Wagyu Meatballs

Wagyu meatballs are the juiciest, beefiest, tender, moist meatballs you can make! With a simple ground beef, panko breadcrumb combination and secret ingredient seasoning they are the perfect appetizer, finger food, game day snack or pasta pairing. Whip them up and have everyone rave about the best meatballs in town (your meatballs!). Wagyu beef meatballs are what you can call your 'Winner, Winner Meatball Dinner 🤣'.

Recipes like the Traditional Swedish Meatballs, Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs and Sweet and Sour Pork Balls are all about juicy meatballs with flavor twists.

The Meatballs and Pasta, Spaghetti Bolognese With Meatballs and Meatballs with Polenta are comfort food the whole family will love!

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Versatile: you can serve these meatballs as an appetizer, stir them through pasta, pop them into a pasta bake or pile them into a hoagie roll. You are practically unlimited in what to do with them!
• Sophisticated catering: everyone loves a meatball and they do disappear fast when served at parties. Wagyu meatballs on the other hand offer a sense of indulgence and sophistication. The meat is known for being highly sort after due to its unique marbling and higher fat content.
• Party meatballs with dipping sauce: if that ain't a fine way to get a party started, I am not sure what would be. The pairing of the beef meatballs and dipping sauce is like mmmm hmmm, yup they taste good!! Followed shortly by, 'I'll just have 1 more 🤣'.
• Quick and easy: as much as we are talking about a premium meat product we are also at a basic level, simply making meatballs. The process to make them is quick, the steps are easy and they will be done in less than 30 minutes!
• Homemade wagyu meatballs recipe: you might see store bought wagyu meatballs, ready rolled and think about trying those. You could my friend, indeed, you could. But making your own means knowing exactly what goes into them. Plus you own that deliciousness 😉👌. So when they ask you for the recipe, you won't be saying ...I bought the meatballs from the shops👩‍🍳! You will be saying, ok friend, 'here is my wagyu beef meatballs recipe' and they say, 'thank-you, your now my friend for life' 😘.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Olive oil: we use the olive oil to cook the meatballs in.
• Salt and pepper: we use a little salt and black pepper to season the meatballs.
• Egg: the egg helps the meat mixture stick together so that the meatballs will hold their shape and form when being cooked.
• Garlic powder: an excellent pantry staple.
• Onion powder: as above, always handy to have at home. Saves time, chopping and tears.
• Shichimi Togarashi: (the secret ingredient!!) is a Japanese 7 spice that you will be able to get from your local grocery store in the Asian foods section. Given that wagyu cattle are Japanese, it makes sense to partner this delightful spice with the beef.
• Panko breadcrumbs: we use these to ensure that the meatballs stay juicy with moisture locked in.
• Wagyu ground beef: also known as wagyu beef mince. You will likely have to get this from your local butcher. As it is more expensive than regular beef mince or ground beef it is unlikely you will be able to get it from the local grocery store. You can have a look but if you cannot find it, head to the butchers and ask them if they have it.

Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by gathering the meatball ingredients.

• Gather the meatball ingredients (Photo 1)
• Use clean hands to combine mixture (Photo 2)
• Portion onto chopping board (Photo 3)
• Roll into meatballs (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Wagyu Meatballs

Grab a large mixing bowl and add the wagyu mince, panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, Japanese 7 spice, salt, black pepper and egg.

Then use clean hands to mix these together.

Once the meat mixture is combined, grab a mini cookie scoop and chopping board.

Use the cookie scoop to portion the mixture out across the chopping board, then use the palms of your hands to roll each portion into a meatball.

Place the rolled meatball back onto the chopping board and then repeat until you have used all of the mixture up.

Then place a large fry pan onto the stove top. Turn the heat to high, add the olive oil, give it a swish in the pan and then add half of the meatballs.

Working in batches cook the meatballs for 8-10 minutes.

• Add oil and raw meatballs (Photo 5)

You can use tongs and or a wooden spoon to move and rotate the meatballs as they cook. We want the outside of them to be nice and brown and crispy and the inside brown with no pink bits and cooked through.

Once they are done, you can use a slotted spoon to lift them up and out of the fry pan and place them into a paper towel lined bowl.

