These whole30 and paleo fried meatballs are different than regular meatballs. Most are baked or simmered in a sauce, but these are deliciously fried and perfect for a Whole30 appetizer!
Frying the meatballs before baking them locks in the moisture and makes them full of flavor and super juicy!
Ingredients for Whole30 Meatballs
- Coconut or Avocado oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Chili Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Ground Chicken
- Egg
- Cassava Flour
- Cooking Spray
Thrive Market has their own brand of cassava flour that I've used it in many recipes (baking and cooking) without issues. Thrive Market is a company I feel really good about supporting. If you don't have a Thrive Market subscription, click here to check it out.
For sauce to accompany this recipe, I used Cucina Antica Sauce. It has the Whole30 approved stamp of approval, so you know not only does it have no sugar or soybean oil, and the ingredients are all clean and completely real foods.
Instructions
To start, preheat your oven and place a skillet over medium heat with the oil inside.
Mix the spices with ground meat.
Form the meat into approximately golf ball sized balls.
Crack and whisk an egg in a bowl. In another small bowl, place the cassava flour inside.
Gently roll the meatball in the egg, then gently roll again in the cassava flour to coat. Set aside and continue until all the meatballs have been coated.
Working in batches, fry the meatballs, gently moving or rolling them as needed to ensure all sides are evenly fried.
When all the meatballs are fried, place them on a baking sheet. Gently spray them with cooking oil.
Bake them in the oven for 8-10 minutes. They are finished when a thermometer inserted into them registers 165F degrees.
Now they are ready to serve and enjoy!
Pairing Suggestions
To keep this a Whole30 meal, serve these meatballs with veggie noodles. You could do zucchini or sweet potato noodles.
I also like to serve them as an appetizer with just some marinara sauce as mentioned above!
Variations
Try these other Whole30 or Gluten Free meatballs!
- Lemon Chicken Meatballs- I love making these as they have so much flavor! There's some great meal inspiration for these as well!
- Curry Meatballs- These are insanely delicious, and it makes a lot of sauce to smother the meatballs in and spoon over the veggies or mashed potatoes you serve it with!
Substitutions
- Use ground pork or ground turkey instead of beef or chicken.
- If you're not on a Whole30 round, you can use all purpose gluten free or paleo flour instead of cassava flour.
Storage and Reheating
To store leftovers, place them in an airtight container or seal them tightly with saran wrap or the like.
Place them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat leftovers, place them in an oven safe dish. Place a plate or oven safe lid on top. Place them in the oven on 350F degrees until they're heated through.
Alternatively you can use a microwave.
Top Tip
In a hurry? You can skip the dredging and frying step completely!
After you form the meat into meatballs, place them on a sheet pan and right into the oven.
Cook them on 350F degrees instead until they reach 165F degrees on the inside!
More Healthy Meatball Recipes
Whole30 Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 large frying pan
- 1 large mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- 2 small mixing bowls
Ingredients
- Coconut or avocado oil for frying
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 lb. ground beef or chicken can also use pork or turkey
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup cassava flour
- cooking spray
- 1 jar Cucina Antica Sauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees.
- Place a skillet on medium heat and heat the oil.
- Mix together all the spices and ground meat. Form the meat into golf ball sized meatballs.
- Place the egg in one bowl and the flour in another. One at a time, gently roll the meatballs in the egg, then again in the flour to thoroughly coat.
- Working in batches, fry the meatballs, gently moving them as needed in order to fry them all around.
- Place fried meatballs on a sheet pan. Gently spray with cooking oil.
- Place pan in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until or until meatballs register 165 degrees F internally.
- While the meatballs cook, heat the Cucina Antica sauce in a saucepan over medium.
- Serve together and enjoy!
Did you make these Whole30 meatballs? Leave me a comment below to let me know your results! I love to hear your results and how it came out.
Feel free to take a picture and post it to Instagram! Tag me @thecleanhappylife.
Please note: some of these links are affiliate links, and earn me a small commission but at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Arica says
Sounds delicious! Meatballs aren't something I make often, but I'll have to try this recipe out next time. I love that these are a healthier version!
thecleanhappylife says
Yes, all clean ingredients! Thanks for checking it out!
Prolific -Cora says
I will definitely try this! I used to love meatballs but I haven’t had them since I stopped eating pork years ago! It’s simple enough for the kids to help make too.
thecleanhappylife says
You'll love these with chicken then! Great for kiddos too.
Melissa says
These look yummy! Thank you so much for sharing this!
thecleanhappylife says
Hope you enjoy them!
Emily | All Star Baking ✨ says
These look amazing! I love that they are made with cassava flour, that’s such a wonderful way to make them both delicious and healthy! I’d love to try some better-for-you meals and this looks like a great place to start! 🙂
thecleanhappylife says
Aww thank you Emily! You will love them, they don't disappoint! They're a simple way to get into healthy eating!
Kimberlie says
My husband literally made meatballs yesterday, but used pre-made, frozen ones. I have been wanting to make healthier, fresher meatballs and can’t wait to try this recipe. I’m astonished I never heard of cassava flour.
thecleanhappylife says
Oh you'll love it! Cassava is my favorite. These meatballs are so good too, enjoy!
Sarah says
This looks both delicious and easy to make. I can't wait to try it out!
thecleanhappylife says
Thank you! It's nice to have something different, coating before frying goes a long way!