Tender, garam-masala spiced Lamb Meatballs with Indian Curry Sauce melt in your mouth and are simply irresistible. A simple, flavorful dinner the whole family will love.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.
Mary Oliver
Juicy, plump, lamb meatballs are deliciously seasoned with garam masala spice, then bathed in the most fragrant Indian Coconut Curry Sauce. Ready in about an hour; it’s easier than you think!
We served this recipe while catering an Indian wedding, and the family asked for the recipe- so here it is! Serve the lamb meatballs with naan bread or basmati rice, or over a bowl of baby spinach for a memorable dinner that will take you to faraway places.
Why You’ll Lamb Meatballs
- Full of rich flavor! Garam masala seasoned meatballs and aromatic, savory coconut curry sauce. So delicious!
- Versatile! Enjoy with basmati rice, cauliflower rice, or even baby spinach.
- Family-friendly. A warm and hearty high-protein meal everyone will enjoy.
- Easy to make. Ready in under an hour with a simple method. Great for weeknights!
- Freezer-friendly! Make a double batch to store in the freezer for up to 3 months!
Lamb meatball Recipe Ingredients
- Lamb: We use a pound of local and sustainably raised ground American Lamb. Local lamb doesn’t have to travel as far and has a much fresher taste.
- Aromatics: Garlic cloves, shallot (or sub onion), fresh ginger, and fresh turmeric (or sub ground). Add savory depth to both the meatballs and the curry sauce.
- Spices: Garam masala, dried mint (or sub fresh), fennel seeds, dried fenugreek leaves (optional but really elevate the dish!), and cayenne for heat.
- Tomato: An extra large tomato, diced with its juices.
- Coconut milk: Use full fat here, not light. This makes the sauce extra creamy and rich!
- Ghee: Using ghee is traditional and delicious, but feel free to sub butter or olive oil.
- Brown sugar: Or coconut sugar or another alternative. Adds a touch of sweetness that balances the acidity from the tomatoes.
- To serve: Basmati rice, cauliflower rice, or a bowl of baby spinach.
How to Make Lamb Meatballs
For those of you who are unfamiliar with cooking lamb, starting off with ground lamb is an easy, approachable way to get your feet wet.
Step 1: Cook rice. Start by making the basmati rice if using.
Step 2: Prep the meatballs. Add ground lamb, shallot, garlic, salt, garam masala, and mint to a large bowl and mix well using your hands. Wet your hands to form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch wide meatballs (about 10 total).
Step 3: Pan-sear meatballs. Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Sear the lamb meatballs until browned, about 10 minutes. You only need to brown them as they will continue to cook through in the sauce.
Step 4: Prepare the curry sauce. You can begin the sauce while the meatballs brown or wait and use the same pan. Warm ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and ginger and cook 2 more minutes. Add all spices, the tomatoes and juices, cooking for a minute before adding the coconut milk. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add sugar, salt, and cayenne. Taste and adjust salt and heat.
Step 5: Add meatballs to the sauce. Coat them well and simmer until cooked through, 5-10 minutes. You can hold them in a warm oven until ready to serve!
Serving Suggestions
Serve over warm basmati rice, or naan bread, or if going low carb serve with cauliflower rice or a bed of baby spinach.
Garnish with cracked black pepper, lemon zest, and fresh mint or parsley.
Storage
Store leftover lamb meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with some oil or bake in the toaster oven or oven on a baking sheet, or warm in the microwave.
You can also freeze the meatballs by sealing them in a freezer bag. Separate the layers with parchment paper. Store for up to 3 months.
FAQs
We use one pound ground lamb, shallot and garlic for pungent taste, salt to enhance the flavors, garam masala for warm Indian spice, and dried mint for a refreshing, cool bite. You could easily customize the spices and herbs to create a variety of lamb meatballs.
It is as simple as forming the ingredients into balls using your hands, then pan-searing them in the skillet! They cook through in the simmer sauce.
No, you do not need bread crumbs to make these meatballs. They bind well, especially if you wet your hands before forming them.
They should not be overly pink inside. If they are, cook longer. They may be tender and slightly pink in the center.
You can always use a meat thermometer to be sure the lamb meatballs are cooked through. Make sure the temperature is over 140F.
