Vietnamese-Style Meatballs with Chili Sauce
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
My husband calls these Vietnamese-style meatballs “flavor bombs.” Serve them over rice for a quick weeknight dinner.
My husband calls these Vietnamese-style meatballs with a deliciously bright and pungent sauce “flavor bombs” (which, by the way, is a good thing). They are flavored with fish sauce and soy sauce—two umami-rich condiments commonly used in Vietnamese cooking—along with ginger, lime, spicy Sambal Oelek (not a traditional Vietnamese ingredient, but the spicy, garlicky flavor works so well here), and fresh herbs. They practically explode with flavor. I love them over rice, but they are also delicious wrapped in lettuce cups or served over rice noodles. Be judicious with the chili sauce—a little goes a long way.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Vietnamese-Style Meatballs
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, scallions, lime zest, cilantro, and mint.
Whisk to combine.
Add the beef, pork, and panko.
Using your hands, mix until evenly combined.
Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized balls and arrange on an unlined baking sheet. The mixture will be a bit sticky; dampen your hands every so often while rolling the meatballs if necessary.
Bake for 25 minutes, flipping once with a metal spatula halfway through the cooking time, until the meatballs are browned and cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Be sure the sugar is completely dissolved and not stuck to the bottom of the bowl.
Serve the meatballs drizzled with the sauce and sprinkled with scallions, cilantro, mint, and peanuts.
You May Also Like
Vietnamese-Style Meatballs with Chili Sauce
My husband calls these Vietnamese-style meatballs “flavor bombs.” Serve them over rice for a quick weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 scallions, finely chopped (about ¼ cup), plus a few more for serving
- 2 teaspoons lime zest, from 2 limes
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus more for serving
- ¾ lb 85% lean ground beef
- ¾ lb ground pork
- 1 cup panko
- ½ cup chopped unsalted peanuts, for serving
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Asian chili sauce, such as Sambal Oelek, or Asian chili garlic sauce (available in Asian aisle of most supermarkets)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ¼ cup lime juice, from 2 to 3 limes
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, scallions, lime zest, cilantro, and mint. Whisk to combine. Add the beef, pork, and panko. Using your hands, mix until evenly combined. Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized balls and arrange on an unlined baking sheet. The mixture will be a bit sticky; dampen your hands every so often while rolling the meatballs if necessary. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping once with a metal spatula halfway through the cooking time, until the meatballs are browned and cooked through. (If the meatballs stick a bit to the pan, simply slide the metal spatula underneath them and they should release.)
- Meanwhile make the sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Be sure the sugar is completely dissolved and not stuck to the bottom of the bowl. Taste and add more chili sauce if desired.
- Serve the meatballs drizzled with the sauce and sprinkled with scallions, cilantro, mint, and peanuts. (Be judicious with the sauce; it's very strong in flavor.)
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
- Make Ahead: The meatballs can be made completely ahead of time and refrigerated in a tightly sealed container for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The meatballs can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve them, reheat them in the microwave.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 488
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Sodium: 2046 mg
- Cholesterol: 141 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This was delicious! While I don’t often cook, I decided to try this out and they are indeed full of flavor, I do think that adding the sauce makes a big difference as well. I was able to freeze them and have them ready for dinner, and these are also toddler approved! <3 Delicious!
five stars!
“Flavor bombs” for sure. Made these the first time for me and my fiancée, who is a chef himself, and they came out amazing. Recently, we had a dinner party of 6 people and I thought these would be great to serve. We served them on the table and our guests were able to add what they like. We had lettuce cups and jasmine rice along with the chili sauce, crushed peanuts and scallions. Everyone either made them with lettuce cups, rice or both. They were a big hit with everyone. What I like about this dish is that it can be served as an appetizer or you can make it into a meal. As for the prep-there are quite a number of ingredients (which is common in Vietnamese style dishes) which does make this a little more time consuming (have to get better with my knife skills;) However, it is worth it, because they are so flavorful! This is one of my favorite recipes by Jen. Some of my other favorites are the turkey meatloaf, potato leek soup, corn with lime, sugar, cilantro and baked ziti.
I made this recipe exactly as written and my family LOVED it. My kids gobbled them up. I was worried that the peanuts would seem weird to them but actually really liked them. The sauce has just the right amount of kick. I served them with rice and a salad.
I like Vietnamese dishes and I can handle subtle fish sauce flavor, but when I was making this recipe the fish sauce smell was overpowering. I was hoping the smell and flavor would be more subtle once the meatballs cooked, but it was overpowering. I would recommend this recipe for anyone who loves the taste of fish sauce. My 2 year old devoured the meatballs but the rest of the family wasn’t a fan. I’m sure it had partly to do with the brand I used – Polar Fish Sauce maybe is just too pungent?
Hi Lea Ann, sorry you found these to be disappointing! There is a lot of variation in brands of fish sauce. If you need fish sauce again for a recipe, the brand I like best is Red Boat. I buy it at Whole Foods. 🙂
This was delicious and full of flavor! I made a few adjustments: honey instead of sugar, buffalo instead of beef, and added cucumber at the end to brighten the dish. Would definitely make again!
Hi Jenn,
Do you think these meatballs would be good on the BBQ, or do you get the best results in the oven? If the BBQ is a go, what temp and time would you recommend? We have our first really beautiful weekend coming up here and I would love to do these on the grill!
Thanks!
Hi Bry, I think these would be fabulous on the grill. I’d follow the instructions from this grilled meatball recipe. Hope that helps!
Made these meatballs following your other recipes BBQ instructions and they were great! Made with the suggested sides of jasmine rice and thai crunch salad (which we have enjoyed many times). I also made a half batch of the meatballs with only 1 teaspoon of fish sauce for my 10 month old (to reduce the salt) and he loved them! The leftovers will be going into the freezer for easy weekday meals. Thanks Jenn!
I made these meatballs tonight – followed the recipe exactly and they were AMAZING! Especially the sauce which you pour over at the end, with the peanuts – incredibly tasty! Thanks Jenn – this one’s a keeper.
Absolutely AMAZING! These are so flavourful. Really loving the step by step layout of your recipes. I’ve been trying a new one each Sunday for the last few months and every recipe is a hit! Thank you thank you!
Made it without the cilantro and peanuts. Also made the chilli garlic sauce from scratch but all in all, they live up to their flavour bomb promise. Ate with some German mashed potatoes for a filling brunch. Highly recommended.
Oh I hate doing this but…………I had such high hopes for this recipe. I followed it exactly but the over-powering flavour of the fish sauce totally ruined it. The meatballs & the sauce would have been so much better without the fish sauce, there was just too much of it. So sorry I didn’t like it.