Lighter Buffalo Turkey Meatballs, Paleo, Whole30, Gluten-free
These Lighter Buffalo Turkey Meatballs are a wonderful baked meatball recipe made with ground turkey, almond flour, spices, and hot sauce. They are a yummy appetizer, snack or meal and come together in less than 30 minutes. Naturally Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and Whole30 compliant.
We had another recipe planned for today’s post, but we got so excited about these Lighter Buffalo Turkey Meatballs that we just couldn’t wait to post the recipe.
We're a huge buffalo sauce lover, so we may be biased but, these meatballs are one of our favorite things that we have eaten in a long time! They are so addicting. And they are great for meal prep, parties, and football Sundays.
If you love buffalo flavored recipes, try our buffalo chicken dip.
Why you will want these buffalo turkey meatballs
- They’ve got the classic flavor of buffalo wings, but in meatball form.
- They are baked and made with real food ingredients. They are made with almond flour instead of breadcrumbs.
- Ground turkey naturally has less fat than ground beef.
- They come together in 10 minutes and cook for 20 minutes.
- They are Paleo, Whole30, Gluten-free, and Dairy-free.
- They are made with Frank’s hot sauce ( which is our favorite because there don’t add sugar or chemicals inside).
Recipe ingredients
- ground turkey– we like using regular fat ground turkey and not fat free ground turkey.
- almond flour– almond flour is a great way to make baked turkey meatballs without breadcrumbs. Almond flour is full of protein, vitamins and minerals.
- hot sauce– the hot sauce of your choice works here
- garlic powder– this adds flavor to the meatballs
- onion powder– this also adds good flavor to the meatballs
- salt and pepper
- chili powder– this adds a bit of a bite!
- egg– to bind everything together.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step by step meatball instructions:
Step 1
Step 1: Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
Step 2
Step 2: roll them up into balls. We like to use a mini cookie scoop.
Step 3
Step 3: Bake!
Note: you will notice some of the fat melting off of the meatball while it cooks. Just wipe the bottoms of the meatballs with a paper towel before serving. This only takes a minute.
Step 4
Step 4: Serve with your favorite sauces!
Tips and Tricks:
(1) Use regular fat ground turkey.
- Using 99% lean turkey in this recipe results in the meatballs being a bit more dry
- If you use 94% fat ground turkey, these meatballs are more juicy.
- Don’t be alarmed with the extra fat that melts off while the meatballs bake, just wipe it off with a paper towel.
(2) Use more or less hot sauce.
- We originally used 1/3 cup of hot sauce in the recipe. Our husband made these and accidentally put 1/2 cup of hot sauce and they tasted great!
(3) Add dipping sauces!
- blue cheese, ranch, whatever your favorite dipping sauce is!
- We like the Sir Kensington’s Ranch dressing ( which is Whole30 approved! )
How to store them:
Put the meatballs in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How to serve them:
- as an appetizer with a dipping sauce
- as a meal with fries and veggies
- on top of a salad
- with rice and veggies
Recipe FAQs
Are these meatballs lighter?Yes, they are baked and not fried. They are made with lean protein (turkey). They are also made with almond flour instead of breadcrumbs.
Can these meatballs be made ahead of time?Yes, follow the instructions and then put the rolled up meatballs in the fridge until they are ready to bake.
Can we make chicken meatballs instead of turkey meatballs?Yes just replace the ground turkey in the recipe with ground chicken.
Are these meatballs gluten-free?Yes! They don’t have any breadcrumbs inside and no other sources of gluten.
Prep 5 minutesCook 20 minutesTotal 25 minutesMakes 24 meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb of lean ground turkey, (note: lean turkey results in meatballs that area bit more dry, but with less fat. If you use 94% fat ground turkey, it’s more juicy)
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/3- 1/2 cup hot sauce, (Frank’s RedHot Original hot sauce is all natural and Paleo!) ( our original recipe used 1/3 cup, but if you want more hot sauce flavor, use 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 egg
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet in aluminum paper.
- Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix with a fork until everything is completely mixed.
- Roll the meatballs into tablespoon-golf ball sized balls. Depending on size, you’ll end up with 20-24 meatballs.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes. We like to cook them for 20, then broil them for a few for added crisp.
- Brush off some of the excess liquid/fat off the bottom of the meatballs with paper towels.
