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OH AND MY GOSH this was incredible. My favorite thing I’ve made in ages. Thanks so much!!!
Katelyn
These Meatballs!! They Are a Crowd Favorite In Our House.
We recently hosted my parents, brothers, and their significant others for dinner on a WEEKNIGHT, and around 3pm ON THE DAY OF HOSTING I realized I needed a plan. Something that would not completely overwhelm me but would also be fun, interesting, and appealing to the foodies?!
Guys, this recipe was group dinner perfection! Herby meatballs, pan-fried to get nice and golden, and then a quick little yellow curry sauce (gravy? it’s really more of a gravy) that gets built right in the pan and bathes every meatball in magic.
These are everything I love in a recipe:
- Easy. 🙂 🙂
- Drenched in amazing, flavorful sauce.
- Beautiful! Especially with the peanut shallot crunch.
I’ve been having these meatballs with the lemony arugula salad from Trader Joe’s because it’s bright and fresh and it just looks really lovely on the plate.
This is the yellow curry paste I buy (affiliate link) and I am a diehard fan. It’s a Thai brand / Thai product and it is so so good. If you want to make homemade, this recipe is also SO good! It’s a bit less concentrated so you should use more of it.
How To Make These Curry Meatballs
1
Make the Meatballs.
Mix and roll! Fresh cilantro / herbs are optional but I think it helps bring them to life just a little bit more.
2
Brown the Meatballs.
The browning on the meatballs builds flavor. They don’t need to be fully cooked; we’ll simmer them in the sauce to finish.
3
Add Shallots and Curry Paste.
They’re sharing the pan with the meatballs! Sauté until they’re soft.
4
Add Coconut Milk.
And just let it simmer! I will often add a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce into more of a gravy.
5
Yum! You’re Done!
Serve over rice with the crushed peanut and shallot crispies!
How To Make Yellow Curry Meatballs (Video)
Yellow Curry Meatballs with Peanut Shallot Crispies
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Easy meatballs, pan-fried to get nice and golden, with a quick yellow curry sauce! This is weeknight magic!
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Yellow Curry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry paste (homemade or store-bought)*
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts
- 1/2 cup crispy shallots (I buy mine at Trader Joe’s, but crispy fried onions work too)
- 1 1/2 cup jasmine rice, uncooked
- Salad for serving (currently liking the lemon arugula salad mix from Trader Joe’s)
Instructions
- Form Meatballs: Mix meatball mixture and roll into balls. (Also, now is a good time to start your rice. Cook according to package directions.)
- Brown Meatballs: Heat oil in a a large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook undisturbed for a few minutes, until browned on one side. Flip them and let them cook to get browning on the other sides as well. The meatballs don’t need to be fully cooked at this point, you’re just building color and flavor.
- Curry Sauce: Scoot the meatballs to the perimeter of the pan to make some space n the middle. Add shallots and curry paste; sauté until softened. Add coconut milk and broth; stir it all together. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes until meatballs are cooked through (165 degrees).
- Thicken It: Add soy sauce and brown sugar. Whisk the cornstarch with the water; add it to the pan. As it simmers, the sauce will thicken into a gravy-like consistency and it is delightful.
- Topping: Chop the peanuts and shallots together into a finely crumbled mixture.
- Serve: Serve your meatballs over rice, with a scoop of extra curry sauce (dreamy). Top with the peanut shallot crispies. Salad goes on the side! What a meal!
Notes
If you’re using homemade yellow curry paste, you’ll want to use more like 3-4 tablespoons. The stuff that I buy is much more potent than what I make at home!
You could use red curry paste. Since it is not as spicy as the yellow I use, you’ll need to use 2 tablespoons.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Keywords: curry meatballs, yellow curry, meatball recipe
Frequently Asked Questions For This Recipe
You can also use ground chicken or ground beef for these meatballs. I prefer turkey over chicken, but really, either will work well! And beef + yellow curry is one of my favorite flavor combinations. It would be delicious.
This is the yellow curry paste I buy (affiliate link) I love the most! It is SO good. I get it on Amazon!
Red curry paste will work just fine! You may want to use 2 tablespoons depending on what brand of red curry paste you’re using.
Use crispy tofu instead of meatballs! SO yummy!
