All the flavor of a juicy cheeseburger, in a high-protein, bite-sized form. These lovely cheeseburger meatballs are quick, easy, and as perfect for busy weeknights as they are for parties. Pile them onto a creamy copycat Big Mac-style sauce for a family-friendly meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
My meatball era continues with these very gorgeous, very juicy cheeseburger meatballs, and I think you might love them just as much as I do!
Honestly, I’m shocked it’s taken me so long to write this recipe up. I’ve been making them for parties for years, but for some reason, I just never got around to formalizing it. That ends now.
They’re essentially all the best bits of a cheesburger – tangy pickles, caramelized onions, melty cheese, a little mustard, rolled into an easy-to-eat, crowd-pleasing form. No bun, no fuss. And when you pile them onto a creamy, high-protein version of the iconic Big Mac sauce? Irresistible. Serve them up with a big platter of loaded spicy potato wedges, crispy baked oven fries, miso roasted sweet potatoes, or this crispy smashed potato salad!
And what makes them even better is how quick and easy they are. You can air fry them in less than 10 minutes – they come out golden, melty, crispy on the edges, but still juicy inside. I love the air fryer for speed, but they work beautifully in the oven too (fab for bigger batches), or you can pan-fry them if you prefer.
This meatball mixture is super similar to other cheeseburger-inspired recipes I’ve created, so if you like the sound of them, I’m 99% sure you’ll love these too:
- Cheeseburger Smash Tacos
- Crispy Cheeseburger Spring Rolls
- Juicy Cheeseburger Dumplings
- Cheeseburger Stuffed Flatbreads
Why You’ll Love These Cheeseburger Meatballs
- High-protein, lower-calorie version of your favorite juicy cheeseburger, but still super satisfying.
- Quick and easy – they come together in about 25 minutes and can be prepped in advance.
- Fabulous for parties and entertaining – they’re designed to be served platter style, and are brilliant paired with juicy dumpling meatballs or Greek chicken meatballs for a crowd-pleasing spread.
- Perfect for meal prep – as great hot as they are cold (try them tossed through salads for work from home lunches!)
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground beef. I like using lean ground beef and find the cheese helps to keep the lean meat nice and juicy, but you can use beef with a higher percentage of fat if you prefer. You can also swap in ground turkey, chicken, pork, or a plant-based alternative.
- Caramelized onions. You could also use caramelized onion relish. If you’re making caramelized onions for this recipe, I recommend using an Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker) if you have one. All you have to do is slice 1 pound of onions, then add them to your Instant Pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt, a good grind of black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Stir, then cook at high pressure for five minutes. Use the quick release, then use the ‘saute’ mode to finish them (stirring), for another few minutes.
- Fish sauce. I promise this won’t make your meatballs taste fishy! It just provides a big dose of deep, umami flavor that salt alone can’t mimic. If you don’t want to use it, swap it for light soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or light miso paste.
- Pickles. Any kind of pickles work here – I tend to choose dill pickles for that classic cheeseburger flavor. Bread and butter pickles work too, and give a slightly sweeter flavor.
- Panko breadcrumbs. Use regular breadcrumbs if you prefer, and gluten-free breadcrumbs work beautifully here.
- Cheese. I love using sharp, strong cheddar cheese for the best flavor, but you can play around based on what you like best. Smoked cheddar would be lovely, as would Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or even diced American cheese! Just choose one that melts well.
How to Make Cheeseburger Meatballs
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the meatballs. You’ll find the full ingredients list with quantities and the complete instructions at the bottom of the page.
1. Add all the ingredients for your burger meatballs to a large bowl.
2. Mix very well to combine into a cohesive mixture. PRO TIP: If you want to double-check the seasoning, pan-fry a little of the meatball mixture at this point. That way, you can taste and adjust to your liking!
3. Wet your hands – this will stop the meatballs from sticking to them – then scoop up a heaped spoonful of the mixture. Roll into meatballs and pop into your air fryer (or set aside on a plate).
4. Air-fry (or bake or pan-fry) until gorgeously golden.
5. Add all your ingredients for your copycat Big Mac burger sauce to a mixing bowl.
6. Mix well to combine into a lovely, creamy sauce. Taste, then adjust the seasoning to your liking.
7. Spoon the burger sauce onto a serving platter, then pile the cheesy, golden meatballs on top. Sprinkle with more cheese, pickles, chives, and extra dill to serve.
Cheeseburger Meatball FAQs
You can! You could also use ground pork or a plant-based alternative. Just keep in mind that ground turkey and chicken are leaner than beef, so they might not be quite as juicy. To balance this, I recommend adding a drizzle of olive oil into the mixture (1 tablespoon is fine), just to help keep them lovely and moist.
It’ll keep well for up to five days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container or jar. The flavor actually gets even better with time!
