Looking for a better-for-you twist on a classic favorite? These Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs are juicy, tender, and packed with protein — perfect for weeknight dinners, potlucks, or game-day snacks. They’re gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and soy-free (when made with coconut aminos and no-soy teriyaki), but they don’t skimp on flavor!
These meatballs quickly became a staple in our house as soon as I made them, so I of course had to give them a spot on the blog and in my cookbook, Rachael’s Good Eats.
Why You’ll Love These Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs
These meatballs are a delicious way to enjoy a takeout-inspired meal at home — without extra sugar or processed ingredients. Made with organic ground chicken (or turkey/beef), almond flour, and a mouthwatering teriyaki-pineapple sauce, this recipe brings bold flavor and wholesome nutrition to your plate. They’re also:
- High in protein
- Gluten-free and soy-free options
- Kid-friendly and satisfying
- Easy to make and store
Whether you’re feeding your family or meal prepping for the week, these teriyaki meatballs deliver flavor and convenience
Insanely Delicious Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs
I’m confident you’re going to love these Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs just as much as we do. They’re a family-friendly favorite that you can feel great about serving, thanks to their high-protein, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and soy-free ingredients (when made with coconut aminos and a no-soy teriyaki sauce).
And don’t worry — healthy does not mean boring here. These meatballs are incredibly juicy, tender, and packed with flavor. A splash of pineapple juice mixed into the teriyaki sauce adds the perfect touch of natural sweetness, creating a crave-worthy glaze that tastes amazing over every bite. Best of all, they’re surprisingly easy to make, making them perfect for busy weeknights or meal prep.
I make these meatballs with ground organic chicken, but you could also sub for ground turkey or beef.
Combined with almond flour, eggs, scallions, coconut aminos, red onion, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic powder… well, I think you get how flavorful they are by now. And if you’re new to meatball-making, I’ve got some helpful tips & tricks below.
It’s only a matter of time before you’re making these flavorful, protein-packed cutie little meatballs on repeat. But don’t worry if there are miraculously any leftovers – they store and reheat well, which is always a win in the kitchen. Let me know what you think below. Hope you love ‘em!
Ingredients for Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs
For the Meatballs:
- Organic ground chicken (or substitute ground turkey or beef)
- Almond flour
- Pasture-raised eggs
- Scallions (white and light green parts)
- Coconut aminos
- Red onion
- Rice vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
- Ground ginger
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce:
- Arrowroot starch
- Teriyaki sauce (I like Primal Kitchen No Soy Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade)
- Unsweetened pineapple juice
- Scallions (white and light green parts)
- Sesame seeds
How to Make These Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs
1. Prepare the Meatballs
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, almond flour, eggs, scallions, coconut aminos, red onion, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic powder. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- With wet hands, roll the mixture into 1½-inch meatballs and place them evenly on the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until cooked through.
2. Make the Teriyaki Sauce
- Whisk arrowroot starch with warm water until smooth. Set aside.
- In a skillet, combine teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice over medium heat. Add the arrowroot mixture and simmer until silky and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the baked meatballs to the sauce and toss gently to coat.
- Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds before serving.
Pro Tip: Store leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days — great for lunches or quick dinners later in the week.
Tips & Substitutions
- Meat Options: Swap ground chicken for turkey or beef if preferred.
- Flour Swap: If gluten isn’t a concern, you can use regular breadcrumbs instead of almond flour.
- Sauce: Use your favorite teriyaki sauce — coconut aminos make this soy-free and gentle on digestion.
What to Serve With Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs?
These meatballs pair perfectly with:
- Steamed jasmine or brown rice
- Cauliflower rice for low-carb meals
- Crispy Buttery Broccolini
- Roasted veggies like broccolini or carrots
- Quinoa or spiralized veggie noodles
- A crisp green salad for lighter meals
Any Tricks to Making Perfect Meatballs?
A few simple tips can make all the difference when making homemade meatballs. Lightly wet your hands before rolling each meatball to prevent the mixture from sticking. Handle the meat gently — over-mixing or packing too tightly can cause meatballs to fall apart, especially when using lean meats like chicken or turkey.
For best results, roll all meatballs to a similar size so they cook evenly. Depending on the size of your baking sheet, you may need to use two pans or bake in batches to avoid overcrowding, which helps them brown and cook properly.
SHOP WHAT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
HERE ARE MORE DELISH, BETTER-FOR-YOU SIDES YOU’LL LOVE:
Creamy Buttery Mashed Potatoes
Healthy Fried Zucchini Blossoms
BBQ & Goat Cheddar Chicken Taquitos
Mom’s Famous Potato Salad (Mayo-Free!)
Click here to watch the reel I made of this recipe 🙂
Healthy Teriyaki Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 2 pounds organic ground chicken, or substitute ground turkey or beef
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 2 large pasture-raised eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup chopped scallions (white and light green parts)
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce, I like Primal Kitchen No Soy Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade
- 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
- 3 scallions (white and light green parts), sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, almond flour, eggs, scallions, coconut aminos, red onion, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic powder. Season generously with salt and pepper, combining them thoroughly into the mixture.
- With clean, wet hands, roll the meat mixture into 1 ½-inch balls, and arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet evenly spaced. The mixture should make about 20 meatballs. Be gentle when rolling, and wet your hands as needed to prevent sticking.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball reads 140 F.
Sauce:
- In a small bowl, whisk the arrowroot starch with 2 tablespoons of warm water until the starch dissolves and is smooth. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, stir together the teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice. Add the arrowroot mixture and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes or until it looks silky.
- Add the hot meatballs to the sauce, and toss gently to coat. Top with the sliced scallions and sesame seeds and serve. Enjoy!
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
This was so good!!!
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!
So good and so easy to make! Just the way I like it! Served ours with short grain brown rice and broccoli, delish!
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!
These are awesome and easy – and winning combo for a new family staple recipe!
OMG. These are delicious teriyaki meatballs! They will definitely become a staple in our house 🙂
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
So yummy! If I were to freeze them, should I add the sauce too and just heat up on the stove when I’m ready to take them out??
So good! And so easy! Excited to double batch these next time for easy lunches! Definitely making these again and again!
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! 😋