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    Home » Recipes » Easy Meals

    Asian Meatballs with Sweet Chilli Glaze

    July 13, 2020 By Monika Last Updated February 3, 2022 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    These flavoursome Asian meatballs are incredibly easy to make and come with a delicious, 3-ingredient sweet chilli glaze. They make a great appetizer or easy dinner idea everyone will love. Ready in under 30 minutes!

    Close-up view of meatballs with glaze in bowl with chopsticks and rice in background.

    These Asian inspired meatballs are super soft and juicy.  The flour coating allows the meatballs to crisp up lightly on the outside while locking all the flavour and moisture inside.  You will only need 2 tablespoons of oil for frying so these meatballs are also quite low in fat.

    What I also love about these meatballs is that they can be served both as a family meal, alongside rice and steamed or stir fried vegetables, as well as an appetizer. Simply form smaller meatballs and reduce cooking time by a few minutes.  

    Asian meatballs ingredients

    In addition to the ground meat (I used turkey with 7% fat but you can use chicken, pork or beef) these meatballs contain fresh ginger, garlic and green onions (scallions), as well as a small amount of salt and pepper.  I didn't use too much salt as the glaze is quite salty.

    These delicious Asian meatballs have a lovely soft consistency thanks to the addition of a soft bun (use burger bun, hot dog bun or similar) which I tend to use in most of my meatball recipes.  In my experience this works better than using breadcrumbs. 

    You will also need 2 tablespoons of flour for coating and 2 tablespoons of oil for frying the meatballs.

    The 3-ingredient glaze is made using light soy sauce, sesame oil and sweet chilli sauce.

    Asian meatballs ingredients in individual dishes.

    Step-by-step recipe instructions

    1.Tear the bun into small pieces and place in a food processor along with the chopped scallions, ginger and garlic.

    Torn bread and chopped green onion in food processor bowl.

    2. Pulse a few times until crumbly (don't overprocess).

    Crumbly bread and herb mixture in food processor bowl.

    3. Add the meat, salt and pepper and pulse a few times just to combine the ingredients. 

    Meatballs mixture in food processor bowl.

    4. Form small meatballs and coat in the flour.

    5. In a large non-stick pan heat up 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the meatballs slowly over a low/medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until fully cooked and lightly browned turning often.  Do not overcrowd the pan.

    Fried meatballs in large pan.

    6. Towards the end of cooking make the sweet chilli glaze. In a small non-stick pan heat up the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring to the boil and simmer for a minute stirring often then remove from the heat.

    Chilli sauce in pan.

    7. Remove the meatballs from the heat and using a slotted spoon transfer into your serving dish. Cover with the glaze, scatter the sesame seeds and chopped green onion over the top and enjoy!

    Top down view of meatballs in white bowl with chopsticks in background.

    Can I make these meatballs ahead

    You can form the meatballs up to 2 hours in advance and coat in the flour just before frying. I don't recommend preparing the meatballs too far in advance as they contain raw onion, which can change the flavour of the meatballs if left uncooked for too long.

    Do I have to use a food processor

    I recommend that you do, not only because it's very quick but it ensures the bread has the right consistency and is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.  Using a food processor helps create soft meatballs.

    Serving suggestions

    These turkey meatballs can be served with rice and steamed vegetables.  Also delicious with noodle broccoli salad. You can make these meatballs a little smaller and serve as an appetizer.

    Close-up view of meatballs with chilli glaze, sesame seeds and green onion.

    Top tips and FAQs

    • I used ground turkey but pork, chicken or beef would work well too. If you use beef you can make the glaze using hoisin sauce instead of the sweet chilli sauce and add a teaspoon of rice vinegar.
    • In my experience a soft bun produces softer meatballs so I do not recommend using breadcrumbs instead. 
    • I recommend using a non-stick pan.  Try not to overcrowd it so the meatballs have enough space to cook evenly and you can comfortably turn them over.  Fry the meatballs in batches if you have to.
    • Fry the meatballs over a medium heat so they don't brown too quickly and have enough time to cook through.
    • Remove the meatballs from the pan using a slotted spoon to get rid of excess oil. Coat in the glaze after you've done this.
    • Best served immediately. 
    • Freeze raw meatballs (without the flour) in a single layer on top of a tray for 4 hours then transfer into a freezer bag/plastic container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost, coat in the flour and fry as per instructions.

