Japanese Meatballs
Updated Jan 19, 2026
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These Japanese meatballs are everything you want in a crowd-pleasing dinner: tender, flavorful, and coated in a glossy sweet-soy glaze that hits all the right notes. Inspired by classic Japanese flavors, they taste like the inside of the most delicious dumplings!
These Japanese meatballs are tender, savory, and full of umami. Seasoned with soy sauce and aromatics and finished with a glossy, sweet soy-ponzu glaze, the meatballs are inspired by Japanese flavors while staying easy and approachable.
These meatballs taste like the inside of a really good dumpling, thanks in part to the ginger, garlic, and sesame oil). They’re perfect over rice, tucked into lettuce cups, or served as a party appetizer — and they disappear fast…Also, they reheat beautifully and freeze really well.
What's In This Post?
Savory, healthy Japanese meatballs with soy and ponzu glaze. Caramelized bites of umami flavor! Serve as an appetizer or as a meal with rice.
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The Blend
These meatballs incorporate the technique of The Blend. This is the concept that using mushrooms in a recipe that would normally feature meat primarily is a plus on a few levels.
- Incorporating mushrooms in lieu of some of the meat cuts back on some of the fat and simply reduces the amount of meat we are eating in a dish, which in itself is a good and desirable thing.
- Mushrooms taste great; in this case, delicious shiitakes are in play.
- The use of mushrooms adds another layer of texture. In these meatballs, the shiitakes are sautéed and then chopped, so they punctuate the little orbs with slightly chewy and caramelized tiny nuggets. They are not a substitute for more meat; they make the dish truly better. Pure joy, I tell you.
I have been incorporating the notion of The Blend into my cooking this year, and it’s a very fun concept to play with. Burgers, meatballs, meatloaves, dumplings, and many different dishes benefit from the notion of The Blend.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Fresh ginger
- Minced garlic
- Dry sherry
- Sesame oil – The recipe uses both regular and toasted sesame oil.
- Ground pork and chicken
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Scallions – You’ll want to save some scallions to use as a garnish along with toasted sesame seeds.
- Eggs
For the Ponzu Glaze
- Mirin – Mirin is a type of rice wine similar to sake, but slightly sweeter, with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. When it is heated, the small amount of alcohol burns off.
- Soy sauce – It’s always best to use a less-sodium soy sauce, as regular soy can be very salty.
- Ponzu – Ponzu is a citrus-based sauce used often in Japanese cooking. It is salty and tangy, made from vinegar, mirin (a low-alcohol rice wine), seaweed, and fish flakes (please, don’t be turned off), and it has just a wonderful flavor. The citrus most commonly added is that of the tart yuzu, which is a fruit that originated in China and then migrated through East Asia. It is available in many well-stocked supermarkets, in the Asian aisle, or in specialty stores, and you can buy ponzu online.
- Brown sugar – Either light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Fresh ginger
- Red pepper flakes
How to Make Japanese Meatballs
- Cook the mushrooms: Sauté the mushrooms for 5-7 minutes, then add the ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the sherry and sesame oil and cook for about 2 minutes, until the liquid evaporates. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Form the meatballs: Chop the cooled mushroom mix in a food processor. Combine with the chicken, pork, breadcrumbs, scallions, eggs, and salt and pepper with your hands. Form into 1-inch meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs: Place the meatballs on a lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, until almost cooked through.
- Make the ponzu glaze: Meanwhile, combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for 5-7 minutes until it reduces into a glaze.
- Finish baking the glazed meatballs: Brush the meatballs with the glaze and bake for another 5 minutes, until it caramelizes. You can also finish them in the broiler for a minute to brown more; just watch that they don’t burn.
- Serve: Transfer the meatballs to a serving dish, add the remaining glaze, and serve with sesame seeds and slivered onion on skewers or toothpicks.
Texture Tips: How to Keep Japanese Meatballs Tender
The secret to tender, juicy meatballs is a gentle hand. Start by mixing the ingredients just until combined — overmixing compacts the meat and leads to dense meatballs. Using panko breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs keeps the texture light, and adding a small splash of milk helps the panko soften and hold moisture as the meatballs cook.
The result is meatballs that are plush and tender inside, with just enough structure to soak up that glossy, savory glaze.
What to Serve With Japanese Meatballs
This recipe makes meatballs for a serious group of people, but you can easily cut the recipe in half if it’s for a family meal or a smaller throng. If you want to serve them as a meal instead of an appetizer, try them over a bed of rice, brown, white, jasmine, or any kind you like. Or pair them with Yaki Udon.
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Japanese Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 10 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ⅔ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 4 scallions (trimmed and minced; white and green parts)
- 2 large eggs
For the Glaze
- ½ cup mirin
- ½ cup less-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Ponzu
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (dark or light)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- Generous pinch red pepper flakes
- Toasted sesame seeds and slivered scallions (to garnish; optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil, and lightly oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the meatballs: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil, then add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mushrooms start to become golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for another minute, until you can smell the ginger and garlic. Add the sherry and sesame oil, stir to scrape up any bits left on the bottom of the pan, and sauté for about 2 minutes until the liquid evaporates. Allow the mushroom mixture to cool.
- Finely chop the cooled mushrooms in a food processor or by hand. In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms, chicken, pork, Panko, pepper, salt, scallions, and eggs. Use your hands to combine the mixture gently but thoroughly. Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs (you will have between 50 and 60).
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 15 minutes, until almost cooked through.
- Make the Glaze: While the meatballs bake, in a small saucepan, combine the mirin, soy sauce, Ponzu, brown sugar, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium and continue to simmer until it reduces and thickens slightly into a glaze, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and brush the glaze over the meatballs. Return the meatballs to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes until the glaze caramelizes a bit. If you want to finish them for 1 minute under the broiler to get an even more browned exterior, you can go ahead and do that but watch that they do not burn.
- Transfer the cooked meatballs to a serving platter and sprinkle over the remaining glaze. Scatter the sesame seeds and slivered scallions over the meatballs if desired. Serve with skewers or toothpicks.
Notes
- You can find both mirin and ponzu sauce in many well-stocked supermarkets, in the Asian aisle, or in specialty stores, and also online.
- You can form the meatballs and freeze them before cooking. They’ll last for several months, and can simply be thawed and cooked whenever you need them.
