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Perfectly tender, juicy and never, ever dry, these sous vide meatballs are packed full of flavor and will help take your meatball game to the next level.
Say goodbye to dry, crumbly meatballs forever. The sous vide allows us to cook the meatballs at the perfect temperature so they ALWAYS come out juicy!
What if your meatballs were super simple to make and came out perfectly juicy and tender every time, no fail? With barely any effort?
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? These meatballs are just that. They are virtually impossible to screw up.
While we LOVE these Instant Pot meatballs and these air fryer frozen meatballs (the glaze on these is SO GOOD guys!), these sous vide meatballs are just perfection.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking meatballs sous vide ensure they are cooked at the perfect temperature the whole time, so they are never over or under cooked.
- They are ultra easy to put together and are packed full of flavor.
- Meatballs are very versatile and can be served in a number of different ways and dishes.
- They are part of a high protein, low carb diet if that's your thing.
- You can make them ahead of time and freeze them for easy meal prep and weeknight meals.
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What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator (i.e. the sous vide machine). This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.
Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.
To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."
Tools Used
You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!
What is the Water Displacement Method?
The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).
Use a clip (I use sous vide magnets) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.
Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
For the ground beef, I find that 90/10 works best for this recipe. While I typically recommend 85/15 for the best flavor and juiciness, because the sous vide keeps the meatballs juicy, the 90/10, or even 97/3, is still plenty juicy and tender without the added fat.
Soy sauce, tomato paste and grated Parmesan cheese add umami to the meatballs, while the panko breadcrumbs gives them body and helps the to stay together (along with the egg).
When cooking sous vide, I almost always use avocado oil for browning at the end as it doesn't have a strong flavor and has a high smoke point to keep it from burning.
Ricotta cheese adds a richness to the meatballs - you can substitute with cottage cheese (full fat) also.
Step By Step Instructions
Combine all the ingredients (except avocado oil) in a bowl and mix to combine, being sure not to overmix. **use your hands for best and easiest mixing
Roll into 2" meatballs and place on a baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet directly in the freezer for 3 hours or overnight to let the meatballs freeze.
Heat a sous vide water bath to 140°F. For firmer meatballs (less juicy) you can cook them to 145°F or even 150°F, however, I find 140° yields the best results.
Place the frozen meatballs in a vacuum seal bag and seal.
Place the meatballs in the water bath and cook for 3 hours. The meatballs are best cooked between 2 and 4 hours.
Remove from the bag and pat the meatballs dry with a paper towel.
Heat the avocado oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the meatballs and brown, about 1-2 minutes per side.
Remove and serve.
Expert Tips
- You can substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef - just increase the temperature to 150°F.
- Make these ultra decadent by placing a piece of cheese in the middle of the meatball so it's cheesy and gooey when you cut into it.
- Don't try to vacuum seal the meatballs if they are not frozen - they will mush together! If you prefer to not freeze them, use a ziplock freezer bag and the water displacement method (explained above).
- They can be made ahead and frozen until ready to brown and serve.
- You can substitute full fat cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese if its easier.
- 90/10 ground beef works best for this recipe, but you can use 85/15 or even 97/3 as the sous vide is very forgiving.
Serving Options
- They are delicious served with this homemade marinara sauce over some pasta, with this air fryer garlic bread or just alone. For simplicity, you can also serve it with any store bought sauce.
- Make a meatball sandwich and serve topped with melted mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce.
- Serve with the roasted red pepper pesto sauce in this other meatball recipe.
- Serve them alone (they are plenty juicy) with these sous vide mashed potatoes, cheesy grits, or this cheesy cauliflower bake.
- Use these meatballs in this beef stroganoff (so GOOD!!).
- Add to this Instant Pot french onion soup for extra beefiness or to this Instant pot bean soup to make it heartier.
Frequently Asked Questions
I find that 140°F for beef meatballs allows them to stay ultra tender and juicy. For a more firm meatball, you can go up to 150°F, but they will start to get a drier texture. Chicken and turkey meatballs should be cooked at 150°F for the best results.
Sous vide meatballs can be cooked straight from frozen, or even cooked ahead and then frozen until ready to serve (up to 3 months). When cooking them from frozen, I recommend adding 30 minutes to the cook time.
For the best results, sous vide meatballs should be cooked from 2-4 hours. I typically cook them for 3 as it allows them to get super soft and tender.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
The meatballs can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then brown per the recipe instructions before serving.
They can also be frozen before cooking and stored in bags in the freezer. When ready to cook, just place them in a vacuum seal bag and cook according to the recipe instructions.
Leftovers can be store in the fridge and reheated in the microwave, being careful not to overcook (30 seconds at a time until warmed through). You can also reheat them in a skillet.
If you love this recipe, leave a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Sous Vide Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ small onion minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil for browning
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients (except avocado oil) in a bowl and mix to combine, being sure not to overmix. **use your hands for best and easiest mixing
- Roll into 2" meatballs and place on a baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet directly in the freezer for 3 hours or overnight to let the meatballs freeze.
- Heat a sous vide water bath to 140°F.
- Place the frozen meatballs in a vacuum seal bag and seal.
- Place the meatballs in the water bath and cook for 3 hours.
- Remove from the bag and pat the meatballs dry with a paper towel.
- Heat the avocado oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown, about 1-2 minutes per side.
- Remove and serve plain or with sauce.
Expert Tips:
- You can substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef - just increase the temperature to 150°F.
- Make these ultra decadent by placing a piece of cheese in the middle of the meatball so it's cheesy and gooey when you cut into it.
- Don't try to vacuum seal the meatballs if they are not frozen - they will mush together! If you prefer to not freeze them, use a ziplock freezer bag and the water displacement method (explained above).
- They can be made ahead and frozen until ready to brown and serve.
- You can substitute full fat cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese if its easier.
- 90/10 ground beef works best for this recipe, but you can use 85/15 or even 97/3 as the sous vide is very forgiving.
Nutrition
Heidi Boortz
when do you brown them in the avocado oil?
Danielle
OMG, it looks like the last few instructions got cut off! You brown them right after taking them out of the water bath. I updated the recipe so all the instructions should show. So glad you caught that 🙂
natalie
These came out incredible! We made them ahead of time then fried them the next day and they came out great. Actually served them with a creamy sauce instead of spaghetti sauce.
Danielle
I'm so happy to hear that!