Japanese meatballs may be THE BEST meatballs ever!! We're using lean chicken or ground turkey seasoned with miso, green onions, soy sauce, and ginger to create a flavor-packed gluten-free meatball you're going to love!
Recipe: $7.88 | Per Serving: $1.97 | Serves: 4
How gorgeous are these babies?
These meatballs were so good that the first day I made them, I went to the store to buy MORE MEAT to make them again. I find that ground chicken makes sense here, since tsukune is a pretty traditional Japanese chicken meatball recipe, but you can turn them into turkey meatballs for nearly identical results.
Over the years, I've successfully made these with chicken, pork, turkey, and a beef-and-pork mixture. Pork meatballs are the richest while making chicken meatballs yields the lightest results.
It was tough to figure out what to call these - they aren't traditional Japanese meatballs (tsukune), and they're not exactly pan-Asian cuisine either. But, the flavors are distinctly Japanese, in my opinion, with the miso and ginger.
I don't want to bastardize or white-wash another culture's cuisine, but I firmly believe that fusion is beautiful, and you should make food you like, whether it is traditional, fusion, or something totally new.
If you want more gluten-free meatball recipes you've got to try my Beef & Eggplant Meatballs or these Vietnamese-Inspired Bun Cha Meatballs.
Why You Will Love This Japanese Meatballs Recipe
- Full of Flavor. It's amazing how easy it is to create a great tasting gluten-free dairy-free meatballs with just a few simple ingredients.
- Make Ahead. These meatballs are great to make ahead to use to make bento box lunches to carry during the week.
- Quick and Easy. Mix up and shape your meatballs in under 15 minutes. The oven does the rest of the work.
Ingredients
Here's a look at the simple ingredients to make these chicken meatballs (or turkey meatballs).
- Green onion: These mild green onions add color and some hints of onion. Save some of the green parts to sprinkle over the top for garnish.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic add more complex flavor to your Japanese meatballs. I prefer fresh ginger but you can also use a ½ teaspoon of dried powdered ginger if fresh isn't available.
- Ground meat: Lean ground turkey and chicken work best to make gluten-free meatballs because we're not using a binder. If you want to use ground beef or pork make sure it's very lean. Remember there are no breadcrumbs to soak up the excess fat so the meatballs may lose their structure.
- Soy sauce or tamari: Adds salty and savory flavors to the meatballs.
- Sesame oil: Adds a nutty, rich flavor and a bit of fat to the meatballs.
- Miso paste: Red miso has a more intense flavor than white but both work equally well to make miso meatballs. Get a little tube (or massive container) of miso paste from any grocery store or Asian market. It has a pretty long shelf-life so don't worry about it going bad. Check below for a little bit more about it!
- Red pepper flakes: Adds a bit of heat but feel free to add more if you like a lot of heat.
What is Miso Paste?
Miso paste is a fermented soybean paste made by combining soybeans, salt, and a type of fungus called koji. After it's fermented it transforms into a salty, umami-packed flavor bomb! Many types of miso also include a grain such as rice or barley. If you’re celiac or intolerant to gluten, be sure to triple-check the ingredients for barley, or look for a certified gluten-free miso paste.
Miso paste is one of my favorite ingredients! I typically use white kome miso because it is mild and versatile. Trader Joe’s carries this great white miso with a twist top that will last many months in the fridge. In US grocery stores you will typically find either white or red miso; however, in Japan, there are hundreds of types of miso paste!
And for those of you who cannot tolerate soy, you can find chickpea miso that is just as delicious!
Variations
- Paleo Chicken Meatballs. Miso is not Paleo, but you can make an almost Paleo version - use use coconut aminos (with a little more salt) in place of the soy sauce or tamari. If soy bothers you, use chickpea miso.
- Low FODMAP: to make this recipe lower in FODMAPs, simply omit the garlic, and then use only the green tops of the green onions. You can also replace the green onions with chives for an even lower FODMAP option.
- Mix and Match Meats. Mix the chicken or turkey with some minced pork for a tasty meatball. You'll get the rich flavor of the ground pork, but the leanness of chicken or turkey.
How to Make Gluten-Free Meatballs with Miso
These Japanese-style gluten-free meatballs are simple to make with just a little bit of prep!
Step 1: Prep the aromatics. Chop the green onions. Mince or grate the ginger and garlic.
Step 2: Make the meatball mixture. Add all the ingredients (except for a few green onion tops for garnish) to a large bowl. Mix with your hands or the paddle of a stand mixer until well combined.
