These juicy and flavorful Ground Lamb Meatballs are perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. They’re made with simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand, and they are mess-free, as we broil them instead of pan frying on a stovetop. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce, or over rice or pasta.
What do these lamb meatballs taste like? They’re Middle Eastern-inspired with golden raisins (which add sweetness and keep the meatballs moist) and a bit of ground cinnamon. For this reason, I love to serve them over hummus.
For more 30-minute meal ideas, be sure to check out all of our dinner meatball recipes, including Thai-inspired turkey meatballs, Greek-inspired turkey meatballs, and cheese-stuffed ground beef meatballs. You’ll want to try them all!
Ingredient Notes
For these meatballs, we follow the ratio in our classic ground beef meatball recipe (it’s versatile enough for ground chicken, pork, turkey, and of course ground lamb!). The only additions are cinnamon and golden raisins! Clean, simple ingredients, all of which you likely have on hand!
- Ground lamb — though you can substitute with ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey.
- Regular breadcrumbs (see note below on why I never use panko in meatballs)
- 1 egg
- Rehydrated golden raisins
- Ground cinnamon, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper: To season the meatball mixture.
Lamb and cinnamon are a match made in heaven! Classic Middle Eastern flavors that complement and bring out the best in each other. If you love this flavor combination, be sure to try our Grilled Lamb Shawarma or Baked Stuffed Tomatoes with Ground Lamb & Rice!
How to Make Ground Lamb Meatballs In The Oven
Gently mix together all ingredients in a large bowl. That’s it! You can turn these into mini meatballs by rolling smaller, but I like to keep them at 1½”-2″ in diameter. A small cookie scoop is a great way to ensure they’re uniform in size!
Be careful not to over work or over mix meatballs, or they will be very dense.
Place the formed meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart, then broil on high for 10-12 minutes.
How to Cook Meatballs Without Making A Mess
We have hovered over a pan, flipping meatballs every 2-3 minutes so they brown evenly on all sides. Never again. It just makes such a mess of the stove top! Instead, consider broiling meatballs. Here’s why
- There’s no constant turning to brown on all sides.
- There’s no mess to cleanup on your stove top.
- Broiling creates a crispy exterior, while leaving the center of the meatballs moist.
We usually don’t even bother to turn them over in the oven, but with this particular meatball recipe we recommend it. Why? Any golden raisins poking out of the top of the ground lamb meatballs will turn burn if broiled on high for that long. To solve the problem, we flip the meatballs halfway through cook time. They’re fully cooked when an internal temperature of 155F has been reached.
We recommend the Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!
If you prefer, however, you can of course bake, pan fry, or cook lamb meatballs in an air fryer!
How To Serve
We like to pair Middle Eastern flavors like these with a quick store-bought or homemade hummus. Lamb meatballs would also be great with tzatziki, creamy yogurt sauce, or even polenta! Just don’t forget the toasted pine nuts which I think truly make the recipe pop.
You can serve them in a pita or wrap, with Israeli couscous, or alongside a Middle Eastern rice pilaf! They’re of course, great with pasta as well!
FAQs
Leftover meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If not using within a few days, we recommend freezing them.
Slice the meatballs in half, then pan sear cut-side down in a nonstick pan with a little olive oil over medium-high heat. You’ll be left with a super crispy exterior and a light fluffy center. Delicious!
Alternatively, you can place the meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350F (175C) for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
Yes, meatballs are extremely freezer-friendly! Cook the meatballs according to directions, then allow to cool completely. Place on a parchment paper baking sheet, then freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer the meatballs to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat, thaw the meatballs overnight in a fridge or reheat in an oven, microwave (about 1-2 minutes on high), or on the stovetop.
If you make these 25-Minute Ground Lamb Meatballs, please let me know by leaving a review below!
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25-Minute Ground Lamb Meatballs (Oven Broiled)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup golden raisins
- 1½ lb ground lamb
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rehydrate the raisins. Place ⅓ cup raisins in a small bowl, then cover with water. Let sit 10 minutes to rehydrate, then drain and set aside.
- Mix meatball ingredients. In a large mixing bowl combine 1½ lb ground lamb, ½ cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 1 tsp Kosher salt, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp black pepper, and rehydrated raisins. Gently mix until well incorporated, trying hard not to over work the meat.
- Shape, then broil. Divide mixture into meatballs about 1½”–2″ round. Should yield approximately 15 meatballs. Place on a rimmed baking sheet then broil on high for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, turn meatballs over and cook an additional 6 minutes (see note below) until just fully cooked, or until internal temperature is 155F. Lamb will continue to cook slightly when removed from oven. Enjoy immediately or freeze for later!
Notes
- We love panko breadcrumbs, but we do not recommend using them here as they create a coarser texture in the meatballs. Using regular breadcrumbs keeps the meatball texture smooth.
- We don’t usually insist on turning meatballs over halfway through cooking time when broiled, but because of the raisins in this recipe, it’s necessary. If the meatballs cook for a full 12-13 minutes on one side, any raisins poking out of the top of the meatball will burn. This is avoided by flipping the lamb meatballs halfway through cooking.
Let us know your thoughts!