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Thai Turkey Meatballs are about to become a new dinnertime favorite! They’re made with Thai curry paste and simmered in a creamy coconut curry sauce with canned coconut milk, curry paste, shallots, bell peppers, scallions, tamari, and cilantro. Serve these Thai meatballs over steamed jasmine rice and top with spicy coconut and basil-tossed avocado. They’re some of my best meatballs, so YUMMMY!
Oh, I am excited about today’s recipe. Making these meatballs has been a month-long process, so I’ve been eager to share them. I have to start by saying that my family—everyone from my very picky mother to my brother, Creighton, who prefers intense flavors—adores them.
I’ve been serving these all month long and no one is complaining about our “meatball” nights. In fact, they’ve been requesting these over and over!
Originally, I had a different idea for this recipe. But after realizing that I was missing ingredients, I ended up with the simplest skillet meatball dish.
Thai red curry paste is a key element in so many recipes. It’s a simple ingredient that packs in so much flavor. It’s certainly become a staple. I always have some in the fridge, with backups on my pantry shelf!
Jumping into the details
Step 1: mix the meatballs
I used ground turkey for these meatballs, but you can use ground chicken, pork, or beef. They’re all very similar.
Then, for texture and to help bind the meat together, I add panko breadcrumbs and an egg. For flavor, I use Thai red curry paste, ground ginger, and garlic powder, then season lightly with salt and black pepper.
Step 2: Start searing the meatballs
Now, working in a skillet, melt the butter around the meatballs and let them get crispy. At this point, the meatballs do not need to be cooked throughout. They will finish cooking in the curry sauce.
Step 3: the curry sauce
With the meatballs in the skillet, add some butter. I really love to use butter for the flavor, you have to trust me. It’s delicious.
Then, additional Thai red curry paste, bell peppers (orange, yellow or red), shallots, and scallions. Let the curry paste and peppers cook around the meatballs for a minute or two. This will give you the best flavor. When you smell the curry paste in the air, add the coconut milk. Mix in some tamari (or use soy sauce) and allow the meatballs to simmer in the sauce until it thickens a bit. Then mix in fresh cilantro.
Step 4: the spicy coconut-tossed avocado
You all know I love to add salsa or a simple topping to most dishes, and I’m obsessed with coconutty avocados.
It is kind of like an avocado salsa. Chunks of avocado, jalapeño, toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes, fresh basil, lime zest and juice.
Step 5: let’s eat
I always serve saucy curries over steamed jasmine rice. The curry sauce soaks into the rice, which is super yummy.
Spoon the sauce and meatballs over the rice, then top with the avocado. The green on top really makes these meatballs look pretty too, and you know I’m all about that!
Here’s a tip for you: If you like, you can freeze the meatballs and sauce together. Just thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm on the stove until heated through. You’ll now have a yummy 10-minute dinner. Save this Thai Turkey Meatballs recipe for back-to-school/back-to-work dinners in August!
It will be here before we know it!
Looking for other easy weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites.
Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon.
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
Lastly, if you make these Thai Turkey Meatballs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Thai Turkey Meatballs
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 489 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and black pepper
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 2 red or orange bell peppers, chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 can (14 ounce) full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup tamari/soy sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1 jalapeńo, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted, unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- zest and juice from 1 lime
Instructions
- 1. Add the turkey, panko, egg, 1 tablespoon of curry paste, ground ginger, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Mix until just combined. Roll the meat into 15 to 20 meatballs. 2. In a large skillet set over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons butter and the meatballs. Let the butter melt, then cook for 5 minutes, turning them 2-3 times, until crisp.3. Add 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons curry paste, and the bell peppers, shallots, and green onions. Cook until they're fragrant and the peppers have softened, 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and tamari. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are cooked throughout. Remove from the heat and stir in a handful of cilantro.4. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, jalapeño, coconut, basil, lime zest, and lime juice. Season with salt. 5. Serve the meatballs and sauce over bowls of rice topped with herby/spicy avocado.
This post was originally published on July 18, 2024
This is a seriously delicious recipe!!! Will definitely make again!
Love to hear this, Karen! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! xT
Hi tieghan,
Could I leave out the panko in the meatballs ? My husband is not a fan.
