These Greek turkey meatballs are an easy, healthy, and delicious dinner option any night of the week! We’re mixing ground turkey with our classic Greek vinaigrette and breadcrumbs, then baking or broiling (instructions for both methods below!) until juicy and tender.
You’ll love serving these easy turkey meatballs with all your favorite Greek salad toppings. We’re talking chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, tzatziki, pepperoncini, and pita wedges. We’ll even show you how to make the best pita chips at home! That crunch really makes the dish.
Drizzle everything with extra Greek vinaigrette, then sprinkle generously with feta and dig in. It doesn’t get better than Greek turkey meatballs!
P.S. If you love turkey meatballs but haven’t tried our Thai turkey meatballs yet, they are the most popular recipe on the site!!
Ingredient Notes
For the meatballs:
- Ground turkey (you can use either dark meat or light meat, the Greek vinaigrette keeps these super moist!)
- Breadcrumbs
- Kosher salt
For the Greek vinaigrette:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Fresh lemon juice
- Finely chopped garlic
- Dried oregano
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Crumbled feta cheese
This is a classic Greek dressing with that familiar tang from the red wine vinegar. We use this in all our house made Greek salads, it really is the best! We’re only adding a portion of the dressing to the ground turkey meatball mix — the rest can be used to dress the cooked meatballs (and salad, if you sere it over romaine, which we highly recommend!).
How To Make Turkey Meatballs
Pro tip: no need to stand over a stove top and brown meatballs on all sides while oil splatters everywhere! If you’ve been here a while, you know we are big fans of broiling and baking meatballs. It’s easy, quick, and mess-free! If you prefer a crispy crust on the meatballs, we recommend broiling versus baking them.
- Make the Greek vinaigrette. Combine ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp Kosher salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and 2 Tbsp feta cheese in a large measuring cup. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
- Season the turkey. Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl, then add ½ cup breadcrumbs, 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt, and 6 Tbsp of the Greek vinaigrette. Use your hands to mix well.
- Chill the meatball mixture. Cover ground turkey mixture with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for an hour. (If you skip this step, the meatballs will be harder to form given the oil in the dressing.)
- Form the meatballs. Either preheat oven to 450F or set broiler to high. Use a standard medium 1 ½” diameter cookie scoop to evenly portion the meatballs (heaping scoops!), then place on a rimmed baking sheet. Gently roll each meatball into a uniform round ball. 2 lbs of ground turkey should yield 24 meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs. If baking, place meatballs in a preheated oven and cook for 12-14 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165F is reached. If broiling, make sure rack is directly under by the broiler by about 3″. Cook for 12 minutes, flipping the meatballs once halfway through.
- Serve with Greek salad. Assemble Greek salad using our favorite toppings (our recommendations are below!), then place the Geek turkey meatballs on top and drizzle with extra salad dressing. Serve immediately!
How To Make Pita Chips
This pita chips recipe is so delicious and easy to make! You can absolutely use store-bought pita chips, but homemade takes just minutes to make and will taste 100x better.
- Preheat oven to 450F. If you’re baking the turkey meatballs, your oven should already be set to this temperature.
- Cut the pita. Take 4 fluffy pita, then slice them in half. Cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges, depending on how large you want the pita chips to be. Place the pita wedges onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp onion salt, and ½ tsp dried oregano.
- Bake the chips. Place in a preheated oven and cook for 7 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. If using a thinner pita bread, check them after 5 minutes so they don’t burn.
Pita chips are definitely best enjoyed fresh, but they will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can enjoy them room temperature or reheat in a toaster oven until crispy again, about 2-3 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Don’t over mix the ground turkey. While the oil and vinegar in the Greek salad dressing will keep the turkey moist, a good rule of thumb when working with ground meat is not to over mix. This will lead to dryer meatballs.
- Allow the turkey meatballs to chill before rolling. For the same reason that the meatballs are less likely to dry out (a good amount of oil mixed in), be sure to let the ground turkey chill before portioning and rolling. This will help the meatballs better keep their shape while cooking.
We recommend the Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!
How To Serve Greek Meatballs
When you serve these healthy turkey meatballs with Greek salad toppings, they’re a complete meal! Our favorite Greek salad toppings include:
- Chopped romaine lettuce
- Fresh tomatoes
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Cucumbers
- Feta cheese
- Pepperoncini
- Kalmata olives
- Tzatziki
- Baked pita wedges (So simple! Take your favorite pita break, cut into wedges, then drizzle with a little olive oil, oregano, and garlic, then bake on a sheet pan for xx minutes at 350 F — crispy and delicious!)
