These Greek turkey meatballs are baked with oregano, garlic, and lemon, then served over creamy lemon rice made with bone broth. No eggs, no breadcrumbs, no dairy, and 43g of protein per serving. It's the weeknight dinner I make on repeat.
Greek Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Rice At A Glance
- ✅ Recipe Name: Greek Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Rice (43g Protein)
- 🕒 Ready In: ~40 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 4
- 🍽 Calories: ~396 per serving
- 💪 Protein: 43g per serving
- 🔥 Three Ways to Cook the Meatballs: Oven 400°F for 13 to 16 minutes, air fryer 380°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or skillet over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes per side, until 165°F
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Ground turkey, yellow onion, garlic, lemon zest, dried oregano, jasmine rice, chicken bone broth, light coconut milk, fresh lemon juice, baby spinach
- 📖 Dietary Info: Gluten-free, dairy-free, high-protein, no eggs or breadcrumbs
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Most Greek turkey meatball recipes stop at the meatballs and leave you to figure out the side. This one is the full dinner, and the lemon rice gets its creamy, risotto-like texture from coconut milk and bone broth instead of butter or cream.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
The meatballs are good. The lemony rice is why this has been in my dinner rotation for years.
It starts like a risotto. The rice gets toasted in olive oil with the onion and garlic for a few minutes before any liquid goes in, which is the step most people skip and the one that gives it that deeper, nuttier flavor. Then it simmers in chicken bone broth rather than water, so every grain absorbs real flavor rather than just softening. The broth also adds about 8 grams of protein per serving on its own.
The creaminess comes from light coconut milk. No butter, no cream, no cheese, and you cannot taste coconut in the finished dish. It's the texture of risotto without standing over the pot stirring for half an hour.
My boyfriend and I double the batch almost every time, and the leftovers get eaten straight out of the container. If you like this flavor combination, it's the same lemon, oregano, and garlic base I use in my Greek chicken meatballs with tzatziki and my Greek turkey burgers with feta, and my grilled Greek chicken kabobs if you want it on the grill.
Jump to:
- Greek Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Rice At A Glance
- Why You'll Love These Greek Turkey Meatballs
- What Makes These Meatballs Greek?
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make Juicy Greek Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Rice (Step-by-Step)
- Top Tips from My Kitchen
- Baked vs. Skillet Meatballs
- What to Serve With Greek Turkey Meatballs
- Are These Greek Turkey Meatballs and Rice Healthy?
- How to Meal Prep and Store
- Greek Turkey Meatballs FAQs
- More Greek and Mediterranean Recipes You'll Love
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You'll Love These Greek Turkey Meatballs
- 43 grams of protein per serving: The bone broth in the rice adds about 8 grams on its own, on top of what's in the turkey.
- No eggs or breadcrumbs: Shredded onion holds the meatballs together instead, which also makes the whole recipe naturally gluten-free.
- A full dinner, not just meatballs: The lemon rice cooks on the stovetop while the meatballs bake, so everything finishes at the same time.
- Made for leftovers: I double the batch almost every time. The rice reheats without drying out, and it keeps for 4 to 5 days.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Delicious and easy to make. It has become a staple in my home.
- Emma
What Makes These Meatballs Greek?
Four things: oregano, garlic, lemon, and onion. That combination is the basis of traditional Greek keftedes, and it's what sets a Greek meatball apart from an Italian or Swedish one.
You'll notice there's no feta here. Most Greek turkey meatball recipes online add it, but feta isn't in the traditional preparation. The flavor comes from the herbs and the lemon, not the cheese.
The rice follows the same logic. Rice simmered in broth with lemon is a Greek staple, usually served alongside meat or fish. I make mine creamy with coconut milk instead of butter, which is my one departure from the classic.
Ingredients You'll Need
These Greek turkey meatballs and lemon rice use simple ingredients total, most of them pantry staples. Here's what each one does and where it matters.
For the Greek meatballs:
- Ground turkey: I use 94% lean. There are no eggs or breadcrumbs here, so the little bit of fat helps, but 99% works too since the shredded onion is doing the binding
- Yellow onion: Shred it, don't dice it. The moisture it releases is what holds the meatballs together in place of a binder, and you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of raw onion. It's the same trick I use in my juicy grilled turkey burgers.
- Garlic: Fresh minced, and don't be shy with it. Same amount goes into the rice.
- Lemon zest: One large lemon gets you zest for the meatballs and juice for the rice. Zest carries more lemon flavor than juice does, and it won't make the meat mixture wet.
- Dried oregano: The backbone of the Greek flavor here, along with the garlic and lemon.
- Onion powder, salt, and pepper: Basic seasoning. Salt to taste, and taste before you roll.
