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Skillet Teriyaki Meatballs

Yield: 5 Servings (about 16 meatballs)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Sauce:

  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 ¼ cups water
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅓ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, can use white vinegar as a sub
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Meatballs:

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef or ground turkey
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup bread crumbs, I usually use panko
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons milk, use the lesser amount if using ground turkey
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions 

  • For the sauce, in a medium bowl or in a liquid measuring cup, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until smooth (can use a blender for this, if desired). Set aside.
  • For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients, except the 1 tablespoon oil and the green onions, and mix until well-combined (I usually ditch any utensil and just get my hands in there to do the mixing). Form the mixture into meatballs about an inch or two in size.
  • In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Add the meatballs in a single layer to the hot skillet and brown on all sides, turning with a pair of tongs. The meatballs don’t need to be completely cooked through, just equally browned on all sides.
  • Pour the sauce ingredients over the meatballs and gently turn the meatballs to coat them in the sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook about 10-15 minutes, stirring every once in a while to carefully turn the meatballs and coat them in the sauce, until the meatballs are cooked through. If the sauce becomes overly thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin.
  • Serve the meatballs and sauce over hot, cooked rice, quinoa or couscous. If desired, garnish with green onions.

Notes

Minor Changes: I've updated this recipe from six years ago with a few minor changes (and added more details in a few places). It's still the same great teriyaki meatball you may have been loving for the last several years.
Soy Sauce: I've found over the years that using regular soy sauce makes it a bit too salty for our tastes so we've switched to low-sodium.
Ginger: we prefer the flavor of fresh ginger, if I have it on hand.
Sauce Changes: I've also cut the sugar down just slightly - if you are looking for the original amount it was 1/2 cup and added a tablespoon of rice vinegar to cut the richness of the sauce. And finally, I've started adding less cornstarch to the sauce as we don't like it quite as thick.