Pomegranate glazed lamb meatballs are savory, sweet and tangy with just the right amount of sticky goodness. The flavor and texture of the lamb mixed with lots of fresh herbs and seasoning is one that I believe you will enjoy but if you are not a fan of lamb, beef may be substituted.
Meatballs can be found in many cultures throughout the world, it is just the type of meat as well as the herbs and spices that may vary depending upon the culture. The delicious pomegranate meatballs I’m sharing with you are similar to ones that you might find throughout the Middle East, especially in Turkey, which is one of the largest growers of pomegranates in the world.
The lamb meatballs are delicious even without the glaze because of the chopped mixed fresh herbs and seasonings that are used. Finishing them with the pomegranate glaze gives them a deep and flavorful sweet and tangy taste with just the right amount of sticky goodness that we all love.
I paired the savory and sweet meatballs with pistachio couscous and a cooling mint yogurt sauce for a delicious evening meal. The meatballs are also excellent when entertaining friends. Just prepare them smaller for a one bite size and serve on a platter as a party appetizers with wooden toothpicks.

Pomegranate Glazed Lamb Meatballs Served With Pistachio Couscous
Serves four, adjust the recipe accordingly
Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground lamb (or a combination of lamb and beef)
- 1 small onion or 1/4 of a large onion, chopped fine
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/4 – 1/2 c. breadcrumbs
- 1/4 c. finely chopped parsley
- 1/4 c. finely chopped mint, more for garnish
- 1/2 tsp. Urfa Biber Turkish chile pepper*
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp.cinnamon
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil for cooking
*Urfa Biber Turkish Chile peppers are very hot and have a dark, almost purple color with a flavor of dried fruit, coffee, and chocolate. Aleppo peppers or hot paprika can be substituted.
Mix all the ingredients (except the oil) together until combined and form into meatballs about 1 1/2 inch in size. Heat the oil in a large nonreactive sauté pan (such as stainless steel) over medium high heat. Add the meatballs, brown, giving the pan an occasional shake to roll them around and cook each side until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the meatballs and drain on paper towels. Prepare the pomegranate glaze below.
Pomegranate Glaze
- 1/2 c. chicken stock
- 3 – 4 Tbsp. Pomegranate molasses*, plus additional to drizzle
*Pomegranate molasses is pomegranate juice that’s been reduced to a delicious syrup that has a rich, fruity, intensely tangy and sweet flavor. It is often used in Georgian, Armenian, Iranian, Syrian, Israeli, Lebanese, and Turkish cooking. It can be found in the international aisle of most larger grocery stores, in Middle Eastern and Asian grocery stores, as well as online.
In the same sauté pan used to cook the meatballs, drain any accumulated fat. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits. Add the pomegranate molasses, lower the heat and simmer until reduced about half.
To finish, add the meatballs back to the pan with the glaze, turn down the heat to low and gently swirl to evenly coat. When you are ready to serve, place the meatballs on the top of the couscous, drizzle with additional molasses and garnish with chopped mint, if you wish. I like to serve the lamb meatballs with mint yogurt sauce as an optional condiment at the table. You will find my recipe below.
Mint Yogurt Sauce
- 1 c. plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove, minced finely
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh mint
- salt and pepper to taste
Warm the olive oil and minced garlic (I do this to mellow the flavor of the garlic but it is not necessary) then let cool. Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for about 30 minutes for the flavors meld. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.
Pistachio Couscous
- 1 10 oz. box of couscous
- 2 1/4 cups of water*
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 ground pepper
- 1/2 c. shelled pistachios, toasted lightly and chopped
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
Bring water, oil, salt and pepper to a boil then stir in the couscous. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 5 minutes. Fluff couscous and cool. After cooled, fluff again (I like to use my hands) to remove any small lumps. When ready to serve, stir in the pistachios and mint. *For additional flavor, I like to replace the water with chicken broth. I often add a little cinnamon and cumin as well for an enhanced Mediterranean taste.
**
I used all lamb but you can use beef or a 50-50 mixture of the two.
Good seasoning is very important. Cook a small piece of the lamb mixture as a tester to check for seasoning, adjust if necessary and then cook the meatballs.
Different brands of pomegranate molasses have different levels of sweetness and tartness. Adjust the amount used, according to your personal tastes.
Be sure to use a nonreactive sauté pan such as stainless steel pan as pomegranate juice is very acidic and can damage the finish of cast iron pans.
If you wish, you can bake the meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven until browned and cooked through.
If you plan to make the meatballs ahead and freeze, I would wait to glaze the meatballs until reheating.
I used the meatballs as a main dish but you can make smaller sized ones and serve as an appetizer.
