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Home / Holidays and Events / Christmas / Appetizers

Sticky Thai Meatballs

5
/5
35 minutes
11 Comments
Jump to Recipe Print Pin
By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 07/21/2020

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Tender baked meatballs loaded with fresh, bold, Thai flavors, smothered in a sticky sweet/savory sauce that is truly finger-lickin good!  Great over rice, in lettuce cups, or enjoyed with just a fork, they're the perfect party appetizer! #thai #meatballs #baked #asian #appetizer #partyfood
Tender baked meatballs loaded with fresh, bold, Thai flavors, smothered in a sticky sweet/savory sauce that is truly finger-lickin good!  Great over rice, in lettuce cups, or enjoyed with just a fork, they're the perfect party appetizer! #thai #meatballs #baked #asian #appetizer #partyfood
Tender baked meatballs loaded with fresh, bold, Thai flavors, smothered in a sticky sweet/savory sauce that is truly finger-lickin good!  Great over rice, in lettuce cups, or enjoyed with just a fork, they're the perfect party appetizer! #thai #meatballs #baked #asian #appetizer #partyfood
Tender baked meatballs loaded with fresh, bold, Thai flavors, smothered in a sticky sweet/savory sauce that is truly finger-lickin good!  Great over rice, in lettuce cups, or enjoyed with just a fork, they're the perfect party appetizer! #thai #meatballs #baked #asian #appetizer #partyfood

Tender baked meatballs loaded with fresh, bold, Thai flavors, smothered in a sticky sweet/savory sauce that is truly finger-lickin good!  Great over rice, in lettuce cups, or enjoyed with just a fork, they’re the perfect party appetizer! 

Party food recipes like these bacon wrapped little smokies are great for game days, holidays, and pretty much any gathering.  Party guests love finger foods and dips!  We LOVE easy, family-favorite recipes like my Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball and this Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket.  This is one of my Appetizer recipes you’ll definitely want in your collection!

Tender baked meatballs loaded with fresh, bold, Thai flavors, smothered in a sticky sweet/savory sauce that is truly finger-lickin good!  Great over rice, in lettuce cups, or enjoyed with just a fork, they're the perfect party appetizer! #thai #meatballs #baked #asian #appetizer #partyfood

THAI MEATBALLS RECIPE

Stuck in a food rut?  I think we’ve all been there.  Our families like a certain kind of food, so that’s what we make… and make… and make.  But after a while, our tastebuds are screaming for something new; something exciting.

That’s where these amazing sticky Thai meatballs come in.  They’re the perfect little bites of powerful flavors, from a cuisine you or your family may not be as familiar with.

Perfect for parties, these little meatballs are popable, and oh so delectable.  Your guests will keep coming back for more and asking you for the recipe, I promise!

We love to have them as a main dish as well, served over some steamed rice, noodles, or in lettuce cups for a low-carb dinner.

Versatile and packed with flavor… can’t get much better than that!

how to make thai meatballs

HOW TO MAKE STICKY THAI MEATBALLS

  1. Prepare baking sheet and oven.  Preheat to 425°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  
  2. Mix meatball ingredients.  In a mixing bowl, mix beef, onion, garlic, ginger, curry paste, fish sauce, egg and seasonings.
  3. Scoop into balls.  I like to use a cookie scoop to make sure my meatballs are approximately the same size (so they cook evenly), then oil my hands to roll them into tight balls.  Add to baking sheet.
  4. Bake.  Bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Make sauce.  Whisk sauce ingredients together while meatballs are baking, and simmer until thickened and reduced by about half, 7 minutes.
  6. Brush meatballs.  Brush sauce over meatballs, or use a spoon and drizzle it on.
  7. Bake again.  Bake sauced meatballs another 5-7 minutes.
  8. Garnish and serve.

ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS

CURRY PASTE

Thai green curry paste traditionally includes fresh green chilies, shallots, lemongrass and Thai sweet basil.  You can find it in the International Foods section of grocery stores. 

Thai Kitchen brand is a popular and readily available brand here in the Midwestern US.  If you’ve never used it; don’t be scared. 

It has an amazing herby spice flavor that’s hard to describe, but it adds SO much flavor to these meatballs, as well as anything else you might want to use it for.  It’s great in fried rice, soups, stir-frys, and more!

bowl of thai meatballs with green onions

CLEAN UP

I highly recommend using parchment paper, or nonstick foil for this recipe.  Since the meatballs are baked, then brushed with sauce and baked more, there’s a high chance of things sticking to the baking sheet.  Make things A LOT easier on yourself with parchment paper.  Trust me on this one, I may have learned this the hard way!

VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE

  • PROTEIN – these meatballs can be made with pork, turkey or ground chicken.  The flavors work interchangeably, and the baking time won’t change.
  • CURRY PASTE – if you prefer red curry paste, feel free to swap that for the green in this recipe.
  • MAKE IT A MEAL – while these meatballs make an amazing appetizer, we like to make a meal out of them!  They’re fabulous over some white or jasmine rice, or my Thai Noodles!  Or try my Thai Coconut Rice for a flavor explosion!
  • GARNISHES – since we only like a little bit of spice, I kept the garnishes tame, only adding green onions and sesame seeds.  Sliced or chopped Thai chiles are a fabulous addition, but they tend to be pretty hot, so use caution.  Using the scoville scale for peppers’ heat, Thai chiles are about 15x hotter than a jalapeno.
  • PAN-FRIED – if you prefer to cook your meatballs in a skillet instead of baking them, you absolutely can.  Add a bit of vegetable oil to a skillet and heat over MED HIGH heat. Add meatballs and let them sear on all sides, then lower heat to LOW or MED LOW and let them cook, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t burn.

stack of thai meatballs over rice on white plate

MAKING THAI MEATBALLS AHEAD OF TIME

You can assemble these meatballs ahead of time, just make sure to keep them refrigerated in an airtight container.

