These Teriyaki Pork Meatballs are perfect for meal prepping, and are even better when paired with rice. They’re pan-seared in a skillet, then baked to perfection and coated in the most delicious sticky-sweet teriyaki sauce.

Teriyaki pork meatballs are basically the perfect meal prep recipe. I typically don’t do a ton of meal prepping, but I must admit that having meatballs on hand is a good idea.

Speaking of meal prep, be sure to check out my other meatball recipes, like my baked chicken meatballs and paleo turkey meatballs. 

These Asian pork meatballs are made with ground pork (duh!) and coated in the most delicious teriyaki sauce. It’s sticky and sweet and gives these meatballs a ton of flavor, making it, along with my ground pork stir fry and teriyaki chicken, one of my favorite weeknight dinners.

Pork Meatball Ingredients

• Pork: The recipe calls for ground pork, but you can absolutely substitute it for your favorite ground meat, like ground beef, turkey or ground chicken.
• Soy sauce: I recommend low sodium soy sauce, but you could also use tamari, which is a gluten free soy sauce alternative. Coconut aminos will also work, though if you do that, I recommend using less maple syrup so the sauce isn’t too sweet. 
• Breadcrumbs: The breadcrumbs help to hold the meatballs together, plus they add a little extra flavor. I like using plain Panko breadcrumbs, and I actually tested these with gluten free panko breadcrumbs and they worked out great! If you can’t find Panko/want a sub, any sort of breadcrumbs will work, just make sure they’re plain vs. Italian flavored.
• Maple syrup: The maple syrup adds a hint of sweetness to the sauce, and it pairs perfectly with soy sauce, but you could also use honey. Basically, you just want some sort of sugar to help create the correct flavor.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is *key* if you want the sauce to thicken (which you do!). Once the cornstarch is mixed with the other sauce ingredients then heated, it’ll thicken the sauce. If you’re looking for a substitution, give arrowroot a try.
• Egg: I always make these meatballs with an egg, but if you want to keep them egg-free, simply use a flax egg instead. Combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal with 2.5 tablespoons of water and let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until the flax absorbs the water.

How to Make Teriyaki Pork Meatballs

Step 1: Cook the rice. If you’re pairing these meatballs with rice (which I recommend!), cook the rice over the stove according to the package instructions. At this point you should also preheat the oven to 400°.

Step 2: Add ingredients. Next, add all of the pork, onion, scallion, garlic, egg, and breadcrumbs to a large bowl, then use a spoon or your hands to mix everything together, being careful not to over-mix. 

Step 3: Make the meatballs. Use your hands to form the pork mixture into approximately 18 meatballs, placing them directly into a large oven-safe skillet. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your skillet.

Step 4: Pan fry. Next, spray the skillet with nonstick spray then sauté the meatballs for 3-5 minutes or until they’re golden brown on all sides. Place the whole skillet into the oven and bake the meatballs for 15-20 minutes, or until they’re cooked through.

Step 5: Make the sauce. While the meatballs are baking, whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl or glass measuring cup.

Step 6: Combine. Once the meatballs are baked, place the skillet back on the stove over medium-low heat and add the minced garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the sauce and stir until the sauce thickens and the meatballs are coated in the sauce.

Erin’s Expert Tips

• Do a taste test before cooking the meatballs. Yes, I’m serious, but I don’t mean that you should eat raw meat. Instead, form a mini meatball and fry it up in a skillet, then taste it and adjust the seasonings as needed. With that said, remember that with this recipe, the majority of the flavor comes from the sauce, so the end result WILL be flavorful.
• Storage: Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• To freeze: I recommend waiting to add the sauce! Otherwise, the meatballs will get soggy in when you thaw them. Simply cook the meatballs, wait for them to cool, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. NOTE: If you’re storing in a container, use parchment paper in between the layers so they’re easier to thaw.

More easy pork recipes

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Ground Pork Stir Fry

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Banh Mi Bowl (Paleo, Whole30)

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Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops (Whole30)

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in February 2020. It was updated with new text in September 2024.

UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in February 2020. It was updated with new text in April 2022.