Notes From The Kitchen
****
This flavorful dinner was a wonderful change of pace from our usual weekday meals. While my husband and I love Italian meatballs cooked in a fresh marinara sauce, it is nice to change things up once in awhile. We enjoyed the meatballs with new tastes and flavors coming from the pomegranate molasses and Urfa Biber chile peppers. I will be experimenting more with these new ingredients that I now have in my kitchen pantry.
Gorgeous flavours, Karen. This looks and sounds delicious!
Thank you Kay, I believe that the lamb meatballs were as good as they look. 😊
They look amazing – I bet your husband asked for seconds!
Thank you Mad Dog…and how did you know he had seconds. 👍🏻
Ha ha – I could tell by the fantastic recipe!
😘
What an unusual and mouth watering recipe Karen! I adore lamb, and I am just imagining how good ground lamb coated in a sweet pomegranate glaze would be…and the pistachio couscous is also swoon worthy! Please set a place for me at your table!
Jenna
Hi Jenna, If you like lamb, you are going to love these delicious meatballs.
What a perfect meal!
Hi Mimi, I’m glad you liked the meal. It all goes together really well.
Karen, so many delicious and different ingredients in your post. I will have fun trying the recipes out.
Thank you for your nice compliment Bernadette. I hope you will enjoy the recipes.
Mouth is watering just looking at these delicious pomegranate glazed meatballs. This recipe would be a huge hit at our house- all lamb lovers here!
Hi Bobbi, Since your family are all lamb lovers, this is definitely a meal that you should try. Enjoy!
This looks super yummy! Can’t get enough of lamb at this time of the year.
angiesrecipes
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Hi Angie, I agree with you about having lamb in the springtime. Thank you for your compliment.
This looks amazing Karen. I’m a meatball lover so this has captured me! 💕C
Thank you for your nice compliment Cheryl, these really are flavorful meatballs, I’m glad you like the looks of them.
I love lamb! And it’s terrific in meatballs. And I just happen to have some lamb in the freezer (needs to be ground, but my mixer has a grinder attachment). This looks excellent — thanks.
Hi John, If you are like my husband, you are going to love this meal. Thank you for your nice compliment and enjoy!
Mediterranean cuisine is so varied and delicious. Your recipe looks so interesting and tasty.
I totally agree with you Jovina, I think it is my favorite cuisine because of all the herbs and spices that are used in the traditional cooking. Thank you for your nice compliment.
What an appetizing looking dish! Pomegranate molasses and pistachios is such a great combination. :0
Thank you Ronit, I agree with you that the two dishes went together perfectly.
My neighbors and I have started sharing dinner a couple of nights a week. This will definitely be mine this week! Can’t wait!
I hope you will enjoy the dinner as much as we did Sheila. Please enjoy!
Looks wonderful and very pretty. I am intrigued by the peppers as I love Aleppos.
Amelia, if you love Aleppo peppers you will certainly enjoy the Urfa Biber Turkish Chile pepper. I’ve got a big container of the flakes and an looking forward to using them in other dishes.
From The Fresh Market?
No, my husband ordered it through amazon but I would definitely check Fresh Market.
Sounds a bit exotic for TFM?!
Yum, that sounds great. Hope that you are feeing better and all is well Diane
Thank you for your compliment and wish Diane. Yes, I am doing well and I appreciate your asking. My body just has to get used to the medicines.
Those look great. I love meatballs but don’t make them very often… I may have to try these.
Thank you Janis, I believe you would enjoy these meatballs…they are a different and delicious version.
Karen, this is a gorgeous sounding meal. I love the idea of a pomegranate glaze with lamb.
Hi Gary, I do know how much you enjoy lamb and I believe that you would love the flavors of the pomegranate lamb meatballs. Thank you for your nice compliment.
i would definitely use beef rather than lamb but apart from that i love all the flavours here. and i so enjoy couscous and pistachios. This sounds fabulous karen. I made my own pomegranate molasses once; it was so good.
Hi Sherry, I know that a lot of people don’t care for lamb. I do think you would enjoy the meatballs made with beef, especially with the delicious pomegranate glaze. Thank you for your lovely compliment.
Karen, this dish looks fabulous! The flavors sound amazing…thanks for sharing! Have a wonderful week!
Thank you for your lovely compliment Pam, I glad you like this meal. I had promised to post the coconut tart recipe next but hit the wrong key. Sorry, I will be posting it next. If you want to try them for Easter, let me know and I will email you the recipe.
This looks so beautiful, Karen, and delicious. A lovely presentation and really unique flavors together.
Hi Jeanie, The flavors of the meatballs is really delicious thanks to the pomegranate molasses. Thank you for your nice compliment.
