Thai Turkey Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
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Thai Turkey Meatballs are easy to make, and you can bake them in the oven or toss them in a slow cooker. The meatballs are covered in the most creamy and delicious Thai peanut sauce, creating a dish that’s full of flavor!
I like to serve the meatballs in a bowl with rice and veggies, but there are honestly a dozen delicious ways to serve these meatballs. A great reason to make this recipe over and over again!
Table of contents
Back in 2016, I was dreaming of my favorite Thai Peanut Sauce and thinking of new recipes that I could incorporate the sauce into. That’s when I got the idea for these Thai Turkey Meatballs!
Almost a decade later and these meatballs are still in regular rotation around our house. I originally slow cooked the meatballs in peanut sauce. Since then, I’ve started baking the meatballs, then tossing them in the sauce, to speed up the cooking process.
You really can’t go wrong with either cooking method! If you’d like a set-it-and-forget-it option, then go with the original slow cooker recipe. If you’d like to make these delicious meatballs in under 30 minutes for dinner, then go with the oven method!
There are a dozen different ways to serve the meatballs, but my favorite is to add them to a bowl with cooked white rice, shredded carrots, cilantro and peanuts. You can also toss in your other favorite veggies, or substitute brown rice or quinoa. You can really make the bowls your own, and this is a great option for meal prepping!
Ingredients
- For the turkey meatballs:
- Olive oil – or your favorite vegetable oil.
- Onion – I prefer a yellow onion in this recipe for it’s nice, neutral flavor.
- Garlic – I recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Ground turkey – I recommend using lean ground turkey that contains 7% fat. Using extra lean ground turkey that only contains 1% fat will not give you enough fat to make tender, juicy meatballs.
- Fresh ginger – did you know that you can store fresh ginger in the freezer for months and it’s actually easier to grate? You don’t even have to peel the ginger or defrost it, just remove it from the freezer and grate it right into the dish!
- Fresh cilantro
- Thai red curry paste – you’ll find this ingredient in the Asian section of most major grocery stores in the US. You can also find red curry paste online, or in Asian markets. It will add just a little bit of heat to the meatballs and a lot of great flavor!
- Panko breadcrumbs – if you want to make gluten free and keto meatballs, use pork panko.
- Eggs – you’ll need one full egg and one egg yolk for this recipe. This helps bind the meatballs without watering them down with too much egg white.
- For the Thai peanut sauce:
- Coconut milk – I recommend a can of full-fat coconut milk to make the sauce rich, smooth and creamy.
- Peanut butter – any creamy peanut butter will work, so feel free to use your favorite! Just remember that a peanut butter with added sugar will make the sauce a little sweeter.
- Thai red curry paste – when added to the peanut sauce, the curry paste adds spice that balances nicely with the sweetness of the coconut milk and brown sugar, the acidity of the vinegar and lime juice, and the salt from the soy sauce.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Soy sauce – I prefer to use low-sodium soy sauce to keep the saltiness of the sauce down, but feel free to use traditional soy sauce, if you prefer. If you’re making this recipe gluten free, you’ll want to use Tamari, or gluten free soy sauce.
- Brown sugar – to sweeten the sauce.
- Lime juice – I always recommend fresh squeezed for the best flavor! This ingredient adds acidity to the sauce that pairs perfectly with the other flavors.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Combine the meatball ingredients. Start by cooking the onions, garlic, and ginger to soften them. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook diced onions, minced garlic and grated ginger in the olive oil, then set the skillet aside. Add ground turkey, panko breadcrumbs, cilantro, egg, egg yolk, cilantro, and red curry paste to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked onions, garlic and ginger.
- Form the meatballs. Use your hands, or a spatula, to combine all of the ingredients. Once the ingredients are combined, form the mixture into about 25-30 golf ball sized meatballs.
- Sear the meatballs, then slow cook them. Place the same skillet you cooked the onions in back on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet and brown on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Place the meatballs in a slow cooker.
- Add the peanut sauce. Place all of the ingredients for the Thai Peanut Sauce in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the sauce over the meatballs in the slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours.
How to make them in the oven
Instead of searing the meatballs on the stove, then slow cooking them. You can cook them in the oven in just 10 minutes. Just follow these simple steps.
- Preheat the broiler on the oven to high. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Place the meatballs in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and into the oven on the middle rack. Broil for 6 minutes.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and use tongs to flip the meatballs. Cook for an additional 4-6 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, toss with peanut sauce, and serve immediately.
If you prefer, you can bake the meatballs in a 400°F oven for 18-20 minutes, or air fry the meatballs at 400°F for 8-10 minutes.
Ways to serve the meatballs
There are over a dozen different ways to serve these Thai Turkey Meatballs. Try any of these ideas and make these meatballs part of your weekly menu!
- Bowls – this is how I normally serve them, over cooked white rice, with shredded carrots, cilantro and chopped peanuts. You could also serve them over brown rice, or quinoa, and add other veggies like sautéed bell peppers, roasted zucchini or steamed broccoli.
- Wraps – warm up a piece of naan, or pita bread, and fill it with these meatballs, chopped lettuce, shredded carrots, a garnish of chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice, for a tasty meal.
- Appetizer – serve the meatballs in the Thai peanut sauce, right from the slow cooker, for an easy and delicious party appetizer.
