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These healthy Turkey Meatballs in Curry Sauce are moist and juicy, then covered in a creamy red curry sauce that is bursting with an Asian flavor. Made with lean ground turkey, they are a low-fat and high-protein dinner, snack, or appetizer.
You may also like my Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs or my meal prep ground turkey meatball recipe with zoodles.
For all the meatball lovers out there, this recipe is a fresh twist on your typical meatball. Turkey Meatballs in Curry Sauce are made with ground turkey instead of ground beef for a lean, protein-rich meal. The turkey perfectly soaks up the delicious flavors of fresh ginger, red curry paste, honey, and coconut milk to give you a tasty and filling dinner everyone will love. Serve these meatballs as a meal or an appetizer for a party or game day.
Why I love this recipe
- Delicious! These turkey meatballs are tender and juicy, and the curry sauce is perfectly creamy and packed with vibrant flavors. Every bite is better than the last!
- Easy to make. Meatballs are pretty easy to make, plus they bake in the oven while you are making the sauce. Everything is ready at the same time for a convenient dinner.
- Nutritious. Turkey has low-fat content but still has plenty of protein to make a filling dinner. Plus these meatballs are dairy-free and cooked alongside healthy vegetables.
Ingredients you’ll need
This is just a list of ingredients you will need to make these curry Turkey Meatballs. Full measurements are listed further down below in the recipe card.
- Ground turkey: If you do not like turkey you can use ground chicken.
- Egg: used as a binder
- Panko: used as a binder. Use plain
- Green onions
- Garlic cloves: use fresh if possible
- Fresh ginger or ginger paste
- Low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- Red curry paste
- Kosher salt and Ground black pepper
- Groundnut oil
- Red bell pepper
- Yellow onion
- Honey
- Full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- Cilantro
- Roasted peanuts
How to make it
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine meatball ingredients: In a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients, using clean hands to blend well.
- Form meatballs: Clean your hands and wet them a bit to prevent the meat mixture from sticking. Take a spoonful of mixture and roll it between your palms to create a meatball. Repeat with the remaining mixture and arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
- Cook: Bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Make curry sauce: While meatballs are baking, heat the groundnut oil in a large pan. Saute the onions and bell pepper for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add in the ginger, curry paste, honey, and coconut milk.
- Simmer the sauce: Mix well and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Add meatballs to sauce: As soon as the meatballs are done baking, add them to the curry sauce.
- Garnish and serve: Season with salt and pepper to taste, then garnish with fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Tips and substitutions
- Ground turkey: We prefer using 93% lean turkey for this recipe.
- Panko: You can also use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger has the most flavor. Peel the skin off with the back of a spoon, then grate with a Microplane or grater. You can freeze the leftover and grate it from frozen next time you need ginger.
- Soy sauce: Substitute with coconut aminos if desired.
- Red curry paste: You can substitute it with curry powder, but the flavor may not be identical. If substituting, use 1 teaspoon in the meatballs and 1 teaspoon in the curry sauce.
- Groundnut oil: Also called peanut oil. Substitute with sunflower oil or canola oil.
- Don’t over-mix the meat: Mix until just combined for tender meatballs that don’t fall apart.
Frequently asked questions
The key to keeping your meatballs together is to keep them moist and include a good binding agent. In this recipe, the breadcrumbs and the egg help hold the meat together. Another key is to avoid over-handling the meat. Try to mix and form the meatballs with as little extra mixing as possible.
If the texture of your meatballs is rubbery, they are probably over-mixed or overcooked. When making the meatballs, use your hands to combine the mixture and only mix until just combined. This should keep the texture moist and tender.
Yes! Cool the meatballs completely after baking, then freeze for 2-3 months. Make the curry sauce fresh before serving, then add thawed meatballs.
These meatballs bake for about 15 minutes. To be sure they are done, check them with a meat thermometer until it reads 165 degrees.
More turkey recipes
- White Bean Turkey Chili
- Meal Prep Turkey Meatball Zoodles
- Oven Roasted Maple Turkey Breast
- Ground Turkey Cauliflower Rice Recipe
- Spinach and Feta Turkey Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Southwest Turkey Chili
Pin this now to find it later
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Healthy Turkey Meatballs in Curry Sauce
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup panko
- 4 green onions, minced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger, or ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Curry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon groundnut oil, or peanut oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- ½ yellow onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 13.5 oz full-fat unsweetened coconut milk, one can
- Fresh Cilantro , for garnish, chopped
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all meatball ingredients (1 pound ground turkey, 1 large egg, 1 cup panko, 4 green onions (sliced), 2-3 cloves garlic (minced), 1 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger, 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon red curry paste, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper) in a large bowl and, using your clean hands, mix well to blend.
- Clean your hands and wet them a bit to prevent the meat mixture from sticking. Take a spoonful of mixture and roll it between your palms to create a meatball. Repeat with the remaining mixture and arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Curry Sauce
- Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat the 1 tablespoon groundnut oil. Saute the ½ yellow onion(diced) and 1 red bell pepper (diced) for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add in the 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 1 tablespoon red curry paste, 1 tablespoon honey, and 13.5 oz full-fat unsweetened coconut milk.
- Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- As soon as the meatballs are done baking, add them to the curry sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with Fresh Cilantro and 1/4 cup roasted peanuts.
Video
Notes
- Ground turkey: We prefer using 93% lean turkey for this recipe.
- Panko: You can also use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger has the most flavor. Peel the skin off with the back of a spoon, then grate with a Microplane or grater. You can freeze the leftover and grate it from frozen next time you need ginger.
- Soy sauce: Substitute with coconut aminos if desired.
- Red curry paste: You can substitute it with curry powder, but the flavor may not be identical. If substituting, use 1 teaspoon in the meatballs and 1 teaspoon in the curry sauce.
- Groundnut oil: Also called peanut oil. Substitute with sunflower oil or canola oil.
- Don’t over-mix the meat: Mix until just combined for tender meatballs that don’t fall apart.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We love this recipe! We learned to double the meatballs and freeze half. So delish and a nice change of pace from our routine meals
So perfect. Thanks for the feedback
My cousin just made these meatballs as written with one exception – he added Some shredded mozzarella and they were amazing. This is a perfect recipe. Thank you.
Super tasty flavor but I found the meatballs the be a little soft. I think if I crisped them up on a hot cast iron first that would have helped add a crisp. All around great flavor and add Spinach as well!
Thanks for the feedback.
Made these per directions last night. I added matchstick carrots,sliced water chestnuts along with rice vermicelli. Absolutely delicious flavor and texture,will definitely be making this dish often
Thank you!
So easy to make, healthy, and so good!
Thanks Catherine.
DELICIOUS and EASY !!! My family loved it so much that it is now in our meal rotation.
I tried it with ground chicken and it was also delicious !
I’m always a little scared when I try a new recipe. Will the time and effort be worth it ? Will the kids love it ? Well, I can say that so far I have tried 5 recipes from you and they were all a HUGE success.
Thank you for sharing your gift with us ! I’m a huge fan now !!!
Glad you loved it
So delicious! We loved it! Putting it in my meal rotation.
Thank you Juli. Glad you loved it