This holiday season, serve up a dish guests will remember and crave for years to come! These Cranberry Turkey Meatballs are flavorful and easy to prepare. Equally yummy for kids and adults alike, they're undoubtedly a must try!
Easy cranberry gazed turkey meatballs
The holidays are known for being a time of indulging in a myriad of sweet treats, but what about appetizers? With holiday parties galore, apps and easy grazing options are just as important as decadent desserts.
If you're hosting or attending a Thanksgiving or holiday party this year, consider whipping up these easy Cranberry Turkey Meatballs. They're a flavorful appetizer that everyone is sure to love!
Served with toothpicks, they're perfect for enjoying during a cocktail hour style standing party, but they also make a great side dish during a sit down affair.
However you're celebrating, one thing is for certain: everyone is going to devour this delicious cranberry BBQ appetizer!
Ingredients in these easy cranberry turkey meatballs
Turkey and cranberry meatballs require only 8 main ingredients and 6 seasonings. Because the recipe uses egg, BBQ sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, you likely already have most of the ingredients in your refrigerator and pantry! Below is everything you'll need to make these meatballs.
- Turkey: First up for this recipe is 1lb of ground turkey. This will create 25 meatballs.
- Breadcrumbs: Next, ½ cup of breadcrumbs will help the meatballs keep their shape. It will also thicken them up.
- Egg: 1 egg helps all of the ingredients bind together properly.
- Seasonings: Add flavor to the meatballs by including ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, ½ teaspoon of ground sage, and ½ teaspoon of thyme.
- Cranberry sauce: Next up is the cranberry. This recipe uses 1 14oz can of whole berry cranberry sauce.
- BBQ sauce: 1 ¼ cup of BBQ sauce pairs deliciously with the cranberry sauce and other ingredients. Any brand and type of BBQ sauce works, so go with your favorite.
- Sriracha: Add a hint of heat with 1 tablespoon of sriracha. Don't worry, this won't make the meatballs too spicy!
- Worcestershire sauce: Add the last flavoring with 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.
- Parsley: Last but not least, use some parsley as a topping.
Tools used to make cranberry turkey meatballs
To make this easy holiday appetizer, you will need 7 main kitchen tools and 6 different measuring cup sizes. Everything is listed below for easy cooking!
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Stirring utensil
- Sauce pan
- Potato masher
- Bowl
- Measuring cups: ¼ tsp, ½ tsp, 1 tbsp, ¼ cup, ½ cup, and 1 cup
How to make turkey meatballs with cranberry sauce
Ready to get started? You can expect this recipe to require about 25 minutes of prep time and around 20 minutes of cooking time. That puts this simple appetizer at just 45 minutes of total time from start to finish!
To begin, preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grab a mixing bowl and combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, and thyme until everything is well combined.
Then, roll the meat into balls by using 3 tablespoon of meat at a time. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
While the meatballs are cooking, heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the cranberry sauce, BBQ sauce, sriracha, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir occasionally until the mixture is bubbling, and let cook for 5-6 minutes. Once the berries have softened, mash them with a potato masher. Stir and let cook another 2 minutes or so. Turn off the heat.
Add the meatballs to a bowl and pour the cranberry sauce over the top. Mix the meatballs up until they're completely coated. Pour the meatballs into a smaller serving dish and sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with toothpicks.
What to serve alongside this recipe
Whether you're serving up these turkey cranberry meatballs as part of a party grazing table, or they're a side served with a main course, there are many pairing options!
These meatballs are perfect to enjoy alongside a salad. Try them with this Greek Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad, Cashew Crunch Salad with Sesame Dressing, or Kale Superfood Salad.
You can also serve the meatballs with a main dish like Hot Honey Tortellini Pasta Salad, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, or Takeout Orange Tempeh.
Go for a meal of sides and enjoy the meatballs with Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower, Easy Dill Pickle Dip, Tomato Bruschetta, or Healthy Mexican Street Corn Salad.
Recipe Tips
Why do people put cranberry sauce on turkey?
Easy — it tastes delicious! The sweet flavor of cranberry sauce pairs extremely well with the savory taste of turkey. Plus, because turkey is a drier meat, the texture pairs nicely with cranberry sauce too!
How do you keep turkey meatballs from falling apart?
This recipe uses breadcrumbs, which is key for helping the turkey meatballs stick together. When used in the right ratio alongside other properly measured ingredients, it works very well!
Why are my turkey meatballs mushy?
If you find your turkey meatballs to be mushy, you can try adding some extra bread crumbs or rolling them in flour. Avoid overmixing when combining the ingredients and shaping the mixture into meatballs.
If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!
Whip up some more guest-approved apps! These are all perfect for serving up during holiday parties.
- Soft Pretzel Bites Recipe with Beer Cheese
- Hot Honey Whipped Ricotta Recipe
- Garlic Bread Dip
- Best Cowboy Caviar Recipe
Recipe by Erin Antoniak and Photos by Bake and Bacon
Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix together turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sage and thyme until well combined.
- Using about 3 tablespoon of meat, roll into balls. Place on parchment paper and bake for 14-16 minutes or until internal temp reads 160F.
- While meatballs are cooking, heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Add cranberry sauce, bbq sauce, sriracha, and worcestershire. Stir occasionally until bubbling and let cook for 5-6 minutes. Once berries have softened, mash with potato masher. Stir and let cook another 2 minutes or so. Turn off heat.
- Add meatballs to a bowl and pour cranberry sauce over top. Mix meatballs up until completely coated. Pour meatballs into a smaller serving dish and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with toothpicks!
Luci says
So good! BF and I made them into sandwiches 🙂
Erin says
Hi Luci, so happy you both loved them!! 🙂
Summer says
Hi, would I be able to make the meatballs a day before?
Erin says
Hi Summer, sure! Let me know how they come out!
Erin Chang says
Made 3 lbs for Friendsgiving! They were a hit and now I’m thrilled to have a few leftover for work lunches. Absolutely delicious!
Erin says
Hi Erin, so happy everyone liked them! 🙂