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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.

Vietnamese-style meatballs with chili sauce in a bowl over noodles.

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.

What You’ll Need To Make Vietnamese-Style Meatballs

how to make vietnamese 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.

Eggs, seasonings, and minced vegetables in a bowl.

Whisk to combine.

Bowl of egg and vegetable mixture.

Add the beef, pork, and panko.

Ground meat and panko added to a bowl of egg mixture.

Using your hands, mix until evenly combined.

Meat and panko mixture in a bowl.

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.

Baking tray of uncooked meatballs.

Bake for 25 minutes, flipping once with a metal spatula halfway through the cooking time, until the meatballs are browned and cooked through.

Baking tray of meatballs.

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.

how to make vietnamese meatballs

Serve the meatballs drizzled with the sauce and sprinkled with scallions, cilantro, mint, and peanuts.

Vietnamese-style meatballs with chili sauce in a bowl over noodles.

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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.

Servings: 22 to 24 small meatballs (Serves 6)
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes

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

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
  2. 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.)
  3. 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.
  4. 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.)
  5. Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
  6. 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.
  7. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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

  • I’ve got the same problem as one of your other cooks. Meat just seems to come easily and pre-packaged in one pound increments. Guess I’ll be bringing out the calculator! Can’t wait to try this recipe!

    • — Karen on March 16, 2024
    • Reply
  • I made this tonight and it was very good, everyone liked it…I just wouldn’t categorize it under “Quick & easy.” I had to rinse and dry and then chop up fresh mint, fresh cilantro, and last, scallions, and then chop up peanuts, garlic, grate limes for zes and then squeeze them for juice juice. After which you mix the meats with eggs, panko, etc….it’s a little more time consuming then 20 minutes….

    • — Sandy Martin on February 7, 2024
    • Reply
  • Such a flavourful weeknight meal, thanks again for another great recipe!!!!!🤗👏🏻

    • — Tammy on February 6, 2024
    • Reply
  • We LOVED these! I added 1T-ish of unsweetened peanut butter to the sauce as I didn’t realize I didn’t have any peanuts til it was too late. Thank you for such a delicious easy recipe!

    • — Lydia Slifert on January 17, 2024
    • Reply
  • I would like to make this recipe as an appetizer for a work potluck.
    How do I serve ? Sauce and garnish on the meatballs or leave sauce and garnish on the side?

    • — Cindy on January 15, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Cindy, I’d serve the sauce on the side. And I think you could go either way with the garnishes, but I’d be inclined to have those on the side and people can help themselves to the ones that they want. Hope everyone enjoys!

      • — Jenn on January 15, 2024
      • Reply
  • This is such a go to in our household! Jenn, your husband is proper when he calls these “flavor bombs.” So easy to make and they store in the fridge well for leftovers throughout the week.

    • — Jessica Bernstein on November 27, 2023
    • Reply
  • I’m eating these for lunch right now and wow, they are delicious. This is a winner of a recipe, for sure.

    I made this more or less exactly as written, except I used 1 full pound each of ground beef and pork since that was the easiest for me to get at the store, then scaled everything else up a bit to go along with the extra half pound of meat I used.

    I used my mini food processor to chop the garlic, ginger, scallion and herbs – was just feeling lazy about doing all of that chopping. It worked perfectly.

    I have a dedicated ice cream scoop I use to shape and portion meatballs – it makes meatballs that are larger than the recipe pictures, but that’s okay. It just meant I got fewer meatballs and baked them a bit longer, no problem at all.

    The sauce is delicious, though I used light brown sugar instead of white and didn’t use the full amount – just a personal preference. Definitely do start out using it sparingly, especially if you’re sensitive to heat because that sambal oelek can pack a punch if you’re not expecting it. But definitely don’t skip it! It really adds to the final dish.

    I used Red Boat fish sauce, which is the only fish sauce I’ve found with a smell and taste that doesn’t put me off. So if you think you don’t like fish sauce, try that one before writing it off for good.

    Great recipe, Jen! Adding this to the rotation for sure.

    • — Heather on October 24, 2023
    • Reply
  • Jenn,
    This is my go to for recipes. Am always pleased with the deliciousness. I would like a suggestion as what to substitute for the cilantro. If I get even the tiniest bit of it, the dish is ruined. Thanks so much!

