Paleo Sweet & Sour Meatballs recipe gluten-free dairy-free (2024)

By Laura

Posted Jan 05, 2017, Updated Oct 19, 2021

5 from 4 votes

25 Comments

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Paleo Sweet and Sour Meatballs are a delicious, kid-approved, quick & easy dinner recipe. Made with a few ingredients in 20 minutes.

Paleo Sweet & Sour Meatballs recipe gluten-free dairy-free (2)

These paleo sweet and sour meatballs are a healthy meal that’s delicious and easy. Served with a side of stir fry vegetables you have a healthy and balanced dinner the whole family loves.

Because if I’m being honest, I don’t always have the energy to spend hours in the kitchen, but I still want to feed my family nourishing meals that they actually like.

Asian recipes (like these lettuce wraps, cashew chicken stir fry, etc). almost always win in my house when I need a quick dinner! They’rehealthy, take less than 30 minutes to prepare, and taste amazing.These Paleo Sweet and Sour Meatballs are always a hit, and everyone in my family loves them! Plus they are gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar free!

Paleo Sweet & Sour Meatballs recipe gluten-free dairy-free (3)

How to Make Paleo Sweet and Sour Meatballs:

This recipe is easy to make in the oven or on the stovetop.

In the Oven

If you’d prefer to make baked meatballs, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet, set aside.

Then, place the meatballs on a greased baking sheet evenly spread out.

Next, bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

Paleo Sweet & Sour Meatballs recipe gluten-free dairy-free (4)

On the Stovetop

If you prefer to cook the paleo sweet and sour meatballs on the stovetop, being by heating 1-2 TBS olive oil in a nonstick fry pan over medium heat.

Then, add half of the meatballs and cover.

Cook, covered, on one side for 4-5 minutes or until they are golden-brown.

Serve

Serve these paleo sweet and sour meatballs with your favorite Asian dishes like stir fried vegetables, fried rice, or an asian quinoa salad, etc.

Store/freeze

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Recipe FAQs

How do you keep meatballs from falling apart?

The egg and coconut flour bind the meatballs together so they don’t fall apart.

Is it better to bake or fry meatballs?

Either method works really well, it’s completely a personal preference.

What can I use instead of milk in meatballs?

You can replace the dairy-free milk with some soy sauce, hoisin sauce, or even a pureed vegetable (like pumpkin or zucchini) for moisture.

Paleo Sweet and Sour Meatballs: Ingredients & Substitutions

Meatballs

Ground Turkey. Lean ground beef and ground chicken also work well in this recipe.
Milk.Any dairy-free, paleo-friendly milk works great in this recipe. Regular milk also works.
Onion/garlic powder. Real onion and minced garlic can be substituted for the powders. Just be aware it will add texture to the meatballs. I recommend cooking them together until soft and letting them cool before mixing them into the meatballs.
Coconut flour. It only takes a small amount of coconut flour to bind the meatballstogether beautifully!No need to usebreadcrumbs or other ingredientsthat usually make them off-limits for people with dietary restrictions. I don’t recommend substitutions.

Sauce

Coconut sugar. I usually use coconut sugar as the sweetener. Ihave also had success with honey andregular organic sugar (not paleo).
Vinegar.Both apple cider and distilled white vinegar can be used in this recipe.
Ketchup. To keep these healthy sweet and sour meatballs paleo, be sure to use a paleo-approved ketchup or this low carb ketchup! If paleo isn’t your thing, any ketchup will work (just please choose an organic variety whose main ingredient is not corn syrup)!
Coconut Aminos.If you do not need to keep this recipe paleo, you can substitute soy sauce for the coconut aminos.

Paleo Sweet & Sour Meatballs recipe gluten-free dairy-free (7)

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Paleo Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Laura

Equipment

Ingredients

Meatballs:

▢ 1 lb ground turkey or 93/7 lean ground beef
▢ 1 TBS coconut aminos (or soy sauce – not paleo)
▢ 1 TBS milk unsweetened almond or coconut milk
▢ 1 egg beaten
▢ 1 ½ TBS coconut flour
▢ ½ tsp onion powder
▢ ½ tsp garlic powder
▢ ¾ tsp sea salt
▢ ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

▢ ¾ cup coconut sugar or honey or organic cane sugar (not paleo)
▢ ½ cup distilled white or apple cider vinegar
▢ ¼ cup ketchup {paleo approved}
▢ 1 tsp garlic salt
▢ 1 TBS coconut aminos (or soy sauce – not paleo)

Thickener:

▢ 1 TBS tapioca flour or arrowroot flour
▢ 1½ TBS water

Instructions

Making the meatballs:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet, set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (coconut flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper). Set aside.
In a large bowl mix together the meat, coconut aminos, milk and egg until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to meat mixture. Stir until well combined.
Roll the mixture into 1-2” balls and place evenly spaced on your prepared baking sheet. (This step could be pretty messy and sticky, but don’t worry they will bake very nicely)!
Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until tops are slightly browned or internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Making the sauce:

While meatballs are baking, in a small bowl whisk together the sauce ingredients: sugar, vinegar, ketchup, garlic salt and coconut aminos. Set aside.

Putting it together:

Transfer the baked meatballs into a pot or pan (I use a 4 quart saucepan) and pour sauce over them. Cook on medium heat until sauce begins to bubble, stirring every 3 minutes.
Mix 1 TBS tapioca flour into 1½ TBS cold water and add to sauce.
Continue to cook over medium heat until sauce thickens and the meatballs are evenly coated.
Serve warm with stir-fried veggies, spaghetti squash, or your favorite Asian sides!

Notes

This recipe feeds my family (2 adults, 3 kids) perfectly. If you have more mouths to feed I recommend doubling it!

Ingredient Substitutions

Meatballs

Ground Turkey. Lean ground beef and ground chicken also work well in this recipe.
Milk.Any dairy-free, paleo-friendly milk works great in this recipe. Regular milk also works.
Onion/garlic powder. Real onion and minced garlic can be substituted for the powders. Just be aware it will add texture to the meatballs. I recommend cooking them together until soft and letting them cool before mixing them into the meatballs.
Coconut flour. It only takes a small amount of coconut flour to bind the meatballstogether beautifully!No need to usebreadcrumbs or other ingredientsthat usually make them off-limits for people with dietary restrictions. I don’t recommend substitutions.

Sauce

Coconut sugar. I usually use coconut sugar as the sweetener. Ihave also had success with honey andregular organic sugar (not paleo).
Vinegar.Both apple cider and distilled white vinegar can be used in this recipe.
Ketchup. To keep these healthy sweet and sour meatballs paleo, be sure to use a paleo-approved ketchup or this low carb ketchup! If paleo isn’t your thing, any ketchup will work (just please choose an organic variety whose main ingredient is not corn syrup)!
Coconut Aminos.If you do not need to keep this recipe paleo, you can substitute soy sauce for the coconut aminos.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

Seriously this recipe is SO good! I am not a huge meat eater, but I could eat these all day long! Even my kids gobble them up! Serve with some stir-fried veggies, rice, egg noodles, or whatever your favorite Asian side dish may be! The possibilities are endless!

Here are a few more delicious ground turkey recipes:

This Thai Slow Cooker Ground turkey is a staple recipe in our house!
These Italian Healthy Turkey Meatballs are SO good served over pasta or zoodles!
Ground Turkey Italian Stuffed Peppers are a great meal-prep recipe or a main dish to feed a crowd!

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