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Sticky Mongolian Meatballs and Broccoli (Easy!!)

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Posted by:

Erin Lynch

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Updated:

March 9, 2025

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4.94 from 119 votes

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Sticky Mongolian Meatballs made in under 30-minutes! The meatballs and broccoli bake together on one baking sheet for extra easy cleanup. Tossed with a delicious, thick, sweet sauce and served over rice or noodles.

Hand holding chopsticks eating bowl of mongolian meatballs.

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My recipe for Mongolian Beef has always been a hit on the blog. Especially on Instagram. Every time that photo with the glossy sauce hits my feed, the love pours in. And since I aim to impress, I thought I’d do a fun twist on that swoon-worthy recipe, with these Mongolian Beef Meatballs.

My original recipe calls for frying up strips of beef that are coated in cornstarch to make them extra crispy. They truly are delicious! But honestly, I’m not a huge fan of frying. It freaks me out a bit to have a pan of hot oil on the stove and it makes such a mess! This recipe swaps in meatballs. They bake in the oven, right alongside some broccoli (read: easy cleanup).

For the meat, I used ground beef. But ground turkey, chicken or pork would all work! I seasoned the meatballs with spices that are echoed in the sauce – ginger, garlic and green onions.

I like to bake them on a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper or foil for extra easy cleanup. Just arrange the meatballs on half of the baking sheet, and scatter some broccoli florets on the other half. Bake for about 15 minutes until the meatballs are deliciously crispy and the broccoli is tender.

Uncooked meatballs and broccoli on baking sheet.

Meanwhile, it’s the perfect time to whip up the sauce. The sauce is exactly the same as I used in my original Mongolian Beef recipe. It cooks up so deliciously sweet, tangy and spicy. And could I just say that I wish my hair were as glossy as this sauce. Definitely swoon-worthy.

Just bring the sauce to a boil and let it thicken for about 15-20 minutes. It should be done about the same time that the meatballs are ready. Then, toss the meatballs with the sauce, until they’re perfectly coated.

Serve it all up over a bed of instant pot rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. These Mongolian Beef Meatballs are also delicious served over noodles, instant pot quinoa, or even cauliflower fried rice for a low carb option.

Or, just make the meatballs (skip the broccoli) and serve them as an appetizer either with toothpicks or on mini skewers. So much fun!

Close up of meatballs in skillet with mongolian sauce.

Table of Contents

  • What’s in Mongolian meatballs sauce?
  • How to make them
  • What to serve with Mongolian meatballs
  • Wine pairings
  • Full Recipe

What’s in Mongolian meatballs sauce?

  • Soy Sauce (Be sure to use low-sodium or the sauce will be too salty)
  • Brown Sugar
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Rice Wine Vinegar
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Cornstarch

How to make them

  • Add the ground beef, green onions, ginger, and garlic to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until just combined.
  • Form the meat mixture into balls with your hands (or use a cookie scoop) and place on one side of a baking sheet. Add the broccoli to the other side of the baking sheet and toss with oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Bake at 450-degrees for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet add the oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, water, rice wine vinegar and red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and add to your sauce. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens.
  • Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and toss, until the sauce coats the meatballs.
  • Serve the meatballs and remaining sauce over bowls of rice (or cauliflower rice) topped with additional green onions and sesame seeds. Serve the broccoli on the side.
Mongolian meatballs arranged in brown bowl with rice and broccoli.

What to serve with Mongolian meatballs

  • Instant Pot Rice
  • Cauliflower Fried Rice
  • Bacon Fried Rice with Shallots
  • Instant Pot Fried Rice
  • Asian Cucumber Salad with Toasted Rice Powder
  • Ginger Veggie Stir Fry
  • Thai Cucumber Salad
  • More → 25+ sides for meatballs.

Wine pairings

  • A nice, fruity red wine such as a Zinfandel or Grenache will pair nicely with the flavors in this beef dish.
  • If you’re looking for a white option, Riesling is always a great match for bold, somewhat spicy dishes.
Mongolian meatballs arranged in brown bowl with rice and broccoli.

More take out recipes

  • Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles)
  • PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps
  • Kung Pao Noodles
  • Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken
  • Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
  • Thai Beef Salad
  • Chicken Larb Recipe
  • Thai Chicken Salad

More meatball recipes

  • Thai Meatballs in a Creamy Coconut Curry Sauce
  • Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
  • Peruvian Chicken Meatballs
  • Butter Chicken Meatballs
  • Chicken Piccata Meatballs
  • Easy Turkey Swedish Meatballs

More easy dinner recipes

  • Easy Roasted Chicken
  • Easy White Chicken Chili
  • 30 Minute Easy Pork Piccata
  • Easy Lemon Pasta
  • Easy Tuna Casserole with Gruyere Cheese

Did you try this Mongolian meatball recipe?

If you loved these Mongolian beef meatballs I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on  Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.