For the lemon rice:
- Jasmine or long-grain white rice: Skip brown rice. The cooking time and texture are different enough that it throws the whole thing off. Banza rice works if you want more protein.
- Chicken bone broth: Regular chicken broth is fine, but bone broth adds about 8 grams of protein per serving and tastes identical. I use it the same way in my crustless chicken pot pie. Easiest upgrade in the recipe.
- Light coconut milk: About half a 13.6-ounce can. This is what makes the rice creamy without butter or cream, and no, you cannot taste coconut in the finished dish.
- Olive oil: For sautéing the onion and garlic before the rice goes in.
- Paprika: A small amount, mostly for warmth and color in the rice.
- Lemon juice: The juice from the lemon you already zested.
- Baby spinach: Two big handfuls, wilted in at the end. It disappears into the rice completely.
Scroll to the recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Ground chicken instead of turkey: Works exactly the same. Keep it around 93% lean for the same reason you'd use 94% turkey, since there's no egg or breadcrumb holding in moisture.
- Banza rice for extra protein: Chickpea rice adds several grams per serving. Check the package timing; it cooks faster than jasmine.
- Cauliflower rice for fewer carbs: Skip the simmering step entirely. Sauté it with the onion, garlic, and lemon, and add the coconut milk at the end just to coat.
- Kale or frozen peas instead of spinach: Kale needs a minute or two longer to wilt. A cup of frozen peas works too and adds a little sweetness.
- Regular chicken broth instead of bone broth: Totally fine. You lose about 8 grams of protein per serving, not flavor.
How to Make Juicy Greek Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Rice (Step-by-Step)
The meatballs bake while the rice simmers on the stovetop, so both finish at the same time. Here's the full method with photos. Exact quantities are in the recipe card.
For the Meatballs:
- Step 1: Mix the meatballs. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, shredded onion, minced garlic, onion powder, oregano, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
- Step 2: Roll them. Mix gently with your hands until just combined, then form 18 to 22 meatballs, about two tablespoons each. Overmixing is what makes meatballs dense, so stop as soon as everything is evenly distributed.
- Step 3: Bake. Space them evenly on the sheet and bake for 13 to 16 minutes, until the internal temperature hits 165°F. Start the rice while they're in the oven.
For the Lemon Rice:
- Step 4: Toast the rice. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Sauté the diced onion for 3 to 5 minutes until translucent, then add the garlic for one more minute. Add the rinsed rice with the paprika, salt, and pepper and toast for 3 to 5 minutes. Don't skip this. It's where the nutty flavor comes from.
- Step 5: Add the liquid. Pour in the bone broth, coconut milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Bring to a rapid boil, then drop to a low simmer, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Do not let it boil once it's covered.
- Step 6: Wilt the spinach. In the last minute or two, lay the spinach on top of the rice and put the lid back on. No stirring needed. The steam does it.
- Step 7: Stir and taste. Once the spinach has wilted from the stem, gently mix it through. The texture should look like risotto. Taste and adjust the salt, and I always add one more squeeze of lemon here.
- Step 8: Serve. Fold the meatballs into the rice, or spoon them on top. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.
Top Tips from My Kitchen
- Rinse the rice, and actually watch the water. It'll run cloudy white at first. Keep going until it runs clear, usually about a minute. That's the starch coming off, and it's the difference between creamy and gluey. This is the step I skipped the first few times and regretted every time.
- If the rice looks dry before it's done, add broth a splash at a time. Not a whole cup. Stovetops and pan sizes vary enough that I've had this go both ways, and small additions let you land on the risotto texture instead of overshooting into soup.
- Feel free to double the recipe. I make a double batch almost every time now. It reheats better than most rice dishes because the coconut milk keeps it from drying out, and it holds for 4 to 5 days.
Baked vs. Skillet Meatballs
I bake them. 20 meatballs go on one sheet pan; they cook hands-off in 13 to 16 minutes, and that's the same window the rice needs on the stovetop. No standing over two pans.
The skillet version is better if you want color. Ground turkey bakes up pale, and searing gives you a browned crust the oven won't. Heat a little oil over medium heat and cook them for 5 to 7 minutes per side, until they reach 165°F, working in batches so they aren't crowded.
Flavor-wise, it's close. On a weeknight, I'd rather have the oven do the work.
What to Serve With Greek Turkey Meatballs
The lemon rice is already the side here, so this is a complete dinner on its own. If you're feeding a crowd, here's what I put on the table with it:
- A cucumber and tomato salad: Cucumber, tomato, red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt. Five minutes, and it's the crunch this plate is missing. My Mediterranean quinoa tabbouleh is the same idea if you want it to go further.
- Dollop of tzatziki: My healthy tzatziki takes five minutes.
- Something make-ahead: My Greek pasta salad or Mediterranean dense bean salad are so good.
