Korean Meatballs
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These Sweet and Spicy Korean Meatballs will change your life. They’re made with lean beef, flavored with garlic and Gochujang, baked, no frying and glazed with a spicy apricot glaze.
Sweet And Spicy Korean Meatballs Recipe
In the party snack department, tiny glazed meatballs always win so these meatballs are perfect as an appetizer for your party, or to snack on, even to serve them as a meal over some cooked rice.
Korean meatballs are made with Gochujang chili paste for lots of heat so use as much or as little as you can handle. If you don’t want to make a trip to the Asian store for it, you can use Sriracha sauce instead and they will still be plenty spicy and utterly delicious. There’s also plenty of garlic, which makes me very happy, and chopped green onions among other staple meatball ingredients.
Of course, what makes these meatballs stand out, is the apricot glaze which is where the sweet and spicy part comes in. It’s such a simple glaze, only 3 ingredients, apricot jam, soy sauce and more Gochujang, but totally makes these meatballs go from good to sensational.
Why You’ll Love These Korean Meatballs
- Simple Recipe! This recipe is great for beginners in the kitchen. Making Korean meatballs requires no hard to find fancy ingredients or special cooking equipment.
- Sweet Savory Spicy! Seasoned with lots of garlic and ginger along with a good dose of sriracha and then glazed with a sweet spicy apricot sauce, these meatballs are phenomenal.
- Versatile Dish! You can serve these delicious sweet and spicy Korean meatballs as a main dish over rice or noodles as well as on a toothpick or between a bun at a party.
- Ground beef – Use lean or regular, any kind you’d like, though the more fat in the meat the juicier your meatballs will be.
- Onion – Be sure to use green onion today! Chopped up thin.
- Aromatics – Fresh chopped garlic and ground ginger.
- Gochujang – A spicy paste very popular in Korean cooking that is made from red chili peppers. If you can’t find it, you can substitute this with Sriracha sauce.
- Egg – You’ll need one large egg as the binding agent in the meatballs.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
- Jam – I used apricot jam but you can always use orange marmalade instead.
- Soy sauce – Use low sodium if you find your meatballs get too salty.
- Gochujang – A spicy paste very popular in Korean cooking that is made from red chili peppers. If you can’t find it, you can substitute this with Sriracha sauce.
In general, making meatballs is a cinch! I should know because I do it all the time! And this recipe is no different. Just follow these simple steps and you’ll have tasty homemade Korean meatballs with lots of flavor in under an hour!
Before you begin, you need to preheat your oven temperature to 400°F (204°C). You want it to be nice and hot when the meatballs go in to bake. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set it aside for a later step.
Now let’s start making these meatballs! Just put all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and then mix everything together well with a wooden spoon or your hands. I myself find that my hands do the best job. The most important thing is that all the meat, breadcrumbs, egg, and spices are fully incorporated.
Next, form 1-inch size balls with the meat mixture to make the meatballs. Try your best to make all the balls about the same size for even cooking. I ended up with about 36 meatballs when I was done. Also, when doing this step if you notice that your meatballs are not holding together well it could mean that the meat mixture is either too wet or too dry. If the meatballs seem too wet or loose just add a little more breadcrumbs. Yet, if they seem too dry just add a bit more of an egg.
After all the Korean meatballs are formed, place them on the prepared sheet pan. Now, transfer them to the preheated oven to bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are done to your liking. Note, it’s recommended that ground beef be cooked to at least 160°F (71°C) when checked with a digital cooking thermometer.
While the meatballs are baking away in the oven you need to make the tasty glaze. To do this, just whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. But be sure that the apricot preserves are well combined with the soy sauce and Sriracha. Then when the meatballs are done cooking in the oven, add them to the sauce and toss until they are fully coated in the spicy apricot glaze.
When the meatballs are ready, transfer them to your favorite dish and then garnish them with a bit of fresh chopped chives if you like. Now, serve them immediately over rice or as an appetizer.
Do I Have To Use Beef?
You can use whichever protein you’d like! Feel free to try any of or a combination of these:
- ground chicken
- turkey
- pork
- veal
How to Serve
I prefer to serve these saucy morsels over white rice but hey, that’s just me. Feel free to try out any of these and you may find your new favorite meal.
- Mashed Potatoes
- Creamy Polenta
- Coconut Rice
- Rice noodles – cooked according to package instructions.
Expert Tips
- Test the meatballs. A trick to having perfectly seasoned meatballs is to taste the meat mixture before forming it into meatballs. Just cook about a teaspoon of the meat mixture in the microwave or in a pan to taste before forming it into balls.
- Use a cookie scoop. Using a small cookie scoop to portion out the meat mixture is an easy way to make meatballs that are all exactly the same size and shape, which is important for even cooking.
- Temp the meatballs. You can use an instant-read digital meat thermometer to ensure that your meatballs have reached an internal temperature of at least 160°F (74°C) before taking them out of the oven.
Make ahead
These Korean meatballs can be made ahead of time if that’s what you’re into! Both the sauce and the meatballs themselves are perfect for the fridge or freezer.
These meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. This recipe also freezes quite well so just be sure to separate the balls from the sauce in airtight containers and store. Each should last around 3 months frozen.
Other Incredible Meatballs To Try
- Salisbury Steak Meatballs
- Porcupine Meatballs
- Thai Meatball Lettuce Wraps
- Cheesy Chicken Meatball Rolls
- Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy
- Sweet And Sour Meatballs
Other Korean Recipes To Try
- Korean Style Pork Chops
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl)
- Korean Beef Bulgogi
- Korean Beef Stir Fry
- BBQ Ribs
- Korean BBQ Chicken
- Korean Beef Rice Bowls
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Korean Meatballs
Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 1½ pound lean ground beef
- 4 green onions (chopped)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs (such as Panko)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon Gochujang paste (or Sriracha)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
For Spicy Apricot Glaze
- ½ cup apricot jam
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang paste (or Sriracha)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, add all the meatball ingredients and mix with your hands to combine. Form the meatballs into small 1 inch balls. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until done to your liking.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together all the glaze ingredients. Add the meatballs and toss well until all the meatballs are glazed.
- Garnish with chopped chives if preferred and serve immediately over cooked rice or as an appetizer.
Equipment
Notes
- This recipe will yield about 30 to 36 meatballs, but depends on size of meatballs.
- Substitute the beef with ground chicken, turkey, or pork instead of beef.
- You can use orange marmalade instead of apricot jam if that’s more convenient for you.
- Temp the meatballs. You can use an instant-read digital meat thermometer to ensure that your meatballs have reached an internal temperature of at least 160°F (74°C) before taking them out of the oven.
- Test the meatballs. A trick to having perfectly seasoned meatballs is to taste the meat mixture before forming it into meatballs. Just cook about a teaspoon of the meat mixture in the microwave or in a pan to taste before forming it into balls.
- Use a cookie scoop. Using a small cookie scoop to portion out the meat mixture is an easy way to make meatballs that are all exactly the same size and shape, which is important for even cooking.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
