You’re going to love these tender, flavorful sticky Asian meatballs. They’re easy to make and ready to serve in just 30 minutes!
These tasty morsels make an amazing appetizer or a perfect main dish served over rice or noodles. They are sure to hit the spot! For more meatball magic try Instant Pot Meatballs, Swedish Meatballs, and Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs.
A Great Main Dish or Appetizer!
I always appreciate a quick & delicious meal, especially one that I know my kids will love, and that will (if we’re not all starving) potentially lead to leftovers for lunch the next day! Who’s with me?
The base of this recipe comes from my orange chicken meatballs, I just swapped out the chicken for pork and added a bit of grated carrot… because I’m always sneaking in extra veggies here and there. #momlife
Serve these hot on their own OR serve over a bed of rice and stir-fried veggies. Since we wanted these to be a main dish instead of an appetizer, we chose the second option. They were flavorful and so was the sauce.
I really loved that the sauce wasn’t overly sweet (these are not teriyaki meatballs or sesame meatballs, although I may have to make those ASAP), but more garlicky and with a tiny kick from the red pepper flakes. They will definitely be a regular around here!
Ingredient Tips
Meat: We like using pork, but you can always use beef or chicken, or even a mix of different types of meat. Whatever you think will taste the best to you and your family will work well.
If you are worried about the meatballs being too dry then I recommend using a fattier meat, such as pork or beef. Ground chicken and turkey are a leaner meat and so are typically less fatty.
Breadcrumbs: We recommend using panko breadcrumbs because it gives a crisp texture as opposed to a cakey or heavy texture from normal breadcrumbs.
Can you use fresh ginger? Yes, you can use freshly ground ginger, it will provide such a fresh and potent flavor.
White vs rice vinegar? Rice vinegar has a sweet and delicate flavor whereas white vinegar is harsh and sour. We suggest using rice vinegar because it’s an important Asian flavor to incorporate. White vinegar might overpower all of the other flavors, so if you need to substitute white vinegar, use slightly less than the recipe calls for.
How to Make Asian Meatballs
PREP. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a standard size baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat, set aside.
COMBINE. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk and panko breadcrumbs. Allow to soak for 5 minutes. Add the pork, egg, garlic, green onion, carrot, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix together just until combined (overworking it will cause the meatballs to be dense).
SHAPE & BAKE. Shape into meatballs and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked throughout (internal temperature of 165).
The Sauce
COMBINE. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, combine the hoisin, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes.
SIMMER. Bring the mixture to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes.
TOSS & SERVE. Place the meatballs in a large bowl and cover with sauce. Toss to coat, serve hot. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if desired.
Serving and Storing
What to serve Asian Meatballs with? Try any of these other Asian dishes!
- Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
- Homemade Drunken Noodles
- Better Than Takeout Sesame Chicken
- Easy Ham Fried Rice
- Better Than Takeout Chow Mein
- Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Storing: Keep the meatballs in an airtight container or ziploc bag for 3-4 days in the fridge. Then reheat them in the microwave or oven.
Freeze Uncooked: You can choose to freeze the uncooked meatballs with or without the sauce. After you form them, let them set up on a baking sheet until solid and then place them in a ziploc bag for 3-4 months.
Freeze Cooked: If you want to freeze cooked meatballs follow the same process but note that they will only last 2-3 months.
Some people prefer not to store their meatballs in sauce so that they can use the meatballs in whatever recipe they feel like. If you do store the meatballs in the sauce, you can reheat the meatballs in the crockpot on low for 3-4 hours (if they’re already cooked).
For more meatball recipes, try:
Sticky Asian Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 lb ground pork - or chicken
- 1 egg - lightly beaten
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tbsp green onion - minced
- 3 tbsp carrot - finely grated
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
For the Sauce
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Optional Garnishes
- sesame seeds
- sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a standard size baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk and panko breadcrumbs. Allow to soak for 5 minutes. Add the pork, egg, garlic, green onion, carrot, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix together just until combined (overworking it will cause the meatballs to be dense).
- Shape into meatballs and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked throughout (internal temperature of 165).
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, combine the hoisin, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Place the meatballs in a large bowl and cover with sauce. Toss to coat, serve hot. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if desired.
hey girl these look so yummy!
Thanks!! That they are!
These were super easy to make and came out amazing!
