Ready in 30 minutes, these healthy teriyaki turkey meatballs are a protein-packed recipe that is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Serve them with rice and veggies for a delicious and nutritious family-friendly meal.
If you’ve never made teriyaki sauce at home, you might be surprised to learn how quick and easy it is to make! With 5 simple ingredients, you can create a delicious homemade teriyaki sauce with the perfect balance of flavors that can be used in many ways.
The combination of salty and sweet teriyaki sauce and moist and tender turkey meatballs in this teriyaki turkey meatball recipe creates a meal that is as healthy as it is tasty. Not to mention, you can easily store leftover teriyaki meatballs in the fridge and freezer making them a great make-ahead meal.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Quick and Easy – This 30-minute recipe is a great way to get dinner on the table in a hurry.
- Minimal Ingredients – These teriyaki turkey meatballs are made with 10 common kitchen ingredients.
- High in Protein – With 18 grams of protein per 5 turkey meatballs, this delicious recipe is a great way to eat more protein.
- Great for Meal Prep – These turkey teriyaki meatballs keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days making them great for make-ahead lunches.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Ground Turkey – To make the meatballs, you can use lean or extra-lean ground turkey. You can also use ground chicken, ground pork, or ground beef if you want to mix it up.
- Bread Crumbs – To ensure the turkey meatballs are moist and tender. You can use regular or panko bread crumbs.
- Egg – To bind the teriyaki meatballs.
- Green Onion – To flavor the meatballs and a little for topping.
- Garlic and Ginger – A combination of garlic powder and ground ginger for the teriyaki sauce. You can use fresh garlic and fresh ginger if desired, see the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Soy Sauce – To make the teriyaki sauce. You can use regular or low-sodium soy sauce.
- Brown Sugar – To sweeten the teriyaki sauce. You can use dark or light brown sugar, honey will also work.
- Cornstarch – To thicken the teriyaki sauce.
Dietary Adaptions
To Make them Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free bread crumbs and swap the soy sauce for gluten-free soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos.
To Make them Dairy-Free: No adaptations are needed, this recipe is dairy-free.
How to Make Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
- Make the meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, add the ground turkey, green onion, bread crumbs, salt, and egg, and mix until well combined using your hands. Once mixed, roll the ground turkey mixture into 1-tablespoon balls.
- Bake the meatballs. Place the meatballs on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then transfer the baking sheet to an oven at 350°F to make for 12-15 minutes.
- Make the teriyaki sauce. In a small bowl, add the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, ground ginger, garlic powder, and cornstarch, and whisk until well combined. Pour the mixture into a large non-stick pan and cook on medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened.
- Coat the turkey meatballs in teriyaki sauce. Transfer the cooked meatballs to the pan with the homemade teriyaki sauce and gently toss them until well coated in the sauce.
- Serve and enjoy! The meatballs can be served immediately with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and green onion on top.
You can find the detailed instructions for these teriyaki turkey meatballs in the recipe card below.
Red’s Nutrition Tip
If you’re concerned about the use of brown sugar in the homemade teriyaki sauce making the recipe “unhealthy”, there is no need. Not only is there a tiny amount of brown sugar per serving, less than 5 grams, but there is room for everything in a healthy diet. While the nutritional differences between forms of sugar are minimal, you can swap it for honey if preferred.
Serving Suggestions
These turkey teriyaki meatballs are a great source of protein, so pairing them with a source of complex carbohydrates and vegetables is the best way to ensure you are eating a balanced meal. For example, you could pair these meatballs with:
- White Rice + Broccoli
- Rice Noodles + Snap Peas
- Brown Rice + Bell Peppers
- Fried Rice + Green Beans
- Cauliflower Rice + Stir-Fry Vegetables
Storage + Reheating
To Refrigerate: Allow the teriyaki turkey meatballs to cool completely, then add them to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If desired, you can store the meatballs and teriyaki sauce combined or separately.
To Freeze: Once the teriyaki meatballs have cooled completely, add them to an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. If desired, you can store the meatballs and teriyaki sauce combined or separately.
To Reheat: Once thawed, place the turkey teriyaki meatballs in a saucepan, add a tablespoon of water, and reheat them on medium heat for 2-5 minutes or until warmed through, stirring them to loosen up the sauce and adding additional splashes of water as needed. The meatballs can also be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until warm.
