Epic THAI MEATBALLS!!! Made with pork or chicken, the brilliant Thai flavour of these will have everyone convinced you picked them up from one of those posh Thai restaurants.
Served with a Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce, these are seriously tasty!! If you’re in the mood for a Thai Banquet, try these Thai Meatballs with a side of Chicken Satay and Thai Fried Rice!
Thai Meatballs
You can mix together mince with coriander/cilantro, garlic and a dash of soy and get away with calling that Thai. And they will be ok(ish). But if you want some Thai Meatballs that are seriously delicious, and really truly do taste real-deal Thai, then you’re going to need the help of a few more things.
I think you’ll be familiar with most of the ingredients in these meatballs, except perhaps this one – Kaffir Lime Leaves.
Now, before you run around town trying to hunt these down in an Asian store, let me just stress this fact: yes it adds a little something-something that is so authentically posh-Thai-restauranty, but it isn’t mandatory!!
These are still smashing meatballs even without kaffir lime leaves. 🙂
Kaffir lime leaves aren’t from normal lime trees, they are different. They smell limey but more earthy. They are plonked in whole into curries / soups / coconut rice to infuse with flavour, or finely chopped as pictured above. Cut out the stem, roll it up like a cigar, then finely slice (cause they are kind of tough, got to chop ’em finely).
They cost a few dollars for 20 or so, and they freeze so well! I use them in a handful of recipes and I’ve linked them in the notes for you.
What goes in Thai Meatballs
In addition to the optional Kaffir lime leaves, these Thai Meatballs have all the other usual Thai-flavour suspects:
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plenty of garlic, ginger, chillies
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coriander/cilantro
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lemongrass
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fish sauce (or soy, if you really insist)
Just give them mix and you have yourself some seriously tasty meatballs.
How to cook them – because they’re so lovely and soft, they are kind of hard to pan fry. So I bake these. They hold their shape and are golden on the outside, and juicy on the inside!
Make a meal out of it – serve these on the side!
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Steamed Jasmine rice, Thai Fried Rice, Pineapple Fried Rice or Coconut Rice
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Crunchy Asian Slaw on the side – great all rounder Asian salad that goes with all Asian foods
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Asian Sesame Dressing for any fresh salad or steamed vegetables
Sweet Chilli Dipping sauce for Thai Meatballs
I totally cheat with the dipping sauce. I just doctor up sweet chilli sauce with some garlic and lime juice.
In case you really want to go all out, I’ve included the recipe for a homemade Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce (which is pictured in the photo right at the top). But I don’t usually bother, if I’m really honest. 🙂
Because…. well, want to know the truth? I figure the meatballs themselves are impressive enough as it is and people don’t really notice the dipping sauce. 😉
Make these for dinner or serve them at a party. Either way, you will be a hero! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Be warned of close encounter with Baby Hands. Also – Dozer fans – don’t miss his little cameo at the end of the recipe video. I swear, one day a pelican is going to turn around and give him a big peck!!
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Thai Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 500 g / 1 lb pork mince (ground pork, or chicken)
- 1 tbsp lemongrass paste (or finely chopped fresh) (Note 1)
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 kaffir lime leaves, stem removed and very finely shredded, optional extra (Note 2)
- 3 Thai or birds eye chillies , seeds removed and finely chopped (Note 3)
- 1/4 cup coriander/cilantro , leaves and stem finely chopped (Note 4)
- 1 tsp sugar (any)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (can sub with soy sauce if required)
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (+ extra 1/4 cup if needed)
- 1 small egg
- Oil spray
Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce:
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml sweet chilli sauce , store bought (Note 5)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 2 tbsp lime juice , plus more to taste
Optional garnishes & serving:
- Coriander/cilantro leaves , finely sliced large red chillies
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220C/430F (standard) or 200C/390F (fan / convection).
- Place a rack on a tray (optional, rack keeps balls slightly rounder).
- Place Meatball ingredients in a bowl (except oil spray), mix well with your hands. Only use extra breadcrumbs if necessary - sometimes, chicken mince can be quite wet. Scoop up 1 slightly heaped tablespoon and roll into a ball (about 3cm / 1.25" diameter). (Note 6 for my way)
- Spray rack well with oil and place the meatballs on the rack.
- Spray meatballs generously with oil, then bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a bit browned. They should be beautifully soft - see video!
- Serve warm with Sauce, garnished with coriander and chillies if desired.
Sauce:
- Place ingredients in a bowl and mix. Set aside for at least 10 minutes before using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More Thai food recipes
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Pad Thai and Pad See Ew
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Starters – Chicken Satay and Thai Fish Cakes
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Browse the Thai recipe collection
Life of Dozer
He’s really looking forward to tomorrow (Halloween).
Really.
