A few days ago, I was cruising around the internet, looking through some of my favorite food blogs when I stumbled upon a recipe for Cherry Coke & Jalapeno Meatballs from Kay of Kayotic Kitchen. Kay, otherwise known as the cooking Dutch girl, hails from Gouda in the Netherlands. For those of us who are not multilingual, I personally thank her for blogging in English so that we can enjoy her inventive recipes and beautiful photos. Well, I guess we could enjoy her photos in any language, but you get my drift. Not only is Kay a talented photographer, but she has a wit and joyful spirit that shines through in her writing and in the stories she tells about her beautiful little boy.
Back to the meatballs. There was something about the spice mix of paprika, nutmeg and cayenne that caught my attention and wouldn’t let go. Or perhaps it was the glaze, bubbling and rich with the flavors of cherry, brown sugar, and jalapeno peppers. Whatever it was, I simply could not get meatballs off my mind.
I pulled out the recipe for my Greek Turkey Meatball Sandwich and replaced the Mediterranean flavors with Asian-inspired ones. The meatballs get a kick from five-spice powder and fresh ginger. The size is a hefty mouthful, which works well for a knife-and-fork dinner. However, if you wish to serve them as hors d’oeuvres, you might want to make them a tad smaller. If you do, be sure to reduce the cooking time.
The teriyaki sauce comes straight from Fusilli with Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetables. Store-bought teriyaki sauce really can not hold a candle to homemade versions, so be sure to take the extra 10 minutes to make your own.
Thank you for the inspiration, Kay.
The recipe:
The meatballs:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, grated onion, garlic, ginger, parsley, five-spice powder, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
Mix well to combine. Using a 2 tablespoon portion of the turkey mixture, form meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
The teriyaki sauce:
In a small saucepan, combine rice vinegar, brown sugar, water, soy sauce, canola oil, flour, ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds.
Whisk the sauce together and place over medium heat. Simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes. Keep warm.
Brush the meatballs liberally with the sauce.
Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
These can be served over rice or as hors d’oeuvres. Either way, serve with the extra sauce.
Other meatball recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Greek Turkey Meatball Sandwich
Kayotic Kitchen’s Cherry Coke & Jalapeno Meatballs
Family Fresh Cooking’s Pumpkin Coconut Curry with Chicken Meatballs
The Pioneer Woman’s BBQ Meatballs
Elana’s Pantry’s Gluten-Free Chicken Meatballs
Baked Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
1 1/4 lb. ground turkey meat (preferably not extra-lean)
1/2 medium yellow onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
3/4 tsp five-spice powder
1 egg
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Sauce:
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup soya sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Meatballs:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, grated onion, garlic, ginger, parsley, five-spice powder, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
Mix well to combine. Using a 2 tablespoon portion of the turkey mixture, form meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Sauce:
In a small saucepan, combine rice vinegar, brown sugar, water, soya sauce, 1/4 cup canola oil, ginger, garlic, flour, and sesame seeds. Whisk the sauce together and place over medium heat. Simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Keep warm.
Brush the meatballs liberally with the sauce. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
These can be served over rice or as hors d’oeuvres. Either way, serve with the extra sauce.
Makes 30 meatballs.
























{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
I love meatballs and i love teriyaki! What a fabulous idea! I have made Greek Meatballs, Swedish Meatballs, Sweet and Sour meatballs, Italian Meatballs and now i have to try these
Great recipe!
I’ve never met a turkey meatball I didn’t love! These look delicious.
wow arent these babies different we love terriayki got to try these for sure!
These are super cute! I love the teriyaki sauce. Yum!
this reminds me of a dish i had at our company potluck for Christmas, and it was SO good! i need to make it myself now
I recently made some Asian meatballs and loved them. This looks wonderful!
I love meatballs too and these look juicy and flavorful. Talk about great photos – you can make anything look yummy.
I’ve had many types of meatballs before but not teriyaki! I love what you did with this recipe. Yummy!
I love turkey meatballs but these are just even more amazing! The sauce sounds and looks sooo good. I can’t wait to try these, thanks for the recipe.
I am loving the Asian twist here!!!!
This looks like a great recipe; would love to try them. And I love Kay and her blog too. Hope to meet her in person someday!
How about you and I take a trip over to Holland together?
These sound great! I’m a big fan of using ground turkey meat for dishes like this one.
I agree, Dana. You can still get so much flavor, but with a fraction of the fat.
Something about the turkey and the teriyaki just fits…and sounds rather cute together too!
LOL. Thanks, Barb.
Oh my gosh, wow! Those would be awesome for a cocktail party!
You’re right. I’m hoping to serve them at the next cocktail party we throw.
My kids and I are suckers for meatballs! Looks great!
My two boys couldn’t wait to be taste-testers for these meatballs. I received four enthusiastic thumbs up.
I’m just now realizing how much I love meatballs. I hated them growing up for some reason and then fell in love with them in my mid-twenties. So yummy!
I’m glad you had a meatball epiphany.
Thos look yummy Dara….I’ve never had turkey meatballs nor teriyaki ones. I love Kayotic Kitchen as well. Kay has some beautiful pictures and recipes!
Give them a shot, Sukaina. I have a feeling you’d like them. Kay is great, isn’t she?
What a fun a flavorful way to serve meatballs! This turkey doesn’t sound boring at all.
While turkey often makes you think “dry”, I assure you that this version of meatballs is very moist and flavorful.
I bet these were delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I cannot wait to try it!
