Learn the secrets to juicy, Italian-style baked turkey meatballs with this straightforward recipe. Just mix everything up and bake with no pan-frying required. Great on pasta, over polenta, in meatball subs, or as an appetizer served alongside marinara sauce, you'll love how convenient these Italian turkey meatballs are to freeze!
When I'm all out of the ideas and have ground meat of some kind in the house, odds are I'll make meatballs.
They use ingredients I always have on hand and are really easy to pull together: combine ingredients in a bowl, scoop, and cook. And while pan-fried meatballs are a classic, I lean toward baking them to keep things on the lighter (and even easier) side.
While Sunday sauce with baked beef meatballs and Italian sausage is the most basic yet delicious way I make beef meatballs, a few extra tricks ensure these Italian turkey meatballs turn out juicy and tender every time. This is my go-to recipe I make most often, but if I feel like breaking out the bread and flaxseed I'll make a batch of higher-fiber turkey meatballs. It's really hard to go wrong.
Note: I added in Sept. 2026 I added extra photos showing my hands-down favorite way to eat these baked turkey meatballs - in a sub. Same recipe.
Key Points
- The secrets to JUICY baked turkey meatballs are grating the onion and using two eggs per pound of meat. The moisture in one-quarter cup of grated onion and the extra egg ensures lean ground turkey can indeed yield juicy turkey meatballs without pan frying.
- They freeze perfectly and are super versatile. Beyond a classic pairing with pasta or served by themselves with marinara dipping sauce, these are excellent in meatball subs, served over pastina, as a topping for meatball pizza, in gnocchi bakes, chopped up in Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs, etc.
- They lean Italian-style in flavor with seasoned breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and dried Italian herbs, but it's not heavy-handed. These are easy to zhuzh as you like to use different flavorings depending upon what cuisine you're in the mood for. (Wanting a bolder flavor? Try out my Italian sausage meatballs, made with half Italian sausage and half beef.)
Italian Turkey Meatball Ingredients
- Ground turkey: Your preferred lean/fat percentage of ground turkey will work here. I usually go for 93% lean, but have used 99% lean ground turkey breast in a pinch and it was still good. If your ground turkey is very finely ground and on the moister side (like the Butcher Box ground turkey pictured above, and some premium brands I've bought), you may have to add more breadcrumbs.
- Breadcrumbs: Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs provide nice flavor all the while helping retain moisture (the breadcrumbs soak up juices). Regular or panko breadcrumbs can be used in their place - just bump up the salt, dried spices, and seasonings accordingly.
- Parmesan: Freshly-grated Parmesan or another hard Italian cheese like Pecorino Romano is recommended for the best flavor over that pre-grated, shelf-stable canister.
- Onion: Grating an onion releases a ton more moisture than dicing one does, so please be careful when you grate it as it can get slippery.
- Spices: These include dried basil and oregano to boost the flavor in the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, as well as crushed red pepper. You can sub in your favorite Italian seasoning blend instead, or add more of certain individual spices. In the quantity written the crushed red pepper adds some flavor not spice, so increase that if you're wanting spicier.
Making Juicy Oven Baked Turkey Meatballs
Prep all ingredients.
Grab a large mixing bowl (larger than you might think to prevent mess - I'm prone to underestimating) and add all of the turkey meatball ingredients. Keep the breadcrumbs handy in case your mixture needs an extra sprinkle.
Mix them up.
Mix everything together using a sturdy spatula or your hands. Do this by hand and not with an electric mixer to avoid overworking the meat, which can lead to tough, rubbery turkey meatballs. Add an extra sprinkle or two of breadcrumbs if your mixture seems excessively loose or sticky and doesn't hold its meatball shape well when scooped.
Shape meatballs.
Use a 1 ½ tablespoon capacity cookie scoop (or just eyeball it) to shape meatballs. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. They can be close together because they won't spread. A larger size scoop can be used, though you'll need to increase the bake time accordingly.
Bake and serve.
