The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (2024)

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By Karina 4 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers

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The BEST Teriyaki Beef Meatballs are smothered in a thick and easy to make homemadeTeriyaki sauce!

So versatile, these Teriyaki Beef Meatballs can be served as a meal with steamed rice and veggies OR as an appetiser! The BEST part? Get your oven to do the work for you! No need to wait around a hot pan watching your perfectly rounded meatballs flatten while they cook, or worry you’re going to burn them if you turn around for 2 minutes.

The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (1)

How To MakeTeriyaki Beef Meatballs?

Justlike these Mongolian Meatballs, these Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe couldn’t get any easier. Your’e just THREE easy steps away form the most perfect meatballs you could serve ANYWHERE:

  1. Mix — there are so many wonderful aromas and flavours in the meatball mix alone!
  2. Roll — get the kids or your mates involved and get them done in 1/4 of the time!
  3. Bake — ah yes. BAKE. Why, you may ask? To keep life simple. So while they’re cooking, you have all the time in the world to make your sauce while comfortably knowing all of your handwork making your meatballs nice and round will actually stay that way.

The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (2)

And if that’s not enough, your sauce is JUST as easy AND good! Just to note here, I add a few extra things to my homemade Teriyaki sauce for added flavour.

The Best Teriyaki Sauce!

  1. Sesame oil: it adds a wonderful fragrance PLUS flavour to your sauce.
  2. Garlic: well, you should know me by now. I LOVE garlic, and Teriyaki sauce is perfect with the addition of it.
  3. Brown sugar: this is a personal preference. Normally, a good Japanese Teriyaki sauce only needs white sugar, but in testing, I prefer the results and taste of brown sugar.
  4. And then the traditional ingredients all go in: soy sauce, Mirin and Sake.

The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (3)

What are Cooking Sake and Mirin

Cooking Sake and Mirin add incredible flavour to a good Teriyaki sauce and are pretty much essential. They are both two types of rice wines that you will find at regular grocery stores or supermarket chains (usually found in the Asian section or isles). If you can’t find them at your store, Asian stores have a larger (and cheaper) selection. Having said this, sake can be substituted with a Chinese cooking wine OR dry sherry. Mirin can’t really be substituted, but if you’re desperate, most people comment that apple cider vinegar does the trick. I can’t guarantee because when it comes to Teriyaki, I only make mine with those two wines.If you’re worried about the alcohol, it does evaporate when cooked!

I added extra water and a cornstarch slurry to this sauce to make enough to coat these meatballs without making the sauce too overpowering.

Once your sauce its done, pour them over your meatballs and toss them to fully coat!

The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (4)

Then, garnish them with green onion slices and sesame seeds, add some toothpicks to the side of your plate with any remaining sauce, and your appetiser is DONE!

The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (5)

Easy Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe!

The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (6)

The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (7)

Easy Teriyaki Beef Meatballs are smothered in a thick and easy to make homemade Teriyaki sauce! So versatile, these Teriyaki Beef Meatballs can be served as a main meal with steamed rice and veggies OR as an appetizer! The BEST part? Get your oven to do the work for you!

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Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 12 minutes mins

Total: 27 minutes mins

Serves: 40 meatballs

Ingredients

MEATBALLS:

  • 2 pounds (1 kg) ground beef mince (or pork, chicken, turkey)
  • 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs, (or regular breadcrumbs)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 scallions or green onions, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cooking Sake or Shaoxing, (Chinese wine or dry sherry)
  • Pinch salt and pepper, to taste

TERIYAKI SAUCE:

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 teaspoons)
  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 1/4 cup sake
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha or more. (Adjust to your preference of spice)

TO SERVE:

  • Sesame seeds
  • 1 green onion finely sliced

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200°C | 400°F.

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

  • Mix together all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl until well-combined. Spoon out 1 1/2-inch of meat mixture with a cookie scoop (or tablespoon), shape into balls and place onto 2 large baking sheets or trays lined with baking or parchment paper.

  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden browned and cooked through.

  • While the meatballs are baking, make your sauce!

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • Heat a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Whisk ALL of the sauce ingredients together (except cornstarch and water mixture) in the pan until well blended. Bring to a simmer, pour the cornstarch mixture in and give it a quick good mix until it dissolves into the sauce. Continue cooking until sauce thickens, while stirring occasionally to prevent burning or sticking on the bottom of the pan (about 5 minutes).

COAT:

  • When meatballs have finished cooking, pour 3/4 of the sauce over them and toss gently to evenly coat. Transfer the glazed meatballs to a serving dish or tray.

  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions (if desired), and serve warm with toothpicks or mini forks, and with remaining sauce for dipping.

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Comments

  1. Nancy W says

    The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (17)
    Made it tonight and kids (home from college for the summer) loved it. I was looking for an Asian ground beef recipe and came upon this. I saw multiple similar recipes and liked this one the best. Will be part of my dinner rotation! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thanks!