    • — Mary on October 23, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Mary, You can either omit the cilantro replace it with 2 tablespoons of basil (and so glad you like the recipes)! 🙂

      • — Jenn on October 23, 2023
      • Reply
  • OK I have made these many times exactly as written and they are DIVINE! This time though I made two changes (one intentional and one not) I grocery shopped for this recipe thinking lemongrass was one of the ingredients, and it is impossible to find in Costa Rica. When I found some last week, I snatched it all up. I got home and realized it doesn’t call for lemongrass but I was desperate to get some in my belly so I used it anyway, instead of the lime zest. Then during a ‘cooking for 75’ moment of fatigue, I added the chopped peanuts to the mixture. I hadn’t added the panko yet so I just left out some of the panko and O M G – these alterations might just have taken these already incredible meatballs to the next level for me. In fact I rolled some into very small balls and froze them and will add them to my homemade Pho broth for a kicky take on traditional pho! I love your recipes soooooo much.

    • — Erin Argue on October 22, 2023
    • Reply
  • I haven’t made this yet because I’m really not a fan of fish sauce. Can I leave it out? or is there something else I can use instead? I’d love to try this recipe. Thanks 🙂

    • — Doris on October 2, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Doris, you can replace the fish sauce with soy sauce. They won’t have that same authentic Vietnamese flavor but will still be good.

      • — Jenn on October 2, 2023
      • Reply
  • This recipe was amazing. I followed it step by step not making any changes at all and it was delicious. The best part was that after making 24 meatballs in total we have two meals waiting in the freezer for another day. The recipe was very well laid out and easy to follow and I was so happy that it included the ingredients in the metric system as I am used to weighing my ingredients in grammes. Well done, I can’t wait to try another recipe from your site.

    • — Julie on September 6, 2023
    • Reply
  • Oh wow, these deliver and will become a regular rotation. Made it exactly as written but sub’d in ground turkey, made in the air fryer for a little less time but same temp and they were gorgeous. The sauce is delish. Served with sesame slaw and vermicelli noodles.

    • — Marnie on August 27, 2023
    • Reply
  • Why did I wait so long to try this recipe? It is easy, so flavorful and something different than what we usually have for dinner. The sauce has a kick – Jenn’s admonition to use it judiciously is spot on.

    • — Margaret Yarak on August 27, 2023
    • Reply
  • I don’t have peanuts. Should I add peanut butter to the meatballs or sauce? Or leave out?

    • — Bethany on August 14, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Bethany, you can just omit the nuts, or if you have almonds or cashews, you can use those instead. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on August 14, 2023
      • Reply
      • Okay I just left out the nuts. This was delicious! I’m putting this recipe into my regular rotation…my children love meatballs, so I’m always looking for a new way to make them!

        • — Bethany on August 15, 2023
        • Reply
  • Is it possible to make these without eggs? My daughter is allergic but we love these meatballs!

    • — Anny on August 1, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Anny, Glad you like them! You can make these with an egg substitute. Two of the best substitutes I’ve heard about (I haven’t personally tried either of them) are a combination of water, oil, and baking powder, and carbonated water. Scroll down to the bottom of this article for more information about both. I would assume many recipes would also work with some kind of store-bought egg substitute. Hope that helps!

      • — Jenn on August 7, 2023
      • Reply
  • A family favorite!!! I reduced the panko crumbs to half cup per 1.5lbs meat.

    • — Lisa on July 19, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jen, sorry if this is a repeat…but how long would you keep the sauce in the fridge?? days or weeks?? otherwise, i may have to try freezing it as one of your readers suggested… THANKS

    • — Alison Spinney on May 19, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Alison, I think the sauce would keep nicely in the fridge for about a week. It may be longer, but that’s how long I’d feel comfortable holding onto it.

      • — Jenn on May 22, 2023
      • Reply
  • What amazing meatballs did I just make?! All the fresh ingredients, lime zest, mint, cilantro – so delicious. And that sauce!! The only change I made was that I used ground bison and cooked them for 20 minutes instead of 25. I served them on top of jasmine rice, with a side of peeled and thinly sliced cucumber, shredded red cabbage & carrot, green onion, cilantro and mint. Beautiful dish.

    • — Amber on May 5, 2023
    • Reply

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