    You might also like

    • Easy Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
    • Easy Healthy Turkey Meatballs with Butternut Squash Spaghetti
    • Healthy Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce
    • Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken Meatballs

    Keep in touch!

    If you make these Asian inspired meatballs I'd love to know how they turned out for you.  Did you serve them as a family meal or appetizer? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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    Recipe

    Close-up view of meatballs with glaze in bowl with chopsticks and rice in background.

    Asian Meatballs with Sweet Chilli Glaze

    These flavoursome Asian meatballs are incredibly easy to make and come with a delicious, 3-ingredient sweet chilli glaze. They make a great appetizer or easy dinner idea everyone will love.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Party Food
    Cuisine: Asian Fusion, Low fat
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 5 servings
    Calories: 300kcal
    Author: Monika Dabrowski

    Equipment

    • Food processor
    • Large non-stick pan

    Ingredients

    For the meatballs

    • 1.1 pounds (500 g) ground turkey
    • 1½ tablespoons fresh ginger finely chopped
    • 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
    • 2 scallions/spring onion chopped, plus another for garnish
    • 1 small soft bun/roll torn into small pieces
    • ⅓ teaspoon fine sea salt plus pepper to taste
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
    • 2 tablespoons flour for coating
    • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds for sprinkling on top

    For the glaze

    • 5 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
    • 1⅓ tablespoons light soy sauce
    • 1¼ teaspoons sesame oil

    Instructions

    • Tear the bun into small pieces and place in a food processor along with the chopped scallions, ginger and garlic. Pulse a few times until crumbly (don't overprocess).
    • Add the meat, salt and pepper and pulse a few times just to combine the ingredients.  Form small meatballs and coat in the flour.
    • In a large non-stick pan heat up 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the meatballs slowly over a low/medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until fully cooked and lightly browned turning often.  Do not overcrowd the pan.
    • Towards the end of cooking make the sweet chilli glaze. In a small non-stick pan heat up the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring to the boil and simmer for a minute stirring often then remove from the heat.
    • Remove the meatballs from the heat and using a slotted spoon transfer into your serving dish. Cover with the glaze, scatter the sesame seeds and chopped green onion over the top and enjoy!

    Notes

    • I used ground turkey but pork, chicken or beef would work well too. If you use beef you can make the glaze using hoisin sauce instead of the sweet chilli sauce and add a teaspoon of rice vinegar.
    • In my experience a soft bun produces softer meatballs so I do not recommend using breadcrumbs instead. 
    • I recommend using a non-stick pan.  Try not to overcrowd it so the meatballs have enough space to cook evenly and you can comfortably turn them over.  Fry the meatballs in batches if you have to.
    • Fry the meatballs over a medium heat so they don't brown too quickly and have enough time to cook through.
    • Remove the meatballs from the pan using a slotted spoon to get rid of excess oil. Coat in the glaze after you've done this.
    • Best served immediately. 
    • Freeze raw meatballs (without the flour) in a single layer on top of a tray for 4 hours then transfer into a freezer bag/plastic container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost, coat in the flour and fry as per instructions.
    • Yields approx. 25 meatballs.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 734mg | Potassium: 263mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg

    *Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.

    **A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @Monika8021 or tag #EverydayHealthyRecipes!

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    Comments

      5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    1. Wu bee says

      October 01, 2016 at 3:25 am

      DO you think I can use ground chicken instead of turkey mince?

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        October 01, 2016 at 6:45 am

        I don't see why not, let me know how it turns out:) Thanks for visiting my blog!

        Reply
    2. Charlotte Oates says

      September 27, 2016 at 8:29 pm

      These sound lovely Monika.

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        September 27, 2016 at 8:35 pm

        Thank you Charlotte!

        Reply
    3. Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says

      September 26, 2016 at 8:37 pm

      Oooh these look so tasty! My lot would love them. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        September 27, 2016 at 7:06 am

        Thanks Kirsty! Always happy to share with #CookBlogShare:)

        Reply
    4. Corina says

      September 21, 2016 at 6:23 am

      These meatballs looks gorgeous and I bet they taste delicious with the chilli and ginger in them.

      Reply
      • [email protected] says

        September 21, 2016 at 6:54 am

        Thanks Corina! I love Asian flavours, the ginger and chilli really made this recipe work:)

        Reply

    Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking.

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