Check out our classic Greek salad (which uses the same vinaigrette as these Greek turkey meatballs, obviously!) for more inspo! Our favorite side dish? These loaded Greek fries!
Not feeling like a salad? Greek meatballs would also be great over rice or mashed potatoes with extra dressing on top!
FAQs
- Can I freeze leftover meatballs? Yes! Allow meatballs to cool to room temperature, then place in a freezer-safe container in a single layer to freeze. To defrost: place frozen meatballs on a microwave safe plate then heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute until warmed through.
- To reheat on a stove top: Alternatively, you could allow meatballs to thaw overnight in a refrigerator, slice in half, then heat cut side down in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Flip after 1-2 minutes, cook 1 minute more.
- Can I use something other than turkey? Feel free to substitute ground turkey with ground chicken, beef, pork, or veal.
There is just so much to love about these tender, juicy Greek turkey meatballs. We especially love how quickly they come together on busy weeknights! If you make them, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More meatball recipes to try!
- Homemade Meatballs
- Sheet Pan Chicken Meatballs with Goat Cheese
- Thai Turkey Meatballs with Coconut Curry
- (Not Quite Kofta) Lamb Meatballs
- Gochujang Chicken Meatballs
- Easy Chicken Meatballs
Greek Turkey Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
For the turkey meatballs
- 2 lbs ground turkey light or dark meat
- ½ cup traditional breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
For the Greek vinaigrette
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves thinly chopped
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2
- 2 Tbsp feta cheese crumbled
For the pita chips
- 4 small pitas
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp onion salt
- ½ tsp dried oregano
Recommended for serving (optional)
- Romaine lettuce finely chopped
- Tomatoes chopped
- Pepperoncini
- Kalamata olives
- Feta cheese
- Tzatziki
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Make the Greek vinaigrette. Combine ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp Kosher salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and 2 Tbsp feta cheese in a large measuring cup. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
- Season the turkey. Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl, then add ½ cup breadcrumbs, 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt, and 6 Tbsp of the Greek vinaigrette. Use your hands to mix well.
- Chill the meatball mixture. Cover ground turkey mixture with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for an hour. (If you skip this step, the meatballs will be harder to form given the oil in the dressing.) Meanwhile, bake the pita chips.
- Make the pita chips. Preheat oven to 450F. Take 4 fluffy pita, then slice them in half. Cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges, depending on how large you want the pita chips to be. Place the pita wedges onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp onion salt, and ½ tsp dried oregano.
- Bake the chips. Place in a preheated oven and cook for 7 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. If using a thinner pita bread, check them after 5 minutes so they don't burn.
- Form the meatballs. Either preheat oven to 450F (it will already be this temp if you made pita chips) or set the broiler to high. Use a standard medium 1 ½" diameter cookie scoop to evenly portion the meatballs (heaping scoops!), then place on a rimmed baking sheet. Gently roll each meatball into a uniform round ball. 2 lbs of ground turkey should yield 24 meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs. If baking, place meatballs in a preheated oven and cook for 12-14 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165F is reached. If broiling, make sure rack is directly under by the broiler by about 3". Cook for 12 minutes, flipping the meatballs once halfway through.
- Serve with Greek salad. Assemble Greek salad using our favorite toppings (our recommendations are below!), then place the Geek turkey meatballs on top and drizzle with extra salad dressing. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Nutrition facts include 3 meatballs, ~5 pita chips, and extra Greek vinaigrette. They do not include the Greek salad toppings of your choice!
- Do not use panko breadcrumbs when making meatballs (any meatball recipe!). Use plain or seasoned breadcrumbs, which will help keep the texture of the meatballs smooth. Panko will create a coarse texture throughout.
- Meatballs can be frozen after baking. Allow to cool completely, then place in a freezer safe airtight container. To defrost: place frozen meatballs on a microwave safe plate then heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute until warmed through.
- Alternatively, you could allow meatballs to thaw overnight in a refrigerator, slice in half, then heat cut side down in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Flip after 1-2 minutes, cook 1 minute more.
- Pita chips are definitely best enjoyed fresh, but they will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can enjoy them room temperature or reheat in a toaster oven until crispy again, about 2-3 minutes.
- Ground turkey: feel free to substitute turkey with ground chicken, beef, pork, or veal. Do not use extra lean meat or the meatballs will dry out.
I made these with the spanakopita swirls a week ago and again tonight. Love love love these meatballs.
A seriously fabulous combo of recipes right there! These meatballs are such a winner!! Thanks, Elizabeth! xo, Ari