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Thai Meatballs

By Nagi Maehashi
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Epic THAI MEATBALLS!!! Made with pork or chicken, the brilliant Thai flavour of these will have everyone convinced you picked them up from one of those posh Thai restaurants.

Served with a Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce, these are seriously tasty!! If you’re in the mood for a Thai Banquet, try these Thai Meatballs with a side of Chicken Satay and Thai Fried Rice!

These Thai Meatballs are packed with bright, earthy Thai flavours! Make these with chicken or pork. recipetineats.com

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, and really truly do taste real-deal Thai, then you’re going to need the help of a few more things.

I think you’ll be familiar with most of the ingredients in these meatballs, except perhaps this one – 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, but it isn’t mandatory!!

These are still smashing meatballs even without kaffir lime leaves. 🙂

Kaffir Lime Leaves recipetineats.com

Kaffir lime leaves aren’t 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 ’em finely).

They cost a few dollars for 20 or so, and they freeze so well! I use them in a handful of recipes and I’ve 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 – because they’re 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!

These Thai Meatballs are packed with bright, earthy Thai flavours! Make these with chicken or pork. recipetineats.com

Make a meal out of it – serve these on the side!

These Thai Meatballs are packed with bright, earthy Thai flavours! Make these with chicken or pork. recipetineats.com

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, I’ve included the recipe for a homemade Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce (which is pictured in the photo right at the top). But I don’t usually bother, if I’m really honest. 🙂

Because…. well, want to know the truth? I figure the meatballs themselves are impressive enough as it is and people don’t really notice the dipping sauce. 😉

Make these for dinner or serve them at a party. Either way, you will be a hero! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Be warned of close encounter with Baby Hands. Also – Dozer fans – don’t 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!!

 

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Thai Meatballs on a plate, ready to be eaten

Thai Meatballs

Author: Nagi
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Main, Starter
Thai
4.99 from 68 votes
Servings4 people (25 meatballs)
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. The beautiful, fresh Thai flavour in these meatballs are amazing! Truly like something you'd get at those posh Thai restaurants. These aren't authentic Thai, as far as I know there really aren't meatballs in Thai cuisine (at least, not like this, they have them in soups), but all the flavourings in this are real-deal-Thai.

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:

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 – sometimes, chicken mince can be quite wet. Scoop up 1 slightly heaped tablespoon and roll into a ball (about 3cm / 1.25″ 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 – 25 minutes or until a bit browned. They should be beautifully soft – 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:

