Maple Dijon Turkey Meatballs are the perfect bowl of comfort food. The ground turkey meatballs are flavored with garlic and rosemary which complement the turkey perfectly. Once sautéed, and lightly golden, they are added to a creamy sauce flavored with sweet maple syrup, Dijon mustard sauce. This is a great weeknight meal or you can freeze the meatballs for later.
I have a lot of meatball recipes on my website. Today’s recipe is some of the best turkey meatballs I have created.
These Maple Dijon Turkey Meatballs are a dish I can cook for my family and the kids and adults will enjoy it. The tender meatballs are just so delicious and the sauce is a nice addition.
We rotate between a lot of meatball recipes like these Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs, Baked Chicken Meatballs, Beef Kafta Meatballs, Air Fryer Meatballs or these Greek Meatballs.
Lean ground turkey is a lean protein which takes on the flavors that are added to them. You will love the taste of these healthy turkey meatballs.
Serve the meatballs and creamy maple Dijon sauce warm with zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, pasta or rice, crusty bread and a side salad. If you don’t like the maple dijon sauce you could use marinara sauce instead. They also make a great appetizer for a party or add them to meatball subs.
These turkey meatballs are a great make-ahead dish which makes them the perfect mid week family dinner, also leftovers reheat really well. Turkey meatballs freeze well making them a great meal prep option. Make a double batch of meatballs, and save some for a quick and easy dinner another night.
These meatballs also freezer really well but I suggest not freezing them in the sauce as the cream in the sauce doesn’t freeze well.
Why You Will Love These Meatballs:
- Easy to Make: This dish can be on your table in under 30 minutes and it couldn’t be easier to make. You will love how fast it comes together with minimal clean-up.
- Great to Make-Ahead: This dish can be made a day in advance, then stored in the fridge until you are ready to warm through and serve. The extra meatballs also freeze well making it a great meal-prep idea to save for later.
- The Perfect Pairing: The creamy maple Dijon sauce is the perfect pairing for the soft turkey meatballs. I love the flavor the sauce adds.
Recipe Ingredients
For the Turkey Meatballs:
- Ground Meat: I’ve used lean turkey but you could also replace with ground chicken or pork.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: I use panko bread crumbs but you can replace with regular breadcrumbs.
- Onion: A yellow onion was used in this recipe, however this can be replaced with a white or red onion.
- Egg: 1 large egg is added to bind the meatballs, it also adds in moisture.
- Garlic: The fresh garlic adds flavor to the meatballs.
- Fresh Rosemary: The fresh rosemary flavors the meatballs but you can substitute with fresh thyme leaves.
- Seasoning: I use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to season the meatballs.
- Olive Oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, or your preferred frying oil.
For the Maple Dijon Sauce:
- Chicken Broth: Chicken broth flavors the sauce, you could replace with vegetable broth.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup adds sweetness, you can replace with other refined sugars like honey or agave syrup.
- Dijon Mustard: I use Dijon mustard, but you could also use wholegrain mustard. Don’t use yellow mustard as it has too strong a flavor.
- Vinegar: I use distilled white vinegar to add acidity to the sauce, you could also use white wine or apple cider vinegar.
- Heavy Cream: For the best results use heavy cream in the sauce as it has the right consistency, pouring cream is too thin.
- Fresh Parsley and Rosemary: The fresh herbs are used as a garnish, and can but substituted with some fresh thyme or basil, or omitted altogether.
How Do You Make Maple Dijon Turkey Meatballs?
Step 1. Make the Meatball Mixture: Add the turkey, panko, onion, egg, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Use your hands to combine ground turkey together with the other ingredients until combined.
Step 2. Form Meatballs: Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, measure out the turkey mixture, and roll with your hands into meatballs. Place the meatballs on a plate until all are formed.
Step 3. Cook the Meatballs: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or pan on medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, for about 8 minutes.
You may need to do this step in batches depending on how large your skillet is. Set aside the meatballs on a plate.
Step 4. Prepare the Maple Dijon Sauce: Deglaze the hot skillet with chicken broth, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the maple syrup, mustard, and heavy cream to the pan. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
Step 5. Warm the Meatballs in the Sauce: Add the meatballs back to the skillet and let the sauce and meatballs simmer together for 3-4 minutes, or until the meatballs are warmed through.
Garnish with rosemary and parsley. Serve immediately.
Ways to Modify Maple Dijon Turkey Meatballs
- Fresh Herbs: Fresh herbs add a fresh pop of flavor and are always a nice finishing touch. I used rosemary in both the meatballs and as a garnish, but you could replace with fresh thyme.
- Spices: You can spice up the dish by adding crushed red pepper, dried oregano, Greek seasoning, italian spices, paprika, cumin, coriander or a dash of cayenne red pepper.