- With noodles – cook up a pot of rice noodles, toss them with extra Thai peanut sauce and serve them with the meatballs for a Thai version of spaghetti and meatballs.
- With spaghetti squash – roast a spaghetti squash before preparing the meatballs and serve the meatballs with peanut sauce over the roasted squash. This is a low-carb, low-calorie way to serve these meatballs, and you can pair it with this healthy Thai peanut sauce for a light and delicious meal!
- In soup – you can ditch the peanut sauce, and serve these meatballs in my famous Thai coconut potsticker soup. Fully cook the meatballs first in the oven, then transfer them to the soup at the end before serving.
No matter how you serve them, I know you’re going to love this recipe and dream about that Thai Peanut Sauce, just like I do!
Storing and freezing the meatballs
Leftover uncooked meatballs will stay good in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cooked meatball leftovers will stay good in the fridge for up to 6 days. If you want to store them longer, toss them in the freezer!
I love freezing these Thai turkey meatballs to have them on hand for meals down the road. You can freeze the meatballs either raw or cooked.
If freezing the meatballs raw, I recommend placing them about 1/2 inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and into the freezer for 30 minutes before transferring them to a freezer bag. This will allow the meatballs to freeze on the outside and will prevent them from getting stuck together during storage.
If freezing cooked meatballs, make sure the meatballs have cooled completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and place them in the freezer. You can freeze these meatballs for up to 6 months. I always recommend writing a date on the bag before placing it in the freezer.
Uncooked meatballs can be cooked directly from frozen in the oven at 400°F for 20-25 minutes. You can also defrost the meatballs before cooking them by transferring them from the freezer to the refrigerator 12-24 hours before using them in a recipe.
Recipe tips
- Do not over-mix the meatball ingredients! Only mix the ingredients enough to combine them. Over-mixing will cause the meatballs to become tough.
- Make even-sized meatballs. If the Thai turkey meatballs are different sizes, it means they won’t cook at the same time. You’ll end up with some over-cooked and some under-cooked meatballs, which no one wants! If you have a hard time eyeballing the correct size, simply use a cookie scoop to make perfectly even-sized meatballs every time. I recommend you spray the cookie scoop with cooking spray first, so that the mixture doesn’t get stuck in the scoop.
- Do not overcook the meatballs! The meatballs will dry out and become tough if they’re overcooked. Follow my cooking times for perfectly cooked, tender turkey meatballs every time!
- The meatballs should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meatballs after you remove them from the oven.
- If you prefer to pan fry the meatballs, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in batches, 10-15 at a time, so you don’t overcrowd the pan. They will need to cook for about 5-7 minutes total, rotating throughout the cooking time.
- To make gluten free meatballs, simply swap out the panko breadcrumbs for gluten-free panko bread crumbs. Or to make them gluten free and keto, use pork panko. To make the Thai peanut sauce gluten free, use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
More ground turkey recipes
After making the best Thai turkey meatballs, don’t miss these other delicious ground turkey recipes!
Thai Turkey Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Thai Turkey Meatballs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
Thai Peanut Sauce (optional)
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
Instructions
Thai Peanut Sauce
- Add all of the ingredients for the sauce to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Turkey Meatballs
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Cook the diced onions for 4-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add the ground turkey, cilantro, red curry paste, bread crumbs, egg, egg yolk and cooked onions, garlic and ginger, to a large bowl.
- Use your hands, or a spatula, to combine all of the ingredients.
- Once the ingredients are combined, form the mixture into about 30 golf ball-sized meatballs.
Oven Method
- Preheat the oven broiler to high. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Place the meatballs on a foil-lined baking sheet and on the middle rack of the oven, under the broiler, for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the meatballs and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Alternatively, you can bake the meatballs at 400°F for 18-20 minutes.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and immediately toss with the Thai peanut sauce.
Slow Cooker Method
- If using a slow cooker, you'll want to sear the meatballs first, before placing them in the slow cooker. This prevents them from sticking together.Place the same skillet you cooked the onions in back on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
- Add the meatballs to the skillet and brown on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side.
- Place the meatballs in a slow cooker. Pour the Thai peanut sauce over the meatballs in the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours.
Notes
- The nutritional information provided is per meatball, tossed with the Thai peanut sauce.
- You can also air fry the meatballs at 400°F for 8-10 minutes.
- For ways to serve the meatballs, refer to the blog post above.
- For a gluten free and lighter option, replace the breadcrumbs in the meatballs with gluten-free breadcrumbs, or pork panko, and use this recipe for Healthy Thai Peanut Sauce.
Nutrition Facts
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5 Comments on “Thai Turkey Meatballs with Peanut Sauce”
I wanted a quick fix so I ended up adding a little fish sauce to the meat ball mix and ended up pan frying the meatballs. Drained most of the oil and then added all the sauce recipe, more coconut milk and some fish sauce. I mixed until smooth and then added the meatballs back in to simmer. AMAZING.
I made this for dinner tonight and I seriously could not stop eating. It was SO GOOD. I cannot wait for lunch tomorrow!
Yay! Thanks for sharing Kel! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I cooked this for too long and the sauce kind of congealed. Any suggestions for how I can make this good again to eat? Would adding almond milk help? Thanks!
Hi Kate, I’d say to whisk in a little more coconut milk to the sauce to bring it back to life!