Glazed Chile-Garlic Meatballs

By Ifrah F. Ahmed

Updated March 24, 2026

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
45 min
Rating
5(133)
Comments
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These tender and juicy meatballs come together quickly for a simple and satisfying weeknight meal. Cilantro gives the meatballs a bright lift, while a chile-garlic sauce glaze offers sweet-salty heat. You can assemble these meatballs ahead of time and freeze them until they’re ready to be cooked and eaten, or bake them off the same day and serve with rice and a refreshing cucumber salad, sautéed green beans or another vegetable side. 

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Ingredients

Yield:24 meatballs

For the meatballs

  • 1 pound ground beef (or ground chicken or ground turkey)

  • ½ cup finely minced white onion

  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs

  • ⅓ cup milk

  • ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves 

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • Any combination of cucumber salad, cooked vegetables and rice, for serving

For the sauce

  • ¾ cup soy sauce 

  • 6 tablespoons maple syrup 

  • 2 tablespoons chile-garlic sauce (preferably Huy Fong)

  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 

  • 4 garlic cloves, finely grated 

  • ½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger (optional)

  • Ground black pepper, to taste 

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

    1. Step 1

      Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. 

    2. Step 2

      In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients. With damp hands, shape into 24 balls (each about 1 ½ inches wide), then arrange them on the sheet pan, making sure to space them out evenly. 

    3. Step 3

      Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes, until browned on both sides, making sure to flip halfway through. 

    4. Step 4

      While the meatballs bake, add all the sauce ingredients to a medium skillet and cook down the sauce over medium until it has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Once it thickens, take the sauce off the heat and set aside. Add the meatballs and stir until coated.

    5. Step 5

      Plate the meatballs and lightly drizzle with any remaining chile-garlic sauce. Serve right away or store the meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. If saving the meatballs to cook on a later date, store them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
133 user ratings
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Comments

Gill

So easy and so delicious!! This is going to become a go-to recipe. Sauce took a little longer to reduce down, but got there eventually. No notes, highly recommend!

Ardys

Tasty! I used lean ground beef and modified the recipe slightly after reading others comments and to reduce fat - swapped Greek yogurt for the milk, removed the oil entirely, reduced the breadcrumbs to 1/4 cup and only added 1 egg. Meatballs were delicious even with these modifications. To thicken the sauce I added 2 teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water. Will definitely make again.

Steve D.

Delicious! I reduced the milk and increased the panko; as written the meatballs were too loose. Loved the sauce, but couldn’t get it to reduce; will work on that next time. Definitely going into the rotation.

Carissa

Will def make again, needs tinkering. Meatballs: omitted milk & 1 egg, used 1/2 c. panko, decreased salt (used Diamond kosher), used #40 lever scoop. Texture was great. Baking 20 min was perfect! Sauce: Used 1/2 C. low-so soy, 4 Tbs. maple syrup & 2 Tbs. honey, Chili-Garlic sauce, kept the sesame oil & ginger/garlic. I reduced it only slightly then added 3 Tbs. + 2 tsp. cornstarch & boiled briefly. Loved it. NEEDS white rice. Still exceedingly salty...

Joel K

Practice with any meatball recipe floating around out there, and it's more of a technique over actual recipe. Some mentioning the mixture is "too loose" and others stating to not use milk or crumbs to help this? Meatballs [and meatloaf] techniques are all similar if not the same due to decades old technique of using a panade [milk + crumbs]. This step, is not to be dismissed, much like chilling the meat mixture, covered, for AT LEAST 30-40 MINUTES [unmentioned] Chill the tray helps also.

Chris B.

Reporting back. I used 1 pound of ground chicken & 2 Tbsps. of dried minced onion flakes. Looking at the recipe, I think it has way too much fresh minced onions. When I make Swedish meatballs I use 3 Tbsps. of dried minced onions. Subbed honey for the maple syrup; (maybe 3 Tbsps). I eliminated the salt in the meatball because the Parmesan cheese had enough & used 1 egg. Used ginger paste & low sodium soy sauce. Used a round coffee scoop with 1 1/2" diameter.

Chris B.

For those interested, one pound of ground meat makes between 15 - 16 1.5" diameter meatballs.

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