These baked turkey meatballs are a lighter take on a classic that’s just as juicy and delicious as traditional meatballs! Made with lean ground turkey and simple seasonings, these meatballs are incredibly versatile and work in a wide variety of dishes. What makes our recipe special is using a milk and breadcrumb mixture (called a panade) that keeps the meatballs tender and moist, even though we’re using lean meat. Ready in about 30 minutes, they’re delicious in so many ways (we’re showing them here over zoodles for a light, protein-packed meal!).
Who doesn’t love classic spaghetti and meatballs? It’s one of my husband’s favorite meals, and this recipe has become our go-to because it lightens things up without sacrificing any flavor. Like our chicken and spinach meatballs, these turkey meatballs are great in all kinds of dishes, which makes them ideal for meal prep or batch cooking.
My husband and I have been experimenting with making meatballs with lean ground meat for years, which has taught me a few tricks that make a big difference in the final product. The key is not overmixing the turkey mixture and using a cookie scoop to portion them out evenly so they all cook at the same rate. They’re easy enough for busy weeknights but impressive enough for company too, which is why we make them so often!
You’ll Love These Oven Baked Turkey Meatballs!
Made with lean ground turkey. A lighter alternative to beef or pork meatballs that’s still juicy and flavorful.
Incredibly versatile. Use these meatballs in pasta dishes, sandwiches, grain bowls, soups, or serve them on their own with your favorite sauce.
Easy to make. Mix everything together, scoop onto a baking sheet, and bake. No frying or standing over the stove!
Great for meal prep. These meatballs freeze wonderfully, making them ideal for batch cooking and easy weeknight dinners.
Ingredients for Ground Turkey Meatballs
- Panko breadcrumbs. Help bind the meatballs together while also keeping them tender (we like to use whole wheat panko). We find these in our grocery store’s ethnic aisle (by Asian goods), and have also found great gluten-free panko in our store’s organic section.
- Whole milk. Mixed with the breadcrumbs to create a “panade”, which helps to create the binder and keep the meatballs moist and tender.
- Large egg. Acts as a binder to hold everything together.
- Worcestershire sauce. Adds umami and depth of flavor, which is often lacking in turkey meatballs (but not these, my friend!).
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Season the meatballs and add savory, aromatic flavor. We use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic to avoid extra moisture and keep the texture light.
- Yellow onion. Finely chopped to enhance the flavor, add moisture, and provide just the right amount of texture for a savory and tender bite.
- Lean ground turkey. The main protein (we recommend a 93/7 blend for the best balance of lean meat and moisture).
Complete ingredient measurements and all recipe details can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Helpful Equipment
We recommend using a large cookie scoop for portioning out and shaping the meatballs into even sizes so all of your meatballs cook at the same rate! You can also use a medium scoop or small scoop and adjust the baking time accordingly if you want smaller meatballs. A baking sheet (or two) lined with parchment paper is essential for easy cleanup and preventing sticking. A high-quality instant-read thermometer to check the temperature is always a good idea when cooking meat too.
How to Make Turkey Meatballs
Prep and preheat. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Mix together the panko and milk (known as a panade). Add the panko breadcrumbs and milk together in a large bowl and stir to combine. Let this sit for a minute so the breadcrumbs can absorb the milk.
Add wet ingredients, spices, and onion. Add the egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and minced onion to the breadcrumb mixture. Mix everything together until well combined.
Add the turkey. Add the ground turkey to the mixture and mix gently until just combined. Be careful no to overmix as this can make the meatballs tough.
Portion and shape. Use a large cookie scoop to portion out and shape the meatball mixture into roughly 1.5-inch balls.
Place the meatballs about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet.
Bake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through for even browning, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Basic Turkey Meatballs Recipe Variations
- Use onion powder instead of fresh onion. If you don’t have fresh onion on hand, substitute with about ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
- Use fresh herbs. Swap the Italian seasoning for finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or oregano for a different flavor profile.
- Make them spicy. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the mixture for a kick.
Expert Tips for Making The Best Turkey Meatballs
Add the turkey last. Adding the ground turkey to the mixture last helps ensure all the other ingredients are mixed together and well distributed before you incorporate the meat. This prevents overmixing the turkey, which can make the meatballs dense.
Don’t overmix. Once you add the turkey, mix just until everything is combined. Overworking the meat makes the meatballs tough instead of tender.
