Sticky Glazed Meatballs
Pan-seared meatballs lacquered in a soy-honey-ginger glaze — rice's best friend.
Ingredients
- 500 g Ground pork
- 40 g Breadcrumbs
- 1 Egg
- 3 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Ginger
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Neutral oil
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Rice vinegar (optional)
- 2 Scallions (optional)
- 1 tsp Sesame seeds (optional)
Method
- Grate the ginger and mince the garlic, setting half of each aside for the glaze.
- Mix the ground pork with the breadcrumbs, egg, salt, one tablespoon of the soy sauce, and half the aromatics until just combined — overmixing toughens them.
- Roll the pork mixture into golf-ball-sized meatballs with wet hands.
- Stir the remaining soy sauce, the honey, the rice vinegar, the rest of the aromatics, and a splash of water together into a glaze.
- Brown the meatballs in the neutral oil in a skillet over medium-high, turning to color all sides, about 6 minutes — they finish cooking in the sauce.
- Pour the glaze into the pan and simmer, rolling the meatballs to coat, until the sauce is sticky and the meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Shower the meatballs with sliced scallions and sesame seeds and serve over rice.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Sticky Glazed Meatballs
These sticky glazed meatballs are a home-kitchen riff on the sweet-savory lacquered pork you find across Chinese cooking, built for weeknights rather than banquets. Ground pork is bound with breadcrumbs and egg, seasoned lightly with soy and aromatics, then browned in a skillet before finishing in a glaze of soy sauce, honey, ginger, and garlic. Splitting the ginger and garlic between the meatball mix and the glaze means the aromatics land in two places, seasoning the pork from within and perfuming the sauce that coats it. A splash of rice vinegar keeps the honey from tipping into cloying, giving the glaze a gentle tang.
As they simmer in the sauce, the glaze reduces and clings, turning glossy and sticky so each meatball ends up lacquered rather than merely sauced. The pork stays tender because the mix is handled lightly and the meatballs finish cooking in liquid instead of drying out in the pan. Toasted sesame seeds and scallion on top add crunch and freshness against the rich, sweet-salty coating. This is unapologetically rice's best friend, equally at home spooned over a bowl of steamed rice for dinner or speared with toothpicks as a party snack, and the whole thing is ready in about half an hour.
Sticky Glazed Meatballs: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Sticky Glazed Meatballs?
A serving has about 607 calories — 35.9g protein, 25.7g carbs, 40.8g fat, 1.5g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 35.9g of protein, roughly 24% of its calories.
Is Sticky Glazed Meatballs gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Breadcrumbs, Soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
How long does Sticky Glazed Meatballs take to make?
About 35 minutes start to finish, but only around 28 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Sticky Glazed Meatballs?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out rice vinegar, scallions, sesame seeds — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Sticky Glazed Meatballs make?
This recipe makes 3 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.