Sweet ground turkey meatballs are one of my favorite ground meat recipes. Made with simple ingredients that are probably already in your pantry, they are easy to make and super delicious.
The accompanied Thai sweet chili sauce makes it super tasty and addictive. The best thing about this recipe is you can use any sweet sauce you like and not be limited only to Thai sweet sauce. For example, you can also serve them with this creamy turkey pepper gravy.
Furthermore, depending on your meal setup, these meatballs can be served as a main or a side dish. If eaten as a main dish, sweet ground turkey meatballs can be served with a bowl of steamed rice or your choice of starchy dish (such as cheesy creamy mashed potatoes).
Ingredients and substitutions
To make these ground turkey meatballs, you need only a handful of common ingredients. I also list substitutions in case you need them.
- Ground turkey: the main ingredient of the recipe. Of course, you can always substitute it for ground chicken.
- White onion: provides texture and sweetness to the meatballs. It can be substituted with shallots or purple onion (remember that the flavor will be slightly more tangy if you use the substituted ingredient).
- Green onion: adds a light sweet flavor. It can be swapped with chives for different flavors.
- Bread crumbs and eggs: act as binding agents and provide an in-depth flavor for the meatballs. Bread crumbs can be substituted with cornstarch.
- Thai sweet chili sauce: provides the sweetness and the recipe's star. It can be served on the side or drizzled on top. I use the famous Mae Ploy brand. It can be substituted with your choice of sweet sauce.
- Vegetable oil: used to fry the meatballs.
How to make sweet ground turkey meatballs
- Sauté the white onions in oil for approximately 2-3 minutes without coloring them.
- Combine the onions with all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix well.
- Taste test the ground turkey mixture by frying a small amount of it. Then adjust seasoning of the mixture using salt and pepper if needed.
- Portion and form the meat into 15-20 balls of the same size with your hands.
- Pan fry (about 3 minutes for each side) or deep fry the turkey meatballs (10-15 minutes on medium-high heat) until firm.
- Remove the meatballs from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on a clean plate lined with oil-absorbing papers.
Useful tips
- Always taste test before forming the meat mixture into uniform balls. This allows you to adjust the seasoning easily. If the meatballs are already cooked, it is impossible to fix their seasoning by this stage.
- Try portioning the meat before forming it into a round shape. This will ensure that you have all the same-size meatballs and finish cooking at the same time.
- Use an ice cream scoop for faster portioning and forming if making them in large quantities.
- If the ground meat is sticky, refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes before forming balls.
Did you make this recipe? If so please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comment section. Also, don't forget to tag me #cookmorphosis @cookmorphosis on social media.
Sweet Ground Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ½ c white onion small dice
- ¼ c green onion chopped
- ¼ c bread crumbs
- 2 medium eggs
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Serving & garnish
- 2 tbsp green onion chopped
- ¼ c Thai sweet chili sauce Mae Ploy brand
Other
- 2 c vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Sauté the white onions in 2 tbsp vegetable oil for approximately 2-3 minutes without coloring them.
- Combine the cooked white onions with all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix well.
- Taste test the ground turkey mixture by frying a small amount of it. Then adjust seasoning of the mixture using salt and pepper if needed.
- Portion and form the meat into 20 balls of the same size with your hands.
- Pan fry (about 3 minutes for each side) or deep fry the turkey meatballs (10-15 minutes on medium-high heat) until firm.
- Remove the meatballs from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on a clean plate lined with oil-absorbing papers.
- Serving suggestion: move turkey meatballs to a serving platter, pour Thai sweet chili sauce over the meatballs (just enough to cover each ball), and garnish with chopped green onion.
Notes
- You can use another sweet sauce instead of Thai chili sweet sauce.
- These meatballs can be made ahead of time and kept in a freezer for up to 3 months. For easy access, store the desired number of uncooked, already-formed meatballs in a single layer in different Ziploc bags to prevent sticking.
- These ground turkey meatballs can be served as a main dish accompanied by a bowl of steamed white rice or as an appetizer/side dish.
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