What a fabulous meal! Those lamb meatballs look heavenly and that glaze – yum! Love the complementary pistachio couscous.
Thank you MJ, the total meal turned out great and boy are those meatballs delicious with the pomegranate glaze.
I have never done a lot with lamb, Karen, but my son and son-in-law are wild enthusiasts on the occasion that I give it a try! This is a lovely recipe and the description that comes to mind is “simple elegance.” It’s very appealing! I will definitely give this a try!
I appreciate your very lovely compliment Debra. If you do make this for your family, I hope that they enjoy the lamb meatballs as much as we did.
Karen, you come up with the best recipes. I have to try these. I am going to be in Munich in May and will revisit the place as you suggested a few years ago.
I appreciate your kind words Gerlinde, thank you. I do hope you have a wonderful time visiting your family. I wish we were planning another trip there but hopefully soon. Enjoy!
Ohhh my those glaze, sounds phenomenal, definitely that will complement the lamb. Yum!
Thank you Raymund, I think the glaze really takes the lamb meatballs up to another level. I’m glad you like them.
This sounds so delicious — and I love the combination of flavors on the plate. I think I’d love having that mint yogurt sauce at the ready all the time, as I can think of so many things to have with it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thank you for your nice compliment. You are right, I love mint yogurt sauce on lamb burgers, southwestern tostades, and many Greek dishes.
Urfa pepper comes from the town of Urfa in Turkey and is similar to the Aleppo pepper but is cured in the sun where it develops such a great flavor profile. I love it in one of my chili recipes 🙂 Your recipe(s) are perfect together – put on my “to make” list.
Hi Judi, Yes, the Turkish pepper is a great one to have in your pantry. We were supposed to be in Istanbul next month but had to cancel our trip. The next best thing is to cook some of the food we might have enjoyed there. I think you would really enjoy these delicious lamb meatballs. Thank your your nice compliment❣️
Sorry you didn’t make it to Istanbul – I have a few cookbooks from the area and love their food – just don’t cook it often enough. Thanks for such a complete menu – I know I would love it all 🙂
Too funny how we are both craving lamb with pomegranate molasses lately. But it’s such a winning combo of flavors, who can blame us? 😉
I chuckled when I saw that we both had a craving for similar dishes. Great minds and all that. 😊
The ingredients for the meatballs sounds wonderful! Your post has reminded me that I haven’t eaten couscous in ages 🙂
Hi Julie, so happy to hear from you but sorry that it has taken so long to reply. I’m glad you like the meatball recipe. Couscous is those of those ingredients I often have in my pantry because it is so quick to prepare. Having said that, I too don’t make it often enough.
My family and I don’t usually eat lamb, but the combination of lamb and pomegranate sounds delicious!
Thank you for your nice compliment Thao. While the lamb does go great with the pomegranate, if you and your family don’t care for it, beef works perfectly in the recipe as well.
I agree that it’s wonderful to change things up a bit in what we enjoy on the table. The pomegranate sauce sounds heavenly “sticky”! Thank you for sharing all of the tips and the optional ingredients to use. I think these would be great for entertaining too!
Thank you Roz for your lovely compliment, I’m sorry to be so late in responding. Yes, when thinking of meatballs, the first thing I always think of is Italian in marinara sauce. It really is nice to try other recipes. I agree that these meatballs would be great when entertaining.
Love the glaze on these! As you know, I’m a lamb lover!
Hi Inger, I have made several different kinds of lamb meatballs but these may be my favorite, the glaze is so good. Thank you for your nice compliment, I sorry to be responding so late.
This really is a great way to mix up the dinner routine. And as luck would have it, I have some lamb in the freezer right now that I need to use. We’re moving this summer, so we’re in full-on “clean out the freezer” mode…and this is definitely how I plan to use that ground lamb!! The pomegranate glaze is such a fun twist.
HI David, I know where you are coming when having to clean out the freezer when moving. I do think you would enjoy these lamb meatballs, the pomegranate glaze really makes them special. Thank you for your nice compliment.
You got me with the pistachio couscous, but I bet the lamb meatballs are amazing! Can’t wait to try this recipe, thanks Karen! Hope you are feeling better!
Hi Anna, Yes I am feeling lots better, thank you so much❣️ This did turn out to be a terrific meal and the pistachio couscous went so well with the pomegranate meatballs. Thank you and I’m sorry to be responding so late.
Oooo this looks epic and sounds utterly delicious! I do love meatballs with sticky sweet and savoury glaze, so this is right up my alley!
I appreciate your very nice compliment Ben, thank you. I do hope you will enjoy the pomegranate meatballs.
What a recipe! I love everything about it from the meatball glaze to the couscous. That a plateful of deliciousness!