1. LEMONGRASS: I use paste in the video, so you can see what it looks like. Lemongrass paste is sold in the fresh herbs section (fridge) at supermarkets in Australia. They are a terrific easy substitute for fresh, and it’s perfectly acceptable! A Malaysian friend of mine also told me that “everyone” in her family uses frozen finely chopped lemongrass which you can buy from Asian stores, this would also work great. To use fresh, peel off the green outer reedy part, then finely chop the soft white part. You’ll need 1 very large or 2 normal lemongrass sticks for this.
2. Kaffir lime leaves: this is an optional extra that will really give these meatballs an edge that is like what you get from really great Thai restaurants. But even without, these meatballs are a cut above the usual Thai meatball recipes, so don’t fret if you can’t find them! They are not the leaves of normal lime trees, they are different trees. Used in many south easy Asian cuisines, they are limey but have an earthy flavour. In Australia, you’ll find them in Woolies, Coles, Harris Farms, fruit & veg stores (herb section) and of course, Asian stores.
THEY FREEZE GREAT and last for months and months. Then use for: Coconut rice, Beef Rendang, Mango Red Curry. Finely slice and add to South East Asian salads and stir fries, use whole in soups and curries. It’s a secret ingredient that will make people stop and ask “tell me your secret!!”
DRIED KAFFIR LIME LEAVES can be substituted, but because they are not as aromatic as fresh, add the zest of 1 fresh lime as well. Use 1 tsp of finely crushed dried kaffir lime leaves (use your hands or finely chop).
3. Chillies: 3 Thai or birds eye chillies makes it moderately spicy, not blow-your-head-off. 🙂 Thai all the way! Dial it down by using only 1 if you are concerned. Or, use large red chillies (like cayenne) which are not as spicy (smaller chilli = spicier), and use 1/2 of one, that way you’ll get the little red bits in the meatballs without the heat. Or skip it if you really want, it won’t change the flavour, just means they won’t be spicy.
4. Coriander / cilantro: Watch the video: bundle up the leafy end tightly then finely chop. Use the stem as well as the leaves, great flavour in the stem!
5. Sweet Chilli Sauce: I make this with store bought sauce because it’s not the star in this dish and when it’s doctored, it makes a great sauce. However, if you would like to make your own, here is the recipe (1st photo in post):
125ml/1/2 cup water, 2.5 tbsp sugar (any), 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 long red chilli and 1 birds eye chilli (finely chopped,seeds reserved), 1 cm 2/5″ ginger (julienned), 2 cloves garlic finely chopped, dash of fish sauce, 1 tsp sriracha, 1.5 tsp corn starch dissolved in 2 tsp water. Bring sugar and water to boil in small saucepan over medium heat. Add vinegar, chillies, ginger and garlic. Simmer, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved and liquid is reduced by a quarter. Add the fish sauce and stir in the chilli sauce. Drizzle in the corn starch slurry while continuously stirring over heat, until mixture thickens into thin syrup. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature, will thicken as it cools.
6. Rolling Meatballs: Here’s how I roll meatballs in a bid to be speedy – measure and dollop all the mixture using a cookie scoop (I use a 1 tbsp one) onto a work surface. THEN roll them. Rather than doing them one by one. I promise this is faster!
7. Make ahead: Freeze raw on a tray then to save space, transfer into bags / containers. Thaw then bake per recipe. They also reheat great in the microwave!
8. Side suggestions for a meal: Thai Fried Rice (skip the meat) + slices of tomato and cucumber (very Thai), Asian Noodle Salad, use the dressing from this Thai Beef Salad to make a giant Asian leafy salad.
9. Nutrition per serving, assuming this serves 4 as a meal.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 190gCalories: 486cal (24%)
Keywords: pork meatballs, Thai meatballs
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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210 Comments

  1. Michelle Stephenson says

    Quick question Nagi. I saw those red chili peppers and winced. Are these meatballs mouth-burningly hot? If so could you recommend a mildler pepper that could be substituted. I’m trying NOT to get the fire department involved if I serve this dish to my husband! LOL

    Reply

    • Nagi says

      Hi Michelle! I popped notes about the spiciness in the notes 🙂 What I would do for a mild version is use 1/2 a long red chilli (larger chilli = less hot) and that would be like using 1 small fiery chilli. Because the chillis is dispersed throughout all that meat, it isn’t a concentrated heat like in a sauce or curry paste. And if you’re really concerned, skip the chilli! 🙂 N x

      Reply

  2. Maureen Kubala says

    I love your blog , but especially the stories and photos of Dozer. I have a five year old golden and he reacts the same way to ant kind of food. He also weighs 80 lbs so I understand how hard it is to restrain Dozer. I am making the apple muffins today-they look delicious. I love your recipes! Happy Halloween and keep up the great work.

    Reply

    • Nagi says

      80 lb launching at full speed is a challenge to hold back, isn’t it??!!! 😂

      Reply

  3. Edel Logan says

    These look delicious. To make in advance, should I freeze them raw or cooked?

    Reply

    • Nagi says

      Ah, thanks for the reminder, I will add the directions!

      Reply

  4. Laura says

    5 stars
    I just discovered your blog and I love it so much. Keep up the fantastic work! I’ve already cooked the apple muffins and corn chowder and they were excellent 🙂

    Reply

    • Nagi says

      Thank you so much for trying my recipes Laura! I’m so pleased you are enjoying my blog! N xx

      Reply

      • Tony says

        4 stars
        Nagi,
        Approximately how many meat balls will this make? I want to serve them as finger food at a party.

        Reply

        • Nagi says

          Hi Tony! They make 25 meatballs about 3 cm / 2.25″ wide – actually, a wee bit bigger because they puff up slightly when baking, that’s the measurements of the raw balls. 🙂 N x

          Reply