Sticky Asian Meatballs

Enjoy these Sticky Asian Meatballs as a meal, served over rice or as an appetizer with toothpicks. This simple to prepare meatball recipe is made with ground pork and simmered in a sticky sauce full of Asian flavors like soy and ginger. The sauce is both sweet and savory with a little bit of heat from a dash or two of sriracha!

I have been on a real Asian fare kick lately, which my family can totally get behind, and these Sticky Asian Meatballs fit right into the groove I am in! In the past, when I had a hankering for Asian food I didn’t cook it, I just reached for my phone. Our favorite Chinese place knows me by name!

Just in the last week, I have shared two Chinese takeout shortcut recipes. One for Pepper Steak and the other for Sweet & Sour Chicken! So stock up on rice, because there are lots of great new recipes to try. But for now, let’s get back to these Asian Meatballs.

This post is sponsored by Paisley Farm Foods, but my love of their products and my opinions are all my own!

Paisley Farm Asian Bean Salad

When my friends at Paisley Farm asked me to tell you all about their Asian Bean Salad, I jumped at the chance!  I love the fact that I can open up a jar and in seconds I have a great, nutritional side dish. 

Paisley Farm Asian Bean Salad has a blend of snow peas, garbanzo, edamame, and kidney beans with a new twist on traditional Asian spices and seasonings. They are always Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free and offer bean protein in every serving. 

They made a simple side dish to this sticky Asian glazed meatball recipe. I don’t know about you, but next to taste, simple is one of my favorite things when it comes to new recipes!

Why You’re Sure to Love these Chinese Meatballs

• The Flavor: packed with those flavors that make Chinese fare one we crave – sesame, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. 
• The Simplicity: These meatballs are made from scratch using ground pork and simple pantry ingredients. And even though they are homemade they come together quickly and cook right in a skillet on your stovetop.
• Family Friendly: Kids love them, and sometimes, getting kids to eat what you put in front of them is half the battle, isn’t it?

How to Make Asian Meatballs in a Sticky Sauce

With these step-by-step instructions, along with helpful tips and tricks you’ll be serving these meatballs over rice and digging in no time!

For the complete recipe and measurements, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

Ingredients in Asian Meatballs

• ground pork. You can sub ground chicken or turkey if you’d like, but we prefer them with the pork. 
• minced onion. You’ll need two green onions for this recipe. Mince the bottoms and slice the tops to garnish with when you’re ready to eat. 
• panko breadcrumbs. You can sub regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find panko, but reach for the panko first if given the option. 
• minced garlic. You can mince your own or buy the kind in the jar to make things go even faster. 
• egg. Make sure to beat it first.
• soy sauce. I always use low sodium. I love soy sauce, but things can tend to get a little salty if you aren’t careful. 
• ground ginger. I used the dry ground ginger from my spice cupboard, but fresh ground ginger would be amazing, too.
• salt & pepper.

Mix everything together in a bowl, and place the meat mixture in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes before forming the meatballs.

Making Asian Sticky Sauce

While the meat mixture is chilling, you’ll want to mix up the meatball sauce. Here’s how:

Ingredients in Asian Sticky Sauce

• soy sauce. Again, I use the low sodium kind.
• minced garlic. 
• ground ginger.
• rice wine vinegar. You can sub champagne vinegar but rice wine vinegar is the best for this recipe. 
• sesame oil. I just love the flavor it gives!
• sriracha. Just a little bit of heat to that sticky-sweet sauce. Adjust accordingly to your taste. 

• brown sugar. It helps with the sweetness and the stickiness.
• honey. I stir in raw honey at the end. 
• cornstarch and water, for thickening. 

Add soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sriracha to a saucepan. Over med-low heat cook until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the honey.  Stir in the cornstarch mixture stirring as it thickens. Remove from heat.

To make the meatballs, scoop 1 Tablespoon of meat and roll into a ball. Place into a skillet brushed with sesame oil. Over medium heat brown the meatballs, carefully turning to get all of the sides. When the internal temperature is 165 degrees they are done. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease and clean your skillet. 

Add the meatballs back into the skillet and pour sauce over the top. Place a lid on the skillet and heat for about 5 minutes, until they are hot. 

Garnish with green onion and toasted sesame seeds. 

Serve over rice. We love basmati rice, but you can use whatever you like or have on hand.

Love them? Pin them!

Don’t forget where you found this Asian Meatball recipe with sticky sauce! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!

Look at how gorgeous Paisley Farm Asian Bean Salad is, right out of the jar! So bright, colorful, and full of texture!

It made a perfect side dish for our meatballs and rice. Such a brilliantly colorful meal, and let me tell you it didn’t last long around here!

If you do have leftovers, they can be stored in the fridge for about 4 days.

Sticky Asian Meatball Appetizer

If you love these meatballs as a meal over rice, you know they will get gobbled up as an appetizer at your next party! Keep them warm in a crockpot, and serve them with bamboo toothpicks. 

Other Asian Recipes to serve with Asian Bean Salad

I have all sorts of Asian-inspired recipes! Here are some that I think would pair perfectly with Paisley Farm Asian Bean Salad:

• Teriyaki Skillet Casserole (shown above)
• PF Chang’s Lettuce Wrap Salad
• Shortcut Sweet & Sour Chicken
• Basic Garlic Fried Rice
• Asian Grilled Shrimp Skewers

  Find where you can pick up delicious Paisley Farm Five Bean Salad, or any of their other fabulous products by visiting their website.  Follow Paisley Farm on their social media for great recipes all year long: FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

   

  SEE ALL OF MY PAISLEY FARM RECIPES HERE

Time to make some Sticky Asian Meatballs! 

4.67 from 9 votes

Print Recipe

Sticky Asian Meatballs

Enjoy these Sticky Asian Meatballs as a meal, served over rice or as an appetizer with toothpicks. This simple to prepare meatball recipe is made with ground pork, and simmered in a sticky sauce full of Asian flavors like soy and ginger. The sauce is both sweet and savory with a little bit of heat from a dash or two of sriracha!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Additional Time15 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Pork

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: Chinese meatballs, easy, glazed, over rice, recipe, skillet, sticky Asian Meatballs, sticky sauce

Calories: 671kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Equipment

• Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet With Assist Handle, 10.25", Black

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 large green onions divided, bottoms minced and tops sliced
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• dash of salt

For the Sauce

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon sriracha cater to your heat preference
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tablespoons water

Optional for Serving

• cooked rice sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

• In a bowl, add in pork, egg, garlic, minced green onion, soy sauce, ground ginger, panko, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until combined. Don't overwork the meat. Place the bowl in the fridge for about 15 minutes to chill it.
• To prepare the sauce add vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sriracha and brown sugar. Over med-low heat simmer until the sugar is dissolved. (about 3 minutes or so) Stir in honey. Then add cornstarch mixture and the sauce will thicken. Remove from heat.
• Using a Tablespoon form your meatballs. Place into a skillet brushed with about 2 teaspoons of sesame oil over medium heat, carefully turning them to brown them on all sides. Pork meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees for them to be cooked safely.
• Transfer meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess grease. Clean your skillet. Place meatballs back in the skillet and pour the sauce over the top of them. Cover with a lid and heat on low until hot.
• Garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve over prepared rice.

Notes

I always use low sodium soy sauce. This recipe will get pretty salty if you don't. Chilling the meat before you form the meatballs helps to keep them round. I like to make them with a Tablespoon measuring spoon to keep them uniform.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 671kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 153mg | Sodium: 2420mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 35g