This incredibly delicious homemade meatball recipe is easy to follow with a short list of simple ingredients. You can use ground beef, turkey, chicken, pork or lamb. They are so good!
Consider this your essential, go-to meatball recipe. It’s really easy to adapt and the meatballs turn out juicy and tender every time, no matter how you choose to cook them. You can cook them in a skillet, bake them, crisp them up in an air-fry, or cook them in a slow cooker.
While we have other recipes like our Italian meatballs, spaghetti and meatballs, and Swedish meatballs, this is the recipe you’ll want when you want a classic meatball. Serve them with your favorite sauce, in a meatball sub, in soups, or on their own as a simple appetizer.
Key Ingredients
- Ground Meat: Our meatball recipe works well with most ground meat. Just keep in mind that ground meat with a bit of fat works best (look for around 10% fat). I love the recipe for beef meatballs, but you can use ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground lamb. I also love a combination. My favorite is a mixture of pork and turkey, which I use in this Italian wedding soup.
- Breadcrumbs: I add breadcrumbs for texture. I also love substituting them for crushed saltine crackers like we do when making classic meatloaf.
- Milk: This adds moisture and helps to tenderize the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked.
- Egg: This adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up as it cooks.
- Parmesan: My secret ingredient for the best meatballs! Parmigiano-Reggiano adds flavor and salt to our mixture. I’m generous with it.
- Oregano, Salt, and Pepper: These season our meatballs. I keep the seasoning simple, which means you can use this recipe with a variety of sauces.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Meatballs
I’ve made this recipe so many times that I have it memorized. My family loves them, and they work perfectly with a variety of sauces, including my favorite red pasta sauce and basil pesto.
Tip 1: Mix everything but the ground meat first. Start by stirring the breadcrumbs and milk together in a mixing bowl, and let the mixture thicken for a few minutes. Then, stir in the egg, parmesan cheese, and spices. Mixing these ingredients before adding the ground meat guarantees the seasonings are evenly distributed, so every bite is extra flavorful.
Tip 2: Don’t worry too much about over mixing. Once the ground meat is in the bowl, mix until everything is evenly combined. While there’s a lot of online debate about over mixing, I don’t worry about it. It’s more important to make sure the spices and seasonings are thoroughly incorporated for the best flavor.
Tip 3: Use a cookie scoop and wet hands. For perfectly sized and shaped meatballs, use a cookie scoop to portion the meat. Then, roll them into balls with damp hands to prevent the meat from sticking. At this point, you can cook them or freeze for later. I’ve included tips on how to freeze uncooked meatballs in the recipe notes.
Tip 4: Cook them on the stovetop. My favorite way to cook these meatballs is on the stovetop. It gives them a lovely golden-brown crust. However, you can also bake them, simmer them in sauce (like these turkey meatballs), or use an air fryer or slow cooker (see slow cooker chicken meatballs). I’ve included tips for all of these cooking methods in the recipe.
Ways to Serve These Meatballs
The best part about this recipe is the versatility. You have so many options for serving them, and they work well with all sorts of flavors. For sauces, try serving them with a classic pasta sauce or a simple marinara sauce. For a tangy twist, we love them with a tangy barbecue sauce or even buffalo wing sauce with a side of blue cheese dressing.
You can also turn them into a meal. Pick a sauce and serve them with spaghetti (like in my spaghetti and meatballs). They make fantastic meatball subs or stuff them into warm homemade pita bread with some veggies, tzatziki sauce, and hummus. And of course, they also pair wonderfully with vegetables. We love serving them alongside sautéed cabbage, baked sweet potato fries, and roasted broccoli.
More Meatball Recipes
How to Make Juicy Meatballs
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
My basic meatball recipe is easy to make, calls on simple ingredients we usually have on hand, and guarantees juicy, tender, and flavorful meatballs. Use your favorite ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, or turkey), but make sure it has close to 10% fat. For a simple meal, pair these with spaghetti and tomato sauce, like our Homemade Pasta Sauce.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound ground meat, like ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey, or a combination (450g)
½ cup breadcrumbs or crushed saltine crackers (35g)
½ cup milk (118ml)
1 large egg
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (14g)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil for cooking
Directions
- Making the Meatball Mixture
1Prepare the base mixture: In a large bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then add the egg, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir until the mixture is well blended.
2Mix in the ground meat: Add the ground meat to the bowl. Use a fork or your fingers to mix everything until it’s just combined. While you don’t want to over-mix, the goal is to make sure the seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the meat.
3Form the meatballs: Wet your hands and form the mixture into small balls, about 1 to 1 ¼ inches in size. A small cookie scoop helps portion them, and damp hands will prevent the mixture from sticking. You should get about 35 meatballs from the batch.
- Cooking the Meatballs
1Cook them in a skillet: Heat a wide skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Carefully place the meatballs into the hot oil. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning them occasionally, until they are browned on the outside and cooked through. They should register 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to cook them in two batches.
2Baked meatballs: Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet, leaving some space between each one. Lightly spray the tops of the meatballs with cooking spray or brush with a little oil. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the outsides are browned and an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F in the center.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Cooked meatballs will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container or frozen in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Make ahead tips: You can refrigerate the raw meatball mixture overnight and bake it the next day. Or freeze raw meatballs for up to 3 months. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until firm. Then, transfer the frozen meatballs to an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze. When ready to cook them, bake until lightly browned and cooked through.
- Simmer meatballs in sauce: Follow the instructions shared in this turkey meatball recipe.
- Slow cooker meatballs: Simmer meatballs in your favorite sauce for 4 hours on LOW or 2 hours on HIGH. See these slow cooker chicken meatballs for more tips.
- Air fryer meatballs: Preheat to 375°F and air fry the meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes or until cooked.
- Add more flavor: Add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning or some finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley or basil to the mixture. You can also quickly sauté some finely chopped onion and minced garlic in a bit of olive oil until fragrant. Let them cool, then mix them into the meatball mixture before forming the balls.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We included 8 ounces of ground turkey and 8 ounces of ground pork for the calculations.
The meatballs turn out great and has become my favourite meatball recipe. I wonder if I can do it without the Parmesan cheese. Is there anything I can use as a substitute and still be delicious??
Hi Anne, So happy you enjoy the recipe so much. Parmesan adds a nice flavor, so I’d bump up the salt ever so slightly (maybe a pinch), and then you should be okay. If you’d like, you can swap it for another cheese (cheddar, gruyere, or even a bit of nutritional yeast which gives a savory, cheesy flavor to things).
Delicious finally soft and tasty meatballs. Thank you!!!!
What can i say this meatball recipe is soooo good. I mixed with hot Italian sausage and i could NOT STOP eating them. So tender and moist! The only meatball recipe i will use!!
Using hot Italian sausage is a great idea if you enjoy a little kick. We are so happy that you love the recipe 🙂
This is my now go to for meatballs. Many compliments and wanting the recipe!
Yay! We are so happy that you love the recipe 🙂
This is book marked in my favorites, they are easy and delicious!! Tonight, I’m using for meatball subs and you can bet your bottom dollar there will be at least 2 in my belly before the sauce is added.
can’t remember how many times I’ve made this. In fact, it’s happening tonight. too good! sometimes I use thyme, sometimes I use oregano