Apple Cider Glazed Meatballs
Happy #SundaySupper! This week the #SundaySupper crew went apple picking and brought back tons of juicy apples for some delicious fall recipes. These Apple Cider Glazed Meatballs are tender, juicy, and full of fall flavors.
Now, I didn’t actually pick my own apples. I may have cheated a bit (gasp!) and took a trip to my local orchard, Weber’s, and grabbed an already picked basket of honey crisp apples and a half gallon of fresh apple cider. It’s always nice when someone else does the hard labor for you.
When I heard this week’s theme was apples, I instantly thought dessert: apple pie, caramelized apples, stuffed apples, apple crisp, apple this, and apple that. It all sounded delicious, but I wanted to create something outside of the box, so I decided on these Apple Cider Glazed Meatballs. They’re savory, sweet, and just plain old yummy. They’re also extremely versatile. You can serve them as a main course for dinner, stick a tooth pick in them for Sunday night football (our favorite way to eat them), or pile them on a piece of crusty bread for a sandwich. Either way, they’re delicious.
Honey crisp apples are my apple of choice in the fall. They’re the perfect balance of sweet and tart with a crisp, juicy center. When I go apple picking, I head straight for the red-green orbs dangling from the apple trees.
I decided to use ground turkey for this recipe since it goes so well with apples. I mixed ground turkey with a generous amount of garlic, cayenne, and shredded honey crisp apples. They get baked until they’re perfectly brown and crispy on the outside, then tossed in a sweet apple cider glaze. The result is a sweet and savory tender meatball.
Enjoy!

Apple Cider Glazed Meatballs
Savory meatballs with a sweet and spicy glaze. Serve them as an appetizer or over pasta or rice.
Yield: 20 meatballs
Total Time: 35 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Meatballs
1 and 1/2 pounds ground turkey
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup shredded apple (see note)
3 tablespoons onion, finely diced
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Glaze
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon apple butter
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Directions:
Meatballs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients. Mix to combine. Roll into 1-inch balls. Place the meatballs on a cookie grate on top of an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
Glaze
In a small bowl, add all of the ingredients, except the scallions. Whisk to combine.
Add the mixture to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and let simmer for 2 minutes until the glaze thickens. Add the meatballs to the pan and let cook for 1 minute to coat. Top with chopped scallions.
Note: After shredding the apple, place in a paper towel or clean kitchen towel and squeeze out juice.
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
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105 Responses to “Apple Cider Glazed Meatballs”
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I love the 2nd picture!! cider glazed meatballs is such a brilliant idea, Jennie! :)
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Apples and meatballs? It sounds incredible my friend and looks even better :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Those meatballs look mouthwatering.
I can, like…almost taste them! Yum!
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Ever since I saw your teaser picture I couldn’t wait to read your recipe. These sound so amazing, I think I might try them with minced pork because I love pork and apple together. Thanks for sharing
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These look great! I’m having a get-together in a couple weeks, and needed another savory appetizer idea–This would be perfect! And I think I might try them some ground pork…Heck, even ground chicken might work too!
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Wow! Just WOW! I can imagine the flavor pop from these!
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I have bookmarked this recipe and I cannot wait to try it. I am always looking for turkey recipes and this is just fabulous sounding to me.
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I am officially obsessed with this recipe and I MUST make it at home! Honeycrisp apples are definitely my favorite as well; I don’t know how I lived without them! The perfect eating apple, if I do say so myself…
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Oh wow, these meatballs look so good! When I visited a cider mill in Vermont this summer, my nephew insisted we pick up some apple cider jelly. I’m thinking that would make an amazing glaze with soy sauce and ginger. I’m actually drooling. Love that you featured apples in the meatballs and in the glaze.
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Yum! They look so enticing and the flavor combination sounds so good.
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This is a very creative recipe. Never thought of using turkey meat to make meat ball with apples….with this, I will have an additional idea for friends and family party. Thanks for sharing.
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Yum these meatballs look and sound fantastic. Bet these would make a great gameday treat!
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Honey-crisp apples are The best (just after Pink Ladies). :D
These meatballs look scrumptious!! Love the apple and meat combo.
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Yum these look so good! Great family recipe also!!
I actually do want to get out and pick some apples soon, Julian is close by, ever had a Julian Apple pie?
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Oh yum! I bet these were fantastic! What a great way to fit the season change!
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This sounds like a great way to use the apples … Happy Sunday :-)
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I love the combo of turkey or chicken and apples. These are a perfect football snack!
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Oh mah gawd. You naughty girl. You get the naughty girl award for #SS! These look soooo good.
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This is a recipe that I would definitely try. A great twist on meatballs! Just wonderful Jenny. Happy Sunday!
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I was really looking forward to this recipe, Jennie. I love turkey meatballs!
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Wow do these sound good! I’m sure the shredded apple keeps these nice and moist! Great recipe!
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I can’t tell you how much I love meatballs, and these look so good I could lick the screen!
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Ooh I love the idea of apples in your meatballs and that glaze sounds absolutely delicious!You’ve given me a great appetizer idea for my next gathering :)
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So glad to see a few of us deviate from making desserts, not that there is anything wrong with apple desserts to end a great meal like this. These meatballs looks so good and there’s nothing wrong with buying a bunch of apples instead of picking them.
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What an awesome Fall recipe my friend!! I surly want to try these, a little sweet but a little savory!! Great combo, happy #SS!!
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What a fantastic use of apple! Sounds and looks amazing!
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I love honeycrisp apples too! Your meatball sound delicious. I think I need to try a new meatball.
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I can’t wait to make these…I’m betting a mixture of ground turkey and ground pork would be good too! I buy ground pork for meatloaf, so I always have 1/2 lb. left to do something else with. These sound SO GOOD!!
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These look fantastic! Great idea for serving during the game!
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I can’t wait to try this one–it’s going to make a great appetizer, I can just tell!
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Adding the shredded apple to the meatballs, must be the key to keeping them so moist! What a brilliant idea!
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I’ve been waiting for this recipe since your teaser! Love this! i love mini meatballs and always rely on my standard recipe, now I have a new one!!
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These look absolutely amazing!!!
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Love the addition of apples to the meatballs-that’s awesome. I’ve been in a meatball mood and now I want to try these!
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Oh this time of the year makes me sooooooo happy! I just spent the day at my families apple barn, best part of my childhood was never ending cider treats:-) Love love your addition of apple cider in your meatballs, YUM! Hugs, Terra
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Oh yum! Those meatballs look so yummy!
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This looks great and I love turkey and apples together!!
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Oh my gosh, these look amazing. I am totally trying these out. I love meatballs. So yummy!
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I love this idea of meatballs. I am a huge meatball fan, and this sound so amazing!
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Shredded apples in meatballs? I love it! My best friend loves meatballs. She loves apples too! I’ll be sharing with her ASAP!!! Happy #SundaySupper!
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Boy, do these look delish, Jennie! I adore meatballs and I’d love to make these! Great idea to go savory for this week’s #SS :)
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these sound sooooooo good! such an amazing fall recipe, love it so much!
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I’m so jealous you live near an orchard. Those meatballs look so good and I bet they taste even better made with turkey!
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Wow, that glaze is amazing! And I love that you used ground turkey. I’ve been trying to use ground turkey in place of ground beef more often lately.
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lol I need to stop reading the Sunday Supper posts when I’m hungry – your photos and descriptions of your dish are making me even more ravenous! I love that you took the savoury route and made turkey meatballs. These look and sound amazing. If only I had some right now to wash down with that fresh apple cider. Yum!
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YUM! These sound delicious!
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OMG, these meatballs look sooooo good! I just pinned this recipe! Can’t wait to try it. thanks for sharing!
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Jenny, these look delicious! I will defin be trying these out on my hungry troops!
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I was so curious to see what this would be, and I wasn’t disappointed!
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Love this ! Family loves meatballs and this must have such a nice apple kick to it. Am going to try this next time we have meatballs ! The glaze sounds yumm too ! Can’t wait to try this !
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Jennie you have managed to do it again and create a recipe I need to try immediately. It sounds so good and your making me really hungry and I’m dieting and this makes me happy and sad at the same time. I want to eat them now.
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This sounds and looks so delicious! We love having meatballs for dinner and I am always looking for new ones to try.
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Oh, yum! these sound absolutely wonderful. I would love these made into a sandwich on some homemade bread. Mmmm!
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Can’t wait to try!
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I bet these would be amazing! My husband would love these
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Brilliant and delicious! http://www.at-altitude.com/35-amazing-apple-recipes/
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I’ve been meaning to stop by and check out these meatballs because the name alone makes me want to eat them NOW. I’ve heard of meatballs glazed with grape jelly, but I never would have guessed cider! I got fresh from the farm cider yesterday, so these are on my list!
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Made these last night–they were sooo delicious! :) A little spicy though! Thanks for sharing :)
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Jennie replied October 13th, 2012 at 11:53 am
I’m so glad you enjoyed them. I tend to be a bit heavy handed with the spice; I love me some spicy food. If you want, you can cut back on the red pepper flakes next time.
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Ok I am eating these meatballs RIGHT NOW and all I can say is I didnt make enough :D I served them with rice noodles bc I wanted it to be dinner (and spaghetti just didn’t feel right haha). Only adjustments I made were cutting the recipe in half and using beef.
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Jennie replied October 14th, 2012 at 6:17 pm
You made my meatballs! Weeee! I’m so glad you love them. We ate the entire plate in a matter of minutes. They’re so good.
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i have these on our thanksgiving menu!! we always have some sort of meatball for snacking on while everything is cooking every year… looking forward to trying them out :)
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Jennie replied November 13th, 2012 at 9:40 am
Hi Candace! Thanks for visiting. You’re going to love these meatballs. I’ve made them several times for football parties, and my guests adore them. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
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Wow – these look amazing! Sweet & savory. Perfect!
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Jennie replied October 11th, 2013 at 1:06 pm
Thanks, Valentina. They’re a family favorite.
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