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
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Made these for kids meal prep and I snuck in a few (the chef needs to try too!!) am currently counting my macros so is your nutrition information for how many meatballs or grams more or less? They were really juicy only next time I need to mince my onion (I got lazy and chopped it with a knife and my daughter didn’t enjoy the onion chunks but my son and I didn’t mind them ;)
The chef definitely need to preform quality control! The nutrition information is per meatball so 1/24 of the recipe.
Excellent! I made a condensed mushroom soup sauce and poured over meatballs and egg noodles. Kids loved it, thank-you!
Another great recipe from Holly! I added parmesan cheese, next time I might try roasting garlic to add!!
I’m 66, set in my ways, and Italian American. I was delighted with this recipe. No reason for me to use beef in my meatballs ever again. Thanks!
Hello! What would suggest for temp and time in an air fryer?
I would recommend following this Air Fryer Meatball recipe for the cooking instructions.
Generally, how many meatballs will this recipe make?
This makes 24 meatballs. Enjoy!
Hello Holly
What would you recommend to adjust this recipe to make it GF & DF as we have celiac and a dairy allergy in the family.
Thank you
Hi Fiona, at my local grocery store you can purchase GF panko breadcrumbs. They can be used in place of the regular ones in this recipe. I hope that helps!
Is the serving size 1 meatball for nutrition information?
Yes it is.
Sounds yummy but wonder I need the parsley or if I do need such if something else can work as I despise parsley (do love Cilantro and
Chinese parsley)
Actually only parsley and dill affect me that way ;-D
Thank you so much
Hi Rosalee, you can leave it out if you dislike it. If you want to add in Chinese Parlsey or cilantro in it’s place you are welcome too, it will just the flavor slightly.
A few years ago, I read an article about the love/hate relationship many have between parsley and cilantro. Apparently, this is a common thing and has a scientific reason.
Has anyone tried freezing these for later use?
You can also find this info in the post: To freeze these meatballs, place them on a parchment-lined pan and freeze. Once frozen transfer to a freezer bag or a sealed container. To use, thaw and cook as directed in the recipe. (You can cook and completely cool them before freezing if desired. To use, just simply defrost and reheat).
Holly’s recipes are always very good. Since discovering this recipe, I have been making meatballs often. They work beautifully in a tomato sauce or as the centerpiece of a Greek inspired meal. All your recipes are so practical and family friendly.
I am sorry to say but these had no flavor and I even added cheese. So disappointed and frustrated as it all got thrown out.
That is frustrating, I am sorry that happened, Erica. We found these had a decent amount of flavor with the spices used but you can definitely adjust the seasonings to your preference!
I love this recipe!!! Sorry, I couldn’t find organic/non-GMO Panko breadcrumbs in the store *=(yes,even my local Whole Foods), so I used regular organic bread crumbs. But followed everything else to a T. SO DELISH! This is now a family fave! Kids are so picky but they tear thru these!! Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Kelly!
Made these tonight and they were delicious. Served on multigrain hoagies and melted mozzarella on. 10/10! I did use italian bread crumbs too instead of plain!
Love
Made these tonight and used Italian breadcrumbs in place of panko (which really gave more great seasoning/flavor) and I also added some grated Parmesan cheese – I cut the recipe in half as I only used 1lb of ground turkey, they came out great even my picky 6 year old son loved them!
I made these last night and was thrilled with the results. That said, I deviated a bit from the recipe because I had already sent my husband out for eggs and I didn’t think he’d consent to being sent out again! I used fresh basil instead of parsley and I grated a frozen hot dog roll for the bread crumbs. I also loaded them up with spices, minced celery, onion, red pepper and a small bit of horseradish cheese. (Okay, I REALLY deviated!) My fear is that they’d be bland, ’cause that seems to be the big problem with ground turkey and chicken. They were fantastic! I baked them and they had a nice crust on the bottom, and they were really tasty. I will definitely make these again! Thank you for the tip about not over-mixing the meat and thank you also for specifying whether they can be frozen. Next time I will make more!
Those changes sound delicious Denise! Glad they turned out well for you :)
Holly, once again, a 10 star recipe, the only change was using chicken tenders I ground myself. I did make them a bit larger, used an ice cream scoop, so made about 1 1/2 inch meatballs, end result was 27, no harm, no foul, I did increase the time to 35 minutes, and they came out perfect! (I cut one in half and had a sample, excellent!) So good, even one of our cats stole one when I had my back turned.
I made these on 7 June 2019 and I will use in a creamy lime and caper sauce.
Thank you Holly for once again, a fail proof recipe ;)
Those changes sound delicious Lee, glad it worked out for you! So happy we could provide you with a fool proof winner!
These are a hit in my family most definitely our go to recipe!
Perfectly seasoned and juicy There soooo yummy!!! Thank you so much!
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipe Tammy!
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 s glad this recipe was a success with your family Moses! Great to hear from you!
I make these with mashed potatoes and gravy and they’re a family favorite!
I am so glad you enjoyed the meatball recipe Brooke!