Step 3: Shape Japanese meatballs. Form the meat mixture into about 24 equal-sized meatballs using a small ice cream scooper (about 1 ½ TBSP) or spoon and your hands. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 4: Cook the meatballs. Bake chicken or turkey meatballs for 10-12 minutes (or the beef or pork for 15-18 minutes). Be sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure the meatballs are fully cooked.
Expert Tips
- Do Not Over-Cook Japanese Meatballs. You especially want to keep an eye on the chicken meatballs which are the most lean. Over-cooking the meatballs may cause them to dry out.
- Use a Scoop or Spoon to Measure the Meatballs. It's important the meatballs are all the same size so they will cook evenly. I use the smallest ice cream scooper in this set of 3, which makes each meatball 1 ½ Tablespoons.
- Serving: These Japanese chicken meatballs (or whatever meat you use) go great with this Cucumber-Soba Salad, Kale & Soba Mushrooms, or Miso Lettuce Wraps. You can also add them to a bento box with some salmon seaweed rolls, edamame, and cabbage crunch salad.
- Storage: Place leftover cooked miso meatballs in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. You can also freeze them for up to three months. Thaw them out in the fridge overnight. Reheat the meatballs in the microwave or cover them with foil and heat in the oven. You may want to add a bit of water or broth to the pan if heating in the oven to prevent the meatballs from drying out.
- Note that storage time and safety depends on if you properly cooled the meatballs. To cool meat, it should cool within 30-60 minutes. I recommend allowing cooked meatballs to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then storing in the fridge until they are below 40ºF (about 30 minutes in the fridge). From here, you can choose to freeze them. Please do NOT leave cooked meat out at room temperature for more than 30-60 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Many people don’t realize that miso paste is a fermented food. This makes it packed with probiotics and full of many health benefits! Although you will have the largest abundance of probiotic bacteria found in fermented products that are consumed raw, you actually still get significant benefits from fermented foods that have been cooked.
Also, fermented soybeans are pretty rich in Vitamin K, which we often get from leafy green vegetables. So miso, tempeh, and natto are all great sources of Vitamin K for those of you who aren’t eating enough dark leafy greens each day!
Well, if you’ve made these miso meatballs, you might as well make these pork lettuce wraps! Miso is also great when paired with tahini, so try this colorful miso sesame soba bowl. And of course, there’s always traditional miso soup, which is commonly consumed for breakfast or lunch in Japan, and miso soup is actually a great option for staying hydrated when hiking or camping!
Yes, you can but you need to use ground ginger rather than fresh ginger. Fresh ginger contains enzymes which will denature the protein in the meat turning it mushy. In my testing, this only happened with the combination of fresh ginger and pork -- another reason why I prefer using ground turkey or chicken.
This recipe was originally published in 2015 and has been updated for clarity. I have also now made the recipe many more times and have included additional tips. (The recipe itself has also been doubled!)
More Japanese-Inspired Recipes
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Easy Japanese Meatballs (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup sliced green onion reserve some of the green parts for topping, if desired
- 2 tablespoons fresh or previously frozen grated ginger fresh ginger, frozen, then grated from frozen; alternatively, use ½ teaspoon dried powdered ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground chicken turkey, lean beef, or lean pork
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons miso paste red or white
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes more if you like a lot of heat
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475ºF.
- Finely chop the green onions. Mince or grate the ginger and garlic.
- Add all ingredients (reserving some green onion tops for garnish), to a large bowl and mix with your hands or the paddle of a stand mixer until well combined.
- Form into about 24 equal-sized meatballs using a small ice cream scooper or a spoon and your hands, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- To bake: Bake on 475ºF. For chicken or turkey: bake for 10-12 minutes. For beef or pork: bake for 15-18 minutes. In all cases, be sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure the meatballs are fully cooked.
Notes
Nutrition
I love this recipe. I make these meatballs at least once a month. I double the recipe and the leftovers work great in my 3-year old's lunches. I recently introduced them to my 1 year old and she can't get enough of them. So fast, easy and delicious!
Thank you, Alethea! I love them too, and I'm so glad you and your family can enjoy them!
I was looking for ways to use some aging miso in my fridge and came across this recipe. I used ground turkey, and I swapped the sesame oil with olive oil and the fresh ginger with about 1/4 the amount of powdered ginger, and it was great!
I served this with steamed broccoli and miso butter spaghetti for a twist on spaghetti and meatballs, and it turned out fantastic. Super versatile recipe!
That's awesome, Josh! Glad you were able to use what you had on hand. :) Sounds great!
This sounds lovely and really tasty. Thank you for sharing this.
Simon
Thanks for the comment, Simon! I hope you have a chance to make them !