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Teriyaki Beef Meatballs

5 from 2 votes

Delicious and tender Teriyaki Beef Meatballs. Your perfect weeknight dinner served alongside some Garlic Butter Drizzled Carrots and fluffy Basmati Rice.

Meatballs on a plate with rice.
Teriyaki Beef Meatballs

If you make one thing this week, make these meatballs! My son has now put these meatballs at the top of his list for favourite dinners! However, Chicken Stroganoff still holds the number one spot for him though. I don’t make meatballs often and usually I make Turkey Meatballs in Marinara as the whole family enjoy those. But after posting a recipe for Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs just recently, I thought that sauce would go great with meatballs. I was right!

Close up of meatballs in a saucepan.
Meatballs Cooked in Teriyaki Sauce

What Are These Meatballs Like

  • Difficulty – These meatballs are easy to make but I’d rate the recipe as medium difficulty. they take a little time between making the sauce and putting together the meatballs. It’s also important to follow instructions carefully to achieve tender meatballs.
  • Taste – The flavour and texture of these meatballs are both amazing. They are sweet and salty, a browned exterior and so soft and melt in your mouth on the inside. These are very soft in texture and most likely will be fork tender and almost fall apart when touched.
  • Serving – This recipe serves four adults and goes fantastic with fluffy Basmati rice.
Meatballs with rice.
Teriyaki Meatballs

Ingredients

For the Teriyaki Sauce

  • Soy sauce – I used dark soy sauce.
  • Brown sugar – Adds sweetness to the sauce.
  • Honey – Helps will sweetness, flavour and texture.
  • Garlic – Minced garlic cloves.
  • Ginger – Fresh ginger root
  • Corn flour – Used to thicken the sauce.
  • Water – is used for making the sauce.

For the Meatballs

  • Ground beef – I used regular ground beef.
  • Bread crumbs – For these meatballs, I used panko meatballs.
  • Milk – Just regular or semi skimmed milk.
  • Onion – I used a white onion
  • Garlic – Fresh minced garlic
  • Chili flakes – Add a little heat and flavour.
  • Salt – Enhances flavour in the meatballs.
  • Black pepper – Adds a little seasoning and flavour.
  • Olive oil – Is used for cooking the meatballs.
  • Sesame seeds – I garnished the meatballs with sesame seeds.

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

Ingredients to make teriyaki meatballs.
Ingredients to make Teriyaki Meatballs

Instructions

Make the Teriyaki Sauce

  1. Make cornflour mixture – In a small glass, combine the two tablespoons of cornflour with about 2-3 tablespoons of the water. Stir well to combine and set aside.
  2. Combine ingredients and make sauce – In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic and ginger. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer for about 2 minutes. Add all the water and bring to a boil. Pour in the cornflour mixture and stir until it thickens, about one minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Make the Meatballs

  1. Cook onions – In a small skillet, add one tablespoon of the olive oil and heat for about 30 seconds. Add the finely chopped onion, garlic and dried chili flakes. Stir around and cook until the onions are softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
  2. Make bread crumb mixture – In a small bowl, combine the milk with the bread crumbs. Stir to combine and set aside.
  3. Make meatball mixture – In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumb mixture, cooked onions, salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.
  4. Form meatballs – Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, mound out portions of the meat mixture. Gently but firmly form into round balls. Don’t overwork the meat or it will be dry. Repeat for all mixture and place on a plate.
  5. Brown meatballs – Heat remaining olive oil in a deep sided medium sized skillet. Add the meatballs and cook for about 2 minutes until browned. Flip over and cook other side for about 2 minutes. Remove all meatballs from skillet and drain on paper towels.
  6. Cook meatballs in sauce – Wipe the skillet clean of any remaining olive oil. Pour in the teriyaki sauce and set over low heat. Add the meatballs to the teriyaki sauce, cover and leave to finish cooking on low heat for about 12 – 15 minutes.
  7. Garnish and serve – When cooked, remove from heat and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with fluffy Basmati rice for a complete meal.

