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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Sorry, Not really that good! sauce was wonderful but the meatballs themselves! not that great and highly overated. Sorry.
not worth making
Hi can anyone tell me how spicey it is? Is it kid friendly? Thank you
Hi Quynh, The meatballs themselves are not spicy (and you can leave out the red pepper flakes to make them even milder) but the sauce definitely is.
I made them with ground turkey tonight and they were delish. My grocery story only had one small package of ground turkey thigh meat left so I had to use ground breast as well (approx .5 lb thigh and 1 lb breast). I agree that all thigh meat likely would have made them even better. I’m trying to avoid beef these days for climate reasons but I can see how delicious they would be made the original way.
I did not have mint so I increased the cilantro. I used bread crumbs.
One of my friends told me to boil my meatballs for a bit as they are usually hard but I made half in the toaster oven (my oven is dead) and half I boiled in chicken broth. Both ways were excellent.
Thank you for a recipe I can now use so I never have to buy rock-like meatballs ready made.
Great recipe! Very unique and tasty. I served it over rice with a side of sugar snap peas. The presentation was beautiful! Two suggestions. Use latex gloves to roll the meatballs. No sticking! I would also line the pan with parchment paper because the meatballs did stick to the pan. My guests ask for the recipe! I did use a pound of both meats and adjusted the other ingredients to compensate.
You took the words right out of my mouth! My meatballs also stuck to the pan, so I plan to use parchment next time. And the gloves are a must for mixing and rolling! The recipe tasted great, even my toddler ate it.
Well, my husband just went nuts over these meat balls and the sauce! Our new favourite. Absolutely fantastic flavours…..wow!!!can’t wait to serve these as appetizers. Thank you SO much for your amazing recipes, you make me look like a pro in the kitchen. ❤️
Hi Jen! Can I use sweet chili (dipping) sauce instead of sambal olek and skip the sugar addition in the sauce or will that mess everything up?
Thanks!
Hi Steph, It will absolutely not mess everything up. 🙂 I’d make it that way and then just adjust the flavors as necessary. I’d love to know how it turns out.
Best flavor ever! These were delicious and really easy to put together. I made them mid afternoon and then baked them for dinner. My husband said he’d rather eat these than go to a restaurant- high praise! We don’t eat pork, so I replaced that with ground turkey. I roasted broccoli florets with the meatballs for the last 12 minutes and served that along with jasmine rice. A definite repeat.
Jen, I have two questions for you:
1. They were a little too salty for my taste. Do you think if I cut back the fish sauce to 2 tbsp that would be ok in terms of flavor? I don’t see anywhere else to cut back on the salt.
2. I have about 10 meatballs left over. Any suggestions how to serve these on a second night in some sort of wrap or sandwich form? What would you include in the wrap in terms of accompaniments?
Thank you as always for making me look like a serious chef!
Hi Elizabeth, So glad you enjoyed! I think it’s fine to cut back on the fish sauce. You could also use a low sodium soy sauce in the sauce. For leftovers, you might try something like this. Hope that helps!
I have never submitted a review on anything before but had to here. This was AMAZING! I made it exactly as the recipe lists and it was a huge hit. Thank you thank you for your fantastic recipes. I am so looking forward to your cookbook.
This was wonderful! I love meatballs and Asian flavors and this was a great combo. Meatballs without the sauce was delicious but the sauce made it superb! Thanks for a great recipe
One side note… don’t mix/roll your meatballs too much. mine came out a bit tough. Also don’t overcook them… oops on me for leaving them in the oven a bit longer than I should. Still tasted great but will make it again and stand close to the oven.