5-Ingredient Free Meatballs (egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free)
5-Ingredient Free Meatballs (egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free) are free of all the major allergens, but still taste amazing and are easy to make with a short list of simple ingredients.
Make a double batch during meal prep and you’re good to go!
“So happy I can eat meatballs again! I made these with rice pasta and sauce and they were delicious! My family said they taste better than regular meatballs!” ~Alicia
One of our all-time favorite meals around here is good old spaghetti and meatballs.
It’s always been of my my favorites, and when I met my husband I knew it was true love when I discovered that we shared this affinity for this Italian American classic.
These days my 6-year-old is also a huge fan of a giant plate of pasta with meatballs, so needless to say it makes its way to our dinner table often.
True, I’ve had to reinvent the recipe over the years, as I realized that I needed to avoid gluten, and then again as my husband learned he does better when avoiding dairy.
I remember visiting my mother-in-law in upstate New York and telling her about our dietary restrictions.
“How in the world does one make meatballs without breadcrumbs and cheese?” she asked me.
“Impossible,” is what she concluded.
The thing is, you actually can make meatballs without breadcrumbs and cheese, and guess what? They’re still delicious.
But here’s the thing: I know some of you also avoid eggs.
So I’ve been on a mission to come up with a completely free meatball.
Free from all.the.things: dairy-free, cheese-free, egg-free, gluten-free, breadcrumb-free, nut-free.
You name it, and this recipe is free of it.
And the good news? They actually taste good.
Like, really, really good. Good enough to eat alone or, better yet, smothered in your favorite sauce.
You can also make them ahead during meal prep and freeze for a night when things get crazy.
Love that!
Bake these up in the oven on a sheet pan or use a cast-iron skillet / dutch oven if you want to make them on your stove top. You’ll find directions for both waiting for you in the recipe card below.
The Baking Sheets I Use
Here’s the stainless steel baking sheets (affiliate) I use for all my recipes, they’re durable and we get so much use out of them!
One quick note: please don’t skip grating the onion.
Grating it (just as you would cheese) allows the onion to release much-needed moisture and allows it to dissolve into the meat.
So just don’t skip it, and try not to over-mix the meat mixture, or you’ll end up with tough meatballs.
And no one wants that.
So here’s to free meatballs. I hope you love ‘em.
I hope you’ll make this one soon.
If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!
Now, let’s make some 5-Ingredient Free Meatballs!
recipe & kid friendly adaptations
1 | Serve the meatballs atop zoodles or noodles with marinara or any sauce you like.
2 | Serve the meatballs plain with marinara or catsup on the side for dipping.
3 | These meatballs freeze well. Allow to cool, then pop them into a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
more gluten free meatball recipes
Easy Crockpot Turkey Meatballs
Crockpot Mini Turkey Meatball Vegetable Soup
Thai Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup
this recipe is…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoWhole30
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5-Ingredient Free Meatballs (egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup grated onion, from about 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
- ⅓ cup almond flour , or oat flour for nut free
- 2 pounds ground dark meat turkey or ground beef, grass-fed if possible
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- No-sugar-added marinara sauce of choice, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the grated onion, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, and flour until well combined. Add the meat, stirring until well combined (clean hands work best), being careful not to overmix.
- Roll the mixture into balls. Place each on a rimmed baking baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping once, until golden and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven, add to sauce of choice (if using), and serve.
Stovetop version:
- Follow step 2 above. Roll the mixture into balls.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then cook the meatballs until golden and cooked through, flipping halfway through. You may need to work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
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These are very yummy. We made them with almond flour and ate them with spaghetti squash and store-bought sauce. Quick and easy.
Woohoo, so glad these were a hit Rachel!
Would these be ok if coconut flour was used in lieu of almond/oat?
Hi Allyson, no, coconut flour is quite different from almond or oat flour and won’t work as a sub in this recipe.
Hello! Made these before in the oven and loved them. It’s too hot to do that now, but we have an air fryer! Do you know how long to cook them in that? Thanks!
