Tender and succulent Easy oven baked meatballs! Ground beef and pork seasoned with Italian herbs and other simple everyday spices before baking in the oven to perfection.
These mini meatballs are perfect as appetizers with any dipping sauce of choice and they make a great weeknight dinner too. I love to serve mine with homemade marinara dipping sauce
Easy Oven Baked Meatballs Recipe
Are you looking for meatball appetizer recipes for a party? Well, today’s recipe will show you how to make the best meatballs that will not only be worthy of your parties but can be used for all occasions including dinner.
This recipe is easy and can be made ahead of time, best of all, it can used with any dipping sauce of choice. I served mine with my homemade marinara sauce and its always a hit.
These meatballs are packed full of delicious flavors, tender and juicy, no dry meatballs here, juicy to the last bite.
Dipping sauces for meatballs
The list is endless but here are popular dipping sauces that you and your guests will happily dip your meatballs into. You can but ready-made sauce but homemade is always better as you can adapt and customize it to taste.
Sweet and sour sauce
Cranberry sauce perfect at festive periods
Teriyaki glaze
Honey mustard dipping sauce
Cheese sauce
Honey bbq sauce
Ingredients
Ground beef: I used 85/20 fat content, ground beef is known as beef mince here in the UK
Ground pork: also known as pork mince in the UK, I used 90/10 fat content.
Panko breadcrumbs, substitute with normal breadcrumbs
Italian herbs, substitute with a combination of the following dried herbs, oregano, thyme, and parsley or herb de Provence.
Milk, this is used to moisten the meatballs.
Eggs, it acts a binder for the rest of the ingredients.
Onions, finely chopped or grated.
Garlic, I used fresh garlic but you can substitute with garlic powder.
Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper
How to make easy oven baked meatballs
Preheat the oven at 200C/400F. Spray a non-stick baking sheet with some cooking oil/spray and set aside.
To a large mixing bowl, add ground pork, ground beef, breadcrumbs, Italian herbs, minced garlic, chopped onions, salt, and pepper, pour the milk all over the ingredients. Using your hands, gently combine the ingredients until it all comes together.
Using a spoon or a small cookie dough scooper, roll each meatball into a small ball, a little less than the size of a ping pong ball, and transfer to the baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the outside. Remove from the oven and transfer the meatballs into a serving bowl. Toss or serve with a dipping sauce of choice.
How to store
Fridge: Leftover meatballs can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Freezer: store in the freezer in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container for up to 1 month. Leave to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating, this way, you do not end up with tough meatballs.
To reheat: the best way to reheat cooked meatballs is by warming it in the oven or in the air fryer at 180C/365F for 3 to 5 minutes or until warmed through. Be careful not to overcook it as the meatballs may become dry.
FAQs
How long should you bake small meatballs?
Depending on the size of the meatballs, mini meatballs would typically cook between 12 to 15 minutes while large meatballs will take longer, say 20 to 35 minutes. if in doubt, use an instant-read thermometer, the internal temperature of cooked meatballs should read 160F/80C
Do I need to add milk to meatballs and what can I substitute with?
Milk is the secret to moist and tender meatballs! It is added to keep the meat moist while the egg is added to bind the rest of the ingredients together such as bread crumbs, seasoning, ground meat, and cheese if used. If you would rather not use milk in this recipe, you can substitute it with water. Do not fret, the meatballs will turn out perfectly well, tender and succulent.
How to freeze meatballs
For the best result, only freeze uncooked meatballs. Arrange the meatballs (space them out so they do not touch) on a lined baking tray in a single layer and flash freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen meatballs to Ziploc freezer bag, label with date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Tips for making the best oven-baked meatballs
Here are simple dos and don’ts to nailing the perfect meatballs
- Do not overcook the meatballs if cooking in sauce, especially if you would be serving as an appetizer on a toothpick. You want the toothpick to be able to hold the meatballs without falling apart.
- Ensure to finely chop the onions to avoid the meat falling apart whilst cooking in the even. Alternatively, use a chopper for the chore.
- Roll the meatballs into similar sizes for even cooking
- Avoid tough meatballs, make sure you do not overmix the meat mixture. This is important!
- Do not overcrowd the baking sheet, allow some space for proper air circulation.
- Add about a tablespoon of homemade basil pesto sauce and grated parmesan cheese to the meatball mixture for some Italian flair.
More recipes you will love
Halloumi chips with sweet chili mayo dipping sauce
If you made this easy oven-baked mini meatballs recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback and rate it 5 stars. Tag us @cravingsmallbites on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest.
Easy Oven Baked Meatballs (Mini Meatballs)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (450g) I used 85/20 fat content
- 1 lb ground pork (450g) I used 90/10 fat content
- ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs substitute with normal breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp Italian herbs substitute with a combination of the followings dried herbs, oregano, thyme and parsley or herb de Provence.
- ½ cup milk I used semi skimmed milk
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup onion finely chopped or grated.
- 2 large garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 200C/400F. Spray a non-stick baking sheet with some cooking oil/spray and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add ground pork, ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Italian herbs, minced garlic, chopped onions, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper, pour the milk all over the ingredients. Using your hands, gently combine the ingredients until it all comes together.
- Using a tablespoon or a small cookie dough scooper and spoop out the mixture, roll each meatball into a small ball, a little less than the size of a ping pong ball and transfer on the baking sheet. (add little oil to your palm to make it easy to roll the meatballs nicely)
- Bake in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the outside. Remove from the oven and transfer the meatballs into a serving bowl. Toss or serve with a dipping sauce of choice. Enjoy!
Kara says
I did not have ground turkey so I only used 1 pound of ground beef and cut the rest of the recipe in half, but it was still way to wet. I even added the full 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs and the mixture was still too wet, I ran out of panko and had to spend extra time making my own breadcrumbs which took a lot longer, still, the mixture was too wet, cooked for longer than 15-20 minutes and the meatballs are basically mush, barely stir them in a bowl and they break into pieces. I don't think I'd try this again even with the 1 pound of ground turkey and using the recipe as a whole as called for. No sense as to why this recipe wouldn't work with half the ingredients. It shouldn't be any different than doing half ground beef, half turkey and half the other ingredients, but yet the mixture is too wet. Disappointed and won't be trying this again. Also not to mention the lack of salt & pepper in the ingredient list.
Tris says
Your printable recipe doesn't say when to add the eggs!
Olu says
Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
Mike says
Recipe is great perfect size meatballs. Made them to serve with baked ziti to adults and kids. I covered sheet with parchment paper and used a cooling rack to cook evenly. Thanks
Paula says
No salt or pepper?
Olu says
Hello Paula, I don't mention the exact measurements for salt and black pepper in the recipe as I think it should be adjusted based on individual taste. Thanks
Kara says
You should probably include salt & pepper into the ingredient list and instead of putting exact measurements, put something like "to your tasting" or "measure with your heart". I'm currently in the middle of cooking these and don't have a review just yet but I didn't even think of salt & pepper, but the mixture was way too wet and I don't know how they'll turn out but I'll post a review shortly.
Massy says
Can these be made without the bread? (for a low card version)
Olu says
Yes, you can Massy. Add 2 tablespoons of milk to the meatball mixture or omit it completely if you prefer.
Denise says
Very good mini meatball recipe. I had evaporated milk in the fridge so I use that instead of milk, did not have any ground pork so I just use 2 pounds of ground beef and, added shredded cheddar cheese. I made these for my 3year old grandson. The meatballs were so moist, tender, and delicious thank you for this recipe, I would recommend it
Olu says
Thank you so much Denise for your feedback! I am glad you all enjoyed it.