Thanks
Hi Swathi,
Sure, I would use regular breadcrumbs or an egg as a binder in place of the panko. I hope this helps! xT
Absolutely delicious!! Made a few minor adjustments, with the first being I used ground chicken, but only 1 pound. Used the 1 Tb of the red Thai curry paste in the meat but cut back to only one more in the sauce and the spice level was perfect! I also omitted the herb/avocado salsa and just topped with avocado slices and that was perfect. This will definitely be made in our household again!
Hey Diane,
Wonderful! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish, thanks for making it! x
I made these on Saturday night with ground veal instead of turkey. Major game changer and beyond yummy! Dear hubby ate leftovers the next day for lunch!
Hey Wendy,
Wonderful! Great idea to use ground veal in place of the turkey:) So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you! xT
Incredible dish, we were so impressed with the flavors. My family loved this.
Hey Lorie,
Happy Monday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you. Thanks for making it and your comment! Xx
Tried this tonight, very good. Quick question, the ingredient list calls for 4 Tb of curry paste, but I only see 3 Tb in the instructions – one in the meatballs and 2 in the sauce. Where does the last Tb belong? Thanks!!!
Hey Julie,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and your comment, love to hear you enjoyed the flavors! Sorry for any confusion, it’s just the 3 tablespoons of curry paste! xx
I made this tonight and it was delicious! The coconut salsa added so much. It was such an interesting mix, I was skeptical—and my husband said “In Tieghan we trust!” Of course! Thank you for another keeper!
Hey Jennifer,
Fantastic! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thank you so much for making it! xT
Made this for dinner and it was delicious! Only thing I would change is add more peppers and onions, they cook down so much! But very flavorful and easy meal!
Hey Katie,
Amazing:) Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Outstanding! You combine an uncommon mix of flavors that always complement each other. This was so flavorful and had great textures. So good!
Hey Justin,
Happy Monday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you. Thanks for making it and your comment! Xx
Made this for dinner last night and it will be on our regular rotation! Subbed broccoli and zucchini for the peppers, big fan of the avocado/jalapeño/basil/lime salsa with it. I prepped the meatballs, veggies and salsa earlier in the day so it was very fast to throw together. Thanks for another winner!
Hey Rory,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xT
Absolutely delicious, full of great Thai flavors- loved it! Followed recipe exactly except I added a few jalapeño slices for some heat. Will definitely make again!
Hey Dana,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
So good 🙂
Thanks so much, Kathleen!!
I made this last night and it was amazing. I did a few modifications because I can only tolerate puréed foods right now. I doubled the recipe, so I could have more “sauce”to eat. I added 2 cans of pumpkin purée to up the nutritional content. It made it super creamy without adding any pumpkin flavor. The meatballs were so good (I used Turkey)
Somehow I got kicked out of my comment. I wanted to finish up by saying this was a great recipe. I didn’t make the avocado topping but made the garlic/coconut topping from another of your recipes and it added so much extra flavor. For sure a keeper. Thanks so much for this recipe and all the others. It’s so helpful when I get stumped for new ideas.
Hey Angela,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xx
Delicious! Goes exceptionally well with mango salsa and whatever your favourite version of green rice might be.
Thanks so much, Maria:) Love to hear that you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you giving it a try! Have a great Friday! xT
I’m gluten, dairy, soy, and egg free, any suggestions on replacing the bread crumbs other than gf bread? GF oats? I could use olive oil or plant based butter and an egg replacement.
Thank you, sounds delicious!!
Hi Victoria,
Your local grocery store should carry gluten free breadcrumbs or you could try an egg replacement. I hope this helps, please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
Does the full-fat coconut milk mean a can of sweetened coconut milk?
Hi Becki,
I like to use unsweetened coconut milk, but yes, you will use 1 can. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Thank you Tieghan! I made the turkey meatballs last night and they were delicious! My husband and I both loved them! The red curry paste gave it a nice little kick! It will definitely be added to our dinner rotation along with many of your other recipes. We have fish night, taco night, and the rest of the week are Half Baked Harvest recipes. I did use a can of the unsweetened coconut milk (be sure to shake it before adding). I think the recipe would be great with or without the avocado salsa. The prep time for me was longer than 15 minutes so plan on at least 30 minutes. I really liked that the recipe uses ground turkey. It’s great to have another protein option besides chicken and beef.
Thanks so much for sharing, Becki!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you:) Happy Friday! xT