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Great recipe! So easy and baked not fried – even easier! I doubled this recipe (1kg pork mince) for a family dinner but had no lemongrass so I added 2 drops of Doterra Lemongrass oil instead. Served the meatballs with steamed rice, basic salad (shredded carrot, cabbage, shallots and snow peas) with sweet chilli sauce. Master teenager doused his with Greek yoghurt and was happy. Honestly I could’ve just eaten the meatballs by themselves; they were so tasty! Enjoyed by all! I will definitely make these again. Thanks Nagi 😁
I was a little paranoid by how juicy they looked so I ended up overcooking them 😀 They were delicious nonetheless and I’ll definitely make them again but this time stick to the cooking time written. Easy and delicious even without the kaffir and lemongrass. Thanks for yet another awesome recipe.
Can I brush oil on the meatballs instead of using oil spray? is peanut oil ok?
Thank you!!
Myriam
Yes Myriam – that will be fine! N x
Hi Nagi. Just made these Thai Meatballs and they were delicious! I used ground turkey and made them into hamburger patties! Browned them in a skillet on the stovetop for about 4 minutes on each side and finished them off in a 350F degree oven for about 10 minutes on each side and they were perfectly juicy!
Oh that sounds so good Barbara!! Thanks for that feedback! N x
Wish me luck. 🍀… my oven door shattered the day before Easter holiday started..
I am planning on steaming my meatballs on Saturday and reheat by pan frying on Sunday…. I will test it out on Saturday 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
I want to make and freeze these! Should I freeze them before or after baking?
Hi Mary – see Note 7 in the recipe for freezing! N x
I have made a large batch for a party and stuck them in the freezer. How do I reheat them?
There are too many to do in a microwave
Thanks for the recipe Nagi! These were really tasty and easy to make, but turned out a bit dry for me. Any suggestions on how to improve for next time – should I use fewer breadcrumbs, or cook for a few minutes less? Thanks very much!
Hi Lisa – most likely cook a few minutes less. Ovens vary a bit. N x
Hi Nagi!! I absolutely love this recipe! I’m wondering if I can pull them together and fridge for a few hours before baking? Or will the panko get too mushy? Thank you for upping my cooking game xo❤
Yes Lizzy they should be fine rolled on a tray and covered in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. N x
Hello, I want to make this recipe for a meatball cook off. I will make the day of and to keep warm I will put in a casserole crock pot. The dipping sauce will be on the side. How can I keep them warm in crock pot without drying out? Thank you!
I haven’t tried holding them in a crockpot but they reheat really well in a microwave! N x
I pan fried the meatballs and reduced the bread crumbs.They were soft and so yummy.Thank you for all the recipes Nagi!
These meatballs are fabulous using Impossible Burger. They crisp up amazingly when pan fried. Used a nonstick pan w oil. Used these as small patties in the Bun Cha recipe. Skipped the Thai chiles, used half the panko, used soy sauce. Definitely use a large egg otherwise the patties will break apart. My college son, an Impossible Foods fan, devoured these for dinner and had them for breakfast the next day, too.
I’ve made these twice now, both times I tripled and wished I’d made more. The second time I ground the lime leaves in a coffee grinder, which made for a nicer texture. I used a mixture of pork and turkey for the first batch, chicken and pork for the second. Absolutely FABULOUS! Rave reviews and recipe requests from everyone.
Hi Nagi, Can you use beef mince in this recipe
Hi Milko, I would recommend turkey, pork or chicken here, I find beef just a little too overpowering in flavour. N x
These are fantastic! I’m cooking for my friend’s (informal) wedding and just finished a quadruple batch, using half chicken, half turkey. They’re a little salty but I love love love them, and I can’t wait to dip them in peanut sauce and sweet chili sauce. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
I may have overcooked these a bit. I can see why they would work well as party nibbles, but wasn’t hugely taken with them as a baked dinner offering.
HOWEVER, we have also tried them in a tom yum soup with mushrooms and tomatoes. So, so good. Make meatballs when you have time to spare, freeze them raw, defrost the morning you want the soup (3 balls per serving worked for us), and pop them in the boiling broth for 8 minutes until cooked through. If making enough broth for a few days, add enough meatballs for that day’s servings each time you reheat the broth.
Once we get more freezer space, I intend to always have some of these on hand.
These a so good, I mean fantastic… I would give them more than 5 stars if I could. I wish I could find kaffir lime leaves in Canada… I will keep looking. I found dried ones but they are meh… I add lime zest as a sub… did I mention they are delicious. Thanks for this gem Nagi! I am going to try them as burgers soon!
Hi Jenn, I’m also in Canada and have found kaffir like leaves at T&T and many local Asian stores! Even the Walmarts around me will often sell them.
I don’t have an oven at the moment (renovating) so I gently browned them in a fry pan then simmered them in a Thai red curry sauce. Amazing!
oops forgot to mention I used chicken mince