Sticky Asian Meatballs are a delicious family dinner made with pork mince, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and breadcrumbs, creating tender meatballs packed with flavour and coated in a rich, sticky sauce.

This is the sort of meal that feels a little special while still being easy enough for a busy weeknight. Serve them with your favourite sides for a satisfying dinner that both children and adults will happily tuck into.

What gives these meatballs their Asian-inspired flavour?

These easy pork meatballs contain all the lovely flavours you associate with Asian fusion cooking, from garlic, ginger, spring onions all beautifully combined with delicious sauces. Convenient and so tasty, these wonderful staples are included in both the meatballs and the sticky sauce. I have used the following Lee Kum Kee products today; Hoisin Sauce, Pure Sesame Oil & Premium Soy Sauce. Consider this your starter pack for creating gorgeous flavour in your cooking. Fantastic quality and readily available in your supermarket, definitely a brand you can trust. 

Can I adjust this recipe to suit my preferences?

Can I make these meatballs spicy or hotter?

This is an easy 30 minute meal, perfect for busy households, and family friendly as these are not ‘hot’ at all, rather they are a perfect balance of flavours everyone will enjoy. If you do like a hit of heat in your meatballs then add a pinch of red chilli flakes to the meatballs (1/2 – 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes is recommended at the most).

Can I use fresh ginger?

Yes, you can use fresh or ground ginger! Ground will give you more subtle flavour, so use sparingly if you are using fresh ginger.

Can I halve this recipe?

Yes! Simply halve all the ingredients, including the sticky Asian sauce.

How to make pork meatballs 

The process is broken down into two quick steps, preparing and baking the meatballs and preparing and heating the sauce. 

I have used pork mince (ground pork) as I think it works best with the flavours, and is lovely and lightly flavoured, you could replace with chicken, beef or create a combination of any depending what suits your family. But the pork definitely works beautifully here. I have a good little tip to create light meatballs that are not tough and dense.

Prepare all of the ‘extra’ ingredients before adding the meat! This way the meat isn’t overworked, so in this case simply combine the breadcrumbs, eggs, spring onions, garlic, ginger, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil first, then add the pork mince and lightly mix until completely combined. 

How many meatballs does this recipe make?

This is a lovely big recipe, using 1 kilogram of pork mince, you can easily half this recipe if you prefer. This recipe makes 40 good sized meatballs so plenty for the whole family. Baking time is no more than 15 minutes, during which time you can prepare the sauce ingredients, this step just takes 5 minutes so you can see why we love this quick recipe! 

How to make sticky Asian sauce 

Combining these few ingredients; hoisin sauce, pure sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, rice wine vinegar and ginger results in the most delicious and simple sauce you can make! The Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce is perfectly balanced with sweetness so there is no need to add any extra sweetness here such as honey. Taking just a few minutes, you combine these ingredients and bring to a gentle boil for 1 minute and you are done! 

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Yes! Brown the meatballs, whisk the sauce together and pour over the meatballs, cook covered on high for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

How can I serve Sticky Asian Meatballs?

Once the meatballs are baked you simply add them to a large bowl, pour over your sticky Asian sauce combine and serve! Today I have served this with jasmine rice and garnished with sesame seeds and finely sliced spring onion. This recipe makes a generous amount of sauce so you can serve with rice, in wraps, or on their own as an entree with small wooden serving forks.

Can I freeze these?

Yes! You can freeze before baking the meatballs, after baking without sauce, or complete with sauce in an airtight container. Cool before freezing.

Sticky Asian Meatballs Recipe

If you love meatballs, then be sure to check out my other version too – Amazing Meatballs, they are oh so tasty!

I really hope you love these Sticky Asian Meatballs as much as we do. They are such an easy, flavour-packed meal to have in your regular dinner rotation, and one I know I’ll be making again and again.

If you give this recipe a go, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you in the comments. You can also leave a ⭐ rating in the recipe card above, it really helps others find and enjoy this recipe too.

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Happy baking,
Anna x