Sticky Meatballs

Kids and adults alike love these sticky meatballs with a sweet sticky sauce. Fast and easy, these asian style meatballs in a sticky glaze are perfect for a busy weeknight dinner when you only have twenty minutes to cook.

These sticky asian meatballs are savory and sweet and so delicious with an umami taste that leaves a lasting impression.. They can be a main dish or an appetizer.

Panko bread crumbs make the perfect meatball mixture and a flavorful syrupy sauce take the dish over the top. One that the whole family is sure to love.

This is one of my easy beef dinner recipes that you will want to bookmark for later.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Super Fast. This recipe comes together in less than twenty minutes. You'll mix up the meatballs and put them in to bake for fifteen minutes. Make the sauce and cook rice while the meatballs bake and dinner is served!

Easy Recipe. Blend five ingredients for the meatballs and bake them. Blend five ingredients for the sauce and cook. That's it. So easy.

Versatile. Serve over white rice or serve with sides such as mashed potatoes, corn, green beans or salad. It is the perfect party appetizer for parties or a game day tailgate.

Delicious. The sticky sauce is a perfect blend of creating a tangy, slightly spicy, and irresistible glaze. These meatballs are perfect for a party or a family dinner, served with your favorite side dishes for a satisfying and delicious meal.

Equipment Needed

• Sheet Pan. I like to use a rimmed baking sheet, you may also use a glass baking dish.
• Large Bowl. I usually just mix meatballs with my hand, but you can also use a hand mixer if you don't want to get messy.
• Parchment Paper. You can also just spray the pan with cooking spray.
• Saucepan. For cooking the yummy meatball glaze.
• Measuring Utensils.
• Knife. For dicing the onion.

Ingredients for Sticky Asian Meatballs

• Ground Beef. I prefer 90/10 but you could also use 85/15. 80/20 meat will result in more shrinkage and fat in the meatballs.
• Onion. You'll only need half of a normal sized onion. Diced small.
• Panko Bread Crumbs. These bread crumbs are light, flaky crumbs that are fairly large in diameter as crumbs go but thin.
• Garlic Powder. Substitute with minced garlic if needed.
• Soy Sauce.
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Sticky Meatball Sauce Ingredients

• Water. You could use low sodium beef broth if you wanted.
• Brown Sugar. Use light or dark.
• Soy Sauce. Sub with Tamari sauce or Coconut Aminos.
• Fish Sauce. You can also use Worcestershire sauce.
• Garlic Powder. Sub with minced garlic as needed.
• Red Pepper Flakes. Optional.

Variations and Substitutions

You can replace Panko bread crumbs with crushed butter crackers, crushed saltines, corn flakes, or oatmeal in that order of best substitute to worst.

Replace the ground beef with ground turkey and you will still have incredibly delicious meatballs. You could also use a mix of ground beef and ground pork or ground turkey and ground pork.

If you want your sauce to be thicker, you can mix in ½ tablespoon cornstarch diluted in 2 tablespoon water. 

You can make Asian Pork Meatballs using ground pork. Similarly, you can use ground turkey or chicken for another twist.

To make these gluten-free, use gluten-free Panko bread crumbs and gluten-free Tamari or Soy Sauce.

How to Make Sticky Asian Meatballs

Step 1. Once you've preheated your oven and prepared your baking pan you can start mixing the meatballs. Place ground beef in a medium or large bowl

Step 2 - Dice the onion and then measure all of the ingredients. Start adding additional ingredients to the bowl.

Step 3. Mix all of the ingredients just until they are combined. You don't want to overwork the meatball mixture.

Step 4 - Form the balls with about one tablespoon of meat mixture and place them on the baking sheet. Spray them with oil and bake them for about 15 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce. Combine the ingredients and bring them to a boil. Boil until the sugar caramelizes and the sauce is sticky.

Step 4. Remove the meatballs from the oven and toss them in the sauce to coat it. Full directions in recipe card.

Pro Tips and Timesaving Tricks

• Mix and form the meatballs by hand. This is a great task to have tweens help with and get them in the kitchen.
• Use lower fat ground beef to avoid shrinking meatballs.
• If you prefer to eliminate mess in the kitchen, you can grill these meatballs outside on your grill in ten to fifteen minutes. They won't take as long because the grill will likely be a higher temperature.
• Make a double batch and freeze some for later
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

What to Serve With Sticky Meatballs

Serve with a side of rice, cauliflower rice or in lettuce cups. It also goes well with sautéd sugar snap peas or green beans.

More Asian Inspired Dishes

More Great Meatball Recipes

• Easy Meatball Sandwiches from Scratch
• Easy Baked Meatballs
• Cranberry Sauce Meatballs
• Simple Meatball Soup

Sticky Meatballs

Raquel Pineira

These easy sticky meatballs are savory, sweet, and sticky, making them a perfect appetizer or main course.

5 from 33 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian

Servings 4

Calories 413 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Meatball Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Pound ground beef
• ▢ ½ Onion chopped
• ▢ ½ Cup Panko bread crumbs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 2 tablespoon soy sauce

Sticky Sauce

• ▢ ⅓ Cup water
• ▢ ⅓ Cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ Cup soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ Optional: Red pepper flakes

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking pan.
• In a bowl combine the ground beef with the onion, panko, garlic powder and soy sauce. Mix until the ingredients are just combined and don’t overwork the mix.
• Scoop out 1 tablespoon beef and shape into a ball. Place meatballs in the baking pan and repeat the process with the rest of the meatballs. Spray with oil and take to the oven.
• Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until done. Remove from the oven.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a saucepan stir together the water, brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce and garlic powder. Cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until the sugar is caramelized and the sauce is sticky.
• Transfer the cooked meatballs to the sauce and toss to coat.

Notes

You can also use ground turkey for this recipe! The end result is incredibly delicious too!
If you want your sauc to be thicker, you can mix in ½ tablespoon cornstarch diluted in 2 tablespoon water.

Pour extra sauce mixture into a small bowl and use it for a dipping sauce. 

Mix and form the meatballs by hand. This is a great task to have tweens help with and get them in the kitchen.

Nutrition

Calories: 413kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 24gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 1804mgPotassium: 446mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!