Technically, yes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, then add them to the sauce. But when I tried this, I just didn’t like it as much as the pan-fried ones. The pan-frying gives the meatballs color which also gives the whole dish a bit of extra flavor that is lacking when you bake them. Technically baking can work, but I prefer browning the meatballs for this!
This was delicious. My husband said this was the best recipe I’ve ever made.
It’s a favorite in our house too!
Could you be specific with the size of the “can” of coconut milk? In Canada we have more than one size (and of course it’s in metric but I can convert!).
Hello! 13.6 to 14 ounce can.
I noticed there’s no egg in the meatball recipe. I’ve never made one without it so I just wanted to check!
This is correct!
This recipe was the bomb! It will be a definite repeat in the future. Often I will double a recipe, which unfortunately I didn’t do this time but my husband and I finished it off it in two and half days leaving us wanting for more!!!
Why no eggs in the meatballs?
We didn’t find them to need it!
Made these for dinner and they were delicious. The sauce is divine. Next time, I will add some curry powder and fresh parsley to the meatballs and possibly mix in some ground beef or pork for a different option. Definitely added to our dinner rotation!
This looks amazing, What size coconut milk can?
I’m so confused about how to make the sauce. You list a bunch of ingredients for the sauce, but then you only mention a few of the ingredients when you describe the steps. How do I make the sauce?
13.5 ounce can!
This was such a delightful surprise! It was easy to put together and the flavors are amazing together. I can’t wait to make it again!!
This was fantastic! So easy- so delicious! my entire family loved it and some have now requested it for their birthday meal! Thank you!
One of my favorites from this site! Substitute red curry paste and this tastes like your local restaurant’s Panang Curry. I love the meatballs, and have had great luck subbing in chicken for an even faster weeknight meal.
So yummy!! Rating 1000/10!
I made this with ground chicken today. I had the Trader Joe’s yellow curry sauce and I used that because I didn’t have the paste. I did add the shallots and some coconut milk to the sauce. It turned out quite nice.
What coconut milk do you use? Since I’ve moved to the US I’ve really struggled with the quality of coconut milk available. Would love to know which brand you’d recommend.
We like Thai Kitchen or the Whole Foods brand!
This was DELICIOUS! I made everything as instructed. Only change was brown jasmine rice since that’s what I had. I actually made the meatballs the day before since this was a Monday night dinner but with so few ingredients I could have made them day of. The turkey (I used 85/15 for flavor) tasted great. Will be making this again!
These turned out so good! I will definitely be adding them to the rotation.
outstanding recipe! Other than the addition of ginger, I followed the recipe exactly and it worked out perfectly. I would suggest using less cornstarch/water thickener, you can easily add more as needed. The linked yellow curry is a game-changer! i served it with roasted asparagus but any green veggie or salad would work. This one is another keeper!
Can you sub out the soy sauce for anything? My kids can’t have soy or sesame or gluten. Thanks!
You could use coconut aminos!
Can you replace the coconut milk with dairy milk or heavy cream?
This meal was seriously so delicious! I can’t wait to make it again! Yum! Thanks for sharing!
I imagine you could make & cook the meatballs ahead & freeze to use when ready?
Yes!
Do you have a measurement for the meatballs? How big should they be?
Would reduced fat coconut milk work?
Would it work to substitute the coconut milk with a dairy option? Do you have a recommendation?
You could use regular cream, but we really like the flavor that the coconut milk adds. It is part of the curry theme.
This was absolutely delicious. Quick easy meal with pantry staples that tastes way better than that would suggest. Peanut and crunchy onion topping takes it to the next level so don’t skimp on that texture. The only change I made was to add 2 Tablespoons of ricotta and some sriracha to the meatball mixture. I know ricotta is not in an Asian flavour profile…you can’t taste it, it just adds much needed moisture to lean meats like turkey and chicken. Will definitely make this recipe over and over.
Sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk?
unsweetened!
This was awesome. Yellow curry paste is a bit spicy for the younger ones and those of us with tummy troubles, but they have alternatives out there too – I made this as-is and loved it, but next time I’ll try it with the lemongrass paste I found at New Seasons and see how that goes!
I left out the cornstarch because I like it brothy, and it was great. We served this with some garlic roasted cauliflower and it almost stole the show, in case anyone wants a veggie version!