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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.
these are really good! moist and would definitely make them again. I doubled the recipe and added 1/4 cup of shredded parm.
you did not include any measurements for each of the diff ingredients. you did not tell what temperature to cook it at and how long to leave in oven
Hi Tim. All measurements are in the recipe card at the end of the post (you can click on jump to recipe at the top of the page.) Temperatures and cooking times are listed in the instructions- 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Hope this helps!
The BEST meatballs I’ve ever made! Thank you!
I reduced the breadcrumbs by 1/3 because it seemed excessive. It was still too much. Like other comments, mine didn’t brown in that timeframe either. I found it helped to flip them half way through. Overall good but recipe needs some fine tuning.
Hi,
Can Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk substitute dairy milk? Or would that taste odd? Or could chicken stock/broth replace dairy milk?
I used chicken broth in mine 🙂
We loved this recipe. Only changes we that I added finely chopped red pepper and used oat milk. Perfect in every way. Thank you. Linda
How are your meatballs browned (in the picture) and mine are white – ish?
Very moist and flavorful. Hopped turkey doesn’t have much flavor. I added 1/8 cup ( yes it sound like a lot, but needs it ) of dried Italian seasoning, 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese and 1/8 cup grated Parmesan.
The flavors reminded me of regular beef meatballs ( we don’t eat red meats any longer )
Let them sit overnight in sauce and they were spectacular!!
Do I have to use diced onion? Can I used minced onion spice?
Minced onion spice would also work!
OMG..
Seriously the best chicken meatballs we’ve ever had.
I’ve tried many on Pinterest.
Nope.. not good..
These are in a different class!
My search is over..
Awesome!
Went back to check I’d not misread the recipe, but all checked out. They were juicy as others note, which was wonderful. But absolutely tasteless. I did add spinach and parsley, which I do with every meatball I make, and generally enhances both taste and nutrition. But these were just so bland. Thank goodness for sauce and cheese! Buried under both and sitting on top of a beautiful pasta, you couldn’t tell. Will continue to ponder why mine were underwhelming at best while someone else said “super delicious.”
I followed every step exactly, but mine came out super bland as well. As you said, these are OK smothered in good sauce and cheese, but I didn’t care for them by themselves.
The meatballs also didn’t brown like the photo shown here. I’d reduce breadcrumbs and add cheese and some more salt next.
Mmm…yumm-O! These meatballs were super tender and super easy! They were also super juicy as well too! My handsome, fierce, hubby and rest of my family super couldn’t wait to scarf them down super fast! They were also super cheap to make and super nutritions as well. As an added bonus, they were also super awesome as well. Soooooooo super delicious!
Hello if I don’t have bread crumbs can I use oatmeal. I’m trying to eat healthier but trying to find the right spices that goes well with turkey.
You can use oatmeal, but it will give the meatballs a slightly different texture. I would recommend using a blender or food processor to make the oats a little bit more fine before you use them.
I loved my meatballs. I changed up the breadcrumbs into 1/2 Italian breadcrumbs and 1/2 gluten free breadcrumbs. I even left them 25 minutes to brown them but only the bottoms browned. No matter next time I will brown them in my fry pan then cook them 15 min in the oven. It was perfect for me.
Thanks Alyssa. They were quick and easy to make.
This recipe was absolutely delicious. Next time I want to try to melt some cheese into the meatballs.
Hi! If I want to bake these with the sauce, how far into the baking should I add the sauce? Thanks!
I would heat the sauce separately and add it to the meatballs after they have baked.
Worked out great for us. I had to sub cornmeal for bread crumbs and only used about 3/4 c. Lots of chopped garlic and some dried Basil. Yum!
Doubled the recipe, larger meat balls gave me about 15 flipped halfway through cooked an additional 5 or so minutes, topped with sweet chilli sauce and sesame seed served with Asian salad 🥗 .