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Combine tender, fluffy meatballs with the sweet and savory flavors of Korean BBQ with my Korean Meatballs Recipe! Using easy ingredients and a delicious homemade bulgogi sauce, these meatballs are the perfect weeknight meal. Ready in just under 1 hour and great for serving over rice!
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Korean Meatball Recipe
When I have a busy day, the last thing I want to do is spend all evening in the kitchen cooking dinner. But at the same time, there's nothing as disappointing as a weeknight dinner that tastes just as fast and low-effort as it is.
That's where these Korean BBQ meatballs come in to save the dinner, and the day! They're tender, flavorful, fluffy, and best yet, take just 5 ingredients including a super-easy homemade sauce. Mix everything up, roll the meatballs into form, stick them in the oven, and bam- succulent, sweet-and-savory BBQ meatballs, ready to devour.
Craving Korean BBQ takeout but not craving the cost? Then try this recipe for Korean meatballs! It's delicious, fast, cost-effective, and makes enough for plenty of delicious leftovers. You'll be making it again, I promise!
Bulgogi Meatballs Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- Egg
- Panko
- Ground beef
- Ground pork
- Bulgogi sauce
For the Bulgogi Sauce
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sesame oil
- Apple juice
- Green onions
How to Make Korean BBQ Meatballs
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meats, breadcrumbs, and egg. Mix well to combine, but don't over-mix, as the meat can get tough!
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- While the meat is in the fridge, preheat the oven to 425°F. Once the meat has chilled for long enough, roll the meat into 1" meatballs, then place them on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown and the meat cooked through, 165°F minimum.
- Remove from the oven. In a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the bulgogi sauce and mix until the sugar dissolves.
- Toss the meatballs in bulgogi sauce, then serve over rice and enjoy!
BBQ Meatballs Tips
- As with all ground meat recipes, it's important to not over-work the meat mixture! Mix until it's nicely combined, but don't keep mashing it up. Too much mixing can break down the fibers and make the meatballs dense and tough.
- Make sure to use panko, not just regular breadcrumbs! Panko is made up of larger, fluffier crumbs, making for meatballs that are lighter and less dense than if they'd been made with regular breadcrumb.
- This recipe makes a little extra bulgogi, which is perfect for pouring over rice to finish off the meal!
- Feeling up for a twist? Make a few patties out of the meatball mix to make into bulgogi burgers! Cook them up the same way and pour sauce over them for quick and easy Korean BBQ burgers!
Dietary Restrictions + Variations
- Gluten-Free: To make these meatballs gluten-free, swap the panko out for gluten-free panko, and swap out the soy sauce in the Bulgogi for Tamari. Soy sauce is a secret carrier of wheat gluten, and many bottled sauces will include it.
- Soy Free: Swap the soy sauce in the Bulgogi out for coconut aminos, then reduce the amount of sugar to ½ cup or even less.
- Egg Free: Replace the egg with 4 tablespoons of plain yogurt.
BBQ Meatball FAQ
Korean meatballs are very simple meatballs made of a mixture of pork and beef, panko, and a binder such as egg! The star of the show is the deliciously sweet and savory bulgogi sauce that the meatballs are rolled in after cooking.
To keep meatballs from breaking, it's important to add a binder that will keep the meat together as it cooks. I like using an egg, as egg doesn't change the flavor of the meat but perfectly binds the meatballs together perfectly.
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📋 Recipe
Korean Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 1 lb Ground pork
- 1 large Egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup Panko plain
- 1 cup Bulgogi sauce
Bulgogi Sauce Ingredients
- 1 cup Soy sauce
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 inch Fresh ginger grated
- 1½ Tablespoons Sesame oil
- ¾ cup Apple juice or Pear juice
- 3 Green onions finely chopped
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meats, breadcrumbs, and egg. Mix well to combine, but don't over-mix, as the meat can get tough!
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- While the meat is in the fridge, preheat the oven to 425°F. Once the meat has chilled for long enough, roll the meat into 1" meatballs, then place them on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown and the meat cooked through, 165°F minimum.
- Remove from the oven. In a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the bulgogi sauce and mix until the sugar dissolves.
- Toss the meatballs in bulgogi, then serve over rice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
-
- As with all ground meat recipes, it's important to not over-work the meat mixture! Mix until it's nicely combined, but don't keep mashing it up. Too much mixing can break down the fibers and make the meatballs dense and tough.
-
- Make sure to use panko, not just regular breadcrumbs! Panko is made up of larger, fluffier crumbs, making for meatballs that are lighter and less dense than if they'd been made with regular breadcrumb.
-
- This recipe makes a little extra bulgogi, which is perfect for pouring over rice to finish off the meal!
-
- Feeling up for a twist? Make a few patties out of the meatball mix to make into bulgogi burgers! Cook them up the same way and pour sauce over them for quick and easy Korean BBQ burgers!
- Dietary Restrictions
-
- Gluten Free: To make these meatballs gluten free, swap the panko out for gluten-free panko, and swap out the soy sauce in the Bulgogi for Tamari. Soy sauce is a secret carrier of wheat gluten, and many bottled sauces will include it.
-
- Soy Free: Swap the soy sauce in the Bulgogi out for coconut aminos, then reduce the amount of sugar to ½ cup or even less.
-
- Egg Free: Replace the egg with 4 tablespoons of plain yogurt.
-
Nutrition
» About Me
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