I think Gochujang is my spirit animal.
These Gochujang Maple Glazed Meatballs are incredibly easy to make and insanely tasty. This whole. meal can be ready in 30 minutes. IF you remember to take the beef out of the freezer ahead of time. Otherwise it’s probably 6-7 hours start to finish. You figure out how you want to approach it.
Self-Indulgent foodie Chatter…
I came up with this recipe for my husband, who may love Gochujang more than I do, if that’s possible. Of all the random jars of homemade sauces that live in our fridge at any given moment, this one is in regular attendance. Our whole family loves the stuff and if you present it the right way I think yours will too. Need inspo? Head down the page and I’ll share some of our other faves.
If you’re already in love with the stuff like we are you can carry on from here. If you need some encouragement and want to know what gochujang is all about and what it tastes like, allow me… Gochujang is a thick red korean paste that is spicy, salty and a little funky. Most of my family won’t eat it straight, but mix it up into a delicious sauce like this one and it will blow your mind. Promise me you’ll try. 🙂
gochujang maple glazed meatballs, the details…
30 minutes start to finish. Who doesn’t love a meal like that?
To make this dish you’ll start by mixing up the meatballs, which I’ve kept really simple so that if you have extras you can just freeze them and use them to make another batch of this down the road. Or tomorrow. The meatballs are just ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, soy sauce and S&P. Once you gently mix that all together you’ll form them into balls and bake them for about 20 minutes until they’re browned and cooked through.
While the meatballs bake you’ll make the easy sauce by mixing together gochujang, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, mirin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and a little water. Pour the sauce into a heavy skillet and let it simmer until slightly reduced, bubbly and sticky. Add in the meatballs and toss.
We like to eat these meatballs piled on top of steamed white rice and topped with sliced cucumber, spring onions, cilantro and sesame seeds. So good.
Ingredients, Substitutions, Tips, etc.
Gochujang – there really is no good substitute for this delicious paste, but fortunately you can find it everywhere these days.
Ground Beef – you can use any ground meat for the meatballs… turkey, chicken, pork… or even your favourite plant based meatballs.
Maple Syrup – I prefer maple syrup over other sweeteners here, but if you’re stuck, you can sub in honey.
Looking for more delicious gochujang recipes? Try these…
- Cheese Teokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes in a Gochujang butter sauce)
- Gochujang Pasta with Vodka and Cream
- Korean Fire Cauliflower
- Honey Ginger & Gochujang Ribs
- Crispy Gochujang Chicken with Spicy Sesame Slaw
Recipe-ish…
Let me know what you think!
Gochujang Maple Glazed Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 2 Tbsp onion minced
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 egg
For the sauce:
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced or grated
- 1/4 cup gochujang
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp water
For serving:
- Steamed rice
- Sliced green onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Sliced cucumber
Instructions
- To make the meatballs, combine the beef, onion, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, salt, pepper & egg in a large mixing bowl and gently mix until well combined.
- Form the mixture into 1 1/2” balls and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
- While the meatballs cook make the glaze.
- Combine the garlic, ginger, gochujang, maple syrup, mirin, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and water in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the glaze into a heavy skillet and simmer over medium-high heat until bubbling and sticky.
- Add the meatballs into the pan with the glaze and toss well.
- Serve on steamed rice, topped with green onion, cucumber, cilantro and sesame seeds.
Notes
If you like this Gochujang Maple Syrup Glazed Meatballs Recipe, please go try my Recipe for Crispy Calgary Ginger Beef. It’s my city’s signature dish and I know you’ll love it.
