Epic THAI MEATBALLS!!! Made with pork or chicken, the brilliant Thai flavour of these will have everyone convinced you picked them up fromย one of those posh Thai restaurants.
Served with a Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce, these are seriously tasty!! If youโre 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, andย really truly do taste real-deal Thai, then youโre going to need the help of a few more things.
I think youโll be familiar with most of the ingredients in these meatballs, except perhaps this one โ 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,ย but it isnโt mandatory!!
These are still smashing meatballs even without kaffir lime leaves. ๐
Kaffir lime leaves arenโt 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 โem finely).
They cost a few dollars for 20 or so, and theyย freeze so well! I use them in a handful of recipes and Iโve 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:
plenty of garlic, ginger, chillies
coriander/cilantro
lemongrass
fish sauce (or soy, if you really insist)
Just give them mix and you have yourself some seriously tasty meatballs.
How to cook them โย because theyโre 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 โ serve these on the side!
Steamed Jasmine rice, Thai Fried Rice, Pineapple Fried Rice or Coconut Rice
Crunchy Asian Slaw on the side โย great all rounder Asian salad that goes with all Asian foods
Asian Sesame Dressing for any fresh saladย 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, Iโve included the recipe for a homemade Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce (which is pictured in the photo right at the top). But I donโt usually bother, if Iโm really honest. ๐
Becauseโฆ. well, want to know the truth? I figure the meatballs themselves are impressive enough as it is and people donโt really notice the dipping sauce. ๐
Make these for dinner or serve them at a party. Either way, you will be a hero! โ Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Be warned of close encounter with Baby Hands. Also โย Dozer fans โ donโt 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!!
ย
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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 โ sometimes, chicken mince can be quite wet. Scoop up 1 slightly heaped tablespoon and roll into a ball (about 3cm / 1.25โณ 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 โ 25 minutes or until a bit browned. They should be beautifully soft โ 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
Pad Thaiย and Pad See Ew
Starters โ Chicken Satayย andย Thai Fish Cakes
Browse the Thai recipe collection
Life of Dozer
Heโs really looking forward to tomorrow (Halloween).
Really.
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Love the dog and the recipe for meatballs. I did add double amount of fish sauce and also 2 chopped scallions, otherwise great! Thanks.
Awesome Rick! Thanks for the feedback!
Made this recipe for friends visiting over the weekend. They loved the meatballs and they were so tasty and easy to make. I made them with chicken mince and added more breadcrumbs which made them easier to roll when mince is moist. Hadnโt used panko breadcrumbs before but found them very good. Will definitely make this recipe again. Thanks Nagi!
OMG! Let me shout to the world how wonderful these are! Iโm having a BYOB (bring your own balls) gathering so Iโm trying out recipes. No need to look further. I think the host will the winner. I have a convection oven so used that and they browned beautifully. And were so soft. Cantโt wait to try more of your recipes. Love your Dozzer.
All I can think of now is โBring your own ballsโ!!!!! HILARIOUS!!!!!
Hey Nagi,
I plan on making the meatballs for dinner. Can I pan fry them or is it a must to cook them in the oven.
Used quite a few of your recipes all of them are great.
Thanks heaps ๐
Hi Julie! You can absolutely pan fry them, I like to bake to keep them rounder and cause itโs easier too! ๐ N x PS Though with pan frying you can make them juicier and crisper on the outside by using more oil ๐
hiya Nagi i see no salt in the recipe. i am making them now do I add salt ? Please help xx
No Leena, the salt comes from the fish sauce! Donโt need salt!
Just made these and oh myโฆโฆโฆ.absolutely delicious!!!! My old man said I didnโt make enoughโฆ..Iโm gonna fix that! canโt wait to try some of your other recipes. Thank you Linda
Can you put a liquid like chicken broth on them in a warming crock pot so they dont dry out, or would use something else?
Hi Nagi! Awesome meatballs, I made them for dinner over stirfried veggies, with the sauce on top. Yum! Thank you! Big hugs for you and Mr. Dozer Pup xoxo -Amber J
Made as written with ground chicken. Kudos to Central Market in Austin, Texas for having the ingredients. When looking for panko breadcrumbs, I was so excited to see that one brand came from Japan. When I got home I realized what a flake I was for accidentally buying flakes instead of crumbs. (Not sure if it made a difference.) For me, I think the addition of salt would have really made the flavors pop. Next time Iโll try it with pork and a sprinkle sprankle of salt.
So glad you enjoyed this! And yes to adding salt if you want it saltier! N x
Hi Nagi, I just love your blog and your easy to follow instructions. I read that these meatballs can be prepared ahead and frozen raw, but can I prepare them in the morning, keep them in the fridge, and then cook them that evening?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Cathy! Sure thing, that will work great ๐ So glad youโre enjoying my recipes! N x
Wow!! These meatballs were divine and my first time using Kafir lime leaves. Amazing. Ate way too many meatballs.
Thatโs terrific to hear Steven! So glad you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi
Have had Thai Meatballs at quite a few catered functions and these were just as good if not better. Very tasty. Served them with fried rice with the dipping sauce on the side. Excellent meal and easy to prepare.
Thatโs terrific to hear David! So glad you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi, Made these and yum so delicious you are just fabulous with all these wonderful delicious recipes. I usually do a couple of yours a week but cannot find the Chilli and garlic sauce to go with that Thai chicken Salad , Woolworths donโt have it but have not tried Coles as yet or is it only available in Asian shops ??
