
Sue Q
A family favorite!
Thanks Sue!
Julie
Omg!! What a delicious dish! So easy too and healthy. Thank you so much. I shared it at worked and all I heard was “oh wow””. Family loved it even the picky eaters.
Hayley
Thanks, Julie–we’re so happy you and your family loved these!
Kristin
We loved this easy but flavorful dish! Will definitely be adding to the rotation. I will say that a quality curry paste is necessary here. I used Thai Kitchen brand from local Kroger, and I needed more to impart flavor. I’m going to try ordering one online for next time. Thank you!
Hayley
Thank you for sharing, Kristin–we’re happy to hear you enjoyed this! And hopefully next time you make it the curry paste will have more flavor (they really do vary so much brand to brand)!
Mary Richard
this was SO GOOD! I followed the recipe exactly and it was a hit. Best turkey meatballs I’ve ever had and I will double the curry receipe next time for extra goodness! thanks for the great recipe! :)
Hayley
Thanks, Mary! We’re so happy you loved the recipe and we appreciate you taking the time to rate and comment. :)
Daija Johnson
I’m a BIG fan of Currys! Your curry recipe was a beautiful balance and sweet and salty…It was awesome how all the ingredients worked together, what a delightful thai like experience. I only wanna eat meatballs this way
I’m so glad you enjoyed in Dajia!
Dee
I made 2 batches of meatballs, adding a little olive oil to the turkey mixture on the 2nd batch as the 1st batch was a little dry. I froze the meatballs & used half of them today for lunch with the coconut curry sauce. One word – YUM! This was a hit with my hubby and our friends! Thank you for the delicious and easy recipe.
Hayley
Thanks for sharing, Dee—we’re happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and that it was a hit with folks! :)
Ann Denkler
Wow, this dish is flavorful, healthy, and filling. I followed the directions, but stuck with fish sauce instead of soy. I served it with fresh mango, and it was an excellent meal!
Hayley
Thank you, Ann—we’re so glad to hear you loved it! :)
Karri
Very good, I did freeze some of the sauce with Meatballs in it (Just didn’t meal plan well this week so had extra). Will let you know how it freezes :) I would add some red chili peppers to it to give it more kick. The red curry around here has been pretty blah….
Hayley
We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe, Karri—thanks for giving this a try! And yes, please do let us know how it freezes!
Dave.
Wow. Tried this recipe. Beautiful flavours, medium heat. Would totally recommend. Well done Heidi.
So good to hear Dave. Glad you liked it enough to give it 5 stars :)
Susan
Delicious! I make red curry regularly but the switch to turkey meatballs was a fun change. I did double the meatball part for my hungry teen boys but kept the sauce the same and all that was left was two lonely meatballs!
So glad you and the boys enjoyed Susan!
Natalie
DELICIOUS. I didn’t have red curry paste so I used 1 tsp of curry powder instead and it still turned out amazing! Also added a bunch of mushrooms which worked out super well :)
I’m glad you enjoyed Natalie!
Monica
Easy to make, very flavorful, perfect for dinner and lunch prep.
Happy you enjoyed Monica!
Dave
I doubled the quantity it was delicious. I found the heat wasn’t enough so I added a whole red chili diced and only one tablespoon of sugar it was perfect……
Glad you could adjust to your liking Dave!
Sam
Really enjoyed this! Next time I will omit the brown sugar and double the sauce. Served with steamed broccoli and jasmine rice. Yum!!
Sounds great Sam! Happy you enjoyed!
Robi Rau
This was delicious! Made with pheasant and pork mixed together. Great way to use the pheasant we hunt!
Sounds delicious Robi!
Nita-Rose Augsbach
I made this for my husband and I for dinner and it was fabulous! Soo yummy. Thank you for sharing your tasty recipe! I did not put in the sugar and it was still absolutely delicious. I will make the again for sure.
Glad you both enjoyed!
Nita-Rose Augsbach
I made this for my husband and I for dinner and it was fabulous! Soo yummy. Thank you for sharing your tasty recipe!
I’m glad you both enjoyed!
Linda Scott
This was fantastic… I just completed a course in Curries of the World and I have to say, this was amazing. I doubled the recipe and used 1 lb each Turkey and Beef. Due to the shortage of peppers, I only had 1/4 red pepper but used 2 small red chiles (seeded and deveined) Instead of red curry paste, I had Katsu paste. It all came together just perfect Served with Black Thai rice. My hubby gave me a 11 out of 10 :-) A little prep work but so worth it.
Sounds great Linda! I’m glad you enjoyed!
Anna
This was my first time making meatballs from scratch and I was thrilled with the result! I made a few changes. The grocery store I go to only has ground turkey in 19oz packets so I added slightly more of everything for the meatballs. I also learned the hard way that my oven runs a little hot and I really only needed to broil them a couple of minutes. I’m prone to acid reflux at times, so I used curry powder instead of curry paste for both the meat and sauce. I added a whole red pepper and two small zucchini as well. Delicious!
