These Gluten-Free Meatballs are easy, juicy meatballs perfect for serving on their own or covered with your favorite spaghetti sauce for a comforting dinner. Plus, these are also low-carb meatballs using almond flour as a low-carb breadcrumbs.
I love simple and gluten-free meat recipes, like my Blackened Chicken, Baked Pork Chops, or Black Pepper Angus Steak. They are all super simple and delicious and can accommodate most dietary requirements.
These meatballs are an easy, delicious dinner that the whole family loves. But it doesn’t have to be high-carb or loaded with gluten. Here I am showing you how you can make healthy meatballs without breadcrumbs or panko crumbs. Therefore, these meatballs are gluten-free, low-carb, and diabetes-friendly.
Unfortunately, most meatballs are not gluten-free because they contain wheat-based breadcrumbs like Panko crumb of wheat crumb. Some other recipes are even made with fresh bread. While it’s possible to make gluten-free meatballs with gluten-free breadcrumbs, it’s much tastier to make them with some other ingredients.
Ingredients and Substitutions
It’s very easy to make gluten-free meatballs. Here are the ingredients you need to make this delicious low-carb gluten-free dinner.
- Lean Ground Beef – I used lean ground Angus beef.
- Ground Pork – You can also use ground chicken, more ground beef, or Italian sausage meat. I like to use a combination of beef and pork, the flavor is amazing.
- Almond Flour or almond meal. This flour is naturally gluten-free and perfect for anyone with celiac disease. It’s also a keto low-carb flour and adds healthy fat to the recipe. Of course, if you have nut allergies, you can also replace this with a gluten-free breadcrumb of your choice.
- Egg – To make them stick together and increase the protein.
- Salt and Pepper – to taste.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves or garlic powder.
- Onion Powder – Or finely minced onion.
- Parsley – Or a mix of herbs.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – For a dairy-free meatball recipe, skip the cheese and add some nutritional yeast if you want to add a cheesy flavor without adding cheese. Usually, 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast are enough for this recipe.
How To Make Gluten-Free Meatballs
- In a large bowl, add the ground meat, beaten egg, onion powder, garlic, chopped parsley, almond flour, salt, and pepper.
- Use a wooden spoon to combine everything together, or use your hands to press the meat to the remaining ingredients to bring everything together.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper with oil spray.
- Slightly oil your hands with olive oil, this prevents the meatball mixture from sticking to your hand when forming meatballs.
- Use a small cookie dough scoop or a tablespoon to scoop out the meatball mixture.
- Then, release the meat mixture into your greased hands and gently roll it into a ball.
- Place each meatball onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving half a thumb of space between each meatball. The meatballs release juice and oil in the oven, so it’s better to spread them out on the baking sheet, so they don’t get too oily.
- Baking meatballs in the oven is the easiest way to cook a large batch of meatballs.
- Plus, it’s also healthier as the grease from the meat is released on the baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheets in the center rack, or bottom center rack if you are baking two baking sheets at once.
- Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes flipping them halfway until they are golden-brown outside, and the internal temperature is between 160°F and 165°F. They will still be tender on the inside. Read more about cooking steaks to the perfect level.
Air-Frying Meatballs
You can also air fry meatballs. Spray some oil onto the air fryer basket to prevent the balls from sticking to it. You can also line the bottom of the basket with foil.
Place the meatballs onto the air fryer basket and air fry for 18 minutes at 350°F (180°C), shaking the basket halfway to move the meatballs around and air fry evenly.
Expert Tips & Troubleshooting
- Meat temperature: For the best texture, use cold meat straight from the refrigerator. This helps the meatballs hold their shape better during cooking.
- Don’t overmix: Mix the ingredients just until combined. Overmixing can lead to tough, dense meatballs.
- Uniform size: Use a cookie scoop or kitchen scale to ensure all meatballs are the same size, promoting even cooking.
- Chill before cooking: If time allows, chill the formed meatballs in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking. This helps them maintain their shape.
- Browning option: For extra flavor, quickly brown the meatballs in a skillet before baking. This creates a flavorful crust.
- Moisture control: If your mixture seems too wet, add a bit more almond flour. If too dry, a splash of beef broth can help.
- Flavor boost: For deeper flavor, try adding a tablespoon of tomato paste or a splash of Worcestershire sauce to the mixture.
- Make ahead: You can form the meatballs and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before cooking, making meal prep easier.
- Freezing raw meatballs: Flash freeze raw meatballs on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag for future use.
- Sauce pairing: When serving with sauce, slightly undercook the meatballs, then finish cooking them in the simmering sauce for added flavor absorption.