I bet these would be great in the air fryer! I have that on my list to start testing soon! I haven’t tested these yet, but I think 12-14 minutes at 380F would work. If you try it let us know how it turns out!
So happy I can eat meatballs again! I made these with rice pasta and sauce and they were delicious! My family said they taste better than regular meatballs!
Alicia, this brings a big smile to my face–so happy that this one worked for you and your fam! Cheers. 🙂
"Free from all.the.things: dairy-free, cheese-free, egg-free, gluten-free, breadcrumb-free, nut-free.
You name it, and this recipe is free of it."
I was laughing so loud and so much as I read this post my family kept calling out from elsewhere in the house, "What, Mom, WHAT!?!"
Thank you so much for the much needed comic relief in the seeking all things free way of eating journey.
And I cannot wait to try the meatballs. Thank you in advance!
Cheryl, ha, love that you can maintain a sense of humor! And yes, free of all the things, but still really yummy. Hope you enjoy!!
I loved these meatballs! They were super flavorful and delicious! You would never know they are free of eggs and gluten and dairy!
Yay, Nicole, so glad you’re enjoying this recipe–thanks so much for your kind words!
Loved this recipe! Recently started eating gluten-free and dairy-free and have been trying to find recipes that are healthy and also delicious. Thank you!!
Fantastic, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one!
Thank you!!!! I’m currently on an elimination diet and struggling to find food I can prep in advance. These meatballs are great! I did make some alterations to meet my diet (no yeast allowed -in addition to dairy, gluten, eggs, citrus, garlic, or nightshades!). I used ground chicken, and oat flour. I was a little shy on onion, so for moisture’s, sake I shredded a few cremini mushrooms in the mix. My herbs are growing strong so I also added thyme, tarragon, and fresh parsley as well. YUM!
Karen, so glad you enjoyed! Great tip on using mushrooms in place of onion. Cheers!
any idea how many calories there are in this recipe?
Hi Emma, we focus on real food around here and so aren’t able to provide calorie info. 🙂
Thank you! These are amazing! I made these with chicken breasts that I ground in my food processer. I was worried that making that substitution would leave me with dry meatballs, but they were still very juicy and delicious! I’ve made these twice in one week already. I think the nutritional yeast really makes a big difference.
Sara, yay, so glad you enjoyed these! Great tip on using chicken, too. I’m going to try them that way next time!
Make these meatballs all the time! My grandson has allergies and this recipe was a game changer! Absolutely delish! Make them for the entire family! Thanks for the great recipe!
Janice, yay, so happy you and your family are enjoying this one! Thanks so much for leaving such a kind review!
Very good! I did not have nutritional yeast so added some coconut aminos and finely grated carrot. Thank you!
Barbara, I’m so glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Amazing turn out! Adapted to cook in instant pot but the meatballs held together and tasted fantastic. Thank you!
Christine, yay, so glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks for the note on cooking in the instant pot – super helpful to know! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. Cheers!
These are so light and delicious! I used a red onion since I had it on hand, and I think it gave it a really nice zest and vibrancy. Next time I think I would use more oat flour to make them easier to shape. Also only took 15 min to actually prepare, then 25 to cook. An add to the rotation for sure 🙂
Kate, thanks for your notes on prep and cook time for this one, always helpful to know! So glad you enjoyed. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Is there a substitution for almond/ oat flour. My grandson is allergic to both
Hi Lyn, can he eat traditional breadcrumbs? That would be a good sub!
No, He is gluten free also allergic to oat, almond and potato, eggs and dairy. I was wondering about buckwheat
I haven’t tried this one with buckwheat flour, but I think it could work and wroth a shot. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
I’ve made them with pistachio flour (just grind pistachios in the food processor) and my family, allergic and non-allergic, love them more than any meatball they’ve had before! Not sure if pistachio is a possible sub for your grandson, but I wanted to mention it