Can you use fresh ginger instead of ground ginger?
Yes!
Can you use ground beef?
I don’t see why not!
I was looking for an Asian pork meatball to use in place of Ree Drummond’s beef meatballs for Sweet and Sour Meatballs. These are great!! The pork at my grocery store was super fatty, so I asked them to grind a pork loin roast for me to use. Because pork loin has almost no fat, I ended up adding 1T of canola oil per pound. Other than that I used fresh ginger and followed the rest of the recipe and they are super. I have plenty for Ree’s recipe and for your sauce and I can’t wait to try these meatballs with both.
Can I make the night before?
Yes!
Hi. I make these every other week and the whole family loves them. I’m thinking about doing them for a super bowl party too. Do you think I can make now and freeze? Then thaw and bake 5 days from now? Thanks!
Yes, I’d make them and freeze just the meatballs, and maybe just refrigerate the sauce? Then you can warm them together in a crockpot or Instant Pot.
Hi
If i make thrm in advance to freeze, do i have to pop them in the oven to cook them first or freeze the balls uncooked?
Thanks
Susan
Either way. It just depends on how much time you have when you’re initially prepping them versus when you actually want to eat them. Does that make sense?
Absolutely fabulous!!!!
I did make a slight variation in the sauce by adding a little honey and pineapple juice.
I will definitely keep this as a favorite recipe!
The carrots in the meat are perfect and add so much!
Great idea! I will have to try that! Thank you for sharing that!
The flavor combination in these are SO GOOD! I could just eat these for dinner alone. Making them again SOON!
I think I want to eat meatballs this way, every single time! They have a delicious flavor!!
Made these and they were so good! I tried using regular breadcrumbs but panko would have been better. I’ll definitely be making these again.
Thank you so much! I am glad you will make them again!
I don’t have hoisin sauce what could I use instead?
Here are some substitutes for hoisin sauce..Bean paste, Garlic teriyaki, Garlic and prunes, Chili and plums, Barbecue molasses, Soy peanut butter, Miso and mustard, & Ginger plum.
Yum!! I baked the meatballs in the airfryer and they came out juicy and crispy. I served mine in a bowl with jasmine rice and a veggie stirfry. This was excellent.
Sounds yummy! So glad you liked them! Thank you!
I have made this recipe several times in my air fryer and have done the sauce with whatever I have on hand. Usually General Tso’s sauce honey soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. I did it with beef only and I have done with beef and pork. This is an excellent dish and in my repertoire! Thank you!!!
That all sounds delicious! Glad you like it! Thank you!
Love the way you snuck a little veggie in the recipe. We love these! Kids too!
Asian flavors are my absolute favorite! These have to be my favorite meatballs! So addicting!
We absolutely loved these! Such great flavor and they were super easy to make. Definitely going to be making these again.
Are you an Asian chef? Why can you create a really Asian dish, enough all steamed rice, cucumber, broccoli, and meat together? This Meatball is not only delicious meatball but also depth taste sauce. This meatball and sauce are quite suitable for serving with rice.
Nope, but I love it! So happy you liked them! Thank you!
I tweaked the sauce recipe as it was too acidly and tangy. I added sugar to reduce the acid and honey to reduce the tang. Also added five spice for a depth of flavor. Brought 35 of them to a game night (8 People) last night and they instantly disappeared- everybody loved them!
Thank you for letting me know what you did! I am so glad everyone liked them!
Hi what is the average size of each meatball and how many can I get from this recipe
You can make the meatballs any size you would like but most are golf ball sized (about 1 1/2 inch diameter). With this size of meatball you can get about 25-30 meatballs from this recipe. Hope this helps!
I had a pound of ground pork and a pound of ground beef. Came to Pinterest looking for Asian meatballs and found these. They were delicious, and the sauce was divine! I’ll be making these again.
Such a good combination of meats. Glad you loved it!
It’s a hit in my home.
SO glad you loved it!
These are an amazing and so simple to make appetizer. This is one of my favorite go-to appetizer recipes.
Wow, the guys loved this for poker night! I didn’t get any leftovers for myself so I am back making a bigger batch. So good!
That’s right! Make sure you get a hefty portion before sharing the next batch.
Approximately how many balls will this make for appetizers?
About 45 meatballs that are 1 inch in size.