Bake on the middle rack at 375°F for 18-23 minutes, or until the center of the biggest meatball reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. That's the safe minimum internal temperature for ground poultry, per FoodSafety.gov. They're done.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Instant-read thermometer: Big fan of checking food temps over here! Different ovens are a little quirky and temping the meat takes all the guesswork out of knowing when it's done...especially when it comes to something important like raw poultry. I bought this affordable ThermoPop thermometer (paid link) 10-ish years ago and beyond battery changes it's spot-on and going strong.
- Use care when grating onion: It bears repeating: a shocking amount of liquid is released when you grate an onion, so be careful. Use a cutting board with non-skid edges and a juice groove to collect liquid, and consider something like a cut-resistant food prep glove for extra protection.
What to Serve with Turkey Meatballs
No matter if you're going straight spaghetti and meatballs, making a rice bowl, or enjoying as-is, veggies of some kind are my go-to serving suggestion for baked turkey meatballs.
- Greens and beans (a.k.a. escarole and beans) pair up with the lean protein here nicely.
- Shake up the more traditional sausage and peppers by making...meatballs and peppers? These Italian-style peppers and onions can land more crisp-tender or jammy, depending upon your preferences (jammy for me).
- A big green salad. Something like my Caesar dressing made with Greek yogurt or creamy Caesar vinaigrette will keep the cuisine on-point, but honestly I'll have my fast-prep maple balsamic vinaigrette no matter what the main dish is, I love it so much.
As for how to serve these meatballs, over pasta with your favorite marinara sauce is the obvious simple choice, but don't sleep on creamy and flavorful polenta. I've shared two ways to make it easier/quicker: by saving 30 minutes by making creamy polenta from a tube and by cooking polenta in the Instant Pot (that means no stirring).
And if it's lunch or you just have a hankering for a sandwich, may I recommend a meatball sub? One of my forever favorite sandwiches. (Please try it with smoked mozzarella if you can find it - YUM).
Storage Advice
Refrigerator: Once cooked and cooled, store baked turkey meatballs in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Seen below is my favorite brand of glass containers with a one-piece lid (paid link, I've bought multiple shapes and sizes, love there's no removing a silicone seal to hand wash!).
Freezer: Baked turkey meatballs also freeze great. Cooked meatballs are best frozen for up to 3 months, after which they'll likely be just fine kept in the proper conditions, but can risk becoming freezer burnt as time goes on. To do so I let them cool, then place in a single layer in a large zip-top freezer bag, press out all excess air, then seal and lay flat to freeze.
BUT if you have a vacuum sealer, I would recommend that method for freezing as you can really suck out all the trapped air inside, which prevents the unpleasant frostiness of freezer burn. You can see vacuum-sealed meatballs in my guide to unfussy postpartum freezer meals. Meatballs were a big part of that!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you notice a white-ish ooze on the baking sheet after baking turkey meatballs, it's normal and a coagulated mixture of fat and protein. You can leave it behind on the sheet pan by using tongs to lift off the meatballs if you prefer, or just grab a spatula and bring it along with (it's quite tasty!).
I usually get between 18-20 meatballs, though every once in awhile I'll get a couple more or less depending on if I scoop rounded meatballs or level off the top of the scoop flat. All that matters is that you make them all roughly the same size and adjust the bake time accordingly.
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (454g) ground turkey
- ½ cup (70g) Italian seasoned breadcrumbs a sprinkle more if the turkey is quite moist
- ½ cup (40g) grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup (52g) grated onion
- ¼ cup (12g) chopped fresh parsley
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cloves garlic pressed/minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional, more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Add all meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir or mix until just combined. I like to put on a pair of disposable gloves and mix everything with my hands. Don't use an electric mixer as it's too easy to overmix everything, which can cause rubbery, tough meatballs.
- Using a 1 ½-Tablespoon cookie scoop (or simply two spoons), form meatballs and place evenly spaced on the greased sheet pan. If not using a scoop, try and make the meatballs as close to the same size as possible so they cook evenly.
- Bake for 18-23 minutes, or until the center of the biggest meatball reaches 165°F on an instant-read meat thermometer.
