You already know how to make meatballs. Tonight you’re making them with ground lamb, and this creamy lamb meatball curry tastes like your favorite order from the Indian place across town. Somebody will tear off a piece of naan to scrape up every last bit of the sauce, and somebody is definently going to ask if theres more after the pot is clean.
You don’t need a specialty butcher for the swap. If your store carries Freedom Run Farm, that’s pasture-raised American lamb from independent shepherds, sold in the same one pound package as the ground beef you were about to grab – it’s hands down our favorite lamb – so much so we call it life changing. Make these once, and you’ll start eyeing every recipe that calls for ground beef.
🔪 Ingredients for Lamb Meatball Curry
If you’ve made our lamb keema with tadka yogurt, that one keeps the ground lamb loose and piles it over cool yogurt. This one rolls the lamb into meatballs and simmers them in a creamy tomato curry, so it eats like a saucy weeknight curry over rice. More ways to use a pound of lamb live in our ground lamb recipes, and every cut gets its turn in our lamb recipes.
For the Lamb Meatballs
- Ground lamb: American lamb if you can find it. Freedom Run Farm ground lamb is carried by some Kroger family stores, including King Soopers, Fred Meyer, and Ralphs.
- Red onion: finely chopped, so it blends into the meatball instead of breaking it apart.
- Garlic: minced.
- Fresh ginger: grated.
- Garam masala, ground cumin, and ground coriander
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cilantro: chopped.
- Oil: for browning the meatballs.
For the Curry Sauce
- Ghee or butter: ghee is clarified butter, so it handles the heat of cooking the onion without the milk solids browning as fast.
- Red onion: finely chopped.
- Garlic and fresh ginger: minced and grated.
- Curry powder
- Ground cumin, ground coriander, and garam masala
- Chili powder: the heat dial for the whole pan. Go lighter for a mild curry, heavier if you like it hot.
- Tomato puree: the smooth canned kind, not crushed tomatoes.
- Water
- Heavy cream: goes in over low heat at the end.
- Kosher salt
For Serving
- Fresh cilantro: chopped.
- Basmati rice
- Naan
- Lemon wedges
Equipment
- Large skillet with a lid: the meatballs brown, the sauce simmers, and everything finishes in the same pan, so the flavor from browning stays in the curry.
- Large mixing bowl: enough room to mix the lamb gently without packing it.
- Grater or microplane: for the fresh ginger.
- Instant read thermometer: ground lamb is done at 160°F, and a Thermapen tells you when the biggest meatball gets there.
- Plate: holds the meatballs between browning and the simmer.
📝 How to Make Lamb Meatball Curry
- In a large bowl, combine the ground lamb, red onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, coriander, salt, and cilantro. Mix gently with your hands just until combined and no streaks of spice remain. Overmixing packs the meat and makes dense meatballs.
- Roll the mixture into 16 to 18 small, evenly sized meatballs so they cook at the same rate. Set them on a plate.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the meatballs and cook 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. They don’t need to be cooked through yet; they finish in the sauce. Move them back to the plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the ghee or butter to the same skillet. Add the chopped red onion and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and chili powder. Cook 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly, until the spices smell toasted. Stay at the stove for this one, because ground spices scorch fast.
- Pour in the tomato puree, water, and salt. Stir well and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream until the sauce is smooth, creamy, and one even color.
- Return the browned meatballs to the skillet. Cover and simmer over low-medium heat 10 to 12 minutes, until the meatballs read 160°F in the center on an instant read thermometer and the sauce has thickened.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with basmati rice, naan, and lemon wedges.
🔄 Substitutions
- Ground beef for ground lamb: same amounts, same times. The curry comes out milder and less rich.
- Ground chicken for ground lamb: a leaner, lighter meatball. Cook ground chicken to 165°F instead of 160°F.