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Close up of meatballs in skillet with mongolian sauce.

Full Recipe

Mongolian Meatballs

Sticky Mongolian Beef Meatballs made in under 30-minutes! The meatballs and broccoli bake together on one baking sheet for extra easy cleanup. Tossed with a delicious, thick, sweet sauce and served over rice or noodles.  
4.94 from 119 votes
Print Pin
Serves 6 people
Created by Platings and Pairings
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Equipment

  • Skillet
  • Baking Sheet
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 4 green onions (finely chopped, plus more for serving)
  • 2 inch fresh ginger (grated (or 2 Tbsp. ginger paste))
  • 6 cloves garlic (minced or grated)
  • 1 head broccoli (cut into florets)
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Sauce

  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 Tablespoons ginger (minced)
  • ⅔ cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (whisked with 1/2 cup water)
  • Kosher salt and pepper (to taste)

To Garnish

  • 3 green onions (thinly sliced)
  • Sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
  • Add the ground beef, green onions, ginger, and garlic to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until just combined. Roll into tablespoon-size balls, placing them on one side of the prepared baking sheet. Add the broccoli to the other side of the baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet add the oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, water, rice wine vinegar and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook over medium-high heat, for about 10 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and add to your sauce. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
  • Add the cooked meatballs to the skillet of sauce and toss, until the sauce coats the meatballs.
  • Serve the meatballs and remaining sauce over bowls of rice topped with additional green onions and sesame seeds. Serve the broccoli on the side.

Nutrition

Calories: 691kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 2276mg | Potassium: 1042mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 1171IU | Vitamin C: 140mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 5mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!

This post was originally published in 2021. It was updated in 2023 to add new content. The Mongolian meatball recipe remains the same. Enjoy!

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4.94 from 119 votes (100 ratings without comment)

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35 responses

  1. Jason
    September 29, 2020

    5 stars
    Mongolia, my friends showed me the way they grill meat on the fire. Sticky Mongolian Beef Meatballs serve with steamed rice is delicious. Beef meatballs are infused in spicy. With me, I especially like sauce inside, we can pour on the rice. Very interesting!

    Reply
  2. Karen
    October 18, 2020

    I see the nutritional information but not the serving size. Also- it doesn’t say what kind of beef the nutritional Information is based on…80/20? 90/10? Could you please specify?

    I’m also assuming the nutritional information is for the meatballs and broccoli only, not the rice, since you are mentioning options of how to serve.

    Thank you! Can’t wait to try this!!!!

    Reply
  3. D Sears
    October 19, 2020

    4 stars
    I am a novice cook. These came out good for me but not as good as I was anticipating. I’m wondering how thick or sticky the sauce should be. I cooked mine for at least 30 minutes or more over med/high heat,…but it continued to be fairly thin and watery. Not really “sticky”. Do you cook yours longer to make it sticky? or what is the secret? …thanks.

    Reply
    1. Erin
      October 19, 2020

      Hi! Yes, I would try raising the heat a bit and cooking for a bit longer to reduce the sauce. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  4. Karen
    October 22, 2020

    4 stars
    The sauce did not thicken! What did I do wrong? Served with rice and broccoli and was still a big hit even though sauce was like water.

    Reply
    1. Erin
      October 23, 2020

      Hi Karen – Thanks for the feedback! I’ve received this comment before and I’m going to retest the recipe next week. Will report back!

      Reply
  5. Stephanie
    October 29, 2020

    5 stars
    Great recipe. I saw a few comments about the sauce not getting thick and noticed the same (even after bringing to a boil) so I dissolved 1 tbsp. of cornstarch into 1/2 cup of cold water to make a roux and added until I got the thickness I wanted. It was perfect.. Thanks for the goodness!

    Reply
    1. Erin
      October 31, 2020

      Thanks for sharing that tip Stephanie!!! I’m going to be retesting this recipe soon and was thinking cornstarch would do the trick!

      Reply
  6. Danielle
    November 28, 2020

    5 stars
    I made this tonight with venison instead of beef! It was amazing! The flavors really complemented the venison. Reduced the red pepper to 1/4 tsp to our taste and did a mix of water and cooking sherry which gave it a nice depth. For those that had trouble getting the sauce to thicken…when she says med-high heat it means med-high heat…not medium, and use the full 29 mins. You’re basically caramelizing the brown sugar as a thickener. I whisked almost constantly to keep it from burning…but let it get frothy…that’s how you know it’s doing it’s thing. 😊

    Reply
    1. Erin
      December 2, 2020

      Thanks for this feedback Danielle!!! The higher heat definitely helps to reduce the sauce down further!

      Reply
  7. Kelly S
    January 19, 2021

    5 stars
    Very quick and yummy! The sauce didn’t quite reduce correctly for me so I ended up adding a cornstarch slurry to get it to thicken up, and added some other veggies to the tray (red pepper, onion and asparagus). Easy to throw together or make ahead and pop in the oven, thanks!