Use a cookie scoop for even sizing. A large cookie scoop makes it so much easier to portion the meatballs into even sizes, which means they’ll all cook at the same rate and be done at the same time.
Rotate the pan halfway through. Rotating the baking sheet after about 10 to 12 minutes ensures the meatballs brown evenly on all sides.
What to Serve with Baked Turkey Meatballs
These meatballs are incredibly versatile! Here are some of our favorite ways to serve them:
- With pasta (or zoodles). This has been our go-to! Serve over spaghetti, zoodles, or your favorite pasta with a simple marinara sauce and top with a little parmesan cheese. They’re also great with pesto or alfredo sauce.
- In meatball subs. Toss the meatballs in your favorite red sauce and serve on toasted buns with melted provolone or mozzarella cheese.
- In grain bowls. These meatballs are a great protein addition to grain bowls with quinoa, rice, or farro!
- In soup. Have a soup recipe that uses meatballs? Try these baked turkey meatballs in place of beef or pork meatballs, or use them instead of chicken breast in soups for a fun variation. We like to use a small cookie scoop to portion out meatballs for soups (and make a note on cook time for this in the recipe card).
- With creamy sauce and gnocchi. You could even use these meatballs in place of the parmesan chicken meatballs in our slow cooker gnocchi and meatballs!
- Make BBQ turkey meatballs. Since the spice blend is pretty simple, you can toss these meatballs in your favorite BBQ sauce after baking! If you’re planning to use all of them with BBQ sauce, you might want to leave out the Italian seasoning.
- Alongside vegetables. Let the meatballs be the star of the show alongside some green beans, broccoli, or sautéed kale. Add a side of roasted or mashed potatoes to fill out your meal.
How to Store Turkey Meatballs
Store cooked and fully cooled meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, or warm them gently in a skillet with your favorite sauce.
These meatballs also freeze wonderfully, making them great for meal prep! Let the cooked meatballs cool completely, then transfer to freezer-safe containers or zip-top freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat as desired. You can also reheat them directly from frozen by adding them to simmering sauce and cooking until heated through (about 10 to 15 minutes).
Ground Turkey Meatballs FAQs
I recommend using a 93/7 blend (93% lean, 7% fat) for the best balance of lean meat and moisture. If you use ground turkey that’s too lean (like 99% lean), the meatballs can end up dry. A little fat helps to keep them juicy!
This usually happens if the meatball mixture wasn’t mixed well enough or if you skipped the egg, which acts as a binder. Make sure to mix all the wet ingredients and spices together before adding the turkey, and don’t skip the panade (the milk and breadcrumb mixture) as this also helps bind everything together.
Absolutely! You can shape the meatballs and refrigerate them on the baking sheet (covered) for up to 24 hours before baking. After baking, these also store well in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
The internal temperature should reach 165°F when measured with a meat thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, your best way to check for doneness is to cut one meatball open to check that it’s no longer pink in the center (but using a thermometer is the safest option).
Love This Recipe? Try Prepping One of These Bulk Protein Recipes Next!
Easy Ground Turkey Meatballs (Baked)
Ingredients
- ½ Cup panko breadcrumbs* (we like to use whole wheat)
- ¼ Cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce*
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ Cup finely minced yellow onion
- 1 pound lean ground turkey (93/7 blend recommended)
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix the panko and milk together (aka make the panade). Add the panko breadcrumbs and milk together in a large bowl and stir to combine. Let this sit for a minute so the breadcrumbs can absorb the milk.½ Cup panko breadcrumbs*¼ Cup whole milk
- Add remaining wet ingredients, spices, and onion. Add the egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and minced onion to the breadcrumb mixture. Mix everything together until well combined.1 large egg½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce*¾ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon pepper½ teaspoon garlic powder½ teaspoon Italian seasoning¼ Cup finely minced yellow onion
- Add the turkey. Add the ground turkey to the mixture and mix gently until just combined (overmixing can cause your meatballs to be tough).1 pound lean ground turkey
- Portion and shape. Use a large cookie scoop to portion out and shape the meatball mixture into roughly 1.5-inch balls. Place the meatballs about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet.*
- Bake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through for even browning, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Serve and enjoy! Use immediately in your favorite recipe or allow the meatballs to cool and store for later (fridge or freezer).
Meredith says
Great turkey meatballs! Highly recommend.