By: Jill Mills Posted: Nov 5, 2024

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These baked Honey Garlic Meatballs are irresistibly delicious, whether you’re serving them as a main dish or a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Each bite is coated in a sticky, golden glaze that perfectly balances savory garlic with the rich sweetness of honey, making them a dish that will have everyone coming back for more.

Another low-angle view of honey garlic meatballs over white rice, similar to the fourth image, with the meatballs piled high and garnished with sesame seeds and parsley. The background includes a glass of iced tea and a plant, set on a wooden table with a green and white napkin.

Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs

This is a straightforward recipe and a great way to jazz up frozen meatballs. The sticky sauce is sweet and salty and caramelizes well in the oven. It coats the meatballs and imparts so much flavor. This is one of my top choices for serving meatballs besides traditional marinara sauce. I was skeptical about serving this to my kiddos, but I think they are more meatballs than me!

Why You’ll Love These Honey Garlic Meatballs

Great for a crowd. This tasty and crowd-pleasing appetizer is great to serve at a party or special occasion.
Bakes in 30 minutes. It only takes 30 minutes in the oven to achieve perfectly browned and caramelized honey garlic meatballs.
Pairs with any side dish. Several options exist to turn these meatballs into a complete meal, from steamed rice to veggies or salad.

A single honey garlic meatball is held up by a fork above the plate, showcasing the shiny glaze and the bits of chopped parsley. The blurred background includes a glass of iced tea and greenery.

What You’ll Need

Below are the items needed to make these meatballs with honey garlic meatball glaze. The frozen meatballs save a lot of time, and each ingredient in the sauce imparts a lot of flavor to them.

Frozen meatballs: Any variety of regular meatballs or even turkey meatballs would be great in this dish.
Honey: This adds a sticky sweetness to the sauce.
Brown sugar: I also add brown sugar to help it caramelize and thicken. Light or dark brown sugar works well.
Ketchup: I like ketchup’s subtle acidity. It’s also thick and balances the sweet and salty ingredients.
Soy sauce: I love soy sauce with these meatballs because it adds a savory and umami flavor.
Garlic: The garlic has a pleasant aroma and an intense flavor that enhances the sauce.
Sesame seeds and scallions: These garnishes add texture and color to the finished meatballs.

A top-down view of the ingredients for honey garlic meatballs, including a large bowl of uncooked meatballs and smaller bowls of soy sauce, garlic, ketchup, honey, brown sugar, and sesame seeds. Fresh green onions are placed alongside the bowls on a white marble surface.

How to Make Honey Garlic Meatballs

Once you make the sauce and combine it with the meatballs, all you have to do is bake them. Then, they’re ready to eat!

Prep the oven. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. To make serving easier, spray your 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Make the honey garlic sauce. Combine the honey, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, and garlic in a large bowl and whisk until the mixture is well combined.

A large metal bowl filled with uncooked meatballs, alongside a smaller bowl where a whisk is mixing ketchup, honey, garlic, and other sauce ingredients. The scene is set on a white marble countertop.

glass baking dish filled with uncooked meatballs coated in a honey garlic sauce, ready to be baked. The dish is on a white marble surface.

Coat the meatballs. Add the frozen meatballs to the bowl and toss them to coat in the sauce.
Transfer and bake. Pour the meatballs and any extra sauce into the baking dish. Bake it for 30 minutes. When it’s ready, the meatballs will be brown, and the sauce will be thick.
Garnish and serve. Top the finished meatballs with chopped scallions or green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Honey Garlic Crockpot Meatballs

Here are instructions if you’d rather cook the meatballs in the slow cooker.

Thaw the meatballs over night in the fridge or according to the package directions.
Add thawed meatballs to the crock-pot and stir to coat well. Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours.
Stir before serving; serve hot.

A plate of honey garlic meatballs served over a bed of white rice, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped parsley. A glass of iced tea and fresh parsley are in the background, along with a small potted plant. The scene is set on a wooden table with a green and white patterned napkin under the plate.

Serving Ideas

Veggies: Oven Roasted Asparagus, steamed green beans, Instant Pot Glazed Carrots, or Creamy Mashed Potatoes.
Steamed Rice: White rice, Broccoli Rice Casserole, or Hawaiian Fried Rice
Pasta: Lemon Garlic Pasta, Stovetop Mac and Cheese, Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese, or ramen noodles
Salad: Wedge Salad, Smashed Potato Salad, Pomegranate Salad, or fresh garden salad

Tips for Success

Leave it uncovered. There’s no need to cover the pan with foil. You want the meatballs to become brown and caramelized.
Add some kick. Add a little bit of red pepper flakes to the meatball glaze for some heat.
Make your own meatballs. Feel free to make your own homemade meatball recipe instead of frozen meatballs using ground beef, ground pork or ground chicken.

A close-up of honey garlic meatballs piled high on a plate of white rice, topped with sesame seeds and chopped parsley. The vibrant green of the parsley contrasts with the rich brown glaze of the meatballs.

Proper Storage

Store leftover honey garlic meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe because the sauce is so easy to make, and frozen meatballs are used (no need to thaw first). Reheat them in the microwave or covered in a 350 degrees F oven until warm.

More Meatball Recipes to Try

5 from 1 vote