    Reply
    1. Erin
      January 19, 2021

      You’re welcome Kelly! Thanks so much for the feedback!

      Reply
  8. Nicole
    June 5, 2022

    5 stars
    Made this for my husband and he really enjoyed all the flavours together. Super easy to make

    Reply
    1. Erin
      June 7, 2022

      Thanks so much Nicole!

      Reply
  9. Cassandra Houston
    December 11, 2022

    4 stars
    Made this for a party last night. I doubled the recipe and it was a hit. Not sure what the issue is some have been having with the sauce not thickening. It worked for me. I ended up putting them in a crockpot and served from there. Didn’t do the broccoli or rice but it would have been a nice addition.

    Reply
  10. C.Lutz
    August 2, 2023

    3 stars
    The sauce was a bit sweet. I think if I cut the sugar in half it would be better for our family. I roasted the broccoli & Sheff it had about 6 minutes added red bell pepper. My family liked it overall & we’ll try it again.

    Reply
  11. TM
    September 13, 2023

    5 stars
    Delicious! Even with not having the exact measurements for the ginger and garlic and also having to combine half low sodium and half regular soy sauce (what I had). Will be making again!

    Reply
    1. Erin
      September 13, 2023

      Thank you TM!

      Reply
    2. Sarah S
      January 1, 2024

      5 stars
      Turned out great, so flavorful!

      Reply
      1. Erin
        January 2, 2024

        Thanks Sarah!

        Reply
  12. Ami
    January 3, 2024

    So excited to make this. Is there a substitute for the grown sugar? Honey? Maple syrup?

    Reply
    1. Erin
      January 5, 2024

      Hi Ami – I think that either of those would work well!

      Reply
  13. Gemina
    January 11, 2024

    5 stars
    My family really enjoyed this recipe. I followed others advice and cut the brown sugar in half, simmered sauce on med-high heat (carmelized nicely), and added crackers and an egg to the beef. I’ll definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  14. Laureen
    March 7, 2024

    Our daughter made these the other day and they were delicious- thank you! Can you please update for the serving size in the Nutritional Info section?

    Reply
  15. Melissa
    March 12, 2024

    4 stars
    This was a delicious meal! The sauce was perfect and enjoyed over all the rice and quinoa we used for the adults. I would use a panade in the meatballs next time because they were a bit dry but still delicious. We don’t like broccoli so I heated up some sesame oil in a hot pan, threw fresh green beans and mushrooms in, and finished up with some of the sticky sauce and it was SO good.

    Reply
  16. Margot
    March 23, 2024

    5 stars
    Made this yesterday and gave some to my neighbour. SO good and my neighbour wants the recipe. Definitely a keeper!

    Reply
    1. Erin
      April 1, 2024

      Thank you Margot!

      Reply
  17. Elise
    April 13, 2024

    I made this tonight and it was AMAZING!!! I am trying to figure out the serving size to calories-if you have a clue of what you’d consider it to be, I’d appreciate it!

    Thanks for a delicious recipe!

    Reply
  18. Shelly
    April 19, 2024

    4 stars
    Very tasty. I had no problem with sauce consistency (wondering if people used a pot instead of skillet perhaps?? More surface area = reducing faster). Next time I may reduce the sugar a bit as it is sweet. Enjoyed them though.

    Reply
  19. Emily
    June 4, 2024

    5 stars
    These were delicious, fast, and easy to make! We also made the Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad to go with it. I added some chili crisp to mine for some extra spice.

    Reply
  20. Gina Floryan
    August 2, 2024

    5 stars
    Are there any substitutions for the vegetable oil that would work nicely ? Thank you

    Reply
    1. Erin
      August 5, 2024

      Hi Gina – you can also use avocado oil or sunflower oil.

      Reply
  21. Joyce
    August 21, 2024

    I made this recipe tonight with a few modifications. I used 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I put a splash of mirin in the sauce, added sesame oil to the meat mixture with and egg and a little bread crumb. I am going to use a mixture of ground pork and ground beef next time to make the meatball less dense.

    Reply
  22. Colin
    January 24, 2025

    5 stars
    I used premade meatballs, so I didn’t get the full experience, but this sauce was fantastic. I tend to put chili crisp on everything Asian that I eat, but this didn’t need it, the flavor was superb.

    Reply
  23. Mandy
    June 7, 2025

    4 stars
    This was good but VERY sweet. I will make it again but with HALF the brown sugar and more red pepper flakes. I’d probably cook the meatball on the stove top too so they get a bit of a crust on them…the texture was less than appealing to my kids.

    Reply

Hi, I’m Erin!

Can I pour you a glass of wine? Let’s have some fun in the kitchen! Maybe some pasta? A juicy steak? I’ve got loads of yummy, easy recipes for you! Because cooking should feel as comfy as your favorite yoga pants. ♥

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