- Butter for ghee: works in the sauce. Keep the heat at medium, since butter’s milk solids brown faster than ghee.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- Stop mixing sooner than you think. The lamb mixture only needs to come together. Keep working it and the meatballs turn dense.
- The browning seasons the sauce, too. Browning the meatballs first adds flavor to both the lamb and the curry, and because the sauce starts in the same skillet, nothing from that sear gets left behind. More skillet-first cooking lives in our pan-seared recipes.
- Color first, cook through later. The first 6 to 8 minutes are only about a brown outside. The meatballs finish during the covered simmer, and they’re done at 160°F, the USDA safe minimum for ground lamb. Check the biggest one.
- Chili powder decides the heat. Everything else in the spice mix is warmth, not fire. Adjust the chili powder and leave the rest alone.
🍽️ What to Serve with Lamb Meatball Curry
- Basmati rice under the meatballs, so every spoonful of curry has somewhere to soak in. Want the rice to bring its own spice? Try our biryani rice.
- Warm naan, torn by hand and dragged through whatever sauce is left in the skillet.
- Raita on the side. Cold cucumber yogurt next to a hot, creamy curry is the bite you keep going back to.
- A drizzle of cilantro yogurt sauce over the top for something fresh and green.
- Lemon wedges, squeezed right before you eat, to brighten all that cream.
🧊 Leftovers and Storage
- Fridge: store the meatballs and sauce together in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat: in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of water, stirring gently, until the meatballs are hot through, 165°F in the center.
- Freezer: freeze meatballs and sauce together for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. A cream sauce can separate slightly after freezing, so stir it as it reheats.
You’re swapping the ground beef for lamb tonight, and nobody at the table is going to complain. Keep the naan close, because the creamy curry these meatballs finish in is the part everyone goes back for.
Prevent your screen from going to sleep
Mix the Ground Lamb
-
In a large bowl, combine the ground lamb, red onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, coriander, salt, and cilantro. Mix gently until just combined.
Brown the Meatballs
-
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. They do not need to be fully cooked at this stage. Transfer to a plate.
Cook the Onion
-
Reduce the heat to medium and add the ghee or butter to the same skillet. Add the chopped red onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Toast the Spices
-
Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and chili powder. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly.
Make the Curry Sauce
-
Pour in the tomato puree, water, and salt. Stir well and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the sauce slightly thickens.
Simmer the Meatballs
-
Return the browned lamb meatballs to the skillet. Cover and simmer over low-medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through (160°F in the center) and the sauce has thickened.
- Don’t overmix the lamb mixture or the meatballs can become dense.
- Browning the meatballs first adds extra flavor to both the lamb and the curry sauce.
- Adjust chili powder depending on how spicy you want the curry.
- Make ahead: shape the meatballs up to 1 day ahead, cover, and refrigerate.
- To bake instead: 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, then finish in the curry sauce.
- Ground beef or chicken work in place of lamb; the flavor and richness will be different. Cook ground chicken to 165°F.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 605kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 850mg | Potassium: 991mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1222IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 6mg
Quick Summary
Lamb meatball curry is ground lamb meatballs seasoned with garam masala, cumin, coriander, ginger, and cilantro, browned in a skillet, then simmered in a creamy tomato curry made in the same pan. Brown the meatballs 6 to 8 minutes without cooking them through, toast the spices for no more than a minute, and finish the meatballs covered in the sauce until they reach 160°F.
❓ FAQs
Kofta is the word for spiced meatballs in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking, so kofta curry is meatballs simmered in a curry sauce. This lamb meatball curry is our version, with ground lamb meatballs finished in a creamy tomato curry.
Yes. Shape the meatballs up to 1 day ahead, cover them, and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook.
Yes. Bake them at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, then finish them in the curry sauce. Start the sauce by melting the ghee in the skillet, since there won’t be any browning in the pan.
Ground lamb is safe at 160°F, the USDA minimum for ground meat. Check the center of the biggest meatball at the end of the simmer.