Thanks, Celeste. I hope you enjoy them.
I love making turkey meatballs, but have never thought to try them with Asian-inspired flavors. They sound amazing!
Love this recipe, Dara! The flavor combinations in the sauce sound incredible.
And isn’t Kay just the most creative cook? I’ve been enjoying her blog for a long time now and I’m still always surprised at the things she comes up with.
Thanks, Lana. Yes, Kay is wonderful and I am inspired by her blog each time I visit.
I love, how you share the love Dara. BTW, I make some mean bison meatballs
I suddenly have a SERIOUS teriyaki turkey meatball craving.
Dara, these meatballs look so delicious and diverse! I would love these just as much tossed with some soba noodles as I would on their own. Wonderful recipe and mouthwatering photos! Great job on this and thanks for inspiring me with a new idea.
Love meatballs- these look perfect! I love the skewers too
Beautiful and packed with flavor. These look so good.
Dara, I am so happy you introduced us to Kay and her awesome blog. I will certainly be following her now too. These meatballs would be a great hit over here. Especially with the homemade teriyaki sauce. xo
YUM! This is right up my alley!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
The cherry coke glaze at Kay’s had me hover over her space for a long time. Loved the idea. Yours look fantastic too! Love ginger and glad to see it in your recipe.
I love the teriyaki glaze, looks amazing!
I’ve been craving meatballs lately, so when I saw this, you can imagine how excited I was. Love how healthy this is – baked and turkey meat – plus a flavorful sauce – what a wonderful recipe!
These look like fantastic party food!
I made meatballs with turkey for the first time last month and fell in love with them. These look delicious!
Dara those look so wonderful. I cannot wait to try this recipe.
My boyfriend is in LOVE with teriyaki. He would totally dig this recipe…yum!
I can see why these would get your attention, they sure got mine…. in any language, these look great and you’re right, homemade is always best…. gonna have to try these along with that sauce too….. thanks Dara for doing the cruising for us…
Did I already tell you how much I love these???
I can already tell this would be a huge hit in our house!! Need to make up a batch of these to stash in the freezer for afternoon snacks!!!
These look and sound fabulous Dara! I love that you used turkey in these too. My kids love meatballs so I will be trying these little delights soon. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
looks good! a good way to bribe my hubby to try turkey =)
What a wonderful, healthy meatball recipe! I love the teriyaki sauce, which is perfect for my tastes:)
I would love to taste test these meatballs! So perfect for sharing with friends at a get-together or an Asian inspired meal… I think my kids would love them!
I’m a huge fan of meatballs and a huge fan of teriyaki, so these are a match made in heaven for me!
These look just wonderful, Dara. Once again you’ve helped me fill out my weekly meal plan!
These look fantastic, Dara. A big fan of Kayotic Kitchen! You are always so good about highlighting other bloggers. So kind….
Lovely photos of some perfect meatballs! I can see using these in a meatball sandwich with Asian flavor, definitely add some extra sauce to that too!
Oh Dara, my mouth is watering just looking at those!
These do look really yummy (and dare I say healthy?). Love anything with an asian tang.
These look perfect in every way. I don’t think i would be able to resist such yumminess! ♥-K
Wonderful flavors in your meatballs…and such gorgeous photos!
Absolutely stunning. Love the ingredient photo. There is nothing better than a really tasty meatball – especially one that surprises the palate, and this one definitely would. I love making and serving them. Great photos!

Valerie
I adore meatballs. Like, really love them. I could eat them all the time! I’ve made a vegan (though never posted) version of Asian meatballs, and we loved them. I need to revisit the idea. These look fantastic!
The teriyaki glaze looks simply perfect on those tasty little meatballs!
These look awesome – and I love the Asian sauce – will definitely have to try this one!
I made these the other night for dinner and they were really good! I loved the simplicity, definitely a repeat for us!
The meatballs look so yummy, even during this early hour! I wouldn’t mind having a few for breakfast!
Great post. I too have a great meatball recipe on my blog …
http://oddlyhealthy.com/healthy-eating/sweet-onion-and-soy-sauce-turkey-meatballs-recipe/
It’s slightly different from yours but, I think you and your readers will love it too.
Right now, I just started and I know it’s 1 in a sea of a zillion blogs. I aspire to have a blog like yours. Like you, I will do my best to offer the best possible content to my readers. Thanks for the great post and inspiration.
This is simple and quick, I love it. Not easy to get turkey meat here. Maybe pork, chicken or beef will be great too.
Thank you for this great recipe. I followed a Pin for another recipe and looked around on your site for a while. When I saw these I knew I would have to try them. We made them tonight and my whole family really liked them. I think I might use a little less vinegar next time, but that is just our personal preference. Very Good!
Thanks so much for commenting, Heather. I’m really glad that you and your family enjoyed them!
Saw that you linked these up on Tracy’s Super Bowl post… How did I miss them before? They look amazing… I love teriyaki anything. Definitely making these ASAP.
I made these last night for dinner and really enjoyed them! I tried another Asian meatball recipe last month (from another blogger) and was very disappointed. The meatballs were very bland with all the flavor packed in the sauce. Your recipe has a nice balance of flavors. The only change I made was to broil the meatballs for an additional 5 minutes at the end to brown them up. I’ll definitely make these again–thanks for another great recipe, Dara!
Tried these tonight, and oh my gosh. SO DELICIOUS! I will make them for dinner and appetizers as well. AMAZING!
Jen, I read your comment last night right after a slid a pan of these into the oven. This is one of our favorite recipes and I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, too!
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