These teriyaki meatballs are a huge hit whenever I make them. They flew off the plate at our Super Bowl party this year, second only to the queso and chips.

white bowl of teriyaki meatballs with green onions and sesame seeds. this recipe

I like to use a mixture of both pork and beef, which keeps the meatballs juicy and flavorful. The fat content is a little higher because of the pork, but it’s well worth it.

I like using panko for the breadcrumbs, but you could use any kind that are unseasoned. A few eggs also help to bind things together. Minced green onions, sesame oil, ginger and garlic add tons of flavor!

tray of ingredients to make teriyaki meatballs, including ground pork, beef, green onions and breadcrumbs.

Glaze

The glaze for these teriyaki meatballs starts with the browned bits that are leftover from searing the meatballs. I love starting off any sauce/glaze this way because those little pieces add SO much flavor.

After you sear the meatballs and they’re finishing up in the oven, deglaze the pan with a little chicken stock and scrape up anything that’s stuck to the pan. The olive oil should’ve helped a little, but adding the stock also prevents anything from burning to the pan.

white bowl of teriyaki meatballs with a large spoon and bowl of sesame seeds off to the side.
white bowl of teriyaki meatballs with green onions and sesame seeds.

Once the stock starts to boil, you can add the remaining ingredients for the glaze and stir them together. It shouldn’t take more than 6-7 minutes for the sauce to reduce down into a thick, flavorful glaze for these amazing teriyaki meatballs!

Serving & Storing

Once the meatballs come out of the oven, add them to a large mixing bowl and pour the glaze on top. Toss until all the meatballs are completely covered. If you want, you can serve them with additional green onions and some sesame seeds.

white bowl of teriyaki meatballs with green onions and sesame seeds.
white bowl of teriyaki meatballs with green onions and sesame seeds.

As I said, we set these out at our Super Bowl party with a pile of toothpicks so that everyone could just grab what they wanted. However, these teriyaki meatballs also can be served over rice for dinner!

Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days.

Print
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white bowl of teriyaki meatballs with green onions and sesame seeds.

Teriyaki Meatballs

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  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 36 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Snacks
  • Method: Stovetop, Oven
  • Cuisine: Asian
Print Recipe

Description

Sweet and sticky, these teriyaki meatballs are the perfect appetizer!

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground beef, 80/20 (lean/fat)
  • 1 lb ground pork, 80/20 (lean/fat)
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp ginger paste (or freshly grated ginger)
  • 2 tsp garlic paste (or 2 minced cloves)
  • 1 TB + 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1–2 TB olive oil

For the teriyaki glaze:

  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup + 2 TB light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 TB hot honey
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 TB soy sauce
  • 1 TB sesame oil
  • 2 tsp garlic paste (or 2 minced cloves)
  • 1 tsp ginger paste (or 1 tsp fresh grated ginger)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with foil.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, eggs, ginger paste, garlic paste, sesame oil, green onion, salt and pepper. Use your hands to work everything together until all of the ingredients are evenly mixed.
  3. Portion the meatball mixture into 1 1/2 TB sized balls. I like to use a medium cookie scoop so that each meatball is the same size. Pack and roll each meatball to smooth out the sides and keep them on one of the foil lined baking sheets until they are ready to go into the pan.
  4. Add one TB of olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium high until the oil begins to shimmer. Add half of the meatballs (or as many as will comfortably fit without crowding) to the skillet and sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip the meatballs and sear on the second side for another 2 minutes. Remove the seared meatballs to the second, clean foil lined baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining meatballs until they are all seared on two sides and arranged on the second baking sheet. Use the additional TB of olive oil for the second batch, if needed.
  5. Load the meatballs into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, or until their internal temperature is 165 degrees. While the meatballs bake, make the teriyaki glaze.
  6. In the same skillet that you seared the meatballs in, there should be a lot of nice, browned bits that were left behind. Set the skillet back over medium high heat and add the chicken stock, stirring with a stiff spatula or wooden spoon to get any stuck on browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  7. Add the brown sugar, hot honey, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic paste and ginger paste. Whisk vigorously to combine until the brown sugar has dissolved and the mixture boils.
  8. Continue to boil the sauce, whisking frequently, for about 6 minutes or until thickened and reduced by half. Once the glaze is finished, remove the skillet from the heat and set aside until the meatballs have finished baking.
  9. When the meatballs are out of the oven, add them to a large mixing bowl and pour all of the glaze over top of them. Toss until the meatballs are evenly coated.
  10. Serve immediately and garnish with sesame seeds and additional green onion, if desired.

Equipment

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4 meatballs
  • Calories: 643
  • Sugar: 79.6 g
  • Sodium: 795.2 mg
  • Fat: 21.2 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6.7 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 91 g
  • Fiber: 1.1 g
  • Protein: 26.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 121.8 mg

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