Name: Sweet & Spicy Asian-Inspired Pork Meatballs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs ground pork; 1 tbsp sesame oil ((also used below)); 2 tbsp coconut aminos ((also used below)); 3 green onions, finely diced; 1/2 cup coconut aminos; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tsp ground ginger; 2 tsp garlic, finely diced ((about 1-2 cloves)); 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes ((optional, adjust to taste)); 1/2 tsp tapioca starch ((or arrowroot flour)); Sesame seeds; Diced green onion

Sweet & Spicy Asian-Inspired Pork Meatballs

by Justin Winn

20 meatballs

4.73 from 18 ratings

These baked ground pork meatballs are packed full of asian-inspired flavors. This easy meatball recipe is also Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

posted on June 13, 2022

This post may contain affiliate links.

These baked ground pork meatballs are packed full of asian-inspired flavors and topped with the best homemade sticky sauce.

Ready within 30 minutes, these Asian-spiced meatballs are one of our favorite weeknight dinners because they’re so quick and easy to prepare. They are Paleo and Whole30 friendly too!

Healthy meatballs are where it’s at

These ground pork meatballs are just delicious! They’ve got the perfect combo of savory and sweet. And they really hit the spot, especially when you need a quick and easy meal. The meatballs themselves are flavored with sesame oil, coconut aminos (or this coconut aminos substitute) and scallions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to try our Asian-Inspired Turkey Meatballs and these Paleo & Whole30 Meatballs.

Vertical angled image of asian meatballs in a skillet with serving spoon. Drizzled with sauce and topped with chopped green onion and sesame seeds.

Making these Asian-inspired pork meatballs

Preheat your oven and gather the ingredients.
Mix the meatball ingredients in a large bowl.
Shape up the meatballs and put them in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
When the meatballs are almost done, whip up the sticky sauce on the stovetop.
Spoon the sauce over the meatballs for serving and dig in!

Vertical angled shot of pouring sauce over a bowl of asian meatballs.

Tips for freezing meatballs

We love meatball recipes for meal prep because they are easy to freeze and re-heat when you’re ready to dig in. For these Asian-spiced meatballs, you have two options.

Make the meatballs, freeze them, and then when you go to re-heat them, make the sauce. This is our preferred method because the sauce is best right when it’s made.
Make both the meatballs and the sauce, but freeze them separately. Re-heat and enjoy when you’re ready. You’ll want the sauce separate so that you can re-heat it and enjoy like a true sauce…otherwise it will just get soaked into the meatballs.

Overhead vertical image of asian meatballs in a skillet with serving spoon. Drizzled with sauce and topped with chopped green onion and sesame seeds.

Recommend serving options for pork meatballs

With some greens or roasted veggies.
Over some white rice or cauliflower rice.
Mixed in with some regular noodles or zoodles.
With some sautéed cabbage.

Making meatballs without milk or eggs (or breadcrumbs)

You’ll notice that these meatballs don’t use milk, eggs or breadcrumbs as a binder. Because pork meatballs have plenty of fat, these binders are generally unnecessary.

In addition, they don’t really enhance the flavor, they just add more work and more ingredients! So you can just skip them for this recipe and you’ll never know the difference

Vertical angled close up image of asian meatballs in a bowl with sauce, green onion and sesame seeds on top.

Time to try these Asian-spiced pork meatballs

Meal prepping or just need an easy weeknight dinner? Make these easy Asian-inspired pork meatballs with a delicious sticky sauce!

If you try the recipe, leave a comment and rating below to let us know how it goes. Also, take a pic to share on Instagram and tag us @realsimplegood, we love to see what you’re making.

4.73 from 18 ratings

Get the Recipe:

Sweet & Spicy Asian-Inspired Pork Meatballs

Prep: 10

Cook: 20

Total: 30

Servings: 20 meatballs

These baked ground pork meatballs are packed full of asian-inspired flavors. This easy meatball recipe is also Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

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Ingredients

For the meatballs:

2 lbs ground pork
1 tbsp sesame oil, (also used below)
2 tbsp coconut aminos, (also used below)
3 green onions, finely diced

For the sauce:

1/2 cup coconut aminos
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp garlic, finely diced, (about 1-2 cloves)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, (optional, adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp tapioca starch, (or arrowroot flour)

For topping:

Sesame seeds
Diced green onion

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ground pork, sesame oil, coconut aminos and green onion. Use your hands to mix and form into golfball-sized balls. You can use a small ice cream scoop if you have one. You should make about 18-20 balls.
Place the balls on parchment lined baking sheet and transfer to oven to bake for 20 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, add all of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan and whisk well to mix and incorporate the flour.
When the meatballs have about 7 minutes of cooking time left, start heating the sauce.
Whisk the sauce before turning on the heat to the saucepan. Bring the sauce to a quick low boil and then turn heat down to low to simmer. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes.
Remove meatballs from the oven. Spoon sauce over the meatballs for serving and top with any other desired toppings like sesame seeds or diced scallions.

Last Step:

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