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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
We LOVED these meatballs so much we made them twice in one week! The flavors are perfectly balanced and they’re so delish. Easy to make and easier to eat🤓 These are a new favorite in our house!
Hi Meg,
Amazing! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
I loved the flavors of this recipe! I’m wondering if I did something wrong though, my sauce was very thin and I used full fat coconut milk and simmered it for a while waiting for it to thicken. Still a very yummy dish though, don’t skip the spicy avocado it changes everything!
Hey Natasha,
Happy Friday! Thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for your comment and making it! This sauce is not super thick, so I don’t think you did anything wrong:) Xx
Sorry I meant red curry paste so there is no confusion!
This recipe looks so delicious and I’m planning on making it today but I do have one question. Have use tried using fresh ginger instead of ground and would you recommend it? Thanks!
Hi there,
I have not tried this, but it should be just fine for you to do! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Hi Tieghan, thank you so much for your quick response! I ended up going to the store to get ground ginger and did make it for dinner. It was absolutely delicious and the first Thai recipe I have made! I followed the recipe exactly except for using a little less red chile paste due to some comments but next time I will use the amount you recommend as we didn’t find it spicy at all. My husband kept raving about how delicious it was. I will have to look for your other recipes with the red chile paste. Thanks again for a great recipe!!
Thank you so much:)
hhhhhaaaaaa HELP! i’m SO sad. How did I mess this up? please help
mine is too spicy
also it is NOT the creamy color at all. did I use the wrong coconut milk? the only thing I could find in a can was condensed coconut milk.
I so badly wanted this to turn out. I’m bummed
Hi Courtney,
So sorry to hear you had some issues with this dish!! What kind of curry paste did you use? You’ll want to use regular coconut milk, not condensed:) Thai Kitchen brand makes a good one! I hope this helps! xx
Delicious but ridiculously spicy…and we used less red chili paste than it called for. Unfortunately couldn’t feed it to our little kids since after the first bite they started grabbing for their milk.
Hi Hannah,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry it was so spicy for you! xx
New favorite recipe!!! Question, though, please – the recipe calls for 4 tbsp of Thai red curry paste. Yet, in following directions, only 3 tbsp are used.. Am I missing something? Would hate to lose out on any more incredible flavor.. It seemed fine “as is”, but maybe could be even better? Please let me know…. Thanks!!
Never mind…. I see that you answered the question in an earlier post with a reviewer. Thx!
Hey Ellen,
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for making it! You can follow the recipe as written with the 3 tablespoons, sorry about that! xT
Recipe was fantastic! Came together quickly, and the combination of different flavor profiles was sooooo good!! Thanks for another winning meal!
Thanks so much, Mary Jo!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish! I appreciate you giving it a try! xT
This was delicious and very easy to make. I followed the recipe as is, but forgot to buy avocado and jalapeño so didn’t have those to add. Will definitely make again. My whole family loved it.
Hey Holly,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for trying this dish, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Delicious. I had to sub cucumber for the avocado but it worked well as we like the freshness and crunch. Chopped peanuts might have been a nice garnish too!
So glad to hear this, Jenn!!
OMG…this was sooooo good and will be on repeat! So many flavors going on! As always, thank you ❤️
Hey Jill,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it and your feedback! Xx
These were TOP notch!! I didn’t have any jalepeno or extra basil, but it didn’t matter.
They are on the spicy side, which appeals to me. I only used 1T. in the meatballs and 2T. in the sauce. Also added probably 1 tsp. of brown sugar.
Hey Kristina,
Awesome! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
I made the meatballs, and they were great. I won’t bother making the avocado salsa again, though. Question: the recipes calls for 4 tbs. of red curry paste; one is used in the meatballs and two in the sauce. What about the fourth tablespoon?
Hi Nancy,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Sorry about the curry paste, it’s correct as written with 1T in the meatballs and 2T in the sauce. xx
What a fabulous meal to make on a rainy summer night when I can’t use the BBQ! I used sweet onions instead of green onions, because I had them, and they tasted great in the sauce. Thank you for another home run, Tiegan!
Thanks so much, Deb:) Love to hear that you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! xT
I just made this recipe and it was so easy. I love that I can make quick delicious meal at home. Thank you!
Hey Melissa,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for your feedback:)
My 27 year old son couldn’t stop eating this! I made with ground chicken. Did a lot ahead. Made meatballs early in the day as well as chopped veggies and put all ingredients for sauce in one bowl. When it came time to eat, pulled out my 13” Staub double handled skillet and cooked the meatballs, added sauce, and prepped topping waiting for rice to finish. I couldn’t wait! Even my son said son there’s a lot of flavors going on there 🙂 I do not think the leftovers will make it through lunch tomorrow…next time might double recipe so I can freeze some! It had quite a kick! Might try adding more coconut milk and soy sauce or cutting back on Thai curry paste next time, but that’s just me…the men in my house said they wouldn’t change a thing! I loved the avocado topping! Very different! Thank you, Tieghan!!
Loved this recipe! The avocado topping is amazing and really makes it! This is my favorite curry recipe of yours that I’ve tried so far!
Hey Mary,
Wonderful! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish, thanks for making it! x
Hey Shelley,
Happy Tuesday! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing all of your notes! Love to hear that it was enjoyed by your family! xT