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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I made these last night, but instead of making rice, I used the meatballs to make Banh Mi sandwiches. Each person drizzled the amount of sauce they wanted on their meatballs because we all like different levels of spiciness.
What I did differently was use basically 99% lean ground beef and similarly for the pork as I grind my own meats and like our stuff very lean. This did not pose a problem and with the different flavors, having great taste was not a problem. And, I had already had vacuum sealed packages of ground beef and pork in 1 lb sizes, so I went ahead and used 1 lb of each instead of 3/4 lbs. That was not an issue as I added a little more panko. Used a Vietnamese mint, since it was readily available at the Asian store when I was there.
I hate shaping meatballs and last week got the Mind Reader Magic Meatball Maker and THIS tool is a game changer for me in making meatballs. You basically flatten your meat, put the meatball maker over it, rotate clockwise and in a minute or so, 16 nicely formed meatballs without getting your hands all yucky. The recipe with my 2 lbs of meat made two batches of 16 nice sized meatballs (maybe 1 1/4″ dia sized, I think). The Magic Meatball Maker makes 16 meatballs at one time. You can vary the size of the meatballs by making the flattened sheet thinner (for smaller meatballs) or thicker (for bigger meatballs).
Thank you so much for yet another awesome recipe!
Flavor bomb is right! Big hit with the family. – Jeannine
Made these last night and they were so delicious, and reheated excellently in the microwave for leftovers tonight! Made them over brown rice and added some sauteed broccoli & shiitake mushrooms for some added veggies. I particularly love the addition of the added chopped peanuts at the end – brought it all together. I can’t wait to make these again when we can finally have company again 🙂
I recently made these for our RV club. Apparently I didn’t make enough. They were gone within minutes. Of course I was asked to share the recipe. I gave them your website, and I hope they have enjoyed all of your many delicious and easy recipes as I have. Thank you Chef!
I made these using “Better Than Sausage” and they came out great. Since the package only contained one pound of sausage, I adjusted the ingredients accordingly and added just 1 egg. I made them somewhat smaller than a golf ball and they were delicious. I served them with grated carrot, roasted cauliflower, green onions and roasted cashews (as well as the sauce).
I just made these meatballs for my adult children. They loved them! I did too!!
I just made these and they turned out so good! I followed her recipe with the exception of fish sauce- substituted for worcestershire sauce instead and it was amazing! The peanuts are a must!
Hi Stacey, made this last night and we enjoyed it. However, like you, we discovered we have someone who doesn’t care for fish sauce. I was wondering if you subbed the Worcestershire sauce at the same amounts in both the meatballs and the accompanying sauce?
I just wanted to thank you for adding the nutritional information. I assume the calories are for 6 of the meat balls?
Not a lot of food blogs add these things and I’m trying to lose weight, so being able to see that someone has done that work for me is wonderful. Thank you so much for going that extra mile. I’m definitely going to try these. Have a beautiful day.
Hi Heather, Glad you find the nutritional info helpful! This makes 6 servings, but because the recipe makes 22 to 24 meatballs, the serving size is more like 4 meatballs. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!
This has become a comfort food meal for our family. It is so flavor filled and looks very appetizing. We love the leftovers. They heat up very well.
Great seasoning, fabulous dinner!
I served this over rice noodles from the H Mart, and it was just fine. Also subbed coconut aminos for the soy, as we don’t eat soy. Thanks for a quick weeknight recipe!