On the homefront: As I type this morning, I’m looking over the city of Memphis, here for the Saveur Blog Awards. Tomorrow I make my way to India, the place of food dreams. I can’t help but reflect on my life a little and acknowledge the incredible role food has played.
Food, can bring people together and connect us instead of divide.
In my life, I’ve felt this power repeatedly, firsthand from the restaurant I once owned, where one night I stood looking around at all the guests and truly understanding for the first time the idea of community and how food can create this.
And when traveling, asking the simple question to a stranger in a foreign land, what do you like to cook? Which so often has become the doorway to making a new friend. I understand more deeply than ever that food, for me, has always been about connection.
xoxo
More Recipes You Might Like
If you enjoy this meatballs recipe, you may also want to try our Homemade Sloppy Joes!
Print
Lamb Meatballs Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 meatballs
- Category: Main
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: indian
Description
Tender, garam-masala spiced Lamb Meatballs with Indian Curry Sauce melt in your mouth and are simply irresistible. A simple, flavorful dinner the whole family will love.
Ingredients
Lamb Meatballs
- 1 lb ground American lamb
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 shallot, finely minced ( or sub 1/2 cup chopped onion)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon dried mint ( or 1 tablespoon fresh)
Indian Curry Sauce
- 2 tablespoons ghee, butter or olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic- minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated or use paste
- 1 tsp fresh turmeric, grated (or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala spice
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves ( optional, but really good- elevates the dish )
- 1 extra large tomato, finely diced, with juices (about 1 cup diced tomatoes)
- 1 13.5 oz coconut milk (not lite)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar ( or coconut sugar or alternative )
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/4–1/2 tsp cayenne, more to taste
Serve over basmati rice, cauliflower rice or a bowl of baby spinach.
Instructions
Start the rice if making.
Place ground lamb, shallot, garlic, salt, garam masala and mint in a bowl and mix well, using your hands. Using wet hands, form into 1 ½ inch wide balls. ( about 10 meatballs)
Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Begin searing the lamb meatballs, until most sides are nicely browned, about 10 minutes. ( You can finish cooking them through in the sauce, so just brown them at this point)
At the same time you could start the sauce ( or wait and use the same pan).
Heat ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook two more minutes. Add all the spices and then the tomato and its juices. Cook 1 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar, salt and cayenne. Taste and adjust salt and heat.
Add the lamb meatballs to the sauce, coating well. Simmer gently until the lamb meatballs are cooked through ( 5-10 minutes). Serve over your choice of rice, cauliflower rice, or baby spinach.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meat balls (4 ounces) with sauce.
- Calories: 545
- Sugar: 5.7 g
- Sodium: 1180.4 mg
- Fat: 46.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 23.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 21.5 g
- Cholesterol: 82.9 mg
This recipe is so yummy! The flavors are well balanced. I sometimes use a little less cayenne or add a little dried prune or dried apricot (diced). I love serving it over cauliflower rice!
Thank you Sylvia!
Glad you are enjoying this one Beth! Really appreciate you taking time to review.
Wonderful. Lots of chopping/grating as with many Indian dishes. As silly as it may seem, using fresh turmeric was SUCH fun, well, except for trying to get it off my fingers afterwards. But, what a fantastic color the fresh, peeled turmeric is.
Glad you enjoyed Joe! Turmeric is great for the skin- maybe your fingers got an extra dose of goodness. 🙂
Absolutely can’t wait to make this recipe. Just wanted to ask if I could swap out the mint for coriander/cilantro???
I’m sure this will be a hit with my family
Yes sure!
I have a bunch of leftover lamb from a roast leg of lamb. Is there a way I can make these meatballs with it?
Sounds delish!
Hi Dianne- I don’t think they would stick together in the same way raw ground lamb here here.
I haven’t tried this, but what about some some finely grated, raw potato as a binder?
Hi Joe- I have never used grated potato as a binder, so can’t be sure? It seems like it should work, but not positive.
My husband and I love this easy flavorful Indian dish. It is the best!
So happy to hear this! Thanks for taking the time to review.:)
What would be the serving size here Sylvia?
Hi Todd, I updated the recipe card. 🙂 If you make 12 meatballs, you could do 3 per person ( or 4 servings). Or you can make 10 bigger meatballs and serve 2 per person (5 servings).
