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These healthy baked turkey meatballs are weeknight dinner gold. They’re loaded with ginger and garlic, and finished with a sticky, spicy-sweet hot honey glaze that hits all the right notes. Fast, flavorful, and totally addictive.
Meet your new weeknight MVP: baked turkey meatballs with a ginger-garlic kick and a glossy hot honey glaze that walks the line between sweet and spicy. They’re fast, flavorful, and deeply satisfying. This is the kind of dish that feels a little special without demanding much from you! The ginger and garlic bring big, savory energy, while the hot honey glaze ties it all together with just the right amount of heat (which you can dial up or down to keep things kid-friendly). Easy, adaptable, and seriously delicious.
Feeling something a little more classic next time? Bookmark my traditional ground turkey meatballs with sauce—or go for the ground chicken meatballs if that’s more your vibe. Cozy, simple, and always a crowd-pleaser.
Table of Contents
Recipe Modifications
- For less heat—Use half of the sambal oelek in the honey glaze or omit it completely. You can always add more if you want to make it spicier.
- Other ground meat—Feel free to use ground chicken, ground beef, or a mixture of ground sausage and beef.
- Ground ginger—You could use ground ginger in the glaze in place of freshly grated, but you’ll only want to use a pinch since the flavor in dry seasoning is a lot more concentrated. Taste as you go to make sure you get a yummy flavor and don’t overdo it.
Ingredient Notes
A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Honey—Use a good-quality raw, unfiltered honey. You can use an already-made hot honey (I love Savannah Bee Company’s hot honey) and skip the sambal oelek, or keep it in the mix for an even spicier result.
- Sambal Oelek—This is an Indonesian chili paste. It’s chunky in texture but works great for sauces like our hot honey glaze used here. If you prefer Sriracha, you can use that. Another option is adding a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
Cooking Tips
- The meat mixture will feel sticky—that’s normal! Rub some olive oil into your hands prior to rolling to prevent the meat from sticking to your hands.
- Don’t glaze the meatballs prior to baking, as the honey will burn in the oven. Save the glaze to toss the meatballs in once they’re cooked. They’ll be sticky, sweet, and delicious!
How to Make Baked Turkey Meatballs With Hot Honey Glaze
This is a quick how-to for this recipe to give you an idea of how it’s done at a glance. Find the full details in the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 375º F with the rack positioned in the center of the oven.
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Transfer the ground turkey to a large mixing bowl, then add 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce, the finely chopped garlic, 1/4 cup of sliced scallions, and finally, 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs. With your bare hands, mix it all together until the mixture is evenly blended.
- Rub a bit of olive oil onto your hands and start forming the meatballs, using about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture. Set the meatballs onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- When done, pop the meatballs into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160-165º F. (You can verify this with a meat thermometer.)
- While the meatballs bake, prepare your hot honey glaze! In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, and 1 teaspoon of Sambal Oelek. Whisk with a fork until the glaze is well combined.
- Once the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the oven and let them sit for 3-5 minutes, then transfer the meatballs to a bowl and drizzle them with the hot honey glaze, tossing to coat. Garnish with more sliced scallions and sesame seeds, and serve.
What to Serve With Baked Turkey Meatballs
- Veg Sides: I love seared baby bok choy, honey miso roasted sweet potatoes, or garlic ginger sautéed broccolini.
- Salads: A refreshing Asian cucumber and carrot salad or a nice smashed cucumber salad are perfect, especially during the warmer months.
- Carbs: These meatballs are perfect served over my coconut ginger Instant Pot rice. You could also serve them with noodles. They’d be a great protein to add to these easy garlic noodles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Turkey meatballs bake at 375º F.
This depends on what your individual dietary needs are. Ground turkey is leaner than ground beef as it’s lower in saturated fat and calories. Ground beef, however, offers more iron and zinc. Both choices are a good source of protein and vitamins. And since these are baked turkey meatballs, we’ve got a healthy advantage with zero frying.
If your meatballs are falling apart, chances are the mix is too wet or you’ve overworked it. Keep a light hand when mixing, and measure your breadcrumbs carefully—it’s the key player holding everything together.
Rolled or quick oats make a solid binder in meatballs—hearty enough to hold things together, and easy to blitz into a fine flour if you’re after a smoother texture. Bonus: they bring a little extra fiber to the mix and are naturally gluten-free.
Storage, Freezing, & Reheating
- Leftover baked turkey meatballs will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
- To freeze, let the meatballs cool once they’re out of the oven and pop them into gallon-sized zip-top bags without tossing them in the hot honey glaze. Make sure the meatballs are laying in a single layer. They will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months. Transfer them to the fridge and thaw overnight before you plan to cook them. Once cooked, you can then toss them in the honey glaze.
- To reheat, pop the meatballs into the microwave and heat in 25 second increments until warmed through.
If you try this baked turkey meatballs recipe, please pop back in and leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Healthy Baked Turkey Meatballs With Hot Honey
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 lb lean ground turkey (93/7 blend)
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion, white parts only
- 1 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Hot honey glaze:
- 2 TBSP raw/unfiltered honey
- 2 TBSP sesame oil
- 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp sambal oelek, More or less to taste, depending on how much heat you like.
Garnishes:
- Sliced scallions
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375º F. (Position the rack in the center.)
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper; set it aside.
- Transfer ground turkey into a large mixing bowl, then add the onion powder, sea salt, black pepper, soy sauce, garlic, scallions, and panko breadcrumbs. Mix it all together with your hands until the mixture is blended.
- Rub a bit of olive oil onto your hands to prevent the mixture from sticking. Start forming the meatballs using about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture. Place the meatballs onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and pop them into the oven to bake for about 15 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160-165º F. (Check this with a meat thermometer.)
- While the meatballs bake, make the glaze by mixing the honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, and Sambal Oelek. Whisk until blended.
- When the meatballs are done, remove them from the oven and let them sit for 3-5 minutes, then transfer the meatballs to a large bowl and drizzle them with the hot honey glaze. Toss to coat.
- Garnish with more sliced scallions and sesame seeds, and serve.
I just made these ginger garlic meatballs with hot honey glaze, and they were a total hit! The balance of flavors is incredible—the sweetness of the honey perfectly complements the savory meatballs. I love how easy they are to prepare! Definitely adding this recipe to my regular rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, these ginger garlic meatballs with hot honey glaze are a game changer! The combination of spices and sweetness is absolutely delicious. I’ve never been a fan of meatballs before, but these have converted me. Definitely trying this recipe again and experimenting with different variations. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, so happy these were the ones to convert you! I used to have an aversion to meatballs when I was a kid, and I’m just glad I grew out of it. So happy you were able to enjoy these :)
This is so delicious! Love this recipe!
Yay! Love to hear it.
Delicious! I served it with spinach instead of bok choy because that is what I had and made the meatballs gluten free with gluten free panko. Everyone loved it! Thank you!
So glad it was a hit!
These meatballs are outstanding…I air fryer them and then tossed in the glaze
I love that you air-fried them! I definitely need to give that a whirl :)