Notes
- Use caution: Be careful when grating the onion on a box grater as it can become slippery. Use a cutting board with non-skid corners and a juice groove to catch excess liquid. I also like to use a cut-resistant glove.
- Scoop size: A smaller or larger cookie scoop may be used - just adjust the cook time up/down as needed.
- Serving suggestions: Serve these baked turkey meatballs over pasta or polenta, as meatball subs, sliced up as a homemade pizza topping, in pasta or gnocchi bakes, chopped up in soups, or simply by themselves with warm marinara dipping sauce.
- Storage instructions: Keep leftover cooked meatballs refrigerated for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen, either in a freezer bag by themselves with all excess air pressed out or in a container with sauce, for 3 months for optimal freshness.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Robin says
Really flavorful. A lot of ground turkey recipes don't get the balance of flavors correct for the taste of turkey but this one has. and the method was perfect. So often turkey meatballs are wet and don't hold together well. These were not that. They were perfection. I made homemade red sauce and just served with some crusty bread. One of my favorite dinners in some time. I will nit only make them again, I will likely use the recipe as a reference for method and ingredient ratios for other types of Turkey meatballs.
Alyssa says
Thank you so much for your thorough review, Robin! I'm so glad these meatballs hit the spot. Your dinner sounds perfect!
Linda says
I made them yesterday I had no parsley so I used everything else and then I over baked them they were clearly over cooked and they were still amazing . I can’t wait to try it with parsley and the correct bake time. It was delicious.dont omit the pepper flakes they are just good not overwhelming. Also turkey has been on sale lately for about$2.50 a pound this is a great recipe thanks
Alyssa says
So glad you liked them, Linda! Love a good sale on turkey...I always stock the freezer. 🙂
Colette D says
i know this is way off point. But I would really love it if you didn't use disposable gloves. Nothing is disposable. so bad for the environment. Just dig in and get dirty.
Sorry about that. I'm just trying to spread the word.
Meatballs are great.
Alyssa says
Hi Colette, thank you for this important reminder. I utilize many ‘green’ kitchen products and strategies, including bringing canvas grocery bags to the store, being mindful about food waste, recycling, reducing paper towel usage, glass storage containers, not using single-use cups/plates/flatware, etc., but I know we can always do more. I’m fairly tough on my hands and frequently have small cuts on my fingers, so to be cautious I do wear gloves when getting in there with raw poultry. Your comment prompted me to search on Amazon and I see a variety of biodegradable ‘disposable’ gloves that I wasn’t even aware existed. I will give them a try instead!
Betsyann F says
Taste absolutely great!! But why do my meatballs ooze when baking?
Alyssa says
I'm so glad you like them! That 'ooze' is mostly coagulated protein and probably a little bit of fat, too. I notice it often with baked meatballs. After they bake I'll pick them up from the baking sheet with tongs and leave the 'ooze' behind. Hope that's helpful! 🙂
Lisa says
Wow! These were amazing! I just substituted Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning because I didn’t have the other seasonings. Delish! My hubby hates ground turkey and he ate them! How many meatballs does your recipe make? I got 18!
Alyssa says
Sorry for my late reply, Lisa, but so glad you liked them! Great tip on substituting Mrs. Dash. Funny thing is I always count my meatballs! I get around 18-19 usually, depending on how precise I measure. 🙂
Anna says
Made these with a great marinara and zoodle dish! They are amazing, so juicy and flavorful! Will totally be making these again
Alyssa says
So glad you like them! 🙂
Haven G Shaw says
Don't understand the high level of salt in the Nutrition Facts chart yet only 1/2 tsp in the recipe. Could this reflect salt in Parm cheese?
Alyssa says
Hi Haven, you're correct, Parmesan definitely contributes to the sodium. So do the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, though the amount of sodium will vary depending on the brand. To reduce the amount of sodium per serving, you can substitute an equal amount of panko breadcrumbs for the Italian seasoned ones. Then just bump up the seasonings to your taste.