    Reply

  2. Corinne says

    The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (18)
    Very yummy! Your ratio of ingredients is just perfect for our taste :):) Definitely trying more recipes from here “_”_

    Reply

  3. Karen M says

    The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (19)
    I made this last night. I only made the sauce because I had some frozen meatballs. This sauce is ? delicious! I didn’t have sake so I used diluted rice wine vinegar . My husband loved it. It is a perfect balance of sweet and sour. Oh, I did add some grated ginger (just a little).

    Reply

  4. Jack @ BBQ Recipez says

    The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (20)
    Definitely adding this to my “to try” list. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

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The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to bake or fry meatballs before putting in sauce? ›

Baking will result in meatballs with a crunchy exterior, though the caramelisation achieved from frying will be superior. Baked meatballs take the least amount of effort, as you'll only need to turn them once or twice throughout the cook and you can make a larger batch at once.

What are teriyaki meatballs made of? ›

Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and egg whites for meatballs together in a bowl until well combined. Form into 1-ounce balls. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.

What do you put in meatballs so they don't fall apart? ›

Add a lightly beaten egg, but not too much. Egg acts as a binder for the ingredients, but you only need a small amount. One small egg will do for one pound of minced meat. Alternatively, if you're following an egg-free diet, you could soak fresh bread in milk, squeezing out any excess milk, to use as a binder.

Can you put uncooked meatballs in sauce to cook? ›

Put your raw meatballs aside in a dish. In a large skillet or pot, heat some tomato sauce on the stovetop. I usually start it out on medium-high heat and add my raw meatballs to the pan. When the sauce comes to a boil, I lower the stove to medium-low heat and let the meatballs cook slowly.

How to thicken teriyaki sauce? ›

How to Thicken Teriyaki Sauce. The easiest way to thicken teriyaki sauce is by making a “cornstarch slurry.” To do this, whisk together a little cornstarch with cold water and whisk it into the simmering sauce. After 1-2 minutes, you'll have a delicious, beautiful homemade teriyaki sauce.

What are Hawaiian meatballs made of? ›

All you need is some ground beef, plus milk, eggs, breadcrumbs, and a few seasonings. The secret to these sweet and sour meatballs is the deliciously sticky sauce. (and the sauce ingredients are super simple to grab!) Not only is it soaked into every bite, but it creates a glossy coating that lets these beauties shine!

What are authentic meatballs made of? ›

Ground beef, pork and veal are the most common choices in Italy when making meatballs. Some prefer just one, others a mix. It's really up to you. We definitely recommend staying away from chicken or turkey, though.

Is it better to use milk or water in meatballs? ›

Milk: We will mix a bit of milk with the breadcrumbs to form a panade, which will help to keep our meatballs nice and moist. Ground beef and pork: I like to use a 50/50 mix of the two to make meatballs, but you can also make all-beef or all-pork meatballs if you prefer.

Why do my meatballs fall apart in the sauce? ›

Because meat shrinks when cooked, mince proteins are likely to separate and crumble unless bound together. Whether it's breadcrumbs or egg (or both), or simply salt, binding the mince is a crucial step in maintaining the softness of your meatballs while preventing them from falling apart.

Do meatballs get more tender the longer they cook? ›

Tenderizing the Meat:

As the collagen in the meat dissolves over time, it transforms into gelatin, which not only adds a silky texture to the sauce but also contributes to the overall richness and depth of flavor. The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become.

What is the secret of a tender meatball? ›

They are super flavorful but what makes them so so tender and moist is this: Plain Greek Yogurt. The lactic acid from the yogurt tenderizes the meat while adding subtle flavor. The addition of egg and parmesan cheese help keep the meat together so that you get delicious weeknight meatballs in minutes.

What is a binder for meatballs instead of breadcrumbs? ›

Rolled Oats

Oats are the perfect substitutes for breadcrumbs in meatballs or meatloaf.

Why do you put baking soda in meatballs? ›

Baking soda, otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate, appears often in köfte recipes. It raises the PH level of the meat, making it harder for the meat's protein molecules to bond. This in turn allows the meat to retain water as it cooks. And more water means a moist meatball.

Do you cook meat before adding simmer sauce? ›

It is often preferable to cook the meat and vegetables separate from the simmer sauce at high heat first. Then add the sauce, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes and using the time you saved in preparation to make a salad or even catch up on social media.

Should you cook meatballs first? ›

Do you cook meatballs before putting them in the sauce? You don't have to but I do give them a quick pan fry. It keeps then from falling apart in the sauce. I give them a light flouring and just give them a quick sear in a skillet , only two to three minutes.

Can you overcook meatballs in sauce? ›

Meatballs Can Overcook In A Soup

If they're left in stock, sauce, or soup for too long, they will become soggy and unappetizing.

How do you keep meatballs from sticking in the oven? ›

Get a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. For the best results, if you use aluminum foil, spread some olive oil on it so the meatballs don't stick while they cook. In a single layer, place the meatballs on the sheet pan giving them plenty of space.

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