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Baked Turkey Meatballs are tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. They’re made with simple ingredients but big on flavor! These homemade meatballs are easy to make and healthy for the whole family!
We love meatballs at our house! There are so many tasty versions that it’s hard to pick just one! I have some family favorites that you need to try. Swedish Meatballs are always requested, and my kids always beg for these fun Porcupine Meatballs. But if you’re looking for the perfect appetizer to serve at your next party, these Grape Jelly Meatballs are a MUST!
Reasons to Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy Dinner: These baked turkey meatballs are a quick and easy weeknight dinner! They only take 10 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake. Dinner will be ready in 30 minutes!
- Versatile: Turkey meatballs can served in so many different ways. Switch up the seasonings any way you like, or smother them with any flavor of sauce. Enjoy them in a sandwich, or on top of rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes!
- Healthy Alternative: Ground turkey is a healthy option for homemade meatballs. The result is fewer calories, lots of protein, and less fat than ground beef.
The Best Baked Turkey Meatballs
Everyone loves to eat meatballs, especially kids. These baked turkey meatballs are an easy winner for dinner and will be a new family favorite! The ground turkey bakes up so juicy and tender that you won’t believe it’s ground turkey. My recipe is perfectly seasoned with onion, garlic, and Italian breadcrumbs. The texture and moisture in these baked turkey meatballs will blow your mind! You’ll devour every bite and wish you had leftovers!
These baked meatballs are amazing all on their own. Place them on a mound of noodles and smothered in one of these incredible sauces and they will be divine. Try them with my Basil Pesto Sauce, this easy Marinara Sauce, or this delicious Homemade Alfredo Sauce. It’s the perfect meatball recipe for anything!
Ground Turkey vs Ground Beef
Which one is better for you? Both turkey and beef are great sources of protein with a variety of vitamins and minerals. Turkey is generally lower in saturated fat than beef and so is a better choice for heart health. All of the health benefits of depend on the cut and quality of turkey and beef, but ground turkey is generally a healthier option.
Ingredients for Turkey Meatballs
These baked turkey meatballs use simple ingredients that you may already have on hand. Ground turkey is easy to find at any store and is a healthy alternative to beef. Your family will love these meatballs so much that they won’t even miss the beef!
- Ground Turkey: This can be found near the ground beef.
- Italian Bread Crumbs: I love that these bread crumbs are already seasoned.
- Onion: Dice one small onion.
- Eggs: The eggs act as a binder.
- Milk: Adds a bit of moisture and helps keep it all together.
- Garlic: Minced or finely chopped.
- Salt and Pepper: Season to taste
How to Make Baked Turkey Meatballs
These turkey meatballs are super easy to throw together. Roll them up and bake them for juicy perfection. They are so good and a healthier alternative to beef meatballs. You’ll want to keep them in a regular rotation for weeknight dinners!
- Combine Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a medium baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside. Combine all of the meatball ingredients into a medium bowl.
- Mix: Mix together until incorporated.
- Roll: Roll the mixture into 1 ½-2-inch balls and place in the prepared baking dish.
- Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the tops are lightly browned.
Tips For Moist Baked Turkey Meatballs
I have lots of good tips to help you achieve perfectly moist and delicious turkey meatballs. It’s so easy to make homemade meatballs and this ground turkey version is the BEST!
- Moisture: Turkey is leaner than beef so can dry out quickly. If you find your meatballs are too dry add a tablespoon of olive oil to the mixture. Overcooking the meatballs can also dry them out, so be sure to remove them from the oven once they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Chopping: I love to throw the onion and garlic into a small food processor and pulse it several times. This is a quick way to mince them up and make them easy to add to the meatball mixture.
- Breadcrumbs: Instead of Italian breadcrumbs, you can substitute plain breadcrumbs and add 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Panko breadcrumbs can also be used!
- Uniform Size: Keep the meatballs the same size as much as possible. This will ensure that they cook at the same rate and some won’t be underdone or overdone. You can use a cookie scoop or a kitchen scale to help keep them uniform.