- Kalamata olives and feta: Straight from the jar onto the plate. No feta goes in the meatballs, but nobody's stopping you at the table.
Are These Greek Turkey Meatballs and Rice Healthy?
One serving has 396 calories, 43 grams of protein, and 9g of fat, which is why this ended up in my weekly rotation in the first place. I'm an endurance athlete, and I need real protein at dinner, not a salad that leaves me hungry an hour later.
Here's where it comes from:
- 43g of protein: Keeps you full for hours.
- Dairy-free: Light coconut milk gets the rice creamy. No butter, no cream, and you cannot taste coconut.
- Baked, not fried: The meatballs go on a sheet pan at 400°F, so the only added fat is the olive oil in the rice.
- Spinach hiding in there: Two big handfuls wilt into the rice at the end. You will not notice it.
How to Meal Prep and Store
- Fridge: Store the meatballs and rice separately in airtight containers for 4 to 5 days. The rice reheats better than most because the coconut milk keeps it from drying out.
- Freezer: Freeze the meatballs for 2 to 3 months. Lay them on a baking sheet in a single layer until solid, then transfer to a bag so they don't clump. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat: Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes. If the rice looks dry, add a splash of broth before you heat it.
- Meal prep: I double the batch and portion it into four containers on Sunday. It's just as good on day four.
Greek Turkey Meatballs FAQs
These have 43 grams per serving, which includes the lemon rice. The meatballs alone are closer to 30. Most of it comes from the ground turkey, plus about 8 grams from the bone broth in the rice.
Yes, and it works the same way. Stick to around 93% lean for the same reason I use 94% turkey. There are no eggs or breadcrumbs here, so the little bit of fat is what keeps them tender.
Yes, and I do it often. Air fry at 380°F for 8 to 10 minutes, until they hit 165°F. Work in a single layer so they aren't crowded. They come out with more color than the oven version, which is the one thing baking doesn't give you. I use the same method in my air fryer turkey meatballs.
I don't recommend it. Brown rice needs more liquid and a longer cooking time, so the creamy risotto texture doesn't develop. Basmati or any white long-grain rice works fine.
This one doesn't need a sauce. The lemon and broth in the rice do that work. If you want one anyway, this low-fat tzatziki is the right move, or thin some Greek yogurt with lemon juice and garlic.
Yes, naturally. There are no breadcrumbs in the meatballs. The shredded onion binds them instead, so there's nothing to swap out.
More Greek and Mediterranean Recipes You'll Love
If you liked these, here are a few more Greek recipes on repeat in my kitchen.
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📖 Recipe
Greek Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Rice
Ingredients
Turkey Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey, 94% lean is best, but 99% works since the onion binds them
- ½ cup shredded yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from about 1 large lemon
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Lemony Rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced yellow onion, use the other half of the onion
- 4 large garlic cloves
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup dry white Jasmine rice or long-grain rice, or Banza rice if desired
- 1 ½ cups chicken bone broth or low-sodium chicken broth, (bone broth for extra protein!)
- ⅔ cup light coconut milk, (about half of a 13.6-ounce can)
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- Juice from 1 large lemon
- 2 cups (handfulls) baby spinach
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- OPTIONAL: 1 cup frozen peas (for extra veggies)
Instructions
The Meatballs:
- Preheat: Heat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix: In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, shredded onion, minced garlic, onion powder, oregano, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
- Roll: Gently mix with your hands until just combined. Form 18 to 22 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons each. Don't overmix or they'll be dense.
- Bake: Space them evenly on the sheet and bake for 13 to 16 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Lemon Rice:
- Sauté the aromatics: While the meatballs cook, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the diced onion and sauté 3 to 5 minutes until translucent, then add the garlic for 1 more minute.
- Rinse the rice: Rinse under cold water for 1 minute, until the water runs clear, then pat dry.
- Toast the rice: Add the rinsed rice, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and paprika. Toast for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the liquid: Pour in the chicken broth, coconut milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. The rice should be covered. If not, add up to another ½ cup broth. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
- Wilt the spinach: In the last minute or two, lay the spinach on top of the rice and replace the lid. No stirring needed. Once wilted from the stem, gently mix it through.
- Taste and adjust: It should have the consistency of risotto. Taste for salt, and add one more squeeze of lemon on top.
- Serve: Fold the meatballs into the rice, or spoon them on top. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe tested and developed by Tati Chermayeff, creator of Healthful Blondie. A former Division I rower, Ironman triathlete, and recipe developer based in Austin, TX, Tati creates high-protein and healthy recipes that actually taste like the real thing.
Emma says
Delicious and easy to make. It has become a staple in my home.
Tati Chermayeff says
Aw, this made my day, Emma!!! thank you for leave a review. I love meal prepping these too 🙂