I also like to make a double batch of meatballs and freeze half of them for another time.  You can freeze these meatballs uncooked, or cooked.

FREEZING

When freezing meatballs, or anything small, I like to flash freeze them first.  Line a baking sheet with wax paper and add the meatballs so they’re not touching.  Freeze for about an hour, or until solid.

Then remove frozen meatballs and all them all to a freezer bag or other airtight container.

If freezing meatballs UNcooked, you can either thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed, or bake from frozen, adding 7 minutes to the baking time.

glazed thai meatball on fork

STORAGE

Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 4 days.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE

  • Cookie Scoop – the easiest way to get meatballs that are uniform in size.
  • Rimmed Baking Sheet – you can use any size baking sheet, but this jelly roll pan is really versatile and what I used here.

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.

AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

bowl of thai meatballs with green onions

Sticky Thai Meatballs

5 from 8 votes
Author: The Chunky Chef
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Calories: 96
Servings: 30 meatballs (approximately)
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
Tender baked meatballs loaded with fresh, bold, Thai flavors, smothered in a sticky sweet/savory sauce that is truly finger-lickin good!

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

  • 2 lbs. ground beef I prefer to use 90/10
  • 1/2 cup white onion minced
  • 2 - 3 cloves garlic finely minced or grated
  • 1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger finely minced or grated
  • 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp green curry paste
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

STICKY SAUCE

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup beef broth or use additional 1/4 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce low sodium is preferred
  • 2 1/2 - 3 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

GARNISHES (all are optional)

  • sliced green onion
  • sesame seeds
  • sliced or chopped Thai chiles careful, these are HOT

Instructions

MAKE THE MEATBALLS

  • Preheat oven to 425°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix together beef, diced onion, garlic, ginger, green curry paste, fish sauce, egg, salt and pepper.
  • Use a small cookie scoop to make approximately 30 equally sized portions. Each one will be about one tablespoon. To make rolling easier, coat your hands with a bit of oil (or nonstick spray) and roll each portion into a tight ball then place them on your prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake about 20 minutes.

MAKE THE SAUCE

  • While the meatballs are baking, whisk together water, beef broth, and cornstarch in a small sauce pan. Heat over MED heat, then add soy sauce, honey, sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar. Simmer about 7 minutes until the sauce thickens and reduces by about half.
  • After meatballs have baked for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and brush meatballs liberally with sauce.
  • Return pan to the oven and bake another 5-7 minutes, until sauce is sticky and thick.
  • Serve hot, with any desired garnishes, and drizzled with any extra sauce if desired.

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Chef Tips

  1. Garlic and ginger paste (from the refrigerated section of the produce department) may be substituted for fresh garlic and ginger.
  2. Calories listed are for 1 meatball.

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did You Make This?Tag @the_chunky_chef on Instagram and hashtag it #thechunkychef so I can see what you made!
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Recipe adapted from old Taste of Home magazine

 

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Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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Recipe Rating




  1. Rahim says

    Posted on 2/9 at 2:06 pm

    Amazing taste, although next time I will stick to the recipe. He help from my son and we mixed up a few steps. Still amazing, but reading this back, could have been super amazing

    Reply
  2. Cathy says

    Posted on 7/25 at 9:46 am

    We love all things Thai! These will definitely be a new favorite!

    Reply
  3. Sara Welch says

    Posted on 7/23 at 6:05 pm

    Going to give these a try for dinner tonight; looks so flavorful! Definitely too good to pass up!

    Reply
  4. Tara says

    Posted on 7/23 at 6:04 pm

    I’m a sucker for meatballs! These were sticky and full of flavor. I love anything with a Thai twist. Your step by step instructions made cooking these a breeze.

    Reply
  5. Jacque says

    Posted on 7/23 at 2:55 pm

    These look finger-licking good! I love the sweet and savory sauce that really takes these meatballs to the next level..

    Reply
  6. Beti | easyweeknightrecipes says

    Posted on 7/23 at 11:55 am

    WOW! These thai meatballs are full of amazing flavor!! I can’t wait to try these over the weekend!

    Reply
  7. katerina @ diethood.com says

    Posted on 7/23 at 11:53 am

    Oh my, these look SO GOOD!! I can’t wait to try this recipe!

    Reply
  8. Kerri says

    Posted on 7/22 at 10:25 pm

    This looks extremely mouthwatering! I need to make this soon!

    Reply
  9. Dorothy Reinhold says

    Posted on 7/22 at 9:53 pm

    So much flavor in the meatballs. That sauce kicks it way over the top! Can’t wait to dig in!

    Reply
  10. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

    Posted on 7/22 at 8:32 pm

    These bacon wrapped little smokies are mouth watering!

    Reply
  11. Beth says

    Posted on 7/22 at 10:00 am

    Yes, please! These look amazing and so delicious! I can’t wait to make these!

    Reply

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