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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Comments
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Just made this for the third time. I use only beef because we have a non pork eater. Flavor is complex and compelling, and people have loved it every time. I like to add a sqirt of Sriracha to the meatball mix. Easy to prepare. L
I am going to make these tonight and going to serve them with cauliflower rice to keep it lower in carbs. It sounds fabulous!
Hi, I’d like to try these meatballs without pork. Would you suggest doubling up on the beef or swapping it with something else?
Hi Noreen, you can replace the pork with more beef. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn…..would the mix freeze well (uncooked) and…..what would you think of grilling this mix as a burger? Thank you for fabulous recipes.
Sure, Lin, you can freeze the mix. And I haven’t made these as burgers/grilled them, but I think it should work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
These are beyond fabulous. Don’t leave any of the ingredients out…..I’m not usually a fan of mint, but it’s so delicious in this recipe.
My family, including 3 kids, loved these! The sauce is perfection and I love that we can each add as much as we want (or don’t want, in the case of my youngest)! Thank you!
One of the first recipes from this website that was a big disappointment. Could have been the fish sauce…I’m not exactly sure…but no one in the family liked the taste of this dish (including myself).
I had no plan for the ground beef in my fridge until I searched your website using the ingredient search. I found and made this recipe since I did happen to have ground pork too. I am so glad I did. Saved my family from what could have been the usual (cough – boring- cough) dinner like beef tacos or burgers. So delicious, so easy. Thanks again for helping with a terrific recipe we all enjoyed. I used a pound of both pork and beef and added a little more of the ingredients in the meatball, but made the sauce exactly as written. Served with rice, and put out little dishes of the toppings of cilantro, mint, chopped peanuts and sauce. Each person added sauce and toppings as they liked. It was fun and everyone enjoyed this dinner. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Loved it!!
Dear Jenn,
I am making these a week before I need them, so I am freezing them. Should I make the sauce the day I am serving them , or do I make it ahead and freeze it with the meatballs or separately? Then how long do I reheat?
Thanks Julia
Hi Julia, I’d just make the sauce the day you plan to serve them. And I’d guess they’d take about 2 minutes give or take to reheat, but I’d cut into one after 2 minutes to see if they’re hot in the center. If not, I’d continue in 1-minute increments. Hope you enjoy!
When reheating in microwave, perhaps if we knew the temperature it should register, we could use an instant meat thermometer to make sure.
What do you think?
Thanks,
Sunny Drohan
Hi Sunny, If you’d like to test them with an instant read thermometer before eating, you’re aiming for 160°F. Hope that helps!
Thanks Jennifer. Looking forward to trying this recipe.
Sunny
Made this in the airfryer at 375° for 10 minutes, gave the basket a shake, cooked for an additonal 2 mins and let it set for 5 mins. Turned out amazing, crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.