I can remember back in high school we’d leave at lunch time to go get teriyaki and it was quite literally the highlight of my day lol. SO this dish is extra special because I finally have a healthy teriyaki meatball recipe and I KNOW you guys will love it! Sometimes if I ever get bored with recipes I’ll search good old Pinterest and turn some unhealthy inspo into a more nutrient-dense meal with better ingredients, so this is the product of that! Gluten-free, refined sugar-free and soy-free!
It was actually super easy to make. I prepped all the ingredients to have them laid out in front of me, then I mixed the ground chicken with red onion, green onion, almond flour, 2 eggs, teriyaki sauce and seasonings. The mixture shouldn’t be dry after mixing thoroughly. Make sure to have your baking sheet prepped with parchment paper before you begin to roll into meatballs.
The trick is to continue to wet your hands each time you form a ball to prevent the meat from sticking to your hands. Be gentle, cause they may fall apart easily depending on which meat you choose to use. Place on the baking sheet side-by-side until all are rolled. You may need two baking sheets or have to do a second batch.
They should be completely cooked within 20 minutes — I made them about 1.5-inches wide for reference. While they’re cooking, you can start heating your sauce. This sauce is INSANE, let me just say that!! Gentle mix together your teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice (for added sweetness). *Just a heads up you will need about one and a half jars of the Primal Kitchen No-Soy Teriyaki Sauce if you end up using this one ๐
To add the arrowroot starch as a thickener, stir/whisk together 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tbsp arrowroot starch in a small bowl until it fully dissolves before pouring in your skillet. This will prevent clumps in your sauce. You can also substitute cornstarch if you don’t have access to arrowroot.
Using tongs, gently transfer meatballs to your large skillet with your teriyaki sauce. Give a gentle toss so they’re completely covered, then top with additional sesame seeds & chopped green onion. They’re ready to serve! I also made sprouted brown rice because what’s a better combo than teriyaki and rice??? And also a big salad with sautรฉed broccolini. I trim the ends off the broccolini, slice lengthwise a few times so they’re thinner + easy to digest, then toss them in a skillet with a splash of avocado oil and a little ghee with pink salt. Cook on medium heat and tossing every few minutes until they’re cooked and slightly charred ๐ Nothing better!
Try this one out and let me know what you think! Don’t forget to rate the recipe below, I really appreciate it <3 xx Rachael
SHOP WHAT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs
Healthy teriyaki meatballs made gluten-free and soy-free!! You will love this recipe ๐ Perfect to make extra for leftovers for the week.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 lbs organic ground chicken (feel free to use whatever protein you prefer)
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1/3 cup green onion, chopped
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (I usedย Primal Kitchen Foodsย no-soy teriyaki marinade)
- few shakes pink salt, ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Sauce
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1/2 cup pure pineapple juice
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch (can sub cornstarch)
- 2 tbsp water
Toppings
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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ย In a large bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.
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With wet hands, roll mixture into 1.5-inch balls and place side by side on the baking sheet. Youโll have to be gentle when rolling and continue to wet hands to prevent sticking. Bake for 20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, heat teriyaki sauce + pineapple juice in large skillet. Mix arrowroot starch with water in a small bowl until fully dissolved before adding to sauce.
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Once boiling, bring down to simmer. Add meatballs once theyโre done, toss in sauce & top with green onion + sesame seeds.
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I made sprouted brown rice and added a big salad / sautรฉed broccolini on the side.
Very delicious! I actually used a cookie scooper instead of my hands to shape them and they came out pretty decent! Thanks for another simple, delicious and healthy recipe! ๐
So good! And so easy! Excited to double batch these next time for easy lunches! Definitely making these again and again!
So yummy! If I were to freeze them, should I add the sauce too and just heat up on the stove when Iโm ready to take them out??
Just made these – WOW! Delicious! Will definitely be making these again!
Tried making these but the meat mixture was so wet! We double checked portions and had it all correct, so I’m not sure what went wrong. Next time maybe hold the Teriyaki because without that it might have been able to hold a shape
OMG. These are delicious teriyaki meatballs! They will definitely become a staple in our house ๐
These are awesome and easy – and winning combo for a new family staple recipe!
These were DELISH! Loved the idea of adding pineapple juice when I’d usually add brown sugar lol. I used ground pork, but these would work with any ground meat you like. I used a cookie scoop to help keep uniform size and baked a little higher temp (425) since it was pork and placed my tray in the top 1/3 of the oven and flipped them at 12 minutes to get some browning. Served with brown rice and steamed broccoli. Was excellent warmed up for lunch the next day. Will be making these frequently!
So good and so easy to make! Just the way I like it! Served ours with short grain brown rice and broccoli, delish!
These are so tasty!! I added some fresh ginger and topped with cilantro and sriracha. I will for sure be making these again. Thank you!
This was so good!!!
so good!! followed the recipe as written and will definitely make again. Perfect for left overs or meal prep too!
Sooo yummy! I used coco aminos + primal kitchen sesame ginger sauce. Delicious!
These are DELICIOUS! We use ground turkey and will include these in our regular rotation!
I have made these at least 5 separate times and they are SO good and so healthy. Definitely keeping these in my meal rotation!
So tasty!! This is a staple for sure.
So good! Can you freeze once cooked to have for a later day?
Can I substitute the flour? I have coconut, wheat, or quinoa?
This is a great recipe. My family has enjoyed it every time itโs made, and itโs super easy. If you have one, use a cookie scoop to form the meat, it makes things a lot easier. The only change I did was use fresh chopped garlic and ginger and chopped unsalted cashews when I can find them. Makes great leftovers as well, enjoy!