- Don’t Overmix: This can cause the meatball mixture to break down and become tough. It can also make the meatballs hard to form and turn them into meat patties instead of meatballs.
- Flavor Variations: There are many ways to make these meatballs sing with even more flavor if you wish. Add a couple of teaspoons of finely chopped fresh herbs, ⅓-½ cup of parmesan or other grated cheese, or a dash or two of spices that will complement your dish. They are so easy to customize and make how you wish.
Storing Leftover Baked Turkey Meatballs
These baked turkey meatballs are so easy to store and freeze for a later time. I love to make a double batch and freeze the leftovers for busy weeknights.
- In the Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container or sealable zip lock bag. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat: Reheat them in the microwave for a few minutes in the microwave until warmed through. You can also reheat them in the air fryer at 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In the Freezer: Allow the cooked meatballs to cool to room temperature. Place on a cookie tray and cover loosely with plastic wrap then freeze for 2 hours. Transfer the partially frozen meatballs to a freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or warm them straight from the freezer in the microwave at 50% power till heated through.
More Meatball Recipes to Love
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Baked Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a medium baking dish with pan spray and set aside.
- Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl until everything is incorporated. Roll the mixture into 1 ½-2-inch balls and place in the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the tops are lightly browned.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
As someone else mentioned above I felt the ratio of breadcrumbs to Turkey way too high. Felt like I was biting in to bread rather than meat. I ate these with tzatziki or hummus. I’ll use my leftovers in tomato sauce.
Love this recipe!! I’ve never used ground turkey and wasn’t sure about the texture! I followed the recipe and the end result was perfect meatballs!!! Delicious!
I love the recipe!!! I recommend blending the ingredients by beating the eggs first. Stir milk and seasonings into eggs. Stir in breadcrumbs until mixture is like a paste. Add ground turkey and chopped onions to breadcrumb mixture until fully blended.
Can you make these in a crock pot?
You will need to cook the meatballs in a sauce if you are going to use a crockpot so that they don’t burn. Try these Easy Grape Jelly Meatballs instead!
I am going to try this recipe for the first time. About how many meatballs will it make?
This makes about 12-15 large meatballs.
These are always so good! The milk makes all the difference! This time I added about 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan and fresh chopped parsley. Delicious!
This is my only recipe that I use for turkey meatballs! I just change up the sauces,,,Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Thank you so much!!
I did this recipe over mushed potatoes…. In love
Very flavorful. I’m a ground beef, veal and pork meatball guy. These are a great healthier option. Added them to cheese tortellini. Try them again with traditional spaghetti and sauce the next time I make them.
I accidentally added to much milk so I just created this into mince meat , so obviously not their fault. Flavour: on core!
Yum! These turned out great. I used pre seasoned turkey and added a splash of olive oil and they turned out great!
I don’t eat Egg so I subbed Just Egg plant based and gluten free bread crumbs and the texture was perfect.
I’m planning to make these for my meal prep, but could you specify how many meatballs the recipe makes and how many are in each serving?
This makes about 12-15 meatballs and the serving size is 3-4, depending on what you are serving this with!
Love it !
Can I use red onion instead of white?
Sure!
Excellent easy recipe! I used an ice cream scooper in greased muffin tins and they are fast and easy and very moist. Turkey meatballs are usually very dry and lack flavor but these turn out great every time. I use Italian seasoning and half and half for the milk. Yummy and perfect for meatball sandwiches with melted
Mozzarella the next day. I use Rao marinara sauce and rotini pasta so it’s easy for the kids to eat, everyone loves it!
Very tasty take on a classic recipe. Will be saving this for another try.
I made these and thought the ration of turkey to bread crumbs was off. I thought they were mushy. I may try again but use less breadcrumbs.
I made these last night and since I had fresh mozzarella, I added a little to the middle as a nice surprise! These were really good. I used fresh oregano and basil because I have it in the garden. I will make more and freeze them! Good recipe.