Bacon Meatballs made with ground beef and cooked bacon are an easy dinner, appetizer, or party food that your family and friends will love!
Meatballs are a great choice to add to any party spread. They’re crispy on the outside with a moist and fluffy center. So whether you’re enjoying this recipe or the classic Cocktail Meatballs, you’re covered for all of your Appetizer Recipe needs.
BACON MEATBALLS
If you’ve followed this site for any amount of time, you already know bacon is a common theme. But, who doesn’t love bacon? It’s only appropriate to want to add bacon to the already beloved easy homemade meatballs.
These bacon meatballs are packed with incredible flavor yet are so simple to make. They’re great for prepping ahead so you can serve them at parties and not spend the entire time in the kitchen! But don’t save them just for parties. You can use these meatballs in pasta or for hoagie sandwiches for a delicious weeknight meal.
You may think that meat stuffed with meat is too much but I’m telling you, it works. The crispy texture from the bacon gives the fluffy meatball a new smoky dynamic that’s irresistible. They’d be perfect simmered in a sauce or even paired with a dipping sauce.
MORE DELICIOUS PARTY APPETIZERS
Queso Dip
Cheesy Beef Rotel Dip
Sausage Balls
Philly Cheesesteak Cheesy Bread
HOW TO MAKE BACON MEATBALLS
- Keep Meat Cold: Keep the meat mixture cold and handle as little as possible.
- Bacon: Chop the bacon very finely so as to add flavor without changing the feel of the meatball. Larger chunks will significantly change the texture.
- Oven Only: To avoid burning the bacon on the outside, make sure to cook these meatballs in the oven only.
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VARIATIONS ON BACON MEATBALLS
Meatballs are easy to customize and play with to create different variations.
- Meat: Swap out the ground beef for ground chicken in this recipe. If you want to use ground turkey, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the mixture since it’s a leaner meat.
- Cheese: Everything’s better with cheese so stuff your meatballs with mozzarella, cheddar, goat cheese or any other cheese you prefer.
- Seasonings: Add chili powder, oregano, cumin and red pepper flakes for a Mexican seasoning or dill and basil for an easy Greek seasoning.
Air Fryer Bacon Meatballs
This recipe can easily be made using an air fryer. Follow the recipe but instead of placing them into the oven, simply place them into an air fryer sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Make sure not to overcrowd the air fryer so you may need to cook them in batches.
MORE GAME DAY APPETIZERS
Super Crispy Chicken Tenders
Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Smokies
Buffalo Wings
Buffalo Chicken Tenders
HOW TO SERVE AND STORE
- Serve: Make sure not to leave bacon meatballs out at room temperature for longer than 4 hours.
- Store: Store leftover meatballs in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Flash freeze the meatballs on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer safe storage bag. They should last up to 3-4 months if stored properly.
HOW TO KNOW IF MEATBALLS ARE DONE
The internal temperature of cooked meatballs should reach 165 degrees, according to the USDA Food Safety Website.
Ingredients
- 3 slices bread , stale is best
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup yellow onion , minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , (4 tablespoons if cooking immediately)
- 2 pounds ground beef , (80/20)
- 3/4 cup bacon , cooked and finely chopped (approximately 8 slices)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer add the milk to the slices of bread.
- Melt the butter in a pan and add the minced yellow onions.
- Cook them on medium low until translucent but not browned.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- In your bowl with the milk soaked bread add the rest of the meatball ingredients including the cooked onions.
- Mix it on low until the bread is broken apart and the meat is combined with the ingredients (using the stand mixer and not your hands helps keep the mixture cold and tender).
- Using a meatballer/ice cream scoop or your hands scoop them into balls about the size of a ping pong ball.
- Freeze on a cookie sheet if possible.
- If cooking immediately, add to a baking dish and cook at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan and serve with your favorite sauce.
Nutrition
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I’m just trying this recipe and confused by the butter ingredient volume. 2T (4 T is cooking immediately). I was going to put them together and bake tomorrow.
5 stars cuz I’m sure they’re close to the ones i made a few years ago but can’t find the recipe.
Back to school crazy schedules and I didn’t respond quickly enough to your good question. How did they turn out and wow, thanks for the 5 stars on good faith!
Hi Sabrina,
Do you think I can make these into burger? Thanks
Another stunning recipe. This website did more to get me through the pandemic than anything else. Thank you.
Hi Sabrina
I followed your recipe and was very careful with the ingredients and I ended up with hamburger soup. I had to add half a box of bread crumbs to get the consistency solid enough so that I could form the balls. I tried to fry a few but even after the good eight minutes it took to get a crust on all sides of the ball the inside was still on the raw side. I ended up baking them in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. When they came out of the oven they were delicious. (why does your recipe call for frying the balls and the picture suggests that the balls are going in the oven)
I’m so sorry, there was a glitch that removed the oven degrees and time cooked. Glad you were able to figure it out and enjoy them but I’ve corrected the recipe card to read correctly now. I also included that the bread used in these meatballs is best when stale. If the bread is too fresh, it’ll soak up too much of the liquid and become soggy. Thanks for letting me know there was an issue.
Bacon and meatballs? This is a match made in heaven!
I know, right?!
love these meatballs
Thanks!
It would’ve never occured to me to add bacon to meatballs but of course it’s an absolute game changer. So much flavour! Thank you for sharing!
Bacon is the first thing I think to add to everything, haha! So glad you enjoyed them.
I like meatballs, but these right there are beyond delicious. Of course bacon would make them better, why have I never thought of this. AMAZING recipe!
Bacon is always a winning idea! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Looks incredibly delicious. I love how it’s easy to make. Thanks for sharing your amazing recipe.
You’re welcome, Kathleen.