Teriyaki Meatballs

This Teriyaki Meatball Recipe is loaded with flavor! Homemade beef meatballs are baked until golden brown and tender then tossed with sautéed bell peppers and a sweet and tangy teriyaki sauce! Serve as an appetizer or over rice to make it a meal. Ready in less than 30 minutes!

Love meatballs as much as I do? Then give my Turkey Asian Meatballs or my Best Italian Meatballs a try!

Teriyaki Meatball Recipe

I love making meatballs for dinner. They are super easy to make and come together in minutes. I’ve made my share of meatballs, and now I can add these juicy, tender teriyaki beef meatballs to the list!

These teriyaki beef meatballs are baked then tossed with a homemade Teriyaki sauce. I really love making my own teriyaki sauce because it’s so much easier to control the sweetness and the salt level. All you need is soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar to make your own teriyaki sauce at home. The sauce is thickened with a mixture of cornstarch and water also known as a “slurry”.

These teriyaki meatballs are super easy to make. Everything comes together in under 30 minutes. I like to saute the peppers and cook the sauce and let its simmer away while the meatballs are baking.

I prefer baking these beef meatballs versus pan frying. Baking is so much easier and ALOT less messy! It also uses less oil which means it’s healthier too! To ensure the meatballs get just as brown as they do when they are cooked on the stove top I bake them in a 400 degree oven on the bottom rack. The bottom rack is essential for getting that golden brown crust on the outside of the meatball!

This teriyaki meatball recipe makes a great appetizer or main dish served over rice or mashed potatoes!

If you love teriyaki sauce then you would love my Teriyaki Glazed Salmon!

What is Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki Sauce is a thick, sweet and tangy sauce made up of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, water and brown sugar. I love making teriyaki sauce at home to control the saltiness and sweetness!

Tip for making Teriyaki Meatballs

• Rack position is key! I tested this recipe at a couple different oven temperatures and at different positions in the oven. I found that cooking the meatballs in the middle of the oven gave them barely any browning. Where as the meatballs cooked on the bottom rack got perfectly golden brown. Just as brown as they would be if you cooked them on the stove top. Make sure to move the oven rack to the bottom of the oven before preheating.
• Don’t over mix: Just like with baked goods it is possible to over mix meatballs! The more you mix the meatballs the tougher they will get. Mix with your hands until everything is combined.
• If meatballs are sticking to your hands when rolling lightly wet your hands with water. You can also spray your hands with a little non stick cooking spray.
• Use a cookie scoop: To portion out meatballs. It makes rolling a lot easier AND ensures that the meatballs will be a uniform size.
• Mix up the meat: I used ground beef, however ground chicken, turkey, or pork would also work great.
• Serve as an appetizer! This recipe makes 24-28 good size meatballs. If you are making these as an appetizer I would make them smaller.
• Add pineapple: Unlike other teriyaki meatball recipes these meatballs are made without pineapple. The brown sugar in the sauce adds enough sweetness that pineapple isn’t needed! If you are a fan of pineapple though throw some in!

How To Make Teriyaki Meatballs

• Add ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, pepper, salt, onion, ginger and garlic to a large mixing bowl. Mix with your hands or with a spoon until combined. Make sure not to over mix.

• Portion heaping tablespoon size meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet. I got about 26 meatballs.

• Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake the teriyaki meatballs at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes flipping halfway through.

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in bell peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.

• Add in soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer. Whisk 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce and simmer until thickened 1-2 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

• Stir in the meatballs and toss to coat them in the sauce. Top with sesame seeds and green onions if desired. Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks or to make it a meal serve over rice!

What to serve with Teriyaki Meatballs

• White or brown rice
• Vegetable Fried Rice
• Mashed potatoes
• Lo Mein
• Chow Mein
• Japanese Cucumber Salad
• For a low carb meal serve these meatballs over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles!
• Your favorite roasted vegetable can be cooked when your meatballs are cooking
• Stir fried vegetables

Tip for making Teriyaki Meatballs

• Rack position is key! I tested this recipe at a couple different oven temperatures and at different positions in the oven. I found that cooking the meatballs in the middle of the oven gave them barely any browning. Where as the meatballs cooked on the bottom rack got perfectly golden brown. Just as brown as they would be if you cooked them on the stove top. Make sure to move the oven rack to the bottom of the oven before preheating.
• Don’t over mix: Just like with baked goods it is possible to over mix meatballs! The more you mix the meatballs the tougher they will get. Mix with your hands until everything is combined.
• If meatballs are sticking to your hands when rolling lightly wet your hands with water. You can also spray your hands with a little non stick cooking spray.
• Use a cookie scoop: To portion out meatballs. It makes rolling a lot easier AND ensures that the meatballs will be a uniform size.
• Mix up the meat: I used ground beef, however ground chicken, turkey, or pork would also work great.
• Serve as an appetizer! This recipe makes 24-28 good size meatballs. If you are making these as an appetizer I would make them smaller.
• Add pineapple: Unlike other teriyaki meatball recipes these meatballs are made without pineapple. The brown sugar in the sauce adds enough sweetness that pineapple isn’t needed! If you are a fan of pineapple though throw some in!

More Meatball Recipes

• Thai Chicken Meatballs
• Asian-Style Chicken Meatballs
• Turkey Meatballs
• Vegetable Soup with Meatballs
• Salisbury Steak Meatballs