- Vegetables: Incorporate sautéed or roasted vegetables to enhance both flavor and nutrition. Consider options like cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, caramelized onions, green beans, broccoli, spinach, peas, or zucchini.
- Breadcrumbs: You can add regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs, gluten-free breadcrumbs to these meatballs.
- Heat: If you enjoy heat, add diced jalapeños, crushed red pepper flakes, or a small amount of finely chopped habanero pepper.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, absolutely! Bake these easy turkey meatballs on a sheet pan at 400°F for 20-25 minutes. Make the sauce in a pan on the stove while the meatballs bake. Add them to the sauce once they’re done cooking.
These freeze really well. Let them cool completely before storing them. Freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I suggest not freezing these meatballs with the sauce because of the cream.
Make sure you use a large egg in this recipe as it not only helps the meatball mixture hold it’s shape, it also adds moisture to the meatballs, stopping them from becoming dry.
If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of chicken broth, if it’s too thin, add more cream or a cornstarch flurry.
I’ve used ground turkey, but you could use other ground meat like chicken or pork, which would work equally well with the flavors of the maple Dijon sauce.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat leftovers out of the fridge: add the meatballs and sauce to a skillet with a little chicken broth to thin out the sauce. Cook until warmed through. You could also reheat them in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Other Meatball Recipes You Might Like:
We love meatball recipes in my house! The best part is you can make a double batch and have leftovers for later of freeze half. Try one of these other meatball recipes:
- CURRY MEATBALLS
- PORK MEATBALLS
- CROCKPOT TURKEY MEATBALLS
- BAKED RIGATONI WITH CHICKEN MEATBALLS
- SLOW COOKER MEDITERRANEAN BEEF MEATBALLS
- SKILLET TOMATO BASIL MEATBALLS
Maple Dijon Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 small yellow onion,, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 3 garlic cloves,, minced
- 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
FOR THE MAPLE DIJON SAUCE
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsps. maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Fresh rosemary,, chopped for garnish
- Fresh parsley,, chopped for garnish
Instructions
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
- Add the turkey, panko, onion, egg, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together until combined.
- Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, measure out the turkey mixture, and roll with your hands into meatballs. Place the meatballs on a plate until all are formed.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or pan on medium heat.
- Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, for about 8 minutes.
You may need to do this step in batches depending on how large your skillet is. Set aside the meatballs on a plate.
FOR THE MAPLE DIJON SAUCE:
- Deglaze the hot skillet with chicken broth, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Add the maple syrup, mustard, and heavy cream to the pan. Whisk until smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick add more cream.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet and let the sauce and meatballs simmer together for 3-4 minutes, or until the meatballs are warmed through and sauce is thick.
- Garnish with rosemary and parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- The meatballs without the sauce will freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. I don’t recommend freezing the meatballs in the sauce, as heavy cream doesn’t freeze well.
- To reheat leftovers out of the fridge: add the meatballs and sauce to a skillet with a little chicken broth to thin out the sauce. Cook until warmed through. You could also reheat them in the microwave for 2 minutes.
- If you’re looking to reheat from frozen: thaw the meatballs in the fridge overnight, and then make the sauce fresh the next day when you cook the meatballs.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of chicken broth. If it’s too thin, add more cream.
I baked my meatballs in the oven, 400° for 20 and they’re perfect. I’ve made this 3x!
My only issue, every time, is the sauce is soooo thin. It’s like a soup, 0 thickness/creaminess. Usually I end up adding corn starch and even more heavy cream to thicken it because after about 20 minutes it’s still soupy. It takes aaaages for it to reduce. Maybe I need to use half, or less, of the broth listed since I baked my meatballs, and there’s nothing too deglaze. It’s an issue every time. We love the taste the sauce is problematic. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the flavor! I would take the broth down to 1/2 cup and do a 1/2 cup of cream. You also can do a cornstarch flurry to stir in an thicken the sauce. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth, ensuring there are no lumps; typically, this means using 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per 1 tablespoon of cold water for each cup of liquid you want to thicken.
@Julia,
Thanks so much for the reply! I’ll definitely try this method next time. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Your welcome!
Hi Julia!
These Easy Maple Dijon Turkey Meatballs sound Wonderful! I’m just wondering how you serve them for your family. Which foods go the best with them? Rice-veggie bowl? Brown rice? Whole wheat or zucchini noodles? Which other foods have you found compliment their flavor the most? I will likely try some roasted veggies on the side as you suggest in your blog, but I’m just thinking of other sides. I can’t wait to try this yummy recipe at home! Thank you for Always sharing your lovely recipes with all of us!!
Happy Cooking,
Kathy xxoo
Thanks for the kind words! I think I would serve it with brown rice or zoodles or pasta. But honestly I would do what you think your family would like the most. I do think some roasted veggies would be nice- maybe carrots, bell peppers and onion. Enjoy!