Repeat until all of the meatballs are cooked.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

The sauce you see in the photos throughout the post is the Horseradish Yogurt Sauce. It is a winning combination as it has a little tang to it and compliments the beef perfectly.

The only difference I make for that sauce when serving it with meatballs is adding a little bit of parsley. This gives it a little extra texture and helps with the presentation side of things if you want to serve the meatballs as appetizers.

For bread sides try the Homemade Ciabatta Garlic Bread, Garlic Cheese Pizza or the Garlic Turkish Bread.

If you want to serve the meatballs as a main, you can use them in the Meatballs and Polenta Recipe, Meatball Pesto Pasta Recipe or the Baked Meatballs in Sauce Recipe.

Other sauce ideas to try are the Spicy Yogurt Sauce, Garlic Yogurt Sauce or the Mustard Yogurt Sauce.

For more milder options try the Herb Yogurt Sauce, Yogurt Dipping Sauce or the Parsley Yogurt Sauce.

If you are looking for citrus options try the Greek Yogurt Lemon Sauce or the Cilantro Yogurt Dressing.

For a blue cheese option pair with the Gorgonzola Cream Sauce or Blue Cheese Yogurt Dip.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container with a lid. They can be kept in the fridge up to 3 days and are best reheated before being consumed.

Store the sauce separately in a small bowl with a layer of cling wrap on top.

How to Reheat

The microwave is your best option to reheat the meatballs. Place them on a plate with cling wrap and heat for 2 - 3 minutes until they are hot throughout.

Or if you are making the meatballs as an appetizer for a party and have made them in advance, you can add them to the bowl of the slow cooker, turn the setting to warm and allow these to heat through prior to serving.

How to Freeze

You can make the meatballs and freeze them then reheat and serve them as needed.

Allow them to thaw completely before reheating.

Frozen meatballs can be kept for up to 3 months.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• If you prefer or have only regular breadcrumbs on hand, you can use those in place of the panko breadcrumbs.
• The recipe will make around 25 meatballs. You can make them larger or smaller than the size shown in the photos throughout the post if you have ideas about serving them slightly differently to the manner I have outlined.
• If you don't want to use the Japanese spice another option is to omit that and use 1 teaspoon of paprika in its place.
• Or for an option to give a little spice, you can use 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper instead.
• Or you can add 1 teaspoon of dried parsley to lean towards an Italian style beef meatball.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• If your wagyu mince is frozen when you purchase it, allow it to thaw completely before using.
• It is best to not refreeze meat that has already been frozen.
• If you don't have a mini cookie scoop, you can use a soup spoon and portion the mixture out with that instead.
• The portion then roll step helps as you repeat 1 task followed by the other as opposed to switching tasks after each portioning.
• Using a slotted spoon and paper towel to rest the meatballs once they are cooked is the best way to ensure excess oil does not sit with the meatballs. This can be discarded.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

What is Wagyu ground beef good for?

Wagyu ground beef is great for making meatballs, burger patties, rissoles, spaghetti meatballs or tacos.

How long are cooked meatballs good for?

When stored in an airtight sealed container, cooked meatballs will last 3 - 4 days in the fridge. They need to be reheated before being consumed.

Why put breadcrumbs in meatballs?

Putting breadcrumbs into meatballs ensures that the meatballs stay juicy and moist.

Can you replace breadcrumbs with panko?

Yes, you can use regular breadcrumbs in place of panko and vice versa.

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

Homemade wagyu meatballs make a perfect dinner idea. But you need many more than one recipe to keep you going throughout the week!

Here are some options with a variety of cook times, proteins, carbs and vegetables that will allow you to have options up your sleeve:

• Wagyu Beef Burger
• Mini Meatballs
• Chorizo and Chicken Paella
• Baked Polenta
• Honey Glazed Sausages
• Beef Shank Osso Bucco
• Easy Pappardelle Bolognese Recipe
• Breaded Lamb Cutlets
• Alfredo Spaghetti
• Chicken Spare Ribs

Its time to get our wagyu on my friend, you can roll with it 🤣👍. You can also find all of my dinner recipes in the one spot!

Adrianne

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