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bowl of thai meatballs with green onions
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5 from 9 votes

Sticky Thai Meatballs

Tender baked meatballs loaded with fresh, bold, Thai flavors, smothered in a sticky sweet/savory sauce that is truly finger-lickin good!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian, Thai
Keyword: appetizer meatballs, thai appetizer
Servings: 30 meatballs (approximately)
Calories: 96kcal
Author: The Chunky Chef

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.

Notes

  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

Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 232mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 290IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg