Baked Buffalo Turkey Meatballs (Buffalo Chicken Meatballs)

Baked buffalo turkey meatballs with hot sauce and blue cheese are perfect for a meal or appetizer. Made with only six ingredients and baked in less than 30 minutes, these spicy meatballs are a healthier alternative to wings, and they are just as good. They can be made with either chicken or turkey.

Serve with a platter of carrot or celery sticks, add them to a salad, or serve them with a plate of crispy french fries.  These tasty meatballs freeze well, making them perfect for quick lunches and weeknight meals.

These baked buffalo turkey meatballs are perfect as a meal, snack, or appetizer.

They are flavored with hot sauce and blue cheese and have just the right amount of heat.

They are delicious drizzled with additional hot sauce and served with ranch dressing or blue cheese dip. 

I like to serve them on toothpicks with sliced green onions and blue cheese crumbles as an appetizer.  

As a meal, you can add the cooked turkey meatballs to a salad or sandwich, crumble them and add them to a pizza, or serve them with a big plate of crispy french fries.

These turkey or chicken meatballs freeze very well, and because the recipe makes a large batch, it is the perfect meal prep recipe.  Frozen meatballs can be easily reheated in the oven or air fryer.

As an appetizer, serve them on a platter with Jalapeno Popper Wontons, Cheeseburger Taquitos, or Air Fryer Pork Chop Bites for a delicious spread perfect for your next game-day party.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Lean ground turkey – Lean ground turkey, generally made with turkey thigh or a combination of thigh and breast, works best for this recipe as it has more fat and flavor than 100% ground turkey breast. If you prefer chicken to turkey, you can use ground chicken.

Hot sauce – We always choose Frank’s Red Hot, but you can use your favorite buffalo wing sauce instead. 

Fine breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs help absorb some of the moisture and hold the meatballs together. If you are gluten-free, you can use alternatives such as gluten-free breadcrumbs or gluten-free ground oats.  Panko breadcrumbs work well if you don’t have fine breadcrumbs on hand.

Blue cheese – Blue cheese adds a great punch of flavor and is a common companion to buffalo wings. If you don’t like blue cheese, feta or goat’s cheese works great, or you can use mozzarella, parmesan, or cheddar.

Green onion – Green onion adds color and fresh flavor to the meatballs.  Fresh garden chives will also work well. 

Pro Tip – You shouldn’t need to add salt to this recipe as both the hot sauce and cheese should add enough. But if you use a low-sodium sauce or cheese, you can use a pinch of salt. If you want extra seasoning, you can add a pinch of garlic powder or onion powder.

Step by Step Instructions

Make the Meatball Mixture

Add all of the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and mix to combine.

Pro Tip -A cookie scoop is the easiest way to form the meatballs. It helps ensure they are a uniform size so they cook evenly, and it does most of the rolling for me. I use a 1.5-inch cookie scoop when forming my meatballs, which I find just the right size for appetizers and meals.

Air Fryer Buffalo Turkey Meatballs

These turkey meatballs cook up perfectly in the air fryer.

If you have one, and would prefer to use it, follow the directions above for forming the meatballs and then place them in the air fryer basket or on the tray.

Cook at 350°F for approximately 12 minutes until the meatballs are lightly browned and feel firm when you touch them.

Serve as desired.

How to Serve Spicy Turkey Meatballs

I like to serve these spicy buffalo turkey meatballs drizzled with extra hot sauce, sprinkled with green onion and crumbled blue cheese. I always serve them with a dish of blue cheese dip or ranch dressing on the side.

They are great on top of a salad, in a wrap, or on a submarine sandwich.

When served as an appetizer, I dress them up with all the toppings and serve them on toothpicks. Add them to a platter with fresh celery and carrot sticks.

If you want to serve these as a main meal, they go great with mac & cheese or pasta salad, or you can keep it simple and serve them with a plate of crispy french fries.

Storing and Freezing Turkey Meaballs

Leftover cooked turkey or chicken meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Store them in an airtight container or freezer bag to freeze cooked meatballs. They will keep for several months.

You can freeze uncooked meatballs. To do so, form the meatballs and store them in an airtight container lined with parchment paper. This will help prevent them from sticking to the container and each other.

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