This was incredibly good. Really, just SOOOO good! One ask: can you clarify the amount of tomato we should use? I only had canned “polpa” on hand so added it by taste. But would love more specific tomato instructions.
Thanks for this AMAZING recipe!
Hi Mary- Glad you enjoyed this! I added more specifics to the tomatoes. 🙂
This was absolutely delicious! I was so impressed to be able to make such a satisfying and tasty meal! I didn’t have any “fenugreek leaves” (I’ve actually never heard of them before) but the meal still turned out amazing. Wishing I could add a picture to my review. We had French green beans with this on top of a small bed of basmati rice with naan bread.
Saving this one!! Thank you for sharing!
So happy you gave it a try Betsey! Thanks for taking the time to review, we really appreciate it.
Delicious. Didn’t have coconut milk so used yogurt.
Nice! Glad you enjoyed.
I thought this recipe was fantastic, I paired it was mashed potatoes made with lemon and garam masala. So good!
Glad you enjoyed and the potatoes- yum!
The single worst recipe I have ever made. Neither juicy nor deliciously seasoned, I cannot begin to describe how awful this meal was.
Sorry Richard, not sure what went wrong here, it ususally gets pretty good reviews, so I’m curious what cold have happened. Did you make any changes?
Wondering how many corners you cut, Richard. This recipe is great!
Wondering how others got a beautiful orange color. Mine came out kind of baby food yellow from the garam and tumeric. I used extra tomatoes too. Should I use some tomato paste?
Feel free to add tomato paste. Different brands of spices can vary in color…
Will definitely make it as my mouth is watering already, but would like to load it with vegetables. I’d welcome any suggestions?
The sauce or the meatballs themselves?
Any recommendations for veggies to add to the sauce?
Here are a few ideas: cauliflower, spinach, tomatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, eggplant.
This was excellent – I tend to cook a lot of Indian foods and this really hits the spot. Reasonably quick and packs an absolute flavour punch.
I was really pleased the meatballs did not fall apart on the sear, which I confess, I was expecting to happen!!
Thanks Sylvia, all the stars!!!
Thanks so much, Alimak! Appreciate this and am glad you gave it a go!
I’ve made this plant-based a few times using Impossible/Beyond meat. It’s so amazingly good! Oh, and it pairs extremely well with brown rice.
Great to hear John!
Another question. If I make it the day before, should I refrigerate separately? By the way, I made it before and loved it!
I think you could go either way here Barbara! Both would work.
To double should i double all the ingredients?
Yes Barbara, that is what I would do. 🙂
This is incredible! This will be on a frequent rotation. Thank you for posting such delicious recipes!!!!
So happy you enjoyed this Lisa!
Best quick curry I’ve ever made. Used onions instead of shallots and a tin of chopped tomatoes. I used a whole teaspoon of cayenne and it was just the right side of hot. It’s going on the definitely make again list 😋
Perfect Tracy!
One of our favorite recipes!!!!
Wonderful!
I don’t really eat meat (except chicken & fish), but I made this for my son. I didn’t have shallots so I used red onion I had in the fridge. I served it with basmati rice and added a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. My son loved it! For myself, I ate just the sauce over rice and it was delicious! I would definitely make it again! Perhaps even try it with ground chicken instead of ground lamb.
Hi Savannah- glad your son enjoyed it! The sauce is good and Yes I bet ground chicken would be tasty here!
The recipe was wonderful, but I was wondering how much or how many people the recipe was meant to serve.
Thanks Marvin! The recipe serves 3-4 people depending size of the meat balls.
We made this for dinner and it was warming and wonderful. My partner is a CIA trained chef and he gave it kudos. We used lamb from Red Clover Lambs (my niece raises lambs using regenerative agriculture in Livingston, Montana). we will definitely make this again.
Amazing Michelle, so glad you enjoyed!
I made this recipe while visiting my sister and everyone raved about it! We doubled the recipe and she let me take the leftovers! I had 2 more dinners and ate the remaining rice and sauce for a yummy lunch!! I would definitely make this again, it’s fantastic!
Great to hear!
Delicate but deep flavors in a homey but also elegant dish. A total keeper. I’m so grateful to have found it.
Thanks so much Beverly!