I Tried Our 5 Most Popular Meatball Recipes and This Is the One I’ll Make Again and Again
You'll want to save the winning recipe, too.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
In my hunt for the perfect meatball, I tested five of Allrecipes’ most popular recipes. From an easy slow cooker option to a variation made with three different meats, every one I tried had its own perks. Read on to find out what makes meatballs so great, the best ingredients and techniques, and how to make them at home.
The Best Meatball Ingredients and Techniques
Mary Claire Britton
Meat: Protein is the star of the show. While a lot of cooks swear by beef-only meatballs, I am of the opinion that a combination of two or three meats with an 80:20 lean-to-fat percentage yields superior results. Lean beef alone tends to create a drier, less flavorful meatball. Many supermarkets sell “meatloaf mix,” which is typically beef, pork and veal, and is an excellent choice for making meatballs. You can also try pairing your beef with ground pork sausage.
Flavor Boosters: The best meatballs do not need to be complicated. Onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and fresh or dried herbs go a long way towards augmenting your flavor profile. I am also a big fan of cooking your onions and garlic before adding them to your mix. That gives them a softer flavor and texture, which blend more seamlessly into the finished meatballs.
Binders: Meatballs maintain their spherical shapes throughout the cooking process with the help of an adhesive or two. Eggs are excellent for this, as is a combination of starch and milk. Traditionally, breadcrumbs are soaked in milk to create a paste that serves to help stick everything together nicely. Many recipes add this step right into the mixing process and that seems to work out just fine.
Technique: An overworked meatball is a tough meatball. The “claw” method is the best practice for mixing meatballs without drying them out. Basically, you form your hands and fingers into a claw shape while combining and shaping your mixture. You don’t want to heavily smash or grind your meat any further. Mix by hand, just until ingredients are combined and the balls hold their shape.
Meet the Contenders
The Best Meatballs You’ll Ever Have by BEARNESTA
Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs by HUNNIE0913
Chef John’s Italian Meatballs by John Mitzewich
The Best Meatballs Recipe by Geanine
Meatball Nirvana by lovestohost
How I Judged the Meatballs
Flavor: Meatballs should be well seasoned and ultra savory. A generous amount of salt, spices, and herbs and other flavor-enhancing elements is key to achieving the best results.
Texture: The results should be tender (not dry) and able to maintain their shape after they cook. This is achieved with proper technique and use of binding agents. My favorite meatballs also have a nice golden, almost crispy crust on the outside, which comes from baking and/or pan-frying.
Versatility: Are they as good on their own as they are in a hearty sauce or on a sandwich? Ideally, a good meatball recipe can be adapted for a variety of purposes.
The Results
Easiest
Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs by HUNNIE0913
Average Rating: 4.4 stars
Rave Review: “These meatballs taste just like my mothers. Everybody loves these.” —Rebecca Burton
Who doesn’t love a slow cooker recipe, and what is better to come home to at the end of a long day than ready-to-serve meatballs. Prep these on your way out the door in the morning and not only will your house smell amazing when you get home, you’ll be able to kick back and enjoy dinner. My only beef (see what I did there) with this recipe is that the meatballs lack that nice crisp outer crust that pan-frying or baking gives. I’m happy to overlook that every now and then for the ease of using a slow-cooker, though.
Most Traditional
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Recipe: Chef John’s Italian Meatballs by John Mitzewich
Average Rating: 4.8 stars
Rave Review: “The only way to go. I always liked making meatballs, but the hassle of frying and clean up kept me from making them as much as we would like. Now, thanks to Chef John, these meatballs are an all-time favorite. The only difference is I just use meatloaf mix.” —Ray
Chef John Mitzewich takes a much more traditional culinary approach to making meatballs. He sautés his onions before adding them to his mixture and creates his binder separately, combining breadcrumbs and milk in a small bowl to add later. His recipe combines beef and ground pork (a 80:20 lean-to-fat ratio). He also calls for plenty of salt, pepper, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley. This, to me, is a perfect recipe for learning to make meatballs. His instructions are clear, concise, and the perfect jumping off point for adjustments according to personal preferences.
Spiciest
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Recipe: The Best Meatballs You’ll Ever Have by BEARNESTA
Average Rating: 4.4 stars
Rave Review: “Well... since I met this recipe 2 weeks ago. I just finished my 4th batch. I love it, wife loves it, kinda won't shut up about them sooo.... thank you creator of the balls.” —Dave
The mixture for this recipe comes together in a flash. BEARNESTA calls for ground beef, onion, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg, garlic, red pepper flakes, and Cajun seasoning. Their binder of choice is chopped seasoned croutons, which is such an interesting alternative to bread crackers or breadcrumbs. Once shaped, they get pan-fried in butter and olive oil for 20 minutes. This beef-centric recipe is easy to execute and the results are savory and satisfying. The addition of both red pepper flake and Cajun seasoning add a touch of warming heat that’s perfect for cooler nights.
Best for Emergencies
Recipe: Meatball Nirvana by lovestohost
Average Rating: 4.6 stars
Rave Review: “I've been making this for years! We love this recipe! I make my own bread crumbs and usually add an egg too, but other than that I stick to the recipe.” —Virginia
You know what I love to see in a meatball recipe? A line that reads “mix all ingredients together”. This was the easiest recipe of the bunch to execute. The author calls simply for lean ground beef in combination with a breadcrumb binder, onion, and a smattering of seasonings. They require no babysitting on the stove and instead get baked in a 400-degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The flavor of these was super onion-y, which was kind of nice and reminded me of a hot beef sandwich from a 1950s soda fountain. This is a great recipe for when you need meatballs, and you need them now.
The Best Overall
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Recipe: The Best Meatballs by Geanine
Average Rating: 4.7 stars
Rave Review: “Exactly as my Italian grandma neighbour used to make them, even with the romano cheese. Excellent” —AllRecipes Member
Geanine’s recipe calls for ground beef, pork, and veal: the holy trinity of meatball meats. To this she adds Romano cheese, eggs, garlic, fresh chopped parsley, and plenty of salt and pepper. All of this gets bound together with stale Italian bread and water. After shaping, these babies get pan-fried in olive oil, creating a delicate crunch around the exterior. I had never added water to a meatball recipe and was curious about how it would affect the texture. Let me tell you: It was phenomenal. This was my family’s favorite. The texture was spot-on, the flavor was great, and the recipe lends itself easily to an array of alterations according to preference. This is the meatball recipe I'll be keeping in my back pocket from here on out.
More Taste Tests
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