The fish sauce is there to add a gorgeous, deep, umami flavor (I promise it doesn’t make the meatballs taste fishy!) But if you don’t want to use it, swap it for light soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or white miso paste.
They are perfect for meal prep! Once cooked, they’ll keep well for up to four days, stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They’re great hot or cold – toss them into salads, stuff them into flatbreads, sandwiches, or pita bread, or enjoy by themselves with any leftover sauce for dipping.
I love to pair them with a platter of spicy loaded potato wedges or crispy baked oven fries, or they’re wonderful stuffed into two-ingredient dough garlic flatbreads or on top of no-knead chili cheese focaccia. You can also toss them through salads, or serve them with this lovely loaded baked rice with the burger sauce on the side.
Like this recipe? Try these meatball ideas next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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High-Protein Cheeseburger Meatballs
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
All the flavor of a juicy cheeseburger, in a high-protein, bite-sized form. These lovely cheeseburger meatballs are quick, easy, and as perfect for busy weeknights as they are for parties. Pile them onto a creamy copycat Big Mac-style sauce for a family-friendly meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For the burger sauce –
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt ( or egg-free garlic aioli, regular mayo or whipped cottage cheese)
- 1 tablespoon mustard (American or Dijon)
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 garlic clove, crushed (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 3 pickle slices, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon pickle juice (or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
For the cheeseburger meatballs –
- 1 lb (500g) ground beef
- 1/2 cup caramelized onions, finely chopped (or use caramelized onion relish)
- 1/2 cup pickles, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, finely diced or grated
- 1 tablespoon mustard (American or Dijon)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
To serve –
- Pickle slices, finely chopped
- A handful of dill
- A handful of chives, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Make the burger sauce. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon ketchup, the garlic, chopped pickles, 1 teaspoon of pickle juice, and 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as you like, then pop it into the fridge while you prep the meatballs.
- Mix the meatballs. To a large bowl, add the ground beef, ½ cup chopped caramelized onions, ½ cup chopped pickles, ¾ cup of grated or diced cheese, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, a good grind of black pepper, ⅓ cup of panko breadcrumbs, and the egg. Mix until the ingredients just come together (overmixing can cause the meatballs to become a little tough).
- Form the meatballs. Wet your hands (this will stop the mixture from sticking to them). Scoop up a heaped spoonful of the meatball mixture. Use your hands to roll the mixture into a roughly golf-ball-sized meatball. You’ll get around 25 meatballs from this mixture.
- Cook the meatballs (air fryer instructions). Arrange your meatballs in a single layer in your air fryer basket (you might need to do this in batches). Air fry for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C). They should be gorgeously golden, and you should see the cheese looking melty and lovely.
- Cook the meatballs (oven instructions). Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on the tray, then pop them into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they look golden and the cheese is bubbling out the sides.
- Cook the meatballs (stovetop instructions). Set a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook, rotating occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until browned and cooked through (you can cut into one to check it’s not pink).
- Serve the meatballs. Spoon the burger sauce onto a serving platter, then pile the golden meatballs on top. Finish with a sprinkling of grated cheese, extra pickles, dill, and chopped chives to serve.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: I like using sharp cheddar cheese for the best flavor, but really any cheese will do! Skip the fish sauce and add a little Worcestershire sauce or light soy sauce instead if you don’t like it.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Swap the ground beef for ground chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, or a plant-based alternative. Just keep in mind that ground turkey and chicken are leaner than beef, so they might not be quite as juicy. To balance this, I recommend adding a drizzle of olive oil into the mixture (1 tablespoon is fine), just to help keep them lovely and moist.
PREP AHEAD: You can mix the meatball mixture up to 24 hrs in advance and keep it covered in the fridge. Roll the meatballs and store them in an airtight container for up to 24 hours, or freeze the meatballs raw for up to 1 month. You could also chop the pickles and grate the cheese up to 3 days in advance to make assembly extra fast.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Pair them with a platter of spicy loaded potato wedges or crispy baked oven fries, or they’re wonderful stuffed into two-ingredient dough garlic flatbreads or on top of no-knead chili cheese focaccia. You can also toss them through salads, or serve them with this lovely loaded baked rice with the burger sauce on the side. They’re great hot or cold!
HOW TO MAKE QUICK CARAMELIZED ONIONS: This fabulous Instant Pot hack is my go-to technique for easy, speedy caramelized onions. In your Instant Pot, toss roughly one pound (500g) of sliced onions with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt, and a good grind of pepper. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes, then press the ‘sauté’ setting and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, until deeply golden and sweet.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: meat
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Calories: 381
- Sugar: 4.3g
- Sodium: 938mg
- Fat: 20.8g
- Saturated Fat: 10.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 1.4g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 139mg
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