All the Fresh, Herbaceous Goodness of Falafel…Mixed Into Juicy Turkey Meatballs!
If you’ve been around PWWB for a while, you know my favorite weeknight dinner secret: Make It A Meatball! There’s just something so fun about taking a classic dish—like Lemony Chicken Piccata or Thai Red Curry—and reimagining it as juicy, tender meatballs. 😋
My newest Make It A Meatball obsession? Turkey Falafel Meatballs. 🤩
Swapping chickpeas for ground turkey creates meatballs that are every bit as irresistible as classic crispy falafel—bold, herbaceous, and flavorful—with an extra-juicy, satisfying twist. And since they pan-sear to golden perfection on the stovetop, there’s no soaking chickpeas or messy frying involved. 🙌🏼
And the possibilities are truly endless! Tuck your turkey falafel meatballs into a fluffy pita, pile them onto a grain bowl loaded with your favorite fresh toppings, or—perhaps my favorite option—eat them straight out of the pan with plenty of Creamy Green Tahini Sauce.
Hello, weeknight dinner heaven. 😎
👀Looking for a classic chickpea falafel recipe? Be sure to try my Crispy Homemade Falafel Balls, a recipe I obsessively tweaked and tested until the result was perfect. It includes 2 delicious variations—herbaceous green falafel and harissa-spiked red falafel!
Maximum Flavor, Minimal Effort
3 foolproof secrets to low-fuss, flavor-packed dinners, learned from years working in restaurants.
How to Make Turkey Falafel Meatballs: Prep Tips and Tricks
The best thing about these turkey falafel meatballs? They’re a quick, fuss-free 30-minute meal! There’s no need to soak dried chickpeas or set up your kitchen for deep frying—just chop the fresh ingredients, mix the meatballs, and pan-sear to golden perfection in a skillet on the stovetop.
No food processor? No problem! ⇢ Finely chop the aromatics by hand or bring everything together with a mortar and pestle.
Meatball Prep Tip! ⇢ To avoid overworking the meat and ensure perfectly uniform results, I like to portion meatballs with a spring-loaded scoop, then smooth them out with my hands.
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Serve your turkey meatballs however you enjoy your favorite falafel. A few of my go-tos?…
- Stuffed in a warm pita: Add crunchy veggies like lettuce, cucumber, and pickled red onions for the perfect handheld bite.
- Served in a rice bowl: Pair with tomato-cucumber salad and fluffy rice for a hearty, flavor-packed meal.
- Mezze-style! Make a fun and shareable spread with tabbouleh, olives, roasted red peppers, and all your favorite Mediterranean-inspired sides.
Whatever you do, don’t skip the sauce! Green Tahini Sauce is my favorite drizzle for falafel-anything—plus, it’s made with many of the same fresh herbs and aromatics used in the meatball mixture! Prefer something super bright and garlicky? Try my Lemon Tahini Sauce instead.
I can’t wait for you to try these Turkey Falafel Meatballs! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
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Juicy and Tender Turkey Falafel Meatballs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Main Dishes, Meatball Recipes
- Method: Stovetop, Skillet Recipe
- Cuisine: American, Middle Eastern
Description
Fresh, herbaceous falafel flavor—stuffed into a juicy turkey meatball!
These tender Turkey Falafel Meatballs are laced with parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and coriander—just like crispy chickpea falafel. Pan-sear until juicy and golden, then serve with tahini sauce, pickled red onions, crunchy cucumbers, and warm pita, and dinner is ready in 30 minutes or less!
Ingredients
- 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey or chicken
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3–4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- ½ small red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded as desired and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- ½ cup packed cilantro tender stems & leaves
- ½ cup packed parsley tender stems & leaves
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- for serving, as desired: warm pita bread or rice/grain of choice, shredded lettuce or leafy green of choice, diced cucumber, diced tomatoes, pickled red onions, lemon tahini sauce or green tahini sauce (pictured), crumbled feta cheese, etc.
Instructions
- Prepare the turkey falafel meatball mixture: Place the ground turkey, egg, panko breadcrumbs, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Set aside. To the bowl of a food processor, add the remaining listed ingredients (red onion – garlic powder). Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the herb mixture to the mixing bowl with the ground turkey. Using your hands, mix just until combined—take care to avoid over-mixing.
- Form the turkey falafel meatballs: Divide the falafel meatball mixture into 20 equal portions. Gently roll each into a meatball slightly larger than the size of a golf ball, rolling just until smooth. If desired, press down on each meatball slightly to create a falafel-like patty. For quickness and ease, I like using a spring-loaded scoop. The mixture yields about 20-22 1 ½-inch meatballs.
- Cook the turkey falafel meatballs: Add 1-2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil to a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the meatballs to the skillet. Working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding the skillet, cook the meatballs 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate. If needed, add a little more olive oil to the pan and repeat with any remaining meatballs.
- Serve immediately as desired. We love tucking them into a warm pita with lettuce, cucumber, and a healthy drizzle of tahini sauce or making a falafel bowl with rice and all the fixings. Enjoy!
Notes
- Serving suggestion ⇢ Herbaceous Green Tahini Sauce. It’s not a falafel-inspired meal without tahini sauce, a dressing made with tahini (sesame seed paste) and lemon juice. I great classic Lemon Tahini Sauce recipe, but I also really love this Herbaceous Green Tahini Sauce. It’s made with the same herbs you’ll already have on hand for your falafel meatballs and you can whip it up using the same food processor.
Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Ground turkey: The secret to seriously juicy and tender falafel-inspired turkey meatballs is using ground poultry with a decent fat content, otherwise your meatballs will dry out. Look for at least 93% lean, though if you can find 90-92%, that’s even better! If you’re purchasing from your grocery store’s butcher counter, ask for ground turkey thigh or dark meat. If you cannot find 93% lean ground turkey, ground chicken is a fine substitute for this recipe.
- 15-20 Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for these recipe comes from prepping and forming the falafel meatballs. Take care of some of this in advance and you can jump straight in to cooking during the week: mix and form according to Steps 1-2 of Recipe Directions, above. You can roll out the meatballs immediately or save the rolling for dinnertime; either way, the mixture will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (15 minutes active for meatball mixture prep, 5 minutes active for forming the turkey falafel meatballs)
Storage and Reheating: Transfer cooled turkey falafel meatballs to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
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Forgot to rate it. Five stars!!
Thanks so much for the kind review, Lauren!! Thrilled that you love the meatballs as much as we do!
Absolutely delicious! This will be in our family meal rotation. Sharing recipe with my friends asap. Thank you!!
I cannot stress enough how amazing this recipe was – definitely a new staple in our meal plan rotation! I made it along with the lemon garlic tahini and quick pickled onions, which were perfectly complimentary!
Ended up making frozen chicken nuggets for the kids thinking they wouldn’t like this, but they devoured their wraps before I could even ask if they liked them! A full-family win 🙂
You made this recipe SO quickly, Amanda!! Glad to hear that they were a hit and thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!