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These Thai turkey meatballs are a flavor-packed, family-friendly dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes – without the mess of frying! Baked to perfection, they're simmered in a creamy, dairy-free coconut curry sauce that's slightly spicy, tangy, and full of rich Thai-inspired flavors. Whether you’re meal-prepping or don't know what to make on busy weeknights, this recipe delivers restaurant-quality taste with real food ingredients.
Why You'll Love This Thai Turkey Meatballs Recipe
I absolutely love Thai food and Thai cooking – whether it's Thai coconut curry shrimp bowls, Thai pumpkin chicken curry, or a comforting bowl of Thai-inspired red curry soup. These Thai turkey meatballs are another favorite of mine!
The sauce is creamy, slightly spicy, and bursting with tangy Thai flavors that pair perfectly with white rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, or even cauliflower rice. It's a dish that's simple, flavorful, and just so satisfying.
The best part? These meatballs are baked in the oven which means no grease splatters or mess to clean up! Plus, there's no need for breadcrumbs, making them perfect for gluten-free, keto, or dairy-free diets. They're versatile, easy to make, and guaranteed to become a new go-to in your recipe rotation!
Ingredient Notes
With simple ingredients and easy steps, these juicy turkey meatballs come to life in no time! Perfect for meal prep, kid-friendly dinners, and more!
- Ground turkey: I prefer to use lean ground turkey for my Thai meatballs. You can also use ground chicken, ground beef, or ground pork.
- Coconut milk: Helps make the sauce creamy and thick. Make sure to look for canned full-fat coconut milk.
- Thai red curry paste: This can be found in the grocery store in the ethnic foods aisle or at your local Asian grocery store. You can also find it online at Thrive Market. It gives this dish great flavor.
- Onion & red pepper: You can use any color of bell peppers and add your favorite vegetables, such as peas, mushrooms, or broccoli if you'd like to include more veggies in your dish.
- Almond flour: You can substitute ⅓ the amount of coconut flour, or the same amount of measure for measure gluten-free flour for nut-free.
- Garlic powder: Feel free to use 2 tsp minced garlic in its place.
- Fresh basil
For exact ingredient amounts and instructions, see the printable recipe card below.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well using your hands. Do not over-mix, or you may get tough meatballs.
Step 2: Form the meat mixture into 1.5 inch balls (it should make about 12) and place onto the prepared baking sheet pan. I like to use a cookie scoop to form uniform meatballs with the turkey mixture. Bake the raw meatballs for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper. Saute until the onion becomes translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 4: Add the red curry paste and stir for about 1-2 minutes.
Step 5: Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat down to low.
Step 6: Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 1-2 additional minutes. Serve over caulirice, carrot noodles, or whatever you want! Sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Air Fryer: If you want to make these Thai turkey meatballs in the air fryer, simply form the balls. Preheat your air fryer to 400. Spray the basket with cooking oil. Add a single layer of meatballs and cook for 6 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes. Add to the sauce and enjoy!
- Nut free: Use ⅓ the amount of coconut flour or the same amount of 1:1 gluten-free flour for a nut-free version.
- For an extra touch of crunch, sprinkle these meatballs with some toasted cashews or crushed peanuts before serving.
Serving Tips
- I love serving these with my instant pot coconut rice or for the keto version you can use this cilantro lime coconut cauliflower rice recipe! It would also be delicious over zucchini noodles, gluten-free pasta, jasmine rice, or spaghetti squash.
- Garnish with a squeeze of lime juice and/or green onions for extra flavor and some color.
- If you're looking for a side to go with this dish, an easy cucumber carrot salad would be delicious!
Storage Tips
Store leftover turkey meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat in a pan over medium heat, or in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Let them cool completely. Then, store in a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer bag for up to 6 months in the freezer.
Yes, ground beef, lamb (try these Greek lamb meatballs!), pork, or chicken would also work well with this recipe.
Yes, all of the ingredients in this recipe are Whole30-friendly.
More Delicious Recipes
Slow Cooker Cranberry Jalapeno Meatballs
Whole30 Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Easy Gluten-Free Swedish Meatballs (with Gravy)
Easy Thai-Inspired Turkey Meatballs
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup almond flour, can sub 1:1 gluten free flour for nut free
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp dried basil, use 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil or cilantro instead if you want!
- 1 tsp red curry paste, I used Thai Kitchen brand – it is compliant
Sauce/Veggies
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ onion, chopped
- 3 tsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 can full fat coconut milk, canned
- squeeze of fresh lime juice
- salt & pepper to taste
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish, optional
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well using your hands. Form 1.5 inch balls (it should make about 12) and place onto the lined baking sheet. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes
Sauce
- Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper. Saute until the onion becomes translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the red curry paste and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat down to low.
- When the meatballs are done, add them to the sauce and simmer for 1-2 additional minutes. Serve over caulirice, carrot noodles, or whatever you want! Sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
-
- Air Fryer: If you want to make gluten-free turkey meatballs in the air fryer, simply form the balls. Preheat your air fryer to 400. Spray the basket with cooking oil. Add a single layer of meatballs and cook for 6 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes. Add to the sauce and enjoy!
-
- Nut free: Use ⅓ the amount of coconut flour or the same amount of 1:1 gluten-free flour for a nut-free version.
-
- For an extra touch of crunch, sprinkle these meatballs with some toasted cashews or crushed peanuts before serving.
- Store leftover gluten-free turkey meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
When I mixed the meatball ingredients the meatballs were very gooey and hard to form into balls
Even after adding more almond flour they were still difficult to work with.
Is that normal? Perhaps my ratios are a bit off? What do you find works best for forming the meatballs?
That is pretty normal for ground turkey and ground chicken. I usually wet my hands with some water before rolling the balls (and continue to do so throughout rolling them) to prevent sticking!
We made these for supper tonight, they were so good. Served them with steamed vegetables but will definitely try them with noodles or rice in the future. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks Sarah! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
A staple in our house! Full of flavor and comes together quickly!
Thanks Holly! So glad you enjoy it!
What is the garnish herb you have in pics…cilantro or fresh basil?
Cilantro 🙂
Absolutely my favorite Mary’s recipe! Perfect for a busy weeknight and so flavorful!
Thank you so much!
Hi! can I substitute rice or chickpeas flour for the almond flour? Thank you
I haven’t tried it so I cannot be sure – I’ve only done coconut flour instead (use 1/3 the amount of almond flour) – it you try it let me know how it goes!
Could you substitute coconut flour for the almond flour?
Yes! Just do 1/3 the amount 🙂
Wow! I doubled the recipe and it was Soo delicious! Even my 8 and 6 year old ate em! Not too spicy, just enough kick. Really very delicious!
Should that be tablespoon for the curry paste in the sauce? Mine is barely pink!
Hi Jenn, There is only 1 tsp of the red curry paste in the actual meatballs…but if you look under the ingredients for the sauce, there is 3 additional tsp of the red curry paste there! So 4 tsp total 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions!
Could you use frozen turkey meatballs if your in a hurry?
Yes – you may need to adjust cooking time a bit based on the package directions but I don’t see why that would not work 🙂