Teriyaki Meatballs
Posted Aug 09, 2026
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These chicken teriyaki meatballs are an easy, healthy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! Moist baked chicken meatballs infused with Asian flavors are coated in a homemade teriyaki sauce for a delicious meal your whole family will love!
I have always loved Asian food and meatballs – so I combined them and bring you this chicken teriyaki meatballs recipe.
The meatballs themselves have soy sauce, sesame oil, and ground ginger – so even on their own they’re delicious! Then, once they’re coated in my homemade teriyaki sauce they become completely irresistible.
The sauce is made while the meatballs cooked, so you get a meal ready to go in 30 minutes flat! Serve them with some rice (or fried rice) and stir-fried vegetables or roasted broccoli for the perfect healthy weeknight dinner.
Teriyaki Meatballs: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground chicken. Ground turkey or beef are both great substitutes.
- Hoisin sauce. Found in both the meatballs and sauce – it gives a delicious Asian flavor and should not be substituted.
- Soy sauce. Low sodium and regular both work well.
- Breadcrumbs. Quick-cooking oats work well in place of breadcrumbs. Or, use this recipe for gluten free meatballs instead.
- Ground ginger. 1 teaspoon of fresh, finely grated ginger works well in place of ground.
- Sesame oil. Critical for the most authentic flavor, but can be substituted with peanut oil if you must.
- Brown sugar. Honey is a great substitute.
- Mirin. Don’t skip this. Technically you can use rice vinegar, but mirin is key for authentic teriyaki sauce.
How to Make Teriyaki Meatballs
Let’s walk through this recipe together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Make the Meatballs
Begin by making the teriyaki meatballs. Combine the ground chicken, egg, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil in a large bowl.
Then stir in the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, sea salt, and pepper. The mixture should not be too “soupy” at this time but it should still be moist.
Use a small cookie scoop or measuring spoon and measure out 1 Tablespoon portions of the meatball mixture. Then form them into balls on the cookie sheet (the meatball mixture is moist so you won’t be able to roll them in your hands).
Make sure the meatballs are evenly spaced on the baking sheet and aren’t touching.
Then, bake the chicken teriyaki meatballs in the oven until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius)
Or, you can cook on the stovetop. Instructions on how to do this are in the recipe card.
Make the Teriyaki Sauce
While the meatballs are cooking, make the teriyaki sauce. Start by bringing the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, mirin, garlic powder, and ginger to a boil in a 4 or 5-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking often.
While the mixture is heating up, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
Once the sauce is boiling, reduce the heat to medium, add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil again.
Then, reduce heat to simmer, and simmer, whisking often, until the sauce is thickened and it lightly coats the back of a spatula. It thickens a lot as it cools, so a light coating is perfect.
Once the sauce is ready, add the baked meatballs to the saucepan and stir until they’re coated in the teriyaki sauce.
Remove the teriyaki meatballs from the heat to cool slightly before serving so the sauce can thicken, stirring occasionally.
Serve
Serve these teriyaki chicken meatballs with your favorite Asian recipes – like fried rice, stir fry vegetables, and veggie lo mein!
More Teriyaki & Asian Recipes
If you love these meatballs, you need to try these recipes:
- Homemade teriyaki sauce – the best!
- This teriyaki chicken marinade can be used to grill or bake chicken!
- This crock pot teriyaki chicken has been a go-to forever!
- Everyone loves these Asian chicken lettuce wraps.
- Or, make this Asian chicken salad, so good!
Store
Store leftover teriyaki meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Freeze
Or, you can freeze the meatballs in the sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge then reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Teriyaki Meatballs Recipe FAQS
Yes absolutely, ground turkey works perfectly in this recipe.
Don’t over-bake them. Use a thermometer to determine when they are done (165 degrees Fahrenheit or 74 degrees Celsius.
Absolutely! You can do this a couple ways.
1) Make and shape the meatballs on a baking sheet. Then cover it in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Then bake according to the recipe instructions.
2) Bake the meatballs and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can make the sauce up to 3 days in advance and store it in an airtight container (preferably a glass jar with a lid) in the refrigerator.
So many things pair well with this recipe. Obviously our favorite Asian recipes like fried rice, vegetable lo mein, etc. Or serve them over white rice, brown rice, or plain noodles, alongside vegetables like broccoli, carrots, or stir fry vegetables.
Yes, use gluten-free breadcrumbs or use gluten-free quick oats in place of breadcrumbs. Also make sure to use soy sauce and hoisin sauce that are certified gluten-free.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 egg whisked
- 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons mirin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon water
Garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius). Lightly grease a baking sheet. (*See Notes for Stovetop Instructions)
Make the Meatballs
- Combine the ground chicken, egg, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil in a large bowl.
- Add the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, sea salt and pepper and stir until combined.
- Use a small cookie scoop or measuring spoon and measure out 1 Tablespoon portions of the meatball mixture. Then form them into balls on the cookie sheet (the meatball mixture is moist so you won’t be able to roll them in your hands).
- Place meatballs on the prepared baking sheet evenly spread out.
- Bake in preheated oven for 13-16 minutes. Meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius)
Make the Sauce
- Bring water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, mirin garlic powder, and ginger to a boil in a 4 or 5-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking often.
- While the mixture is heating up, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium, add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil again.
- Then, reduce heat to simmer, and simmer, whisking often, until the sauce is thickened and it lightly coats the back of a spatula. It thickens a lot as it cools, so a light coating is perfect. Serve.
- Add the baked meatballs to the saucepan and stir to coat with sauce.
- Remove from heat to cool slightly before serving so the sauce can thicken.
- Serve with your favorite Asian dishes (white or fried rice, stir fry vegetables, etc.).
- Alternately, you can serve the sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Ground chicken. ground turkey or beef are both great substitutes.
- Hoisin sauce. Found in both the meatballs and sauce – it gives a delicious asian flavor and should not be substituted.
- Soy sauce. low sodium and regular both work well.
- Breadcrumbs. quick-cooking oats work well in place of breadcrumbs. Or, use this recipe for gluten free meatballs instead.
- Ground ginger. 1 teaspoon of fresh, finely grated ginger works well in place of ground.
- Sesame oil. critical for the most authentic flavor, but can be substituted with peanut oil if you must.
- Brown sugar. honey is a great substitute.
- Mirin. don’t skip this. Technically you can use rice vinegar, but mirin is key for authentic teriyaki sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