More Meatball and Ground Turkey Recipes:
- Korean Ground Turkey Rice Bowls
- Ground Turkey Meal Prep Bowls
- Turkey Taco Skillet
- Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Meatball Soup
Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
These baked teriyaki turkey meatballs are perfect for a healthy weeknight dinner. Serve them with rice or noodles and veggies for a well-balanced meal.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes -
Cook Time: 15 minutes
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Total Time: 30 minutes
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Yield: 30 meatballs 1x
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Category: Dinner
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Method: Baked
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:Ingredients
Turkey Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 green onions, white parts only, minced
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Teriyaki Sauce:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
To Serve:
- 2 green onions, green parts only, sliced
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ground turkey, green onions, bread crumbs, egg, and salt. Using your hands or a fork, gently mix until everything is well incorporated.
- Roll the meatball mixture into 1-tablespoon balls, placing them onto the baking sheet once formed, until all the turkey is used, and you have about 30 mini meatballs.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F and golden brown.
- With 5 minutes remaining on the meatballs, prepare the teriyaki sauce. In a small bowl, add the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, ground ginger, garlic powder, and cornstarch, and whisk to combine until well combined.
- Place a large non-stick pan or pot on the stovetop on medium heat, pour in the soy sauce mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes until the sauce has thickened. If your sauce gets lumpy at any stage, don’t worry, just continue whisking it until it comes together as a smooth glaze.
- Transfer the cooked meatballs to the pan with the teriyaki sauce and gently toss them until all the meatballs are coated in the sauce.
- The teriyaki meatballs can be served immediately with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and green onions, or cooled and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
To Use Ground Chicken: Swap the ground turkey for 1 pound of ground chicken.
To Use Fresh Ginger: Swap the ground ginger for 1 inch of freshly grated ginger or 1 tablespoon of ginger paste.
To Use Fresh Garlic: Swap the garlic powder for 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5 meatballs
- Calories: 197 calories
- Sugar: 6 grams
- Fat: 7 grams
- Carbohydrates: 15 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 18 grams
So good!! The sauce is unbelievable (so tasty and better than store bought that’s full of preservatives) and the turkey is great as a red-meat alternative. We ended up cooking the meatballs a little bit longer (maybe we made them a bit bigger). We’ll definitely be making this again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Adrienne! Thank you so much for sharing!
sooooo good-the sauce was amazing! I made jasmine rice and baby bok choy to go with it-
I love that your recipes are simple and not to mention delicious
thank you for making dinner planning easy
Happy you enjoyed it Nadine, thank you so much for sharing!
Very tasty! I used 3 tbls cornstarch, doh, so added pineapple juice to thin it and added pineapple tidbits to the meatballs in the sauce, husband loved it.
Put over rice with some pan grilled veg, I will definitely make this again, thanks
Thank you for sharing, Beth! I’m happy you enjoyed them. 🙂
These meatballs were so good! I made them bigger so they needed to cook longer, but they turned out great. Nice and moist, and the glaze was super tasty. A great meal prep meal! I served them with rice and asparagus. Will definitely make them again. 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed them, Janet! Thank you so much for sharing.
So simple, easy to make and delicious!
This was SO darn good. My family now thinks I am a culinary genius. Easy to make and so delicious. !
Haha, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
So yummy and so easy!
Thanks for the recipe. My husband and I really enjoyed this meal. It was easy! I will use the recipe in parts to have the turkey balls and sauce on hand (frozen) to put in other meals. I have used the turkey balls with marinara sauce to make a pasta dinner. Having the teriyaki sauce on hand for a creative moment will be helpful as it freezes well and is easy to thaw.
It is also very helpful to have a list of nutrients and suggestions for substitutions as we both have diet issues.
Great tips, thats you so much for sharing Jean!
These meatballs were delicious. The sauce came together easily and tasted exactly like teriyaki. My family loved them and they will become a regular on our dinner rotation.
Yay, I’m so happy you liked them! Thank you for sharing, Nancy.
Great recipe. Sauce worked out really well. Will make again.
Outstanding! We enjoy many of Stephanie’s recipes and truly love them all!
Also love the weekly emails with recipes suggestions. Thank you!!
Your passion for food and health is infectious!
I’m so happy you like the recipes, Shelagh, lots more to come! 🙂
I just made these last week and they were a hit! I used ground chicken.
Happy to hear it! 🙂
Made this dish many times, it’s a family favourite always goes down a treat. Brilliant recipe and very filling.👍
Made these last night for dinner and my very picky 13 year old loved them. So easy to make and full of flavour
Love it when a recipe is kid/teen-approved! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Very filling and easy to make with great flavor
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Rochelle!
Delicious. I’ve made them for today’s dinner and everybody here liked them.
I’m so happy to hear it, thank you for sharing, Cristina!
Easy, tasty and kid approved!