How to Make Tender Juicy Meatballs

This is our go-to meatballs recipe. If you have ever wondered how to make meatballs that turn out perfectly every single time. Our recipe is quick to make, calls on simple ingredients we always have on hand, and guarantees incredibly tender and juicy meatballs.

Plus, this meatball recipe is totally flexible! It works beautifully with ground beef, pork, lamb, turkey, or chicken, and they turn out perfectly no matter how you choose to cook them.

While we have more specific variations on the blog—like our Italian meatballs, spaghetti and meatballs, and Swedish meatballs—this is the simple recipe you’ll want when you just need a classic meatball. Serve them simmering in your favorite pasta sauce, stuffed into a meatball sub, dropped into soups, or on their own as a simple appetizer.

Key Ingredients

• Ground Meat: Our meatball recipe works well with almost any ground meat. Just keep in mind that meat with a bit of fat works best (look for around 10% fat). We love making classic beef meatballs, but you can easily use ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground lamb. We also love using a combination! Our favorite is a mixture of pork and turkey, which we use in our Italian wedding soup.
• Breadcrumbs: We add breadcrumbs for the perfect texture. We also love substituting them with crushed saltine crackers, just as we do in our meatloaf recipe.
• Milk: This adds moisture and helps tenderize the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked.
• Egg: This adds even more moisture and helps the mixture hold its shape as it cooks.
• Parmesan: Our secret ingredient for the best meatballs! Parmigiano-Reggiano adds incredible flavor and the perfect amount of salt to the mixture. We are always generous with it.
• Oregano, Salt, and Pepper: We keep the seasoning simple. This makes the recipe incredibly versatile, meaning you can serve these meatballs with almost any sauce.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Meatballs

We have made this recipe so many times that we practically have it memorized. Our family loves them, and they work perfectly with a variety of sauces, including our favorite homemade pasta sauce and basil pesto.

Tip 1: Mix everything but the ground meat first. This might be one of my favorite tips when working with ground meat. In our recipe below, you’ll stir the breadcrumbs and milk together in a mixing bowl, then let the mixture sit for a few minutes to thicken. Then, stir in the egg, parmesan cheese, and spices. Mixing these wet ingredients and spices before adding the ground meat guarantees the seasonings are evenly distributed, so every single bite is extra flavorful.

Tip 2: Don’t stress about overmixing. Once the ground meat is in the bowl, just mix until everything is evenly combined. While there is a lot of online debate about overmixing meat, we honestly don’t worry about it! Keeping things stress-free and making sure the spices are thoroughly incorporated for the best flavor is far more important.

Tip 3: Use a cookie scoop and wet hands. For perfectly sized, uniform meatballs, use a cookie scoop to portion the meat. Then, lightly dampen your hands before rolling them into balls to prevent the meat from sticking to your fingers. At this point, you can cook them right away or freeze them for later (we have included tips for freezing uncooked meatballs below).

How to Cook Meatballs

Stovetop Meatballs: For perfectly golden brown meatballs with an almost crunchy crust, cook them in a skillet on the stovetop. Cooking them this way lets you rotate the meatballs in the oil, ensuring they turn golden brown on the outside while staying juicy and tender on the inside. We use this method for our Swedish meatballs and also for the meatballs that go into our Italian wedding soup (a personal favorite).

Baked Meatballs: Baking the meatballs in the oven is simple and makes clean-up a breeze. We use our silicone baking mat (ours is a Silpat), but you can also line a baking sheet with parchment paper or even foil. We like to bake them at a high temperature (400°F to 425°F), so they brown slightly. At this temperature, the meatballs should take about 20 minutes. We use this exact method to make our cheese-stuffed chicken meatballs!

Simmered in Sauce: For the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth meatballs, skip the browning and cook them directly in simmering sauce (just like we do for our tender turkey meatballs and these sweet and sour meatballs). Simply bring a sauce, like our marinara sauce, to a simmer, then carefully drop the raw meatballs right in. Leave them there without touching them until they firm up, then shimmy the skillet so they turn in the sauce and cook until done. Not only does this method guarantee tender meatballs, but it also makes the sauce more savory and flavorful.

More Ways to Cook Meatballs

We use the following cooking methods a bit less often in our own kitchen, but they are still excellent options. Keep in mind that different models of slow cookers, pressure cookers, and air fryers might affect cook times, so check for doneness often.

• Slow Cooker Meatballs: You can absolutely use your slow cooker to make meatballs (see our slow cooker chicken meatballs as proof)! Here is the method we turn to most often: cook the sauce first. We throw our sauce ingredients into the slow cooker and let it run for a few hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW. Once the sauce is hot and flavorful, gently drop in the raw meatballs. They only need an hour on HIGH in the hot sauce—this ensures they cook just until done, guaranteeing their juiciness.
• Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot): Add your sauce to the pressure cooker and bring it to a simmer (we use the SAUTÉ function). Once simmering, gently add the meatballs, being careful not to smoosh them together as you stack them. Close the lid and cook on HIGH for 8 minutes. Allow the cooker to naturally release for 5 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.
• Air Fryer or Convection Oven: Heat your Air Fryer to 375°F and cook the meatballs until cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. If baking them using the convection setting of your oven, use 375°F and cook for about 15 minutes.

Storing and Make Ahead Tips

Leftover cooked meatballs will last for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.Cooked meatballs freeze perfectly for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag.

To make them in advance:

• Refrigerate: You can keep the raw meatball mixture in the fridge overnight and cook them the next day. Just follow the regular baking instructions in the recipe card.
• Freeze: Form the meatballs and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pop the pan into the freezer until the meatballs are solid. Once firm, transfer them to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready for dinner, you can bake them straight from frozen! Just place your desired amount on a lined baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

How to Serve Meatballs

You can enjoy these meatballs in a variety of ways. Here are a few of our favorite suggestions:

• As an appetizer served with your favorite dipping sauce (think marinara, barbecue sauce, our tahini sauce, or blue cheese dip).
• Over pasta with a classic spaghetti sauce—we especially love them with our veggie-packed spaghetti sauce!
• Over zucchini noodles for a lighter meal, like our garlic parmesan zucchini noodles.
• Piled high on toasted rolls or a focaccia for homemade meatball subs.
• Stuffed into a pita or flatbread with fresh vegetables and hummus, or swapped in for the chicken in our hummus lettuce wraps.
• Served with creamy mashed potatoes and simple gravy.

More Recipes with Ground Meat

• Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs
• Our Best Turkey Meatloaf
• Turkey Burgers
• Chicken Burgers
• Ground Beef Tacos
• Juicy Pork Burgers