Also love seeing Dozer as we just looked after to Goldies last week they are such a pleasure and always have a smile to greet you with. Cheers
HI Kristine! I was sure I got it at Woolies?? But thatโs ok, honestly, Sriracha or another hot sauce is a great sub. I doubt I could pick the difference in flavour. Especially Sriracha which is basically the same ingredients, the only difference is that itโs smooth whereas Chilli Garlic sauce has bits of chilli in it. Which means the sriracha dressing is slightly redder which will look even more amazing (come to think of it, it will probably emulsify better too ๐ ) N x
Hi Nagi, so far I have loved everyone of you recipes that Iโve tried, but I have to ask, is the fish sauce more than salty enough to make up for the lack of adding salt to the recipe?
Iโm just about to make these delicious sounding meatballs and donโt want to cook the morning to find out that they arenโt seasoned enough. Iโm guessing they will be as perfect as all your other recipes since nobody else has asked this question .
Hi Karen!! Fish sauce is all the salt you will need in this ๐ If you have a salty palette, add 1 extra teaspoon which is actually what I originally did but felt it was too salty so I cut it back. Hope you love it! N xx
hi Nagi,
Made those. All gone in a minute b my 55yo baby dinosaur!! Thanks for great recipes- Always!
Thatโs great to hear YN, thanks for sharing your feedback! N x โค๏ธ
These just disappeared in record time! Yummmm!
HIGH FIVE!!! N x
Hi Nagi,
Itโs the green hair that did it for me along with Dozerโs face of course. I couldnโt stop smiling and giggling at him. Iโm so glad you shared that picture, well all pictures.
I just made the Thai meatballs using pork and they were delicious. How nice to pickup lemongrass flavor (never had that before) and ginger along with the rest. My biggest surprised was the cilantro. Up until now I was not fond of it but in this dish it made a very very very pleasant flavor. No more insecurity when asked to bring a dish. Oh, I did not get to make the sauce because it was already late when I made these, but I will. Youโre right the jar sauce does need to be doctored up or need no sauce at all.
Thanks for this recipe.
I was sniggering the whole time when I took those photos!!! And Iโm so pleased you enjoyed these meatballs, THANK YOU for letting me know! N xx
Nagi,
I am now convinced you are my culinary soulmate โ Hainanese chicken, sausie rolls, Maccas sausage and egg muffins, anything satay, and now Thai meatballs (which a restaurant up the road from us back home in Melbourne used to do โ sadly the place shut up shop in 2014 but I havenโt stopped looking for a decent recipe for them).
Iโll be giving these a go tomorrow.
BTW my kids have been asking for the sausage rolls, especially the eldest who still remembers Oz. She was asking if I could find a recipe for โlittle boysโ sausages with tomato sauce but that might be a tad difficult ๐
On a different note, you havenโt got a good char kway teow recipe do you? Thatโs one I miss and the recipes Iโve tried donโt come close to what youโd get back in the southern hemisphere.
Once again a big thank you Nagi and keep the great recipes coming.
Tim
Youโre so welcome Tim!!! Now youโre reading MY mind โ I have Hainanese Chicken on my list, I even bought my own cleaver especially for it!!! Char Kway Teow is also on my list, the reason I am hesitating is because that char grilled flavour is impossible to recreate at home ๐ N x
Hi Nagi
The recipe for the Thai meatballs sounds absolutely wonderful. Could you serve them cold for a picnic?
How did Dozer survive Halloween? He is adorable.
He survived JUST FINE! ๐ These really are better served warm, the fresh herb flavours โbloomโ when warm. N xx
Hi Rasa
I donโt like pork and for religious reasons
I donโt always find ground chicken at my grocery store.
Would be beef be too heavy a flavor?Also what % of fat for the beef would you recommend.
Recommendations for lemongrass and kaffir leaves?
Thanks
Laynie in Denver, CO USA
I meant suggestions of substitution for lemongrass and kaffir leaves?
Would lemon zest and lemon juice be good as a substitution?
Yes they will be adequate but it will taste quite different to what it is intended!! However, zest of 1 lime + 1/2 a lemon would be my best guess ๐
Hi Laynie! Can you get dried of either of them? Makes it pretty hard if you donโt use either of them!
Hi Laynie! I do think that beef would be slightly strong but it will still be extremely tasty! The amount of flavourings in this are still suitable for using beef. I would use a lean beef, so a lower fat %. ๐
Hi Nahi
Great. I bought 93% lean.
I will have to check a spice store if they have tried. Donโt want to buy too much. Money is tight now.
Thank you
OMG, Nagi! I nearly choked on my homemade coffee latte 3 times this morning while laughing at Dozer. The first was your tale of Dozerโs โshamefulโ behavior at the BBQ. Then I watch your meatball video and at the end I see Dozer struggling to get the at the pelican. I thought I was done laughing, but then I scroll down and see Dozer in his halloween costume and by then I am laughing uncontrollably. He is so adorably cute though! Thanks for always sharing Dozerโs antics. He always gets my mornings started with a smile, but today was the best!
Oh, and not to forget the yummy looking meatballs. My husband loves meatballs and he also loves sauces. He will LOVE this recipe!
3 out of 3 โ Dozer home run!!! ๐