Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Turkey meatballs are usually dry. Not these. Think mashed sweet potato mixed right in, so they stay soft and a little sweet, with a creamy maple sauce for dipping. I’ve been making these Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs for years and I still haven’t found a better fix for dry turkey. Soft, freezer friendly, and just as good cold the next day.
Why Turkey Meatballs Come Out Dry
Here’s the problem with turkey meatballs. Ground turkey is lean.
Beef has fat in it. That fat melts while it cooks and keeps the meatball soft. Ground turkey barely has any, so it cooks up tight and dry. You end up with a small dense ball of regret.
Most people try to fix it with breadcrumbs soaked in milk, or an extra egg, or grated onion. Those help a little. None of them really work.
Sweet potato does. It holds a lot of water, so the moisture is right there in the mix. It’s starchy, so everything sticks together without more egg. And it’s sweet, which goes really well with turkey.
You don’t taste sweet potato, by the way. You taste something soft and savory and a little sweet, and you couldn’t name it if you tried.
The maple dipping sauce is sour cream, mayo and maple syrup. It takes about 30 seconds and I’d make it every time.
Ingredients in Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs
- Lean ground turkey (1 pound): Lean is fine here, there’s enough moisture coming from the sweet potato that you don’t need the fat.
- Cooked mashed sweet potatoes (2 cups): About 2 medium sweet potatoes. There’s a whole section below on cooking them. It’s the only part of this that takes any real time.
- Onion (1 small): If you grate it, it disappears into the mix. If you chop it, you get little bites of onion. Both are good and I’ve done it both ways.
- Egg (1 large): The binder, though there’s plenty holding these together already.
- Garlic (3 cloves, minced): Something savory to push back against all that maple syrup.
- Maple syrup (2 tablespoons for the meatballs, 2 tablespoons for the sauce): Real maple syrup. This is not the place for the pancake kind.
- Hot sauce (1 tablespoon): Not enough to make these spicy. Just enough to keep them from tasting like dessert.
- Breadcrumbs (½ cup): Panko or regular, both fine.
- Fresh parsley (½ cup, chopped): Half a cup sounds like a lot and it isn’t. You can use dried instead, just use about a third as much.
- Salt (1 teaspoon) and pepper (½ teaspoon).
- Olive oil (4 tablespoons): For frying, about 2 tablespoons per batch.
- Sour cream (½ cup) and mayonnaise (¼ cup): For the dipping sauce. You can swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt, but it’ll come out tangier.
How To Cook Sweet Potatoes For Meatballs
You need 2 cups of mashed sweet potato, which is about 2 medium ones. Any of these will get you there. I use whichever fits what else is going on in the kitchen.
Microwave. This is what I do most of the time. Poke them all over with a fork, wrap them in a damp paper towel, and microwave 5 to 10 minutes per potato. Add about 2 minutes for each extra one. Turn them over halfway. They’re done when a fork slides in easily.
Oven. Good if it’s already on for something else. 375°F for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on size. Line the pan with foil, because they leak sugar and it burns on.
Boiled. Fastest if you peel and cube them first. About 20 minutes over medium high heat until a fork goes in easily, then drain them really well. Wet mash makes loose meatballs, so leave them in the hot empty pot for a minute to dry out.
Let them cool before they go in with the meat. Hot sweet potato will start cooking the egg, and nobody wants scrambled egg in their meatballs.
Can you use canned? Yes, as long as it’s plain puree and not the kind packed in syrup. Drain it well, because canned runs wetter than fresh.
How To Make Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs
Mix Everything Together: Turkey, sweet potato, onion, egg, garlic, maple syrup, hot sauce, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper, all in one big bowl. Everything but the oil.
Mix until it’s even, then stop. Overworking ground meat makes it tough, and no amount of sweet potato will fix that.
The mix will be softer and wetter than a beef meatball mix. It’s supposed to be. That’s what keeps them soft.
Roll Them: Into small balls, about an inch across. You’ll get around 30.
Wet your hands first. Keep a bowl of water nearby and dip your palms every few meatballs, and the mix stops sticking to you.
If they feel too soft to roll, put the bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Fry Them In Batches: About 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer with space between them. About 7 minutes, turning them as you go, until they’re golden all over.
Do it in 2 batches, using the other 2 tablespoons of oil for the second one. If you crowd the pan the temperature drops and they steam instead of browning. Move the finished ones to a plate while you do the rest.
Medium heat, not high. There’s maple syrup and sweet potato in these, and sugar goes from golden to burnt fast.
Make The Dipping Sauce: Sour cream, mayonnaise, maple syrup, salt and pepper, whisked together in a small bowl. It takes less time than the meatballs need to rest.
Serve them warm with the sauce on the side.