Recipe Tips

  • Prep ahead sauce – You can make the teriyaki sauce in advance. In fact, it will store up to two weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • Prep ahead meatballs – You can make the meatballs up to the day before and keep them in the fridge. Alternatively, you can make and freeze them from uncooked. You can freeze uncooked meatballs up to two months. Just be sure to allow them to fully defrost before cooking.
  • Double the sauce – If you want to serve sauce on the side for rice or noodles, I recommend you double the recipe. You can easily do that in the recipe card.
  • Don’t overwork the ground beef – The secret to getting a great meatball, is to not overwork the meat. Mix the ingredients until just combined. When forming into meatballs, do it gently and quickly. If you overwork the meat, they will be tough.
  • Finely dice the onions – You are looking to really finely dice the onions so they incorporate into the meatballs well.
Teriyaki meatballs in a skillet.
Teriyaki Meatballs

Substitutions

  • Ground beef – Any kind of ground meat will work for this recipe like chicken, turkey, pork or lamb.
  • Bread crumbs – I used panko bread crumbs. Any fine bread crumbs will work well.
  • Teriyaki sauce– This recipe uses a homemade teriyaki sauce, but you can easily use store bought teriyaki sauce.
Close up of meatballs with rice.
Meatballs in Teriyaki Sauce

Serving

You just can’t beat plain fluffy Basmati rice to with these amazing meatballs. Alternatively, you could try the Toasted Almond Basmati Rice or the Caramelized Onion and Almond rice Pilaf. A side of Garlic Mushrooms would also go really well.

Teriyaki Beef Meatballs with rice.
Beef Meatballs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is teriyaki sauce?

Traditional Teriyaki sauce is a Japanese sauce that contains soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sake. However, it has been westernized to incorporate honey, garlic and ginger. Cornflour is often added to thicken the sauce.

How can you reheat leftover meatballs?

You can reheat leftover meatballs in sauce on the stove top in a skillet. Add meatballs and sauce to a skillet over low heat. Cover and heat about 3 – 5 minutes until hot.

Close up of meatballs in sauce.
Meatballs in Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

Easy Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs makes a great dinner. This recipe comes together quickly using a homemade teriyaki sauce that requires no marinade time.
Check out this recipe

Turkey Meatballs in a Marinara Sauce

Take a spin on classic meatballs and use turkey! For a lighter spaghetti and meatballs, give these Turkey Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. A bit of work but delivers high on flavour and great comfort food to head into the weekend.
Check out this recipe

Albondigas en Tomato (Meatballs in Tomato Sauce)

These Albondigas en Tomato (Meatballs in Tomato Sauce) are a staple here in Spain and they always hit the spot. A tender and rich beef meatball made from 100% ground beef, fresh garlic and parsley. They are pan seared and then finished off in a rich tomato sauce.
Check out this recipe

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Teriyaki Beef Meatballs

Delicious and tender Teriyaki Beef Meatballs. Your perfect weeknight dinner served alongside some Garlic Butter Drizzled Carrots and fluffy Basmati Rice.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: meatballs, teriyaki sauce
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

For the Teriyaki Sauce

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger finely grated
  • 2 tablespoons corn flour
  • 1 cup water

For the Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 small onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions

For the Teriyaki Sauce

  • In a small glass, combine the two tablespoons of cornflour with about 2-3 tablespoons of the water. Stir well to combine and set aside.
  • In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic and ginger. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer for about 2 minutes. Add all the water and bring to a boil. Pour in the cornflour mixture and stir until it thickens, about one minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.

For the Meatballs

  • In a small skillet, add one tablespoon of the olive oil and heat for about 30 seconds. Add the finely chopped onion, garlic and dried chili flakes. Stir around and cook until the onions are softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
  • In a small bowl, combine the milk with the bread crumbs. Stir to combine and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumb mixture, cooked onions, salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.
  • Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, mound out portions of the meat mixture. Gently but firmly form into round balls. Don't overwork the meat or it will be dry. Repeat for all mixture and place on a plate.
  • Heat remaining olive oil in a deep sided medium sized skillet. Add the meatballs and cook for about 2 minutes until browned. Flip over and cook other side for about 2 minutes. Remove all meatballs from skillet and drain on paper towels.
  • Wipe the skillet clean of any remaining olive oil. Pour in the teriyaki sauce and set over low heat. Add the meatballs to the teriyaki sauce, cover and leave to finish cooking on low heat for about 12 – 15 minutes.
  • When cooked, remove from heat and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with fluffy Basmati rice for a complete meal.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.


Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You soon!

By on March 9th, 2023
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