Easy Homemade Meatballs made in just 30 minutes that are moist, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
Perfect for all your meatball recipes, and easy to freeze! We love easy ground beef recipes like my Easy Classic Beef Meatloaf and this recipe is one of my classic Dinner Recipes you’ll want in your back pocket!
HOMEMADE BEEF MEATBALL RECIPE
Easy Homemade Meatballs are one of the core recipes you’ll LOVE having in your back pocket. For us meatballs are an easy way to quickly make dinner and we’ve leaned on them for the school year because they also work well with meal prepping.
People have emailed me asking how to make meatballs without breadcrumbs in the past and recently I’d been referring them to the Swedish Meatballs post, but to give more details about why, the soaked bread (yes, like regular sliced bread) adds a good amount of extra moisture to your meatballs. Instead of hydrating super dry breadcrumbs, the bread itself has moisture too.
How long do you cook meatballs in tomato sauce?
- If fully uncooked you can add them (in a covered pot) on a low-medium heat for 25-30 minutes.
- If already browned you can simmer them for 10 minutes.
- If frozen and raw cook them (in a covered pot) on on medium heat for 30-35 minutes.
- If frozen, but you’ve just browned them, cook them (in a covered pot) on medium heat for 15 minutes.
MORE CLASSIC DINNER RECIPES:
Perfect Simple Roast Chicken
Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ultimate Meat Lasagna
Classic Beef Meatloaf
How to Make Homemade Baked Meatballs:
- Add beef, milk, onion, butter, bread, eggs and spices to a large bowl.
- Mix the ingredients together until just combined.
- Roll the meat into 2 tablespoon sized balls.
- Once the meatballs have been rolled, place them on a pan in a single layer (not touching).
- Bake the meatballs in a preheated oven (400 degrees) for 18-22 minutes.
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Tips for Easy Homemade Meatballs:
- Keep the seasonings simple, this gives you the most flexibility when cooking them with different sauces.
- Instead of adding breadcrumbs to the mixture, I add milk soaked bread; this adds to the moisture.
- Freeze the meatballs before they’re browned which keeps the shape of them as you brown them. They finish cooking through in the sauce.
- To make large batches I use an ice cream scoop, lightly roll and place onto a cookie sheet.
- Line with parchment paper and freeze on a full cookie sheet. You can break them apart and freeze in dinner sized portions.
- You can brown them as much as you’d like, then simmer them slowly in your desired sauce to finish.
Why cook meatballs from frozen?
- They brown evenly and maintain their ball shape and don’t cook down into sort of lumpy looking rocks.
- They keep their interior moistness as they are still only about half cooked in the middle by the time the gravy is added.
- They take almost no time at all to cook the day you want to make them because its a matter of cook the meatballs for 5-7 minutes, add gravy and serve with either mashed potatoes or pasta.
I’m listing below a bunch of different mix-ins, but don’t worry this is actually a short list for upcoming meatballs recipes on the blog! And they all start with this same meatball base.
Make these homemade meatballs unique with different flavors:
- Homemade Italian Meatballs: To the recipe add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 3 minced cloves of garlic.
- Salisbury Steak Meatballs: To the recipe add 1/4 cup brown mustard, 1/4 cup ketchup and 2 teaspoons beef better than bouillon base to the meatballs.
- Greek Meatballs: use olive oil instead of butter, add 3 cloves minced garlic, swap half the meat for lamb if you’d like, 1 tablespoon each of oregano, coriander, cumin and 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
- Perfect Swedish Meatballs
- Korean Beef Meatballs: Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1 tablespoon minced ginger with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons brown sugar with only 3 tablespoons milk instead of 1/3 cup.
MORE EASY GROUND BEEF RECIPES:
Cocktail Meatballs
Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
Cheesy Taco Pasta
Ultimate Sloppy Joes
Easy Homemade Meatballs
Easy Homemade Meatballs made in just 20 minutes that are moist, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Quick to make and easy to freeze!
Ingredients
- 3 slices bread
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup yellow onion , minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , (4 tablespoons if cooking immediately)
- 2 pounds ground beef , (80/20)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer add the milk to the slices of bread.
- Melt the butter in a pan and add the minced yellow onions.
- Cook them on medium low until translucent but not browned.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- In your bowl with the milk soaked bread add the rest of the meatball ingredients including the cooked onions.
- Mix it on low until the bread is broken apart and the meat is combined with the ingredients (using the stand mixer and not your hands helps keep the mixture cold and tender).
Using a meatballer/ice cream scoop or your hands scoop them into balls about the size of a ping pong ball.
- Freeze on a cookie sheet if possible.
If cooking immediately, add the rest of your butter to your skillet and cook on medium high on all sides for a total of 4-5 minutes.
Remove the meatballs from the pan and serve with your favorite sauce.
I don’t eat dairy products. Can I skip the milk or add something else?
Thanks
I would suggest substituting it with a non dairy milk like almond milk.
Just made a 1/2 batch as a test. SO easy! Cooked one to taste…oh wow! This is now my go-to recipe for meatballs. Can’t wait to try Italian and other seasonings. Thanks!
So glad to have passed the test. 🙂 Thanks for the 5 stars.
not clear on the freeze/cook/use cycle. I want to make these ahead, even precook them, then freeze them for later use. But not freeze them raw (which requires more cook time when I need them) and want to be food.safe. So, what are the steps for this then please? scoop into balls, brown and cook all the way? or partially and if so, to what point? or soemthing else? thanks!
You’ll want to cook them all the way, let them cool down and freeze. I like to flash freeze mine on a baking sheet for about and hour and then store them in freezer-safe storage bags. It helps to keep their shape better. Hope this helps!
Can they be baked in oven?
Yes, bake them in a preheated 400-degree oven for 18-22 minutes. Enjoy!
Hi, would multigrain bread work as well? Thanks!
Sure 🙂
How long do they need to freeze before cooking?
You’ll want to freeze them about an hour before cooking. If you don’t have time, just start with a lower heat to brown to help maintain the roundness. Enjoy!!
There are so many delicious ways you can enjoy meatballs! And everyone seems to love them right?! These look so delicious! Saving!
I need to make a lot of these meatballs and freeze them! I use meatballs in a lot of dishes!
They’re so perfect to have on hand and ready to go!
It’s so crucial to have a great meatball recipe in your back pocket!
Definitely! They can be used in so many ways!
These meatballs look perfect! Saving this post!
Thank you!
These look incredible, and now I’m craving meatballs!
I love how easy these are!