These lean ground beef Thai meatballs are smothered in a flavorful red curry coconut sauce. Serve as a delicious appetizer or as a tasty meal served over rice or noodles!
I can’t wait until someone invites me over to watch a football game so I can make these little bites of heaven and bring them with me.
Just look at these Thai curry meatballs! Aren’t they just precious?
These Thai meatballs are quick and easy to make, and they can be served by themselves as an appetizer or over a bowl of rice or noodles as a main course.
It’s as simple as forming the meatballs, making the sauce, and dropping them in.
Once they are made you can easily transport these coconut curry meatballs to a slow-cooker to keep them warm for a party or the big game.
The curry paste adds a bit of spice, while the palm sugar tempers the heat with a subtle sweetness.
Savory fish sauce and creamy coconut milk round out this dish to make it immensely satisfying.
Here’s the Recipe!
Thai Curry-Coconut Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
- 1 14oz can of unsweetened light coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp. Panang curry paste - or any red curry paste
- 1/4 c. water
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 4 wild lime leaves - optional
Instructions
- Place your ground beef in a medium bowl and season with ½ tsp. fish sauce. Form 24 meatballs using about a tablespoon of beef for each one. Set aside.
- Heat half the can of coconut milk in a medium skillet over medium heat. Let it cook for a few minutes until it thickens and bubbles. Add in the curry paste and work it into the coconut milk using the back of a wooden spoon.
- Once combined, add in the rest of the coconut milk along with meatballs. Spoon the curry sauce over the top of the meatballs and cook, stirring now and then, 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the water, brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Toss in the whole wild lime leaves. Simmer and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lime leaves, and serve.
Brilliant recipe. It’s now on the permanent menu rotation.
Hi Anetta! I am new to your site but my gosh you have the best recipes and I cannot wait to try them. 🙂 I was curious about the thai curry coconut meatballs. Do you think ground chicken would work too or would it be too soft or maybe not hold together? Either way, I am going to try this recipe this weekend and I know my 4 year old will love these! Thanks for the amazing selections. 🙂
Hi, Nadine! I haven’t tried it with chicken but I don’t see why it shouldn’t work 🙂
Thank you for making me a better cook! Honestly…I have always been so afraid of trying to make my favorite Thai and Asian foods. I mean, come on- the food always tastes better from a restaurant, right? These type of recipes always seemed daunting to me as an unexperienced cook in these cuisines. But you make them so simple, and they really do taste so darn delicious. My husband and children love them, too! I am so happy to have come across your website. Thank you, Anetta.
What an amazing comment! I really love hearing this 🙂 Thanks for being such an awesome reader!
These look delicious! I really need to experiment with Asian flavors more. I don’t know why I’m so intimidated. Everything I’ve ever made has turned out wonderful, but I guess the idea of playing with such foreign flavors on my own is daunting.
I know exactly what you mean! I remember how grossed out I was the first time I bought a bottle of fish sauce. Fermented fish liquid sounded so nasty to me, but it had the most rich and savory taste in the world. You really can’t replicate Thai food without it. Same goes for Curry Paste – I’m actually working on putting together a little cheat sheet for working with Thai Curry Pastes, so keep an eye out for it on the blog!