Easy Korean Turkey Meatballs Recipe - Healthy and Delicious Dinner Idea

Healthy Korean Meatballs

Craving a flavorful twist on traditional meatballs? These Korean Turkey Meatballs pack a punch of flavor, with the perfect balance of spice from gochujang and a touch of sweetness from honey. Whether you're looking for a quick weeknight dinner or a family-friendly meal that’s sure to impress, this recipe comes together in under 45 minutes and delivers big on taste.

Serve these meatballs with fluffy jasmine rice, or opt for cauliflower rice for a low-carb option – either way, you’ve got a meal that’s both healthy and delicious! Top the meatballs with sesame seeds for an extra touch and a crunchy taste.

  • Family friendly recipe: My family loved this recipe – we all cleared our plates, including my teen!
  • Serving size: 4–5 (makes about 13 meatballs)
  • Serving suggestions: Serve with jasmine rice or cauliflower rice and top with sesame seeds
  • Difficulty level: Intermediate
  • Total cook time: 45 minutes

Why You Will Love This Easy Turkey Meatball Recipe

This recipe is a hit with my family – we all cleared our plates (including my teen!) and it’s quick enough to be a weeknight dinner but special enough to feel like a treat. These meatballs are filling, delicious, and family-friendly—especially if you love Asian-style meals. Top it off with sesame seeds and green onions for an extra, flavorful crunch.

I always look for ways to make comfort food healthier which is why I swapped out ground beef for ground turkey (lower in saturated fat, good source of protein, and typically lower in calories) and used a lower sodium soy sauce. Kevin and I try to remove or eliminate additional sodium when possible and focus on high protein and high fiber.

We also enjoy Asian-style meals. I love creating meals like this one where it tastes just as good (if not better than) as takeout, but at half the cost. I'm going through a diet lifestyle change so I'm trying to replace and substitute for healthier alternatives when and where I can. Although I'm not usually a big fan of ground turkey, this meal hit the spot and with all of the seasonings, sauces, and breadcrumbs, it didn’t lack flavor.

Enjoy this recipe as a weeknight meal, a weekend splurge, football Sundays, game day, or for holidays like Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Christmas.

If You Love Asian-Style Meals, You May Want to Try

Easy Chicken Hibachi Bowl
Easy Chicken Lo Mein
Crispy Sweet Chili Beef

How to Customize Meatballs

Spice lover: The meatballs had a little kick to them because of the gochujang sauce. If you want it less spicy, use less sauce. You can also add crushed red pepper flakes for an additional kick.

Also, having it with rice helped offset the spice.

Customizations we made: This recipe was inspired by What's Gaby Cooking. We used garlic powder instead of garlic, ground ginger instead of chopped ginger, removed the cilantro, and used seasoned vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar. I also didn’t make the salad or vinaigrette.

Ingredients for Healthy Korean Meatballs

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  • 1 pound ground turkey (93/7, or if you choose ground beef, I recommend 85/15 or 90/10)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 4 tbsp gochujang
  • 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp seasoned vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • Green onions, can add if you would like

Step-by-Step Directions for Healthy Korean Turkey Meatballs

✓ Step #1: Preheat and prepare – Heat oven to 350°F and spray a baking sheet with PAM or non-stick cooking spray.

✓ Step #2: Mix meatball ingredients – In a bowl, combine ground turkey, egg, 1 tbsp soy sauce, garlic powder, ground ginger, 2 tbsp gochujang, breadcrumbs, and optional green onions.

✓ Step #3: Form meatballs – Use your hands to mix the ingredients and form into about 13 meatballs. Place them onto the baking sheet.

Uncooked Korean Turkey Meatballs on a baking sheet

✓ Step #4: Make the sauce – In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tbsp gochujang, remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce, honey, and seasoned vinegar.

✓ Step #5: Coat meatballs in sauce – Roll each meatball in the sauce mixture and return them to the baking sheet.

Uncooked Korean Turkey Meatballs with sauce

✓ Step #6: Bake – Bake meatballs for 25 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Storage & Reheating Tips

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes or until heated through.

Share On Social Media

If you made this recipe and loved it as much as we did, please share on Pinterest or Instagram and use the hashtag #savvywithabbie for a chance to be featured!

You can also comment below and let me know what variations you added, how you customized it, or what cooking methods you used.

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