Bulgogi meatballs are an easy way to enjoy the delicious flavors of Korean bulgogi at home. The homemade meatballs are also full of flavor! Combing them with a store-bought bulgogi sauce makes this a perfect weeknight meal!
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I’d also like to preface this post by saying, although I love and appreciate the flavors in Korean food, I’m by no means a Korean food expert. I use a store-bought bulgogi sauce to acquire the flavors that I admire in this dish. If you would like to make your own bulgogi sauce/marinade, Here is a link to a Korean creator who can provide an authentic recipe!
How to make Bulgogi Meatballs:
There are 2 parts to this recipe. The actual meatballs and the sauce. Since we’re using a store-brought bulgogi sauce, we can get right to making the meatballs! By the way, you can find bulgogi bbq sauce in almost any grocery store in the international section! If your store happens to not have it, you can order the one I used on amazon here.
To make the meatballs, you’re going to combine almost all of the ingredients. Here is the list of what goes into the actual meatballs:
- ground beef
- ground pork
- bulgogi sauce
- soy sauce
- garlic powder
- ginger powder
- salt
- panko breadcrumbs
- 1 beaten egg
- green onions
You want to mix all of these ingredients together but don’t over mix. When everything is evenly distributed, you can stop mixing. Meat that gets over worked can start to get tough and you don’t want a tough meatball.
You can already tell, just from the meat mixture, that these bulgogi meatballs are full of flavor!
Next, you can form the meatballs. You can either use a scoop or just do this by hand. I like to make them about the size of a golfball.
How long to bake meatballs at 425
15 minutes is all you need for these golfball sized meatballs to be completely cooked throughout. I also like to broil them for about 2 minutes at the end to get a darker crisp on the top but that’s up to you.
While the meatballs are baking, I like to add about 1 cup of the bulgogi sauce to a small saucepan and just warm it on low. This thins the sauce out just a bit and makes it much easier to coat the meatballs once they come out of the oven. You can go ahead and toss them in the sauce while they are right out of the oven
Once coated, you can serve these immediately. I like to cook my rice while the meatballs are cooking. If you want to serve these with rice, you can either use an easy rice cooker or learn how to make easy white rice on the stove top here.
Easy Bulgogi Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork (you can also do all beef if you prefer)
- (store bought) Bulgogi sauce (3 tablespoons in the meat and 1 cup for finishing)
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup plain panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 3 tablespoon chopped scallions (Save more for garnishing)
- Optional sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil or spray regular foil with non-stick spray.
- Add 1 cup of bulgogi sauce to a small saucepan on low. You just want to gently warm it so it spreads easily over the finished meatballs.
- Add the pork and ground beef to a large mixing bowl then add: 3 tablespoons of bulgogi sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, salt, panko, beaten egg, and scallions. (I use the whites of the scallions in the meat and the green for garnish)
- Use your clean hands to mix everything together. Be careful not to over-mix and toughen the meat. You just want to evenly distribute all of the ingredients.
- Scoop the meat into balls about the size of a golfball and lay on your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
- I also like to broil mine for about 2 minutes at the end to get them nice and browned.
- When the meatballs are finished cooking and still warm, add them to a bowl and pour the warm bulgogi sauce over them and toss gently to coat.
- For a hearty meal: Serve over a bed of white rice and top with extra green onion and sesame seeds. See how to make perfect white rice here.For an appetizer: add the meatballs to a bowl, garnish, and serve with toothpicks.
6 Comments
Wanda
January 22, 2023 at 5:52 pmI love Bulgogi flavours and super excited to try this meatball recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Michelle
January 22, 2023 at 8:33 pmSuch a hearty filling meal served with rice. The whole family loved it
Sara Welch
January 22, 2023 at 10:22 pmThis was everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! Easily, a new favorite recipe and way better than take out, indeed!
Jill
January 22, 2023 at 10:37 pmThese were a real hit at my house! Thanks so much for the recipe. Will be making these meatballs again!
Gina
January 22, 2023 at 10:58 pmThis came out absolutely delicious! I have already been requested to make it again!
bestsubstitutes
March 14, 2023 at 3:36 amMade these meatballs for my family last night. Super tasty and we gobbled them up! This is definitely one to make again.