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Home » Recipes » Appetizer Recipes

Ginger Garlic Asian Beef Meatballs with Cilantro

Published: Nov 29, 2019 · Modified: Dec 1, 2022 by Nicole B.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
40 minutes

These baked Asian beef meatballs are full of fresh and intense Asian flavors from fresh cilantro, ginger, garlic and lime. The fresh ingredients add great flavor and also keep the meatballs tender, moist and juicy so that no glaze is needed.

For more juicy appetizer meatballs, also check out these baked Italian sausage meatballs.

Cilantro Asian beef meatballs with dipping oil.
Fresh herbs and spices add delicious flavor to these baked cilantro Asian meatballs.
Jump to:
  • What’s in the meatballs?
  • Ingredient notes & substitutions:
  • Recipe and equipment notes & tips:
  • How to make the meatballs:
  • How to serve the meatballs:
  • Baking versus frying meatballs:
  • How to store leftovers:
  • How to freeze the baked meatballs:
  • More Asian-inspired recipes:
  • Full Printable Recipe
  • Comments

What’s in the meatballs?

Cilantro Asian beef meatball ingredients.
You need milk, ground beef, sandwich bread, egg, ginger, garlic, cilantro, lime and soy sauce to make the meatballs.

Ingredient notes & substitutions:

  • I recommend 90 percent lean ground beef for this recipe. Ground beef with a higher fat content tends to be too greasy for these meatballs. (Fattier ground beef is better for dishes where you pre-cook the beef and then drain the released grease, like this ground beef butternut squash.)
  • Instead of bread crumbs, this recipe uses sandwich bread that gets soaked in milk and lime juice and then gets mashed up. This adds both flavor and moisture and makes the texture of the meatballs nice and fluffy. (This is a trick I learned from America’s Test Kitchen.)
  • I don’t recommend substituting ground ginger for fresh ginger root in this recipe. The fresh flavor of ginger adds so much to these meatballs!

Recipe and equipment notes & tips:

  • If you have a metal scoop with spring-loaded handle, I recommend using that to form the meatballs. That way they will all be evenly sized, plus you won’t need to get your hands dirty. If you don’t have a scoop, use a spoon and then roll the meatballs with your hands. (The soaked, mashed bread and the egg give the mix a great texture that forms balls very well.)
  • As long as you use non-stick baking sheets you won’t need to grease or line the sheets.

How to make the meatballs:

See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!

Step 1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix whole milk, lime juice and sandwich bread cubes together in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Step 2. Mash up the soaked bread cubes with a fork.

Soaked bread cubes in a bowl.

Step 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef and the mashed bread mix.

Step 4. Mix together using a large fork (a serving fork works great for this).

Step 5. Add cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and egg.

Step 6. Mix together until well combined.

Cilantro meatball ingredients being mixed in a bowl.

Step 7. Form 18 to 20 meatballs (about 2 tablespoons per ball). Set the meatballs directly onto non-stick baking sheets and bake until cooked through and browned (about 20 minutes).

Raw meatballs on baking sheets.

How to serve the meatballs:

Drizzle each meatball with a few drops of hot chili oil and serve as an appetizer. (Serve with toothpicks, if you like.)

Baking versus frying meatballs:

I have done these meatballs both ways, baked and fried, and they get nicely brown and crispy either way. Since baking is much less messy and less work, this recipe calls for baking.

How to store leftovers:

You can store any leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. Heat them up in the microwave before serving.

How to freeze the baked meatballs:

Let the fully baked meatballs cool to room temperature, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze.

To reheat, set the frozen meatballs into a cast iron pan or a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake the meatballs at 350 degrees F. until heated through (about 30 minutes).

More Asian-inspired recipes:

  • Cold Asian Noodle Salad with Grilled Shrimp
    Cook Time1 Hours
  • Quick Shrimp Coconut Soup with Asian Noodles
    Cook Time17 Minutes
  • Thai Pineapple Yellow Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
    Cook Time50 Minutes
  • Ginger Cilantro Soy Sauce-Marinated Asian-Style Chicken Wings
    Cook Time1 Hours 45 Minutes

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!

Full Printable Recipe

Cilantro Asian beef meatballs with dipping oil.

Ginger Garlic Asian Beef Meatballs with Cilantro

The Spice Train
These Asian beef meatballs are full of fresh and intense flavor from grated ginger, garlic, lime juice and cilantro.
5 from 5 votes
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Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4
Calories (estimated) 394 kcal

Equipment:

  • measuring cups and spoons
  • citrus juicer
  • garlic press (optional)
  • ginger grater
  • knife and cutting board
  • mixing bowls
  • fork
  • serving fork
  • spring-loaded metal scoop OR large spoon
  • non-stick baking sheets
  • pan

Ingredients:
  

For the meatballs:

  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 2 slices white sandwich bread
  • 1 pound ground beef, 90 percent lean
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro (about 1 bunch)
  • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed through a garlic press
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger root
  • 1 large egg

For the chili oil (optional):

  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions:
 

For the meatballs:

  • Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Mix milk and lime juice together in a bowl. Cut the sandwich bread into 1-inch cubes and soak in the milk mix for 10 minutes.
  • Mash up the soaked bread cubes with a fork.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the beef and the mashed bread mix.*
  • Mix in cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and egg.
  • Form 18 to 20 meatballs (~2 tablespoons per meatball) using a spring-loaded metal scoop or a large spoon. Set the meatballs directly onto non-stick baking sheets (there is no need to grease or line the sheets).
  • Bake the meatballs until they are cooked through and brown on the outside (about 20 minutes).

For the chili oil (optional):

  • Heat vegetable oil and pepper flakes in a pan until the oil is sizzling. Let cool.  
  • Drizzle a few drops of the hot oil onto the meatballs and serve.

Notes:

*A large serving fork works well for this step.

Nutrition Information (Estimated):

Calories: 394kcalCarbohydrates: 10.4gProtein: 35.9gFat: 22.7gSaturated Fat: 7.4gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 502mgPotassium: 555mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 2.7gCalcium: 115mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.

Keywords: asian beef meatballs, asian meatballs, cilantro meatballs

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. meme shebroe

    September 03, 2019 at 3:25 pm

    MINOUCHKA:

    Amazing good! Similar to my old quick recipe with ground turkey. I bake my meatballs au lieu of frying, and served them over the coconut rice garnished all with chopped cilantro and crushed garlic for extra taste. It was a YUMMY meal and/or served for cocktails! Thanks Nicole for bringing back this great recipe, and which I have shared many times.

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      September 04, 2019 at 8:08 am

      So lovely to hear that, thank you so much! :)

      Reply
  2. Ariana

    February 17, 2015 at 10:30 am

    is a perfectly prepared so as flavors and the texture. thanks for the recipe

    Reply

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