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These easy baked Sweet Chili Meatballs are fantastic as a main dish, appetizer, or snack. Pair with roasted or stir-fried veggies and rice, and you’ll have a simple and fast dinner that the whole family will love. You’ll even find gluten-free options included!

A white plate topped with Asian Pork Meatballs and a small dish of chili sauce

Go ahead and write this dish on your meal plan menu in permanent marker, because these spicy pork meatballs are a must make. You’ll love the incredible flavor combo, but the best part is that they’re so easy to make. SO EASY.

And since you’ll love these, you’ll also want to try a batch of Air Fryer Meatballs or Greek Turkey Meatballs. The homemade lemon sauce in that recipe will give you the happy screams.

What Are These Spicy Pork Meatballs Made Of?

ground pork, sesame oil, cilantro, a jalapeno and other ingredients on a white board

If you’re one of those genetically cursed people who don’t like cilantro, feel free to leave it out. To make your meal prep even easier, check out these posts on how to freeze garlic and how to freeze onions. Stock your freezer with these essentials to make whipping up this dish a breeze.

How Do You Know When Pork Meatballs Are Done?

Ground pork needs an internal temp of 160 degrees F to be considered safe to eat. I take a two-pronged approach to test the “doneness” of these: 1) use a meat thermometer to test (I’ve had this thermometer for over seven years and love it) 2) cut the biggest meatball in half to check the color. Ground pork will have some pinkness to it even when fully cooked, but it should not be raw looking.

How to Freeze Meatballs

I love to double the batch and freeze half for future meals. You can freeze them cooked or uncooked. I prefer cooked because then there is one less thing to do when I need a quick meal.

To freeze: place meatballs on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and freeze for two hours. Transfer to freezer-safe storage (we love these reusable silicone bags). They’ll keep in the freezer for up to three months.

To reheat (if cooked): allow to thaw overnight in the fridge, or add them frozen to a slow cooker with 1-2 cups of teriyaki sauce (related: Gluten-Free Teriyaki Sauce), or do a quick pan-fry in a skillet with a bit of olive oil.

To reheat (if uncooked): bake according to the instructions below in the recipe card, but add 4-5 minutes to the cooking time.

two photos showing ground pork and ingredients in a mixing bowl, and meatballs on a baking sheet

What To Serve With Them

This dish is begging for some veggies like Roasted Frozen Broccoli, Spicy Green Beans, or Blistered Shishito Peppers. Rice or noodles make a great side dish, and these Cold Soba Noodle Salad or Instant Pot Garlic Rice would be perfect with it!

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • Sub in ground turkey, chicken, or beef for the pork.
  • Do not overwork the ingredients while mixing it, as this can lead to dry or tough meatballs.
  • Add an optional 1/3 cup of grated carrot to the mixture to increase the veggies.
  • Sub in almond flour for the panko and coconut aminos for the soy sauce to make these gluten-free.
  • If spicy food is not your jam, leave out the jalapenos.
  • To create uniform-sized meatballs, use a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop.

A meatball on a toothpick being dipped into a small bowl of chili sauce

More Delicious Dinners Like This

5 from 2 ratings

Sweet Chili Meatballs

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 23 minutes
Total: 33 minutes
A white plate with Asian pork meatballs topped with diced onions with a small dish of chili sauce
Easy Spicy Pork Meatballs are fantastic as a main dish, appetizer, or snack.

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup panko
  • 1 jalapeno {ribs and seeds removed, finely diced}
  • 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
  • 1 green onion {thinly sliced}
  • 1/4 cup cilantro {minced}
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic {minced}
  • 1/2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp ginger {grated}

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
  • Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine. Pro tip: it's easiest to mix using your hands.
    1 lb ground pork, 1 egg, 1/3 cup panko, 1 jalapeno, 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce, 1 green onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp ginger
  • Make uniform-sized meatballs and place them on the baking sheet without allowing them to touch.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, and then flip and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Cook until internal temperature is 160 degrees F.
  • If you'd like the tops crispy/browned, place under a broiler set to high for 1-2 minutes. Watch closely so they don't burn!

Notes

Makes 16 1 inch meatballs.
 
Sub in almond flour and use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce to make these gluten-free.
 
Add an optional 1/3 cup of grated carrot to the mixture to increase the veggies.

Nutrition

Serving: 4meatballsCalories: 365kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 22gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 244mgPotassium: 350mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 195IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

 

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About Sarah

Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
Come for the food. Stay for the snark.

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4 Comments

  1. This was excellent. I made the sauce the day before. For the turkey burgers, I simply mixed the ingredients and then baked it in the oven in one slab (350 degrees 20 min) and then cut them in burger sizes. They were very good.5 stars

  2. Oh, I’ll be making these this week! One thing I’ve found that makes for tender meatballs is to mix all the other ingredients first and add the meat last – I break up the ground meat with my fingers and throw the pieces lightly on top of the ingredients and gently mix together. Meatballs made like this are always light and tender!