Turkey meatballs are tender, juicy, and chock-full of savory flavor.
These baked turkey meatballs are made with ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, and herbs. Perfect for pasta night, meal prep, or freezer-friendly make-ahead dinners.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Turkey meatballs are tender and juicy with a savory, herby flavor that pairs perfectly with pasta or sauce.
- Skill Level: Mix, form, and bake! Easy peasy and so fun to make.
- Swaps: Use healthy turkey meatballs in place of ground beef meatballs in soups, casseroles, and appetizers.
- Freezing: Turkey meatballs freeze beautifully; double up the recipe and have them on hand for quick meals.
Ingredient Tips for Turkey Meatballs
- Turkey: Look for lean (not extra lean) ground turkey so the meatballs stay juicy. Ground chicken and ground pork are also good choices. For extra juicy meatballs, use a 1:1 ratio of turkey to pork.
- Binders: Eggs and Panko breadcrumbs work as binders and help to hold the meatballs together, and help keep them moist.
- Onion: Sauté the onion in a little oil first for more depth of flavor, or swap for ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, dried parsley, basil, and oregano add savory flavor to meatballs. All-purpose Italian seasoning or a zesty Cajun blend lets you match the meatballs to the menu.
- Variations: For an added flavor boost, ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese can be added in Step 3, if desired.
How to Make Turkey Meatballs
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Form into balls.
- Bake (full recipe below).
Storing Solutions
Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, place them in a microwave-safe container with a bit of water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook until warmed through. (This method makes them moist and juicy again.)
Freeze cooked meatballs in a zippered bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 375°F for 18 to 22 minutes or until heated through.
Freeze raw, assembled meatballs on a baking sheet before transferring them to zippered bags for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen on a parchment-lined pan at 375°F for 22 to 26 minutes.
More Ground Turkey Recipes
Did you enjoy these Turkey Meatballs? Leave us a comment and rating below!
Equipment
- Parchment Paper or foil
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ cup white onion finely diced
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, parsley, white onion, egg, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano.
- Gently mix all ingredients just until combined, do not overmix. Divide the meat mixture evenly, rolling into 24 meatballs, 1-inch in diameter. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F. (Do not overbake).
Notes
- For a milder onion flavor, cook the onion in ½ tablespoon of butter in a skillet until softened. Cool before adding to the meat mixture.
- Overmixing can lead to dense meatballs, so mix just enough to combine the ingredients.
- If the meat mixture is sticky, roll the meatballs with wet hands.
- Turkey meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Turkey
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
these really spiced up our spaghetti night love this recipe! It was so easy!
Definitely perfect with spaghetti, glad you enjoyed them Trista!
I tried this sauce on turkey meatballs last night and served them to my very picky children and their even pickier cousins. What a HUGE hit! I cannot thank you enough – you’ve added a new staple to their diets …
I am so glad your family enjoyed the meal!
Love these meatballs! But 2 lbs of turkey made only 40 meatballs … maybe I made them too big. :)
This is one of the rare recipes where the ingredients and cooking time are 100% right on. They turned out perfectly the first try. Thanks so much!!
Question, though: If I don’t have panko on hand, could I substitute rolled oats 1:1?
I think that would be a yummy substitution Margaret. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Most delicious meatballs ever! For years my husband, who eats no red meat, would not try a meatball thinking it was beef. I had him watch as I made these meatballs and he wound up eating half of them before dinner. They were a total hit! Thanks for the great recipe!
I’ve made these several times, and they’re great. I use the dried minced onions, full amount, and they are so good in it!
Glad you’ve loved them Jen!
Oh my these meatballs are better than I ever imagined!!! I had planned on putting sauce and cheese on them, but after trying the first bite I didn’t want to ruin the flavor so I nixed both the sauce and cheese and ate them plain. Just wow!! Best meatballs ever. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I am so glad you loved them Casey! Those sound like great additions.
Great recipe I add bacon to my turkey meatballs for the fat so they are nice and juicy. I also add parm/reggiano cheese.
Sounds like a great addition Shay!
Ended up pretty dry and bland.
If they ended up dry that would mean they overcooked so possibly your meatballs were smaller than mine or your oven ran a bit hotter. You’ll want to ensure you cook them to a temperature of 165°F so they are cooked through but still delicious and juicy.
Do you freeze them after you cook them? And how long are they good in the freezer? Sorry stupid questions
Jovanna, you can freeze them if you’d like, or you can use them fresh. They should keep well for about 3 months in the freezer. Thank you for asking! Enjoy!
Does this call for dried or fresh basil and Oregano? The photo shows dried but the recipe does not indicate.
I use dried basil and oregano. You could substitute fresh if you prefer. Enjoy, Katie!
If I leave out the onions, would it be ok?
It will change the taste, but you can leave the onions out. Enjoy!
These were delicious and so easy to bring make! The only thing I would change would be to sauté the onions before adding them into the mixture. I didn’t chop them small enough so the meatballs still have a bit of a crunch to them. Otherwise, great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them. Great idea to saute them first!
First time i made i had rave reviews, so now i doubled the recipe and will have them for a Superbowl party! This is now my go to recipe for meatballs.
So glad you loved them Erin! Thank you for the review!
Just made these, and think they are perfect.. Perfect flavor, not too salty, not bland.. Nice easy recipe to follow.. Thank you for sharing
So glad you enjoyed them Laurie!
I made the meatballs and they were good, but they lacked flavor. They also were very dry. I will try to remake them maybe adding bell pepper, olive oil, and maybe a little more of salt. My husband did not like them at all, so I ate the rest of the batch instead of wasting them. I will let you know how they turn out. Thanks for the recipe!
These are wonderful!!!
Made these tonight, absolutely delicious! Next time only think I’ll do is add some Parmesan cheese to the mixture. Thanks for the amazing recipe!!!
I’m so glad you loved them Michelle!
Great recipe. They are great fresh and freeze well, too! I love it with the ground turkey, but was wondering if this recipe will work with ground beef? Do you recommend any modifications if using ground beef? Thanks!
This should work just fine with ground beef, no changes required.
Do you think changing parsley to cilantro would change the flavor too drastically? I love cilantro but not sure how it would work with this recipe!
can this be frozen?
Absolutely!
WOW!!! These were incredible!!! we added mozzarella cheese at the end!
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
These are delicious! i just made them; I used 85/15 ground turkey because I was afraid to go too lean. YUM! good flavor. can’t wait to serve them tonight.