I’m glad you enjoyed Anna!I’m glad you could adapt the recipe!
Johanna
Delicious with some modifications to the sauce. The meatballs themselves were perfect as-is. For the sauce, I made the following modifications: used half the sugar, twice the red curry paste, a little more onion and red bell pepper, and fresh chopped basil instead of cilantro. Tripled the recipe for guests and everyone loved it. BTW, one batch serves 3-4 adults, not 6.
Glad to hear you enjoyed!
Tuesday
Yum! This was so delicious! Sweet and savory and spicy (I added red pepper flakes to the curry). I made the pickled cucumbers as a side, along with rice. Will definitely make this again!!!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for the 5 star rating and pickled cucumbers sound awesome with it!
Linda R Atkinson
I made this for dinner tonight. I am a vegetarian so I used beyond meat pre-made meatballs. It was very good and I will definitely add it to my regular dinner rotation. I am trying stick to a keto diet so I ate the meatballs and sauce over oven baked brussel sprouts (I looked the brussell sprouts and the meatballs together on a sheet pan). Very tasteful.
Hayley
Thanks, Linda, we’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Zoé
Delicious. All the family liked it. But we found out that the red curry paste can be very different depending on the brand! 14% pepper, 8% or 24% so we have to adjust the quantity according to our tastes. THANKS!
Teresa Kuzyk
Excellent recipe! Only omitted the cilantro seeing as no one in the family likes that. They are so delicious! Will definately be making these again & again.
Happy to hear that Teresa!
Courtney
SO delicious!
Definitely will repeat this recipe
Was so easy to make and packed full of so much flavour
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Courtney!
Jennifer
My husband made these tonight and they were quick and so delicious. We loved the recipe! Luckily I hd just bought red curry paste so we had all the ingredients handy for a quick week night dinner.
I’m glad you enjoyed Jennifer!
Mel P
I made these with veggie mince and was so yum!
Karen
Super good! Subed almond flour for Pablo and added lime along with chili garlic sauce!
Bevans
Great recipe! I altered it a bit–I used chili paste and ground curry to the meatballs and the sauce which added the right amount of heat and flavor for my family. I had red onions on hand and they tasted nice in the meatballs and the sauce. The peppers still had a little crunch which added nice texture and the fresh cilantro brought it all home. I will definitely make again!
Vicki
So good! I’ve made this twice already. The second time around I doubled the sauce.
Courtney
This recipe was a huge hit with my whole family – even my young kiddos and my coconut-averse husband! Can’t wait to make it again (a double batch next time!). :)
Reb
Made these for dinner and what a bit they were! Got rave reviews from my picky eaters. I will be making a double batch next time. Leftovers are even better!
So glad you enjoyed!
Jennifer
Do you think the sauce could be frozen also?
Ana
We really enjoyed this recipe! I didn’t have panko on hand so I used regular bread crumbs. The flavors are delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Raqel
Delicious! I added pineapple chunks to the sauce to sweeten instead of sugar and we loved it!
Bridget Murphy
I added mushrooms & spinach, like someone else who posted did, which was good. Sauce was too sweet, next time probably use just 1 T of brown sugar. Also, not spicy enough for my family, so added Tbl of Thai chili garlic sauce. Baked meatballs 20 min & then few minutes under broiler was too much. Might try this with ground pork next time & double the sauce. Good flavors overall, but a little labor intensive. I will make it again. Thanks
mc
Good flavor but I expected more heat. The bell pepper really works well with the sauce.
Jo
Delicious, will definitely make again, will double sauce next time though as wasn’t enough for us. Also added some spinach which was nice
Ida
Simple, few ingredients and most importantly so yummy!!
Boo
I have to give Ms.Foodiecrush credit. This could be my all-time-favorite recipe. My family was amazed by these meatballs and agreed it could be the best meal I’ve ever made. As a mother, I thank you for sharing your ability to cook- my confidence in the kitchen is now growing~
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thank you Thank you!
Amanda
We made this last night for dinner and it was terrific! I didn’t have enough fresh ginger (actually I didn’t have any fresh…I only had three of those little frozen cubes), so I subbed a 1/4 tsp ground ginger in the meatballs.
Ruth Naylor
These sound delicious! I have lots of ground beef (88/12). Could I substitute beef for the turkey or chicken or would it be too fatty and heavy?
Nora
Made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious! I added some mushrooms and a little extra red bell pepper. Whole family loved the meal so I will definitely be adding it to the rotation Thank you!
Scott
Made this over the weekend. Crushed it. It came out great. Served with Asian style rainbow chard.