Anyone looking for a fun new appetizer (or even main course!) for the big game this week?

These saucy sesame meatballs are some of my favorites!!!

I first made them a few months ago when I was experimenting with multiple meatball recipes to serve for a fundraiser. And when my friends graciously “helped me out” with some taste testing, these little guys were the clear winner! My friend’s 1-yr-old son was even crazy about them as well. ;)

Definitely easy, quick, and bursting with yummy flavor. And everyone commented on how they’re a nice twist from traditional marinara meatballs. Give them a try!

Saucy Sesame Meatballs

4.91 from 42 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 30 -35 meatballs
You will love this delicious saucy sesame meatballs recipe! It’s so flavorful, saucy, and perfect for game day or as an appetizer for special occasions.

Ingredients

Meatball Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. ground pork or ground beef
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 cup Panko or breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
  • optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions

Sesame Sauce Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • In a large bowl, mix together meatball ingredients until well-combined. Shape into balls (I made mine about 1.5 inches, which yielded about 35 meatballs, but 1 inch is probably standard), and place on a greased baking sheet or in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until meatballs are golden on the outside and no longer pink on the inside.
  • While the meatballs are baking, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until blended. Once meatballs have finished cooking, you can either dip each meatball individually (using a toothpick) in the sauce mixture. Or you can pour the sauce over the meatballs and gently stir them until covered.
  • Serve warm, and sprinkle with additional garnish if desired. (I served mine on these cocktail forks.)

Notes

You can also keep these warm (after cooking) in the crockpot on a low setting!

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

This post contains affiliate links.

About Ali

Hi, I'm Ali Martin! I created this site in 2009 to celebrate good food and gathering around the table. I live in Kansas City with my husband and two young boys and love creating simple, reliable, delicious recipes that anyone can make!

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4.91 from 42 votes

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229 Comments

  1. Imene says:

    Love this recipe

  2. Marilyn says:

    This looks very good…I have the sesame oil and ginger…I may try them this weekend.
    IN NYC there are so many restaurants. But the smell of home cooking is so good. And cheaper.

  3. Verena says:

    My family every time say that I am killing my time here at net,
    except I know I am getting experience all the time by reading
    thes fastidious content.

  4. Roberta says:

    I made these this past weekend for our Euchre card party night. They were a huge hit!! I used my pampered chef small scoop so the meatballs were uniform in size. I cooked them ahead of time in the oven, then at party tim I kept them warm in the crock pot.

    Loved this recipe. Will definitely make them again.

  5. carol gile says:

    Thanks these were fast and transportable. So many times the hors d’oeuvres are soggy when they are make ahead of time.

  6. aimee @ like mother like daughter says:

    oh my gosh, these look amazing. now i need to figure out an excuse to make them, do you usually eat them as a side/appetizer? or maybe with rice for dinner? yum!

    1. NCBoot says:

      A good excuse is that you want to make them for yourself!! :)

  7. sherrita says:

    These sound great. Any idea of the serving size?

  8. Big Mom says:

    These would make a great dinner with rice and a veggie!

    1. Carol says:

      Sticky rice and steamed broccoli – yummy!

  9. Samantha C says:

    To a point, I followed the recipe as it’s posted. However, once the ingredients for the sauce were mixed together, I thought it was lacking something, so I added the juice of one lime and about 1/4-1/3 cup of orange juice. What a huge difference! The citrus really breaks through the heavy taste of the original sauce and adds more dimension. When I cook the sauce and meatballs, I plan on adding pineapple chunks.

  10. Anne Anderson says:

    Made these last night, New Year’s Eve. I think the recipe should include salt in the meatball mixture. The sauce was overpowering. Hoisin sauce has vinegar and think the additional rice vinegar is the reason for the strong taste. Think it needs more sweetness and spice. However, the meatballs were good and will give the recipe another try.