Slow cooker teriyaki meatballs combine ground beef or turkey with breadcrumbs, green onions, ginger, and garlic, then cook in a cup of prepared teriyaki sauce. Serve the saucy meatballs over rice or noodles for four portions.
The mixture goes straight into the cooker, so there is no separate browning step. Keep the meatballs similar in size and use their internal temperature to decide when to finish rather than leaving them on for a full day.
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Why This Recipe Works
An egg and breadcrumbs help the fresh meat mixture hold its shape, while ginger and garlic season the centers. Gentle mixing keeps the texture less compact. Prepared teriyaki sauce supplies the sweet and savory flavor without needing a separate sauce recipe.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey, thawed
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Sauce
- 1 cup prepared teriyaki sauce, homemade or store-bought
Serving Suggestions
- cooked rice or noodles, optional, for serving
How to Make Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs
1. Mix without packing the meat. Start with thawed ground meat and combine it with the breadcrumbs, chopped green onions, egg, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Use a fork or your hands to bring everything together just until evenly distributed. Repeated kneading compresses the mixture and can leave the cooked meatballs dense. Season lightly at first because the teriyaki sauce will add salt.
2. Shape and coat. Roll the mixture into evenly sized balls about 1 inch across. Arrange them in the slow cooker and pour the full cup of teriyaki sauce over them. Use a cooker whose recommended fill level suits this small batch; a very large pot with a shallow layer can dry the sauce at the edges. Turn the cooker on as soon as the raw mixture is loaded.
3. Cook and check the centers. Cover and cook on LOW, allowing about 6 hours, or on HIGH for about 3–4 hours. Begin checking earlier, around 4 hours on LOW or 3 hours on HIGH, since small meatballs and different cookers vary. A beef meatball must reach 160°F in the center; turkey needs 165°F. Stop cooking when the meat is done rather than automatically extending to 8 hours. Avoid stirring until the meatballs are firm enough to hold their shape.
4. Finish the sauce and serve. Lift out a meatball gently to check its center without breaking the rest. Spoon sauce over the finished meatballs and divide them into four portions. Meat juices can loosen a bottled glaze, so expect a spoonable sauce rather than a guaranteed thick coating. If it becomes too thin, lift the meatballs out and reduce the sauce briefly in a saucepan before returning it to the serving dish.
How to Serve
Spoon meatballs and sauce over steamed rice or cooked noodles, with broccoli or another green vegetable alongside. For an appetizer, serve smaller portions with picks and keep the finished meatballs hot at 140°F or above in the cooker. Slow cooker teriyaki meatballs yields four main-dish portions; the rice or noodles are optional accompaniments.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftover slow cooker teriyaki meatballs in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep at 40°F or below and use within 3 days. Reheat cooked portions on the stove, in the microwave, or in the oven until the center reaches 165°F. Reheat chilled portions outside the slow cooker. See federal cold-storage guidance for more details.
Tips and Variations
- A thick teriyaki glaze and a thin marinade produce different sauce textures; choose a prepared sauce meant for cooking or glazing.
- For more heat, add a little sriracha at the table rather than increasing the salt in the meat mixture.
- Reduce a loose sauce separately so the cooked meatballs do not spend extra time simmering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I load frozen raw meatballs into the cooker?
Thaw raw meatballs in the refrigerator first. For packaged fully cooked meatballs, follow the product cooking directions rather than using this raw-meat method.
Can I use homemade teriyaki sauce?
Yes, measure one cup of finished sauce. Its thickness will affect how much liquid remains after cooking.
Can I pressure-cook the same recipe?
This sauce-only slow-cooker method does not establish the liquid needed for a pressure cooker. Use a recipe written for your appliance rather than transferring these times.
More Recipe Ideas
- Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Balsamic Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Meatballs
- Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey thawed
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- 1 cup prepared teriyaki sauce homemade or store-bought
Serving Suggestions
- cooked rice or noodles optional, for serving
Instructions
Method
- Combine 1 pound thawed ground beef or turkey with the breadcrumbs, green onions, egg, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper just until evenly mixed.
- Roll into 1-inch meatballs and place in the slow cooker. Pour the 1 cup teriyaki sauce over them and cover.
- Cook on LOW for about 6 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, checking as early as 4 hours on LOW or 3 hours on HIGH. Finish when beef centers reach 160°F or turkey centers reach 165°F and the meatballs are firm.
- Spoon the sauce over the meatballs and divide into 4 servings. Serve with cooked rice or noodles if desired.
Notes
- Refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below; use within 3 days.
- Reheat cooked leftovers to 165°F.
- Thaw raw meat before slow-cooking; reheat chilled leftovers outside the cooker.
