Asian Meatballs

Filled with so much flavor, these Asian Meatballs are cooked in the slow cooker with a delicious sauce. The Asian flavors really make these meatballs stand out.

Break out the slow cooker for an easy meal, like these Asian Meatballs, this Crock Pot Corn Chowder, or this Slow Cooker Cuban Ropa Vieja.

I have a thing for meatballs. I’ve made them in the slow cooker before, like these Tamale Balls. And I’ve made them Asian style before, like these Sweet and Sour Meatballs or Teriyaki Meatballs. But I combined them this time – Asian style in the slow cooker!!

I actually came up with this when I was in a clean out the fridge mood, and found a bottle of hoisin sauce and a bottle of plum sauce that both needed to be used. What I ended up with was a winner!

And while this isn’t a dump and cook slow cooker meal, I think the extra little bit of effort is totally worth it. You still gets lots of flavor for minimum effort.

Ingredients

• Meat: I use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork because I like the mixture of flavors. But you can always do one or the other if you don’t want to do the mix.
• Bread Crumbs: I think panko bread crumbs give a good, light texture to the meatballs.
• Green Onions: The green onions add onion flavor without being overpowering. If you want to use a regular onion, I suggest grating the onion. You would then only want to use about a tablespoon of the grated onion.
• Egg: The egg will act as a binder to hold the meatballs together.
• Soy Sauce: You will use this in both the sauce and the meatballs. I like to use low sodium soy sauce.
• Ginger: Fresh is best in this recipe. And I love ginger, so the amount I is on the high side. If you are’t a big ginger fan, you can cut it in half.
• Garlic: You will also need garlic for both the sauce and the meatballs. I like to use freshly minced garlic.
• Oil: You will need the oil to brown the meatballs. You can use olive oil, vegetable, canola oil, or any fairly neutral oil.
• Hoisin Sauce: Hoisin sauce is usually described as an Asian bbq sauce. It is easy to find in the Asian section at most grocery stores.
• Plum Sauce: Plum sauce is a little harder to find. I did not find it at my normal grocery store, but I was able to find it locally. You can always order it online, as well.
• Vinegar: You will need a little bit of rice vinegar for the sauce. I use seasoned rice vinegar, but regular also works.

How to Make Asian Meatballs

STEP 1: Take all of your meatball ingredients and place them in a large bowl. Combine everything until all of the ingredients are evenly disbursed.

STEP 2: Form the mixture into meatballs about 1 1/2 tablespoons each. I like to use a scoop, then I’ll roll them in my hands to make sure they are round balls.

STEP 3: Heat the oil in a skillet then cook the meatballs until they are browned on all sides. You’ll probably need to do this in batches,

STEP 4: Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

STEP 5: Place the meatballs in a slow cooker, then pour the sauce over the top.

STEP 6: Gently stir the mixture to make sure the sauce covers the meatballs. Cook on low for about 2 hours, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Tips and Tricks

Our favorite way to eat these meatballs is over rice. A side of steamed broccoli is a perfect side.

These don’t need a ton of time to cook because you start the process when you are browning the meatballs. So don’t leave them for hours and hours!

Make Ahead and Freezing

There are a few options when you are making these Asian meatballs ahead of time.

1. Make the mixture and form the meatballs. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and cover. Store them in the refrigerator. You can make them one day ahead of time, then brown and slow cook when ready.
2. Make the meatballs and brown them, then place them on a baking sheet and cover and refrigerate. Then you can just transfer the meatballs to the slow cooker to cook through.
3. Completely cook the meatballs in the slow cooker, then let them cool and refrigerate. Then you can reheat them to serve them.

Meatballs also freeze well! I would suggest forming the meatballs and placing them on a baking sheet. Transfer to the freezer until the meatballs are frozen through, then transfer them to a freezer safe container. You can cook them from frozen in the slow cooker but you will need to add on additional cook time. You will want to freeze the sauce in a separate container.

More Asian Inspired Recipes

Egg Roll Recipe
Kung Pao Chicken
Beef and Broccoli
Sesame Chicken
Chinese Chicken
Orange Chicken

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Asian Meatballs

5 from 5 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Asian

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Filled with so much flavor, these Asian Meatballs are cooked in the slow cooker with a delicious sauce. The Asian flavors really make these meatballs stand out.

1x2x3x

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• ▢ 12 oz ground beef
• ▢ 12 oz ground pork
• ▢ 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ 2 green onions minced
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh ginger*
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce:

• ▢ 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• ▢ 1/4 cup plum sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, green onions, egg, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Us your hands to mix lightly until everything is combined. Use a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop to form meatballs. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the meatballs, working in batches if needed. Brown the meatballs on all sides, then transfer to a slow cooker that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Pour over the meatballs.
• Cover and cook the meatballs on low until cooked through, about 2 hours.
• Serve over rice, if desired.

Recipe Notes:

*If you don’t love a lot of ginger flavor, cut this down to 1 tablespoon.

**If you want to make the sauce a little thicker, remove the meatballs from the slow cooker, leaving the sauce behind. Whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water. Whisk this mixture into the sauce. Return the lid and let the sauce cook on high for 15 minutes. Return the meatballs to the slow cooker, and gently stir to coat the meatballs with the sauce.

***This makes just enough sauce to coat the meatballs. If you want more sauce for serving, simply double the sauce ingredients.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 5meatballs, Calories: 382kcal (19%), Carbohydrates: 19g (6%), Protein: 29g (58%), Fat: 24g (37%), Saturated Fat: 19g (119%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 226mg (75%), Sodium: 881mg (38%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 11g (12%)

Keywords: asian meatballs, crockpot meatballs, slow cooker meatballs