You’ve never had a meatball like this! Korean BBQ Meatballs are sweet, juicy, flavorful, and ready in 30 minutes!
Korean Beef Bulgogi Meatballs
Meatballs: such a simple idea, but they are always a crowd-pleaser!
Our family eats meatballs at least every other week, and my husband (the chef of the family) is always looking for ways to make “not just your ordinary meatball.”
He occasionally makes Asian-style meatballs, but this past week he did a version of his usual recipe that was AH-MA-ZING: Bulgogi Meatballs.
Why I especially love this recipe:
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Gluten free
- Made with simple, real-food ingredients
- Contains “hidden” fruits & veggies to sneak extra nutrition into the kids’ diets
What is “Bulgogi?”
Bulgogi is a Korean word that loosely translated means grilled marinated meat (most-often it’s beef). My husband’s food truck partner has a Korean-Mexican fusion truck (Oh My Gogi!) so he is around the stuff almost every day. Of course, my husband put his own spin on it!
This Korean beef bulgogi meatball recipe makes about two dozen — that might sound like a lot, but they are sooo good they’ll go faster than you think!
For your convenience, I’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products used to make this recipe; disclosure policy available here.
Here’s what you need to make Bulgogi Meatballs:
- Ground beef
- Sweet Italian sausage
- Powdered ginger
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Apple
- Green onion
- Yellow onion
- Egg
- Mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
A free printable copy of this recipe with full ingredient amounts and directions is available at the bottom of the post.
Keep reading for photo step-by-step instructions and cooking tips or click here to jump to printable recipe.
How to Make Korean BBQ Meatballs
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Rough chop one apple (Yes, an apple! This “secret” ingredient makes the recipe!) and 1/2 of a yellow onion and add to food processor.
TIP: The Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Food Processor has lasted us for YEARS – it’s our kitchen workhorse!
Blend until smoothly puréed.
Combine all ingredients (including the apple/onion puree) in a large mixing bowl and knead together by hand until well incorporated. F
Form into balls (about 1/4 cup of mixture each) and place evenly spaced, on a greased baking sheet or non-stick silicone baking mat.
Bake for 20 minutes at 375°F. (Oven times may vary, so keep an eye on ’em!)
Perfect Pairings for Korean Meatballs
We usually enjoy our Bulgogi Meatballs with brown rice or quinoa and a veggie. Here are some of our favorite sides that pair perfectly with these sweet Korean BBQ meatballs:
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- Dr. Pepper Instant Pot Meatballs
- Keto Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Easy Swedish Meatballs
- Keto Meatball Stroganoff
Grab a free printable version of our Sweet Korean BBQ Meatballs:
Korean BBQ Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 apple puréed
- 1/4 cup green onion chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion puréed
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon Mirin sweet Japanese cooking wine optional
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 375°.
- Rough chop one apple and 1/2 of a yellow onion and add to food processor. Blend until smoothly puréed.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and knead together by hand.
- Form into balls (about 1/4 cup of mixture) and place, evenly spaced, on a greased baking sheet or non-stick silicone baking mat.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 375°.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sheryl Moyer says
What kind of apple do you use for the Korean meatball recipe? I have a golden delicious and a honey crisp. Just wondering which would be best. Thank you!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Sheryl – I think either one of those types of apples would work perfectly! We just use whatever we have on hand – our favorites are Golden Delicious and Gala.