Perfect Side Recipes
These meatballs are delicious on their own as a low-carb dinner, or you can use them on top of your favorite pasta and tomato sauce including:
Serving Suggestions
This gluten-free meatball recipe is delicious plain to serve as an appetizer or meal and dip into creamy dips like:
You can also cook these meatballs in your favorite spaghetti sauce, in a slow cooker, or non-stick saucepan. The best sauces to cook these meatballs are:
Storage Instructions
These meatballs can be stored for up to 2 days in the fridge, in a sealed container. Rewarm the meatballs in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat until warm in the center. You can also freeze leftover meatballs in a sealed box or freezer bags. They can be stored for up to 1 month. Thaw the meatballs in the fridge the day before.
Allergy Swaps
Below are some options to adapt this GF meatball recipe if you have allergies to its ingredients.
- Dairy-Free – The cheese is totally optional in this recipe. It adds flavors but no texture so you can skip it without replacing the cheese with anything else. Keep in mind that Parmesan cheese is very salty, so if you skip cheese the meatballs need a boost of salt. You can also add a cheesy flavor using 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast in the meatball mixture.
- Nut-Free – Almond flour can be replaced with gluten-free Panko crumbs or ground sesame seeds or ground sunflower seeds to keep the recipe low-carb.
- Meat Alternatives – Any ground meat works in this recipe including ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground pork, but also ground vegan meat alternatives.
- Egg-Free Meatballs – You can replace the egg with a flax egg or a cornstarch slurry. Stir one tablespoon of flaxseed meal or cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside for 5 minutes then add to the meat mixture to replace the egg.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the most frequent questions about making these low-carb meatballs.
The best way to cook meatballs to perfection with a juicy center and crispy outside is to check their internal temperature using a meat thermometer,
This tells you when the meat is cooked in the middle but still juicy.
The best gluten-free meatballs are done when their outside is golden brown and crispy, and their internal temperature is between 160°F and 165°F.
Yes, you can add the meatballs in a non-stick frying pan, no need for oil.
Cook the meatballs for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking them in the pan very often to cook them evenly on all sides.
During the last 2 to 3 minutes, cover the pan with a lid, reduce to low heat and keep cooking until the center is warm and cooked.
Absolutely, you can use Italian sausage meat to make meatballs.
However, the sausage meat is often a bit salty or flavored so you may have to cut down the salt in the recipe to avoid salty meatballs.
Absolutely, you can replace the ground meat with Impossible Meat. Skip the egg and replace it with a flax egg. Stir one tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water.
Use it as an egg in the recipe.
Skip the cheese or swap it for 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast.
Coconut flour is also a low-carb gluten-free flour, so it’s suitable for people with celiac disease.
However, coconut flour is highly moisture absorbent, and usually, you need 4 times less coconut flour than almond flour.
It means you won’t be able to swap almond flour for the same amount of coconut flour.
I recommend starting with 2 tablespoons of coconut flour and increasing to reach the best texture, adding more tablespoons gradually.
No, Trader Joe’s Meatballs contain breadcrumbs made from wheat, they are therefore not gluten-free.
No, Costco’s Kirkland Italian Meatballs are also made with breadcrumbs made from wheat. They are therefore not gluten-free.
More Beef Recipes
Below are some more beef recipes for you to try:
This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slightly oil paper with olive oil. Set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, add ground meat, beaten egg, almond flour, Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, onion powder, garlic, salt, and pepper.
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Stir with a spoon at first, then squeeze batter by hand until the meatball mixture is well combined and all ingredients stick together.
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Wash hands, dry, and oil hands with oil.
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Using a small cookie dough scoop, take some mixture and release it into your oiled hands before rolling it into a ball.
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Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture until all balls are formed.
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Bake in the center rack of the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and the meatballs’ internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
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Serve with your favorite pasta sauce or dipping sauce.
Serving: 1 meatballCalories: 91 kcal (5%)Carbohydrates: 1.3 gFiber: 0.5 g (2%)Net Carbs: 0.8 gProtein: 5.5 g (11%)Fat: 7.2 g (11%)Saturated Fat: 2.2 g (14%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2 gMonounsaturated Fat: 2.2 gTrans Fat: 0.3 gCholesterol: 26.5 mg (9%)Sodium: 98.9 mg (4%)Potassium: 69.4 mg (2%)Sugar: 0.2 gVitamin A: 24.4 IUVitamin B12: 0.5 µg (8%)Vitamin C: 0.1 mgVitamin D: 0.1 µg (1%)Calcium: 26.4 mg (3%)Iron: 0.7 mg (4%)Magnesium: 4.8 mg (1%)Zinc: 1 mg (7%)
About The Author
Carine Claudepierre
Hi, I’m Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I’m passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I’m also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
