These homemade panko meatballs with buttermilk are the perfect easy weeknight dinner or comfort food to serve guests. Top them with your favorite sauce and serve as is, in rolls, or with spaghetti for a simple and delicious dinner!
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Key Ingredients
- Ground pork- I like using 80/20% for extra flavor. The higher fat content adds extra flavor!
- Ground beef- I like using 80/20% as well.
- Egg- to help the meatballs stay together.
- Panko breadcrumbs- you can substitute for regular or gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Buttermilk- to keep the meatballs from drying out. I love the flavor and richness of buttermilk, but you can substitute for regular milk, or even oat milk to make them dairy-free.
- Parmesan- I always recommend freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- Tomato sauce- Use your favorite homemade or store-bought tomato sauce. You can see my variation of homemade tomato sauce in my Chicken Parmesan recipe. For storebought, I like using Rao's.
How to make meatballs from scratch
- Soak the panko breadcrumbs for about 5 minutes in buttermilk. This will add moisture back into the breadcrumbs with luxurious buttermilk.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients together-- don't be shy using your hands but be careful not to overwork!
- Sear the meatballs in olive oil for that crispy coating. You can skip this step if you are in a rush, the meatballs just won't get that crispy outside. If you skip this step, they will need to bake a little longer in the oven.
- Finally, pop everything into the oven to finish cooking.
Do not be intimidated if you think the raw mixture seems wet-- it will solidify into the perfect texture when baked.
What meat should I use to make meatballs?
I use 50/50 ground pork and ground beef for extra flavor. I recommend having the lean meat/fat ratio be 80/20 for extra juicy meatballs.
If you'd like to make these all ground beef or all ground pork meatballs, give it a try! Just leave out the other type of meat and double the meat of choice.
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Substitute for panko breadcrumbs in meatballs
Panko breadcrumbs are my favorite because of their extra crispiness. If you can't find them, regular breadcrumbs will still work great. If you can't find regular breadcrumbs, let white or sourdough bread sit on the counter overnight until stale and then process in the food processor.
Prep ahead tips
Meatballs are a great dinner to prep in advance and reheat or freeze! To prep ahead, sear off the meatballs up to 24 hours in advance and cool. Store the meatballs tightly covered on a baking sheet. When you are ready to enjoy, pop them in the oven to finish cooking.
To freeze
Make the meatballs through step 5 and fully bake them. Let them cool completely then transfer to a baking sheet and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2-3 months.
To reheat from frozen, allow the meatballs to defrost in the fridge overnight. (If you forget, don't worry, they will just take longer to reheat). Reheat at 325 degrees in the oven until fully heated through. Alternatively, add them to a pan on the stovetop and simmer in sauce with the lid partially covered. Simmer until fully cooked through, rotating occasionally.
What do I serve with meatballs?
You can't go wrong with classic spaghetti and meatballs. Cook your favorite dry spaghetti or homemade pasta and toss with tomato sauce and meatballs. Meatball sliders are also a classic. Throw the meatballs and sauce in your favorite rolls and you have a delicious quick dinner. Since they are so delicious, you can just eat them with your favorite sauce poured on top. No matter what, it pairs perfectly with a classic Caesar Salad and Cheesy Stuffed Garlic Bread.
If you make these oven-baked easy, homemade panko meatballs, I'd love to know what you think in the comments below! And for more meatball recipes, check out my chicken panko meatball recipe!
📖 Recipe
Easy, Homemade Panko Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup buttermilk divided
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 egg beaten
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for topping
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- homemade or your favorite jarred tomato sauce
- spaghetti or rolls for serving optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the panko breadcrumbs and ¾ cup of buttermilk. Let rest for 5 minutes while the panko soaks in the buttermilk. (Now is a good time to grate your parmesan).
- To the panko and buttermilk, add the beef, pork, egg, parmesan, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and the remaining ¼ cup of buttermilk. Gently combine with your hands (do not overwork, or they will be stiff). Roll mixture into balls (I size them somewhere between golf balls and tennis balls-- they don't need to be perfect).
- Heat olive oil in a cast-iron or other large skillet on medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, add meatballs into the hot skillet to brown. Rotate to brown all sides-- about 5 minutes per batch. Place browned meatballs on a non-stick baking sheet.
- Bake meatballs on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked all the way through and has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees Farenheit.
- Meanwhile, heat your favorite tomato sauce in a skillet on medium-low heat. When meatballs are done, toss in the hot sauce.
- Serve meatballs and sauce on top of cooked spaghetti for spaghetti and meatballs, or inside warm rolls for meatball sliders, or as is. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional.
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Jim says
These look amazing!!!
Caitlin from CC's Table says
Thank you so much! They are so delicious!
Laura says
Best meatballs ever! Melt-in-your-mouth texture and classic flavor- simply delicious. Soaking the breadcrumbs in milk is game-changing!
Caitlin from CC's Table says
Oh that makes me so happy! Thank you so much for your comment and for trying the recipe!!
Alison says
Making these on repeat. They come together so quick and are great for batching! I make extra and freeze for later
Caitlin from CC's Table says
Thank you so much, Alison! That makes me so happy to hear 🙂