Gluten Free Meatballs

Gluten Free Meatballs are quick and easy to saute or cook in your instant pot, slow-cooker, or bake in the oven. Gluten free turkey meatballs, gluten free pork meatballs, or gluten free beef meatballs, you can use any ground meat, even lamb. They make an easy gluten-free meal the whole family will love, gluten-free or not.

How to make Gluten Free Meatballs

Ground turkey meatballs can make a quick and easy dinner! I love ground turkey recipes because ground turkey is often more affordable than ground beef.

Ground turkey often has a lower fat content so there is no need to drain off grease, which saves time.  It can make easy dinners, like my gluten free korean ground turkey and rice bowl a breeze to make on a rushed weeknight.

I often make meatballs using ground turkey. My family can’t tell that my meatballs aren’t beef because they are so flavorful!

All of that aside, this recipe works equally well with beef, pork, or sausage so you can make whatever gluten-free meatballs your family likes most.

The ingredients for gluten free meatballs are simple.

And they are easy to prep! Just mix the ingredients together in a bowl, scoop the turkey mixture and shape it into balls.

I use my 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop because it makes shaping the turkey meatballs quick and easy. They come out mostly round, and I just smooth them out a little by gently rolling each meatball between my palms before cooking.

To make gluten free meatballs you will need:

·         Ground turkey, or ground beef, ground pork, ground chicken, or any combination of ground meat. You could also use ground lamb. Sometimes I'll use part Italian sausage for more flavor.

·         Gluten free breadcrumbs (or a substitute, see my notes below.)

·         An egg (helps to bind things together. If you have an egg allergy, you can leave it out and add about 2 extra tablespoons of milk. Your mixture will be more delicate, but it will still work)

·         Milk (I use unsweetened plain coconut milk or almond milk, but you can also use dairy milk or another unsweetened plain milk substitute. Unless you are craving vanilla meatballs.)

·         Garlic powder

·         Onion powder (or dehydrated onion. I used both! The onion powder is easily evenly distributed throughout the turkey meatball mixture, and the dehydrated onions add extra flavor. I don't rehydrate them, I just added them in so they would rehydrate and absorb juice and flavor from the ground turkey.)

·         Parley (a classic meatball herb, in my opinion)

·         Rosemary (Not as classic of a herb for meatballs, but I think it makes the turkey meatballs really yummy. Many ground turkey products have rosemary extract, not only as a preserving agent but as a flavoring because rosemary just makes ground turkey taste great! I used some dried rosemary. If you don’t have it on hand, you can skip it. But it really makes it tasty)

·         Salt & Pepper (if you leave it out, it is bland city.)

Are meatballs gluten free?

Did you know that most meatballs aren’t gluten free? The same goes for meatloaf. ( If you want a gluten free meatloaf, mine is made in the slowcooker and is easy peasy. I also have a gluten free turkey meatloaf that is so good, you won't miss the moo.)

Traditionally meatballs have breadcrumbs in them.

The breadcrumbs, along with milk, eggs, and seasoning, help your meatballs to be tender and juicy.

The breadcrumbs can absorb extra fat from the ground meat, which keeps your meatballs juicy.

To make gluten-free meatloaf or meatballs simply swap the regular breadcrumbs for a gluten free breadcrumb or substitute.

Where do you buy gluten free bread crumbs?

I see gluten free breadcrumbs at nearly every store I shop at. Even Walmart has some in stock!

If you are planning ahead and find a good deal of breadcrumbs, go ahead and buy some.

How do you make gluten free breadcrumbs?

You certainly don’t need to buy breadcrumbs, it is super easy to make them. And you don’t have to have gluten free bread!

You can make gluten free breadcrumbs with:

·         Rice Chex Cereal (I put it in a bowl and crush it with my potato masher. You can also give it a quick pulse in the blender.)

·         Gluten Free Crisp Rice Cereal (I treat it the same as Rice Chex. Be sure you use a gluten free crisp rice cereal. Rice Krispies are not gluten free because they contain malt extract. I love Malt ‘O Meal’s Crisp Rice cereal and buy it at Walmart. I know others love Erewhon’s Crisp Rice Cereal.)

·         Gluten Free Waffles (If I need gluten free breadcrumbs and don’t have any cereal on hand, I’ll mix up my grandma’s Gluten Free Waffles. I often have extras stowed in the freezer, which are perfect too. You can pulse gluten free waffles in the blender or food processor, but my favorite way to make gluten free waffles into breadcrumbs is to run them through the shredder/grater attachment on my mixer.)

·         Leftover gluten free bread pieces (Whenever you have gluten free crusts or bread heels, save them in a bag in the freezer. When you have enough, pulse them into crumbs.)

·         Gluten free baking fails (Have you recently had any gluten free “hockey puck” situations? Even if the texture is wrong, you can crumble or pulse your fail and then toast the crumbs in the oven. I wouldn’t suggest cookies crumbs for gluten free meatballs, though.)

How do you cook gluten free turkey meatballs?

My favorite ways to cook gluten free turkey meatballs are:

1. Saute in a skillet on the stove top
2. Bake in the oven
3. Pressure cook in sauce in my Instant Pot
4. Slow cook in sauce
5. Freeze them to cook later (I know, I know, that isn’t actually cooking them. But trust me, you’ll want to do it too!)

How do you cook turkey meatballs on the stove top?

I love cooking my turkey meatballs on the stove top because I can get a nice caramelization on all sized.

Browning = flavor

You just don’t get the same browning if you cook them in a pressure cooker, slow cooker, or in the oven.

Cooking on a stove top also means I can turn my gluten free meatballs frequently to help them retain their round shape.

While I think that cooking turkey meatballs in a skillet on the range gets the best texture and flavor, I usually don’t do it just because I don’t want to/have the time to babysit the pan.

If you do have the time, your efforts will be rewarded. Just look at those juicy golden turkey meatballs.

They remind me of the chicken meatballs you can get at Ikea, so I served mine with some cherry filling on the side instead of the lignon berry sauce that Ikea has (just because that is what I have.) So yummy!

To saute your turkey meatballs:

Heat a skillet (nonstick or cast iron are my favorites) over medium heat and add a little drizzle of oil. I like to use olive oil, but coconut oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil will work great too.

Once your pan is hot, add your turkey meatballs. Keep them rolling around, every 30 seconds or so, to help them brown evenly and retain their roundness.

How do you cook turkey meatballs in the oven?

I love baking my turkey meatballs because I don’t have to babysit them, and it is still pretty quick. I often pop them in the oven and then will play with the kids or help them with homework.

For easy clean-up, I always line my baking sheet with aluminum foil. A little drizzle of oil will help to keep the turkey meatballs from sticking, and will help them to brown.

If you use parchment paper instead, you may not need to use any oil because the parchment paper will prevent them from sticking.

To promote even browning, plan to give your turkey meatballs a little flip about half-way through.

To bake turkey meatballs in the oven:

Preheat your oven to 375°f and line a baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Place your turkey meatballs on the prepared baking sheet with an inch or so in between (they can be close, just not touching).

Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and then bake for another 6-10 minutes or until they are cooked through. They will reach an internal temperature of 165°f and be lightly golden.

How do you cook turkey meatballs in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot?

My hands-down favorite way to cook turkey meatballs is in my Instant Pot. Why? It is super quick and easy.

The meatballs also impart a great flavor to the sauce, and the sauce flavors the turkey meatballs.

Clean up is super easy! Also, you can cook frozen-raw meatballs in the same time as you would cook raw meatballs.

If I’m making spaghetti, I will pour in one jar of pasta sauce.

If I’m making Teriyaki or Barbecue turkey meatballs, I’ll do 1-2 cups of sauce.

You need at least one cup for the pressure cooker to come up to pressure properly, and safely.

To cook turkey meatballs in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot:

Pour at least one cup of your favorite sauce into your pressure cooker.

Add your turkey meatballs to the sauce and set your Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker to manual 10 minutes on high pressure.

When finished, release pressure with either the natural or quick release method.

How do you cook turkey meatballs in a slow cooker or crock pot?

When I’m on top of things and already prepping my dinner in the morning, my slow cooker is perfect for cooking turkey meatballs.

It has all the same flavor pros as using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.

The meat flavors the sauce and the sauce flavors the meat.

To cook turkey meatballs in a slow cooker:

Add your sauce to your slow cooker and set it to HIGH before you mix up your turkey meatball.

As you roll your meatballs, you can drop them into the warm sauce.

Cook in your slow cooker for 6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.

How do you freeze gluten free turkey meatballs?

Whenever I make gluten free meatballs, I make a double batch. Always! I at least make a double batch, if not a triple batch. Why? Because they freeze incredibly well.

There are two ways to freeze gluten free turkey meatballs

Freeze raw gluten free turkey meatballs

Or

Freeze cooked gluten free turkey meatballs

To be honest, I rarely freeze already cooked gluten free turkey meatballs, unless we have leftovers that I know we won’t eat in the next few days.

I always freeze my meatballs raw.

To freeze uncooked gluten free turkey meatballs:

Scoop the turkey meatball mixture (I use my 1 ½ tablespoon (medium) cookie scoop and gently roll into a ball between the palms of your hands.

Line the rolled turkey meatballs up inside of a freezer-safe gallon size plastic zipper bag.

Carefully squeeze out excess air and then freeze the turkey meatballs on a flat surface.

How do you cook raw turkey meatballs from frozen?

My favorite way to cook my frozen raw turkey meatballs is in my Instant Pot.

It doesn’t take any extra time under pressure! I also often bake my frozen raw turkey meatballs. Just add a few extra minutes of cooking time, and you can cook them from frozen! I just pull however many meatballs I need for dinner out the freezer bag, and then save the rest for later.

These Teriyaki meatballs were made in my instant pot, and they are so easy! Just cook your meatballs in gluten free teriyaki sauce instead of pasta sauce or marinara.

I also will bake frozen turkey meatballs, they just need a few extra minutes of cook time.

If you want to cook frozen turkey meatballs on the stove top, I’d recommend thawing them at least partially or they’ll burn on the outside before they are cooked through.

I do not recommend cooking frozen meatballs in a slow cooker, for food safety reasons. Adding frozen meatballs for cold sauce, they will not come up to a safe temperature quick enough and bacteria will grow.