Name: Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey; ½ cup bread crumbs; ⅓ cup onion minced; ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese; ¼ cup fresh parsley (finely chopped); 1 large egg; 1 cloves garlic minced; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; ¼ teaspoon dried basil; ¼ teaspoon dried oregano; 1-½ tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter unsalted; ¼ cup hot sauce; ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

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Buffalo turkey meatballs are a tasty appetizer with tons of flavor. They are oven-baked and coated in homemade buffalo sauce.

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Buffalo turkey meatballs garnished with fresh parsley on a small plate with a small dish of ranch.

Baked turkey meatballs are a great hors d'oeuvre when entertaining. They are low-carb, making it an excellent keto appetizer idea. Turkey is a rich source of protein.

These meatballs can be served with blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping. For a delicious homemade ranch, try avocado lime ranch dressing.

If you're looking for more buffalo recipes, try these buffalo chicken thighs or this Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Mild Version
Top Tip
Equipment
📖 Recipe
Food safety

Ingredients

You will be familiar with all of these ingredients.

For the meatballs:

lean ground turkey
bread crumbs
onion
grated parmesan cheese (shaker cheese)
fresh parsley
egg
garlic
Worcestershire sauce
salt
ground black pepper
dried basil
dried oregano
olive oil

For the buffalo sauce:

butter
hot sauce (like Frank's RedHot Original)
Worcestershire sauce
garlic powder

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and set it onto a rimmed baking sheet. Line the baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.

A wire rack on a baking tray that is covered in foil.

In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients except the olive oil.

Lean ground turkey, bread crumbs, minced onion, grated parmesan, fresh parsley, egg, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, ground black pepper, dried basil, and dried oregano in a large mixing bowl.

Using your hands, mix until fully combined. Shape the mixture into 1-½ inch balls, rolling the raw meat between your palms to create the meatballs. There will be about 20 meatballs.

Raw turkey meatballs on a wire rack on a baking tray that is covered in foil. — Don't let the meatballs touch, it could affect the cook time.

Arrange meatballs on the wire rack and brush with olive oil.

Tip: If you don't have a basting brush, you can use paper towels or your fingers for even coating.

A silicone basting brush is being used to cover raw turkey meatballs with olive oil. The meatballs are on a wire rack on a baking tray that is covered in foil. — Coat evenly with olive oil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F.

Baked turkey meatballs on a wire rack on a baking tray that is covered in foil. — This is what the meatballs will look like when they are done baking.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Once melted, whisk in the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder, until combined. Keep warm on low heat until the meatballs are ready.

Tip: Do not heat the buffalo sauce mixture on high heat. This can cause the butter in the sauce to split from the hot sauce.

Cooked buffalo turkey meatballs in a saucepan that has buffalo sauce in it. A silicone basting brush is being used to coat the meatballs in sauce. — Add the meatballs to the sauce pan in small batches to coat in sauce.

When the meatballs are done, coat the meatballs in sauce either in the saucepan or using a basting brush to brush the sauce over top, rotating the meatballs until they are evenly coated.

Food safety tip: If you reuse your basting brush, wash it after it comes into contact with raw meat before using it on the cooked meatballs.

Buffalo turkey meatballs garnished with fresh parsley on a small plate with a small dish of ranch. The meatballs are drizzled in ranch. — Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing.

Garnish with parsley and serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing (optional).

Mild Version

To make the sauce mild:

Use half the amount of hot sauce
Add 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce from a can

Canned tomato sauce can be found on the same aisle as diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes.

Buffalo turkey meatballs being held up on a toothpick. There is a plate of buffalo turkey meatballs in the background.

Top Tip

Baking the meatballs on the wire rack helps the meatballs hold their round shape instead of developing a flat bottom.

Equipment

Baking sheet: You will want a rimmed baking sheet.
Wire rack: This helps keep the meatballs round while baking.
Aluminum foil: Foil makes for easy cleanup.
Large mixing bowl: You need a mixing bowl to mix the meat.
Basting brush: To coat the meatballs in olive oil and buffalo sauce.
Small sauce pan: For making the buffalo sauce.

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Food safety

Food safety is always important, especially when working with raw meat.

Cook the meatballs to a minimum intenral temperature of 165°F (74°C)
Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
Wash hands after touching raw meat
Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods