Turkey Meatballs
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Make the best Turkey Meatballs that are juicy, tender and full of flavor using this easy recipe! It only takes 30 minutes and 10 ingredients to make these tested and perfected baked meatballs. The options are endless with these melt-in-your-mouth meatballs! Serve them as an appetizer, in meatball subs, with spaghetti, added to soup, or with your favorite sauce or a delicious brown gravy.
Table of contents
We are big meatball fans at our house. In fact, I spent years testing and perfecting my Italian meatballs. And now that they’re perfect, I’ve decided to use my extensive meatball-making knowledge to make more perfect meatballs. And today, I’m excited to introduce you to these perfect turkey meatballs!
If you’ve had turkey meatballs in the past that are bland, dry, or just sad, forget about those, because these meatballs are anything but sad! I used my turkey seasoning to make these meatballs, so the flavor is on-point and will give you a little taste of Thanksgiving, anytime of the year.
I also used all of my tips and tricks from perfecting ground beef and pork meatballs to make sure that these turkey meatballs were just as tender and juicy. Using only egg yolks in this recipe helps bind the meatballs without watering them down. And broiling the meatballs gives them a beautiful brown crust on the outside, while remaining super juicy and tender on the inside!
These meatballs are in the monthly rotation at our house, and I always make a double batch to freeze some for later. I like to make the meatballs golf ball sized, so they’re easy to toss in soups, add to sandwiches, serve as an appetizer, or pair with our favorite brown gravy, which I’ll show you how to make later in this post!
I promise you’ll never buy store-bought frozen turkey meatballs again after you try this easy recipe! It only takes 30 minutes start-to-finish to prep and cook the meatballs, and everyone will exclaim “these are the best turkey meatballs I’ve ever had!“
Ingredients
- 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.
- Panko breadcrumbs – if you want to make keto meatballs, use pork panko.
- Parmesan cheese – Kraft grated parmesan cheese, also called shaker parm at our house, works perfect for this recipe.
- Eggs – you’ll only need the yolks, so feel free to save the egg whites for another recipe.
- Turkey seasoning – I highly recommend my homemade seasoning, linked here. It’s so flavorful and easy to mix up in less than 5 minutes, with herbs, spices and pantry staples like salt and black pepper.
- Worcestershire sauce – this amazing condiment adds so much flavor to the meatballs. It’s sweet, salty, tangy and adds a wonderful umami flavor to the dish. If you don’t have any Worcestershire sauce in the kitchen, you can use soy sauce instead.
- Dijon mustard – the acidity and tanginess of the dijon mustard adds another layer of flavor to these meatballs. It’s a secret ingredient that you should always add to your turkey meatballs! If you don’t have dijon mustard, you can just 1 teaspoon of ground mustard or mustard powder in it’s place.
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 and garlic to soften them. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook diced onions and minced garlic in the olive oil, then set the skillet aside. Add ground turkey, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg yolks, turkey seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked onions and garlic.
- 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 30 golf ball sized meatballs.
- Broil the meatballs. 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 minutes. Remove from the oven 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.
How to make brown gravy
One of my favorite ways to serve these meatballs is covered in my homemade brown gravy. Don’t worry, it’s so easy to make, you can whip it up on the stove while the meatballs cook in the oven!
Just follow these 4 simple steps to make homemade turkey meatballs and gravy.
- Using the same skillet that you cooked the onions and garlic in for the meatballs, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add ½ cup onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add 3 cloves minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Pour 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce in with the onions and garlic, and toss to combine.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and once it’s melted, sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour evenly over everything in the skillet. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the flour starts to brown.
- Pour 2 cups beef broth into the skillet, then add 2 teaspoons dijon mustard and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine everything. Bring the gravy to a simmer. When the meatballs come out of the oven, add them to the gravy in the skillet and toss until they’re coated.
If serving the meatballs with gravy, I like to pair them with egg noodles or mashed potatoes for the ultimate comfort food meal!
Ways to serve the meatballs
In addition to serving the meatballs with gravy and mashed potatoes, you can serve them over a dozen different ways. Try any of these ideas and make these meatballs part of your weekly menu!
- With pasta – there’s no more classic of a combo than spaghetti and meatballs. It really is a match made in foodie heaven! Toss the meatballs in warm marinara sauce, or your favorite pasta sauce, after they come out of the oven. Spoon them right over cooked pasta for a delicious comfort food meal.
- In a sub sandwich – the almighty meatball sub is one of our go-to uses for leftover meatballs at lunch time. Click the link for my recipe for the best meatball sub ever! Or to make an easy appetizer for a party, use these turkey meatballs in this recipe for meatball sub bites.
- As sliders – melt a small slice of Swiss cheese over each of the meatballs during the last minute in the oven, then serve them on slider buns or Hawaiian rolls to make tasty little sliders!
- In soup – this Italian meatball soup is so easy to make and even more delicious with homemade turkey meatballs! Simply drop the cooked meatballs right into the soup for a simple weeknight meal. You can also freeze the cooked meatballs and use them in this recipe at a later date, without the need to defrost the meatballs.
- In bowls – these healthy meatballs are the perfect addition to a grain bowl. Serve them on top of lentils, brown rice, or cauliflower rice, along with your favorite veggies and sauce.
- On a pizza – slice the cooked meatballs into quarters, then add them as a topping on this pan pizza recipe.
- As an appetizer – people go crazy for these meatballs every time I serve them at a party! Once you cook the meatballs in the oven, add them to a slow cooker with 2 cups of your favorite sauce. This could be bbq sauce, buffalo sauce, marinara sauce, or for an Asian spin on these meatballs, use orange sauce, Thai peanut sauce, or teriyaki sauce. Set the crock pot to warm, place a bowl of toothpicks on the side, and let people dig into these meatballs throughout the party!
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 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.
If the meatballs are fully cooked, you can add them directly from the freezer to a pot of marinara sauce, or soup on the stove over medium heat. This will both defrost and heat up the meatballs.
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 your 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.
More ground turkey recipes
After making the best turkey meatball recipe, don’t miss these other delicious ground turkey recipes!
Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds ground turkey, 93% lean 7% fat
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons turkey seasoning, click link for homemade recipe
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven broiler to high, or to bake at 400°F. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the diced onions and cook for 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg yolks, turkey seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard, along with the cooked onions and garlic. 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.
- 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 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 your favorite sauce or gravy, add them to soups or subs, or freeze them for later. Refer to the notes below for how to make homemade brown gravy for the meatballs.
Notes
- To make brown gravy for the meatballs:
- Using the same skillet that you cooked the onions and garlic in for the meatballs, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add ½ cup onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add 3 cloves minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Pour 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce in with the onions and garlic, and toss to combine.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and once it’s melted, sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour evenly over everything in the skillet. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the flour starts to brown.
- Pour 2 cups beef broth into the skillet, then add 2 teaspoons dijon mustard and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine everything. Bring the gravy to a simmer. When the meatballs come out of the oven, add them to the gravy in the skillet and toss until they’re coated.
- The meatballs can also be cooked in an air fryer at 400°F for 8-10 minutes.
- 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.
- The meatballs should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meatballs after they’re cooked.
Nutrition Facts
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