Honey Garlic Meatballs

These easy honey garlic meatballs have a tangy-sweet glaze with just a touch of heat from optional jalapeños. SO easy to make and they are great for family dinners or appetizers, depending on how big you make them.

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You'll love this quick and easy weeknight dinner the whole family will go crazy over! Oven and crockpot recipe instructions included!

It's a perfect weeknight meal with this old fashioned squash casserole on the side.

A meatball on a fork dripping with sauce. — These honey garlic meatballs have so much flavor!

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Ingredients
🥘 Slow cooker instructions
🥫 Storage
⏲️ Make-ahead
📚 Related recipes
🍽️ Serve with...
🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

That sauce! The soy sauce adds a deep, rich flavor and the honey really balances out the saltiness
Surprisingly quick to make for a busy weeknight meal and it works as well for family dinners as it does for appetizers.

Easy honey garlic meatballs recipe is baked with a sweet-tangy-spicy sauce that forms a sticky glaze.

And let me tell you - it's a great main dish but these are also one of those easy appetizers that always disappears fast on game days. Just make the meatballs a bit smaller.

Ingredients

Step by step images showing the process of making the meatballs.

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

Make & bake meatballs.
Saute onion and jalapeno.
Add soy sauce and remaining ingredients and simmer.
Add meatballs.

🥘 Slow cooker instructions

I realize that some of y'all will want a slow cooker honey garlic meatballs recipe. No problem!

It can be done but the one thing I don't like about it is that the sauce can break and get a little watery. I'd suggest making an extra batch of sauce to have on hand just in case that happens.

It's also very important, if you're make slow cooker meatballs, to use the leanest beef possible. You don't want fat floating around on top of the sauce!

To make this easy meatball recipe even easier in your crockpot make the delicious honey garlic sauce as instructed in the recipe and place half of it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add your uncooked meatballs and then add the rest of the sauce on top.

Just make sure you're using a very lean ground beef.

Cover and cook on low about 4 to 6 hours.

🥫 Storage

Let the meatballs come to room temperature then store in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap. They're good in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

You can also freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.

⏲️ Make-ahead

I like to make them ahead of time in a big batch, leaving the sauce off, and keep them in the freezer. My homemade meatballs recipe has so much more flavor and fewer weird ingredients than the commercial ones.

You could use the frozen meatballs from the store if you wanted to, though. Just make sure you don't get the Italian seasoned kind.

When I make meatballs I undercook them slightly.

Here's why...

If I am going to freeze them for heating up later I'll cook them to an interior temperature of 150F before flash freezing. This way, when the meatballs are being warmed up they finish cooking and don't overcook.

If I am cooking them to eat immediately I cook them to 160F and let them sit on the counter for 5 minutes or so while I finish dinner prep.

During that time the temperature continues to rise until it's at a perfect 165F and the meatballs are not tough or overcooked.

In this recipe, the meatballs are going to simmer a few minutes in the sauce so they'll finish cooking then.

Expert Tip: Use 90/10 ground beef instead of 80/20. They won't be greasy and will still have plenty of delicious flavor!

Some people mix ground meats - beef, pork, veal, lamb. I prefer just beef.
If you're going to try these with convenience food just make sure you're not using the frozen Italian meatballs.
As a general rule 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat is about right.
Keep your ingredients icy cold when mixing and forming the meatballs.
Gently mix with your hands. It just works better.
Rub a little olive oil on your hands to keep the meatball mixture from sticking.
Cook a little of your mixture before forming the meatballs and taste it for seasoning. Add more salt as needed.
Don't pack them together like snowballs. Gently form the meatball so that it's as loose as possible without falling apart.
Use a cookie scoop to keep all the meatballs the same size.
This easy meatball recipe is great for appetizers - just make them smaller.
Undercook slightly and let them stand for 5 minutes or so before serving.
Make a big batch and flash freeze them when they are almost cooked. Once frozen move them to freezer containers. You'll have meatballs anytime you want them for a fraction of the cost of the commercial kind -and without the weird stuff.

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

What is the secret to good meatballs?

About 50% meat and 50% bread crumbs plus never packing the mixture too tight.

Should meatballs have breadcrumbs?

Yes because they keep the meatballs from becoming too dry.

Can I substitute cracker crumbs for breadcrumbs in meatballs?

Yes you can but cut down on the rest of the salt you add to the recipe. Crackers are much saltier than breadcrumbs.

Overhead view of meatballs being spooned into a dish.

I don't know about you but I need a collection of quick weeknight dinners for those days. You know what I'm talking about. Man does not live by easy meatball recipes, alone - am I right?

Here are some of my favorite busy night dinners. I think you'll love them, too.

Bourbon chicken has a similar flavor to this meatball recipe. It's a copycat of your favorite food court fare!
Swiss Steak is another old favorite - and it's so easy when you make it in a slow cooker.
Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork is family friendly - everyone loves it!
This easy southern meatloaf is always juicy and delicious.

🍽️ Serve with...

And it's delicious over white rice!

🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends

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Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

This meatball maker comes in two sizes - one for dinner size meatballs and one for appetizer meatballs. It helps to keep the meatballs uniform in size - which means you won't have any over or under baked meatballs!

What’s new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness! Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

Closeup view of glazed meatballs in a serving bowl.

This easy meatball recipe is a keeper!

I use it often when I have to take a meal to someone at church or a potluck of some sort. Everyone loves them and asks for the recipe.

Make them smaller for appetizers - I like to stick them on cocktail skewers with a candied jalapeno on top.

Next time try this meatball stroganoff.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published December 11, 2017. Last updated January 23, 2023 for editorial improvements.