Teriyaki Meatballs are a quick, tasty family meal that hits all the right notes when you're craving take-away at home. These little flavour bombs come together in no time, perfect for last-minute dinners that still feel special.
Simply season the meat, form into meatballs, and fry them in a pan until golden and cooked through while you whisk up a sweet, sticky teriyaki sauce. I've kept the ingredients simple so you get all the classic Japanese-style flavours without hunting for anything tricky, giving you a fuss-free dinner packed with sticky, savoury-sweet goodness.
Calories in Slow Cooker Creamy Garlic Chicken Spinach Pasta
This recipe serves 4 and is 528 calories per serving
If you're looking for more recipes by calories, you'll find plenty of options grouped by calorie range here: Slimming Eats Low Calorie Recipes
If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie needs using a reliable calorie calculator. The calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion sizes you use. Using your own calculations helps ensure you're meeting your individual needs. A calorie calculator can help you make informed choices and stay on track with your goals.
See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredient Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Extra lean beef mince: forms the base of the meatballs, giving them flavour without excess fat.
- Garlic and onion powder: intensifies the meatball seasoning without adding extra chopping.
- Garlic: adds aromatic depth and savoury punch.
- Ginger: brings a fresh, warm note that lifts the sauce.
- Onion: softens and rounds out the flavours in the meatballs.
- Soy sauce: salty and umami-rich, the backbone of the teriyaki sauce.
- Mirin: a sweet rice wine that balances the saltiness and adds shine to the sauce.
- Brown sugar: caramelises in the pan, giving the sauce its sticky, glossy finish.
- Sesame oil: nutty aroma that elevates the overall flavour profile.
- Garlic and onion powder: intensifies the meatball seasoning without adding extra chopping.
- Cornstarch: thickens the sauce to cling beautifully to each meatball.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions
Variations and Substitutes
You can easily switch the beef for chicken or turkey mince if you prefer a lighter option. For an even quicker meal, use your favourite frozen meatballs, just look for lower-calorie options to keep the meal in line with your daily goals.
Almost any veg works well stirred into the sauce or served on the side, so feel free to add peppers, broccoli, carrots or snap peas to jazz up the meal. Just a reminder, if you add veg directly into the sauce, it may reduce the amount of sauce overall as the vegetables absorb some of it. You could also swap mirin for a splash of dry sherry or skip it entirely, adjusting the sugar slightly if you like a sweeter sauce.
Sides Suggestions
Pair your Teriyaki Meatballs with your favourite rice or vegetables to make a complete meal.
- White rice: simple and classic, perfect for soaking up the sauce.
- Egg fried rice : adds extra flavour and a touch of indulgence.
- Cauliflower rice: a lower calorie option that still absorbs the sauce beautifully.
- Stir-fried vegetables: I like a mix of cabbage, carrots and green onions, but you could also try broccoli, snap peas, bell peppers, baby corn, sugar snap peas, bok choy, or zucchini for extra colour and crunch.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
These meatballs keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store them in an airtight container with the sauce to keep them moist. You can also portion them into meal prep containers with rice and vegetable sides for complete meals ready to reheat during the week.
For freezing, let the meatballs and sauce cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag. They can be frozen for up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight if possible, then gently warm in a pan over medium heat until heated through. The sauce will loosen as it warms, so stir occasionally. Reheating already cooked meatballs in the sauce is safe and helps keep them tender and flavourful.
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Recipe Card
Teriyaki Meatballs
Tender, flavour packed Teriyaki Meatballs coated in a sticky, savoury sweet sauce, perfect for a quick and fuss free family dinner that satisfies take away cravings at home.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 500g (17.5oz) of extra lean ground beef
- pinch of salt and black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger
For the sauce:
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of soy sauce (you can use a mix of light and dark if you prefer a deeper sauce)
- ½ cup (120ml) of water
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of brown sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoon of sesame oil
- 2-3 spring onions, finely sliced
- sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for sauce in a bowl.
- Add ingredients for meatballs to a seperate bowl, combine together and form into 20 meatballs.
- Spray a frying pan with low calorie spray, add meatballs and brown all over, remove and set aside.
- Add the sauce to a frying pan over a medium high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until it starts to bubble and reduce down and thicken.
- Drop in the meatballs to the pan and continue to simmer until the sauce coats the meatballs in a delicious sauce and the meatballs are cooked through.
- Scatter with the chopped spring onions and a teeny pinch of sesame seeds and enjoy!
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- ❄️ Freezer Friendly
- Dairy Free Friendly
- Gluten Free Friendly - use gluten free soy sauce
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Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1 servingAmount Per Serving Calories 249Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 78mgSodium 956mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 0gSugar 10gProtein 29g
Nutritional information and values etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
Cleardee1 says
Siobhan
Coukd I sub the brown sugar for a tablespoon of Sukrin gold? That would save a few Syns!
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
You could certainly give it a go. My ink concern would be that it won’t give the same stick kind of sauce as sukrin doesn’t quite caramelize like regular sugar. Let me know how it turns out if you try it.
Jane Ritchuk says
what the heck are syns??
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
syns are part of the Slimming World program. It is the value given to foods which are not free on Slimming World. Check out my full review for more details http://www.slimmingeats.com/blog/slimming-world-review
Ellesse Hawksworth says
Hi, did you mean minced need because mine doesn’t seem to look like you’rs and the sauce didn’t stick to them? Do you know what could’ve gone wrong? Thank you
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
I’m a little confused by what you mean? You are using ground beef (mince), those are cooked in the oven and then you mix the sauce ingredients and add to a pan and simmer to thicken before adding in the meatballs to the sauce and then stirring to coat. Is it possible you didn’t follow those steps correctly and allow the sauce to thicken before adding in the meatballs?
Jenn says
Made this for the first time tonighg, drlivious! Made with turkey mince and served with Syn Free egg fried rice!
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
sounds like a perfect combination. Thanks for commenting 🙂
Clare says
Tried this one out tonight and worked great, especially when you patiently let the sauce thicken and reduce. I actually doubled the amounts to make extra. Even the 5 year old approved!
Giselle Stafford says
Made this last night with chicken mince and used Sukrin Gold instead of brown sugar.
Completely delicious! Served it with basmati rice cooked in veg stock and some sprouting broccoli (tossed in a teaspoon of synned sesame oil and chilli!) I have saved the recipe to use again in the near future!! Thanks Siobhan!
Emma says
Would this be freezer-friendly?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Yes these will freeze okay
Adrienne Byrne says
Just made this and it was delicious and easy to make. I'll definitely be making this again but will double the recipe.