How To Bake Or Air Fry Turkey Meatballs
Frying gives you the best crust, but to save you from standing at the stove turning 30 meatballs, you can also bake or air fry them.
In the oven: 375°F for 30 minutes, on a parchment lined sheet or a wire rack sprayed with oil. Leave space between them so they brown instead of steaming. No need to turn them.
In the air fryer: 380°F for about 10 to 12 minutes, in a single layer in a sprayed basket, turning them halfway. You’ll need to do it in batches.
They come out a little paler than the fried ones, but the inside is the same and I can’t really tell the difference.
How To Serve Turkey Meatballs
- As an appetizer, which is really what 30 small meatballs are for. Pile them on a platter, put the sauce in a bowl in the middle, add toothpicks.
- Over rice or mashed potatoes with the sauce spooned over instead of on the side, if you want them for dinner.
- In a grain bowl with greens and something pickled.
- Cold, out of the fridge, standing at the counter. This is how I eat an unreasonable number of them.
Storage and Freezing
Fridge: 3 to 4 days in a sealed container. The sauce keeps about the same.
Freezer, cooked: Up to 2 months. Cool them all the way first, then freeze them on a tray until solid before you bag them, so they don’t stick together. Reheat from frozen at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
Freezer, raw: You can also freeze them raw, which I sometimes prefer. Roll them, freeze them on a tray, bag them. Cook from frozen and add a few minutes.
Reheating: A 350°F oven for 10 minutes is best. You can microwave them instead, but they’ll come out a little softer.
Make ahead: You can mix the meatball mix a day early and keep it covered in the fridge. It’s easier to roll cold anyway.
Craving More Meatballs?
- Thai Red Curry Turkey Meatballs – The other turkey one, going in a totally different direction.
- Butter Chicken Meatballs – All the butter chicken flavor, in meatball form.
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs – Another sweet and savory pair, and a good one for a party.
- Skinny Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce – Lighter, with peanut sauce on the side.
- Cowboy Butter Meatballs – Over on Craving Home Cooked. The sauce alone is reason enough.
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes – If you’ve got sweet potatoes out anyway.
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs
Video
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 small onion (finely chopped or grated)
- 1 pound ground turkey (lean )
- 2 cups sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed)
- 1 large egg
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- ½ cup breadcrumbs (I used Panko, but regular breadcrumbs would work just as well)
- ½ cup parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Creamy Maple Dipping Sauce
- ½ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix 1 small chopped onion, 1 pound lean ground turkey, 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes, 1 large egg, 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, ½ cup breadcrumbs, ½ cup chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper until well combined.
- Form the mixture into small 1 inch balls. You should get about 30.
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the meatballs a few at a time, turning them, for about 7 minutes until golden on all sides. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, working in 2 batches so the pan isn’t crowded.
- Whisk ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl and serve with the meatballs.
Equipment
Notes
- To bake instead: 375°F for 30 minutes on a sprayed baking sheet or wire rack, until golden brown. Better for a double batch, and you don’t have to turn them.
- Cook the sweet potatoes ahead and let them cool before mixing. Hot sweet potato starts cooking the egg.
- Drain boiled sweet potatoes well. Wet mash makes loose meatballs that fall apart in the pan.
- Wet your hands before rolling. Keep a bowl of water nearby.
- Chill the mix for 20 minutes if it’s too soft to roll.
- Medium heat, not high. There’s maple syrup and sweet potato in these and sugar burns fast.
- Freezing: Cooked or raw, up to 2 months. Freeze them on a tray first so they don’t stick together.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Why are my turkey meatballs dry?
Ground turkey has almost no fat in it, so there’s nothing keeping it soft while it cooks. You need to add something that holds water, which is where the sweet potato comes in. Overcooking makes it worse, so take them out as soon as they’re golden and cooked through.
Why are my meatballs falling apart?
Usually the sweet potato was too wet. Drain boiled potatoes really well and let them dry out before you mash them. Chilling the mix for 20 minutes before rolling helps a lot too. So does leaving them alone in the pan until they’ve browned on one side.
Can I use ground chicken or beef instead?
You can use ground chicken and it’ll behave exactly the same. Beef works too, but it already has fat in it, so you’ll notice the sweet potato more.
Can I make them gluten free?
Swap the breadcrumbs for gluten free ones or almond flour. There’s plenty holding these together already, so the breadcrumbs matter less here than in a regular meatball.
Can I use canned sweet potato?
Yes, as long as it’s plain puree and not the kind in syrup. Drain it well first, because canned runs wetter than fresh.
Are these healthy?
Lean turkey, sweet potato and a vegetable make up most of them, and they come in around 79 calories each with sauce. Most of the richness is in the dipping sauce, so you can use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream if you want to lighten it up.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes. If you’re doubling I’d bake them instead of frying. Turning 60 meatballs in a skillet is a long evening.
