The first time my kids tried hoisin meatballs, they LOVED them. But, meatballs aren’t usually top of my list for family meals because I always thought they were time consuming to make and I hated frying them in oil. So, I set out to make a healthy hoisin meatball recipe that was yummy and easy. Spoiler alert: my kids gave this recipe a 20 out of 10 so it’s definitely kid approved!
I saw a tool that helps to make the hoisin meatballs super quickly and new I had to try it. It WORKS! We made about 60 meatballs in a flash. It’s so fun to use – my nine year old loved being a helper and helped form the meatballs with this tool, placed them in the air fryer, turned them over, and helped to serve them up. The kids love helping in the kitchen and this is a recipe that is kid friendly.
INGREDIENTS FOR HEALTHY HOISIN MEATBALLS
Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1.5 lbs ground turkey
- 1 cup panko
- 2 eggs
- 1 medium onion of 1/2 a large onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/4 cup of chopped scallions (about 4 stalks)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste (I recommend about 1 tsp salt)
Hoisin Sauce:
- 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp scallions
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
Quick pickles:
- Slice 3-4 mini cucumbers or 1 large cucumber
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
INSTRUCTIONS FOR HEALTHY HOISIN MEATBALLS
- Mix all of the meatball ingredients together gently (be sure not to over mix or it will tough). I recommend using a fork to keep things light.
- Form 1″ meatballs. I used this very useful tool to make 12 meatballs in seconds.
3. Preheat your air fryer and place the meatballs on the liner to make clean up super quick. This is my air fryer that I LOVE and the air fryer liners that save so much time.
4. Spray them lightly with olive oil and cook at 375 degrees F for 9 minutes, flipping halfway through to ensure even browning.
5. Mix up the sauce ingredients. You can double this if you want to make this like an appetizer and toss the meatballs in the sauce, but to keep this as a healthy hoisin meatball recipe, drizzle a little bit on the meatballs to serve and keep extra as a dipping sauce.
6. This is optional but a quick and delicious addition – I cut up some mini pickles and tossed with the salt and sugar. Let it sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature. It will absorb the flavor slightly for the perfect slightly sweet, slightly salty crunch. If it’s too salty, you can give them a light rinse before you add them to the dish.
6. Plate the meatballs on a bed of rice. I drizzled the hoisin dipping sauce, Kewpie mayonaise, and sriracha. I added the quick pickle cucumbers, julienned carrots, and kimchi. Adding a sprinkle of sesame seeds and chopped scallions adds a beautiful finishing touch to these healthy hoisin meatballs.
Enjoy!
