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These Spicy Honey Garlic Meatballs are coated in a sticky, sweet glaze with a punch of garlic and a little heat. I love garlic in just about everything, and the honey tones it down just enough to let it shine. Serve them as an easy holiday appetizer, or spoon them over rice for dinner.
More Sticky Glazed Meatballs: Grape Jelly Meatballs | Cranberry Meatballs | Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Before You Get Started
This recipe is simple, but the sauce is mostly honey and sugar. A little care with the heat makes all the difference.
- Use cooked, thawed meatballs — Frozen meatballs take too long to heat through on the stove, and the sugary sauce can scorch before the centers are hot.
- Keep it at a simmer — Honey and brown sugar burn fast. Look for small bubbles around the edges on medium-low, not a rolling boil.
- Make the slurry with sauce — Whisking the cornstarch into a little warm sauce instead of water keeps the flavor full strength and blends in smoothly.
RECIPE OVERVIEW
How to Make Honey Garlic Meatballs
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
This Honey Garlic Meatball recipe is so easy, you’ll be adding it to your holiday menus and your weekly dinner rotation! The glaze is a simple mix of honey, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and garlic, with red pepper flakes and ground ginger for a spicy kick.
1. Simmer the Sauce
Add the honey, low-sodium soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to a large pan over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth, then heat just until small bubbles form around the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Mince the garlic instead of leaving the cloves whole. It melts into the sauce, so you get garlic flavor in every bite.
Adjust the heat: Half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes gives a gentle warmth. For more kick, use up to 1 teaspoon, add a squeeze of sriracha, or swap half the honey for hot honey.
Love this sauce? My Honey Garlic Chicken Wings are coated in a similar sweet, garlicky glaze.
2. Thicken the Glaze
The sauce is pretty thin at this point, and you want it thick enough to coat the meatballs and stick. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the warm sauce into a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and whisk until smooth. You could also do this with water, but I didn’t want to take away from the flavor.
Whisk the slurry back into the pan and keep cooking on medium-low for a few minutes. It doesn’t take long to thicken. The sauce is ready when it’s glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
3. Add the Meatballs
Add the cooked meatballs and gently stir until every one is coated and heated through, about 5 minutes.
You can make Homemade Meatballs, or use frozen. I personally prefer homemade, but in a pinch, frozen meatballs will do just fine and save you a ton of time.
Thaw frozen meatballs first: Let them thaw overnight in the fridge, or warm them in the microwave. Cold meatballs take too long to heat in the pan, and the sauce can burn before they’re ready.
4. Serve or Keep Warm
Serve the meatballs right away with toothpicks, or move them to a slow cooker set to warm for a party. Give them a stir now and then, and add a splash of water if the glaze gets too thick.
For dinner, spoon them over rice or pasta. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Slow Cooker Option
This is the easiest way to go straight from frozen. Add frozen or cooked meatballs to the slow cooker. Whisk together everything except the cornstarch, pour it over the meatballs, and cook on low for about 3 hours.
To thicken, whisk 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the slow cooker with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until smooth. Stir it in, cover, and cook on low for another 30 minutes.
Double it for a crowd: A 6-quart slow cooker fits a double batch of meatballs and sauce, which is enough for about 16 people as an appetizer.
- Putting together a holiday spread? My collection of Festive Christmas Appetizers has more easy party bites.
Party Spread or Easy Dinner
For a party, plan on about 5 meatballs per person, so one batch serves about 8. Set them out next to a tray of Crispy Baked Chicken Wings and a creamy dip, and your spread is mostly done.
Feeding a crowd on game day? My Game Day Recipes collection is full of easy crowd-pleasers, from sliders and wings to warm, cheesy dips.
As a main dish, one batch feeds about 6. Serve the meatballs over rice with a steamed green vegetable for an easy weeknight dinner.
Serve with: Coconut Rice | Egg Fried Rice | Pan Fried Noodles
Storage Tips
Storage, Freezing, and Make Ahead
These meatballs hold up well, so they’re easy to make ahead for a party or save for a quick lunch later in the week.
Storing: Keep leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Reheating: Warm the meatballs in a pan over medium-low with a splash of water, stirring until hot. The microwave works too. Heat in short bursts, so the glaze doesn’t scorch.
Freezing: Freeze cooled meatballs and sauce in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. The sauce can get a little watery as it thaws, so simmer it on the stove for a few minutes to thicken it back up.
Make-ahead: Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. Rewarm it on the stove, then add the meatballs before serving. You can also make the full batch the day before and reheat it in the slow cooker on low.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you cook frozen meatballs in honey garlic sauce?
Yes, and the slow cooker is the best way to do it. Frozen meatballs can go straight in with the sauce and cook on low for about 3 hours, then thicken at the end. On the stovetop, thaw them first. Cold meatballs take too long to heat through, and the sugary sauce can burn before they’re ready.
Why is my honey garlic sauce too thin?
It usually just needs a few more minutes on the heat. Cornstarch thickens once the sauce simmers, so keep it at a gentle bubble and keep stirring. If it’s still runny, whisk another teaspoon or two of cornstarch into a little sauce and stir it in. The glaze also thickens as it cools, so don’t add too much.
Can I bake or air fry the meatballs first?
Yes. Cook the meatballs on their own, then toss them in the finished sauce right before serving. Frozen cooked meatballs bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or air fry at 380°F for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway. Homemade raw meatballs bake at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes, until they reach 160°F in the center.
More Crowd-Pleasing Meatballs
- Teriyaki Meatballs
- Buffalo Ranch Meatballs
- Spicy Pineapple Barbecue Turkey Meatballs
- Crockpot Meatballs with Peach BBQ Sauce
- Meatball Marinara Poppers Appetizer
- One Pan Parmesan Meatballs
Spicy Honey Garlic Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Cornstarch
- 40 small meatballs cooked (about 1 ½ to 2 pounds)
- 1 green onion sliced, for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Simmer the sauce: Add the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to a large pan over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth and heat until small bubbles form around the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Keep it at a simmer, not a boil.
- Make the slurry: Add the cornstarch to a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of the warm sauce. Whisk until smooth, then whisk it back into the pan until fully combined.
- Thicken: Cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Add the meatballs: Add the cooked, thawed meatballs and toss to coat. Keep stirring over medium-low heat until the meatballs are heated through and completely coated.
- Serve: Serve right away as an appetizer, or transfer to a slow cooker on warm. For a main dish, serve over rice or pasta. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Slow cooker (great for frozen meatballs): Add frozen or cooked meatballs to the slow cooker. Whisk the remaining ingredients, except the cornstarch, and pour over the meatballs. Cook on low for about 3 hours. Whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of the sauce, stir it in, and cook on low for 30 minutes more to thicken.
- Heat level: For more kick, use up to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, add a squeeze of sriracha, or swap half the honey for hot honey.
- Soy sauce swap: Tamari or coconut aminos work in place of soy sauce. Coconut aminos are a little sweeter, so you may want slightly less honey.
- Storage and freezing: Refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. The sauce may get a little watery after thawing, so simmer it for a few minutes to thicken it back up.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
