Vietnamese-Style Meatballs with Chili Sauce
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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.
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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
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- 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.
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These were truly the bomb! Everyone gobbled it up. Instead of ground beef, I used ground chicken – same ratio. Excellent and will make it again!
When you mentioned that your husband called them “flavour bombs”, I knew I had to give this recipe a try even though my husband does not care for any type of meatballs – go figure….
Due to some shortages, I could only find ground chicken – no mint and no eggs. These are the tweaks I made and they still turned out absolutely deelish – hubs gave them an 11 out of 10 :). For the egg, I subbed in 2 flax eggs, used extra cilantro for the missing mint and added some sambal olek to the ground chicken to kick in some more flavour. These were beyond amazing and will be a regular part of our rotation. Thanks again for another winner Jen – you are a lifesaver!
If I’m out of sriracha and don’t have the asian chili sauce, is it crazy to use Frank’s hot sauce?
I haven’t made them with this – it’s likely to give them a different flavor profile and some more heat, but technically it will work. Please report back if you make them this way!
I’m reporting back on the use of Frank’s hot sauce in place of the Asian chili sauce in the recipe for the sauce. I don’t know what it would’ve tasted like with the Asian chili sauce, but it was pretty good with the Frank’s! Looking forward to trying the recipe as written next time. Thanks Jenn – the meatballs were a big hit!
Glad they turned out nicely — thanks for reporting back! 🙂
Made these tonight with ground Turkey- amazing! I didn’t have fresh garlic but subd a tsp of ground garlic and it was delicious! I’ll definitely be making these again! Don’t forget the sauce!
I’ve been wanting to make these for a while, but I was worried my kids would turn their noses up at all of the green ingredients. I finally made them last night, and everyone loved them and asked to keep them in regular rotation. Thanks for another great meal to add to my repertoire!
Made this a few times now and it is flavoursome and easy to make. I especially like the fact that you cook the meatballs in the oven and not in a frypan. Have passed the link on to several friends
My son was away at college and made these and sent me a picture! He is home now and made these for us. We had most of the ingredients but we used lime juice, ground ginger and worcestershire sauce instead of fish sauce since we are limiting our grocery store runs. They still came out great. We doubled the sauce (fantastic!) so that we can use it on other dishes this week. We served them over rice with a side of broccoli. Such a big flavor payoff with such an easy recipe. We will definitely make these again.
Hi, Do you have suggestions for substitutions for panko (for those on GF diet)? Thanks!
Hi Amy, it’s fine to use gluten-free bread crumbs. Hope you enjoy!
I made this for the first time and its a HIT!!!! Only thing extra i added was a bit of chilli flakes to the meatballs. Thanks so much for sharing this! <3
Made this for dinner last night and was really pleased!! This is such a simple and delicious recipe. Thank you!
Can I shape the meatballs, put them in the fridge and bake them off 2 hours later?
Yep 🙂
OMG this was sooo delicious! There are some meatballs left and I want to have them for breakfast haha I served it with rice and your vietnamese slaw (without the chicken) Another HUGE winner from OUAC