Name: The Best Easy Homemade Meatballs Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef; 4 eggs; ¾ cup crushed saltine crackers; ½ cup powdered parmesan; 3 tablespoons dried parsley; 4 whole fresh garlic cloves - pressed; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon oregano; ½ teaspoon pepper

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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

Versatile and simple, these easy-to-make meatballs will make a great addition to a variety of dinners.

Once you have perfected your meatball-making skills, why not try something a little more complicated like these Classic Retro Porcupine Meatballs? Or for a fun appetizer make sure to try Grape Jelly Meatballs!

Reader Review

Delicious and easy to make !!

– Angela Hammill

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: This is an easy recipe.
Total Time: These take approximately 35 minutes to make.
Variations: Adjust the seasonings to your own tastes. Make some Italian Seasoning to add for classic flavours, use this Cajun Seasoning Recipe for a bit of heat, or try your own favourite spice blend. Use seasoned breadcrumbs instead of crushed crackers, or modify the size of the meatballs depending on what you’ll be using them for.
Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a stand mixer or a large bowl, a large frying pan, a tablespoon, a large baking sheet, and some parchment paper.

Rows of browned meatballs with visible pieces of onion on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The meatballs are evenly spaced and in focus at the front, becoming blurrier toward the back.

What You’ll Need For Ingredients

Ground Meat: Beef, pork, or a combination of the two, will work best for this recipe. You can try with ground turkey or chicken, but with those leaner options you’ll need to find a ay to replace moisture.

Eggs: Since this recipe includes a significant amount of cheese, we need more eggs than in some other meatball recipes. They help to hold the meat together and provide moisture.

Seasoning: The suggested seasonings in this recipe are very simple, but you can add other herbs and spices according to your own personal preferences as well as whatever you’ll be serving the meatballs with.

Cheese: Grated parmesan or another hard, salty cheese will work perfectly for this. Keep in mind the amount of salt in whichever cheese you use when you are seasoning the meatballs, so that you don’t oversalt.

Overhead view of raw ground meat, four eggs, garlic cloves, seasonings, rolled oats, breadcrumbs, and sugar in bowls on a white marble surface.

How To Make Easy Homemade Meatballs

This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

A metal mixing bowl with ground meat, an egg, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, dried herbs, and spices, surrounded by small bowls of seasonings and eggshells on a white countertop.

A metal bowl filled with ground meat mixture sits on a marble countertop, surrounded by spices in small bowls, cracked eggshells, a head of garlic, and a striped kitchen towel.

Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl. If you are using a stand mixer, use your paddle attachment. Mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Roll meat into ping pong-size balls and place into the hot pan.
Cook until all sides are browned and there is no more pink on the insides of the balls.
Let the meatballs rest for a few minutes, and then serve hot or save for later.

A plate stacked with browned meatballs, garnished with small sprigs of fresh parsley, sits on a white surface. — Homemade Meatballs Recipe

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Easy Homemade Meatballs

Alternative Cooking Methods: If you prefer not to fry your food, you can bake your meatballs instead. Just preheat your oven to 400°F, put the shaped meatballs on a baking sheet, and bake them for 15-20 minutes. Another option is to cook the meatballs directly in a pasta sauce. Heat your sauce in a large pot, add the meatballs, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. Whichever cooking method you choose, the interior of the meatballs should reach 165°F.

Don’t Overmix: Just like when you’re mixing cookie dough, too much stirring can make things tough and gluey. So, to avoid creating chewy, rubbery meatballs, only mix your meatball mixture enough to ensure the ingredients are properly combined. You don’t want it to clump up or turn into a thick ball, so stop stirring the moment you think it looks like everything is evenly distributed.

A plate of spaghetti topped with tomato sauce and three meatballs, one of which is cut open to show the inside. Chopped parsley is sprinkled on top.

Storage Instructions

Fridge: Once they’re fully cooled, you can store the meatballs in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Eat cold or reheat along with pasta sauce.

Freezer: Spread out the cooked meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 6 hours, until the meatballs have frozen solid. Then transfer the meatballs to a zipper-sealed bag or a freezer safe container.

More Amazing “How To” Guides

Looking for for some more kitchen skills to learn?

Why not try learning How To Make Kale Chips?

Or check out How to Roast and Cook Eggplant.

Find out How to Microwave Corn on the Cob or How to Reheat Steak.

There you go, everyone. A quick and easy way to make delicious meatballs. Try this recipe and let me know what you think.

Happy Cooking!

Karlynn