There is one thing that gets me about this recipe every time–the FLAVOR! These little Thai Green Curry Meatballs are bursting with bold flavor! I think that’s why I love Thai food so much, in general. It doesn’t matter what type of dish you’re eating–like these Thai chicken lettuce wraps, or spring roll bowls— it will have tons of flavor, it’s usually healthy and made with fresh ingredients.
This recipe starts with easy homemade meatballs.
Mix the rolled oats, egg, and milk together. Let is sit for a few minutes to allow everything to soak together and the oats to soften. You could also use breadcrumbs.
Add the ground turkey and other ingredients and stir everything to combine. You’ll be able to tell just by their smell, how amazing they are going to taste!
Cook them in a hot skillet, in batches, until they’re nice and brown on all sides. Then remove them to a plate while you mix the sauce ingredients together.
The sauce for these meatballs is really simple. You just need unsweetened coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, garlic, and salt and pepper. Taste the sauce. You may want to add more curry paste, if you’d like it spicier.
Add the meatballs back to the pan and simmer them in the sauce until they are cooked through. Add the lime juice.
Serve the meatballs over your favorite kind of rice. I prefer jasmine or basmati rice, but brown rice is also a great, healthier option. I garnish them with fresh Thai basil and chopped cilantro. YUM!
If you love Thai food, you may like:
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Thai Green Curry Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats , or breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 1 pound lean ground turkey , or ground pork or chicken
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Thai green curry pastes
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (optinal)
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic , finely minced
- 2 green onions , minced
- 1 Tablespoon oil , vegetable or cannola
For the sauce:
- 17 ounces canned unsweetened coconut milk
- 1-3 Tablespoons Thai green curry pastes (*see note)
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- juice from 2 limes
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
For serving:
- steamed jasmine rice , brown rice, white rice, basmati rice
- fresh cilantro , chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Add the oats, egg and milk to a large mixing bowl. Mix together and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Add ground turkey, ginger, curry paste, fish sauce, sugar, cilantro, salt, garlic and green onions. Mix to combine.
- Scoop the meat mixture into balls, a little smaller than golf-ball size.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, place one layer of meatballs in the pan, leaving space between each-- I usually cook them in a few batches.
- Brown the meatballs, turning occasionally as they cook, until all sides are browned. They don't need to be cooked through, just browned on all sides.
- Remove the meatballs to a plate once they are browned. Use a paper towel to blot out any grease from the pan, without removing the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add coconut milk to the pan, scraping up those browned bits as your stir. Add green curry paste, brown sugar and garlic, stirring to combine.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet. Simmer them in the sauce until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes.
- Stir in the lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over hot, cooked rice.
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional label does not include rice.
I originally shared this recipe in February 2014. Updated January 2018.
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Jenica says
Can I use red curry paste instead and still yield a good flavor?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Jenica, I’ve never tried them with red curry paste–the flavor will be different, but I imagine they would still be delicious.
Heidi Porter says
I made this recipe last night! It was SO YUMMY!!! And it was super easy to make!! Thanks for creating the menu plan – it helps me a lot with what to make for dinner for my family!! 🙂
Lauren Allen says
Heidi, I’m so happy you have been using the meal plan, and I’m especially happy you liked this recipe 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing and following TBFS!
Rachel says
Made this for supper last night. I doubled the recipe and I am so happy that I did because it was soooooo good! Went out today to buy more turkey and coconut milk to make it again! I’m drooling just thinking about it…seriously! Only change I made was using Patak’s mild curry paste because I couldn’t find green curry paste and I can’t handle too much heat.
Lauren Allen says
Thanks Rachel, I’m really glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Jaime Bernie says
Very good! I used red curry paste.
Lauren Allen says
Thanks, Jamie!
Susan says
I thought the recipe was excellent. I did use half pork/half turkey. Everything else was the same. Thank you for the recipe.
Debbie says
This recipe was/is great! As I didn’t want to go to the store and had everything here…I used ground beef in place of turkey. The meatballs were great and this definitely goes into the “frequent” rotation. Thank you for a great recipe.
Jodie Risk says
Very tasty!
Susan says
Excellent recipe. Easy. I did half turkey half pork. I took it to a friend’s house and everyone wanted the recipe. Thank you!
Brad says
I cooked this recipe for my Colombian family of five during lockdown in Bucaramanga, Colombia.
Spicy Thai food isn’t well known here but this recipe had everybody asking for seconds and thirds.
The curry sauce was creamy and flavorful and the chicken meat balls were exquisite.
Everybody left the table full, happy and raving about Thai food. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Shane says
Wow! I made these tonight and they received rave reviews! The meatballs were perfectly seasoned and so tender when all was said and done, and this was the best Thai sauce I’ve made at home to date. This recipe will be on a regular mealtime rotation after this critically-acclaimed debut. Due to personal preference, I would use half the lime juice in the sauce next time (I loved the darker, savory flavor the sauce had prior to the addition), but other than that I’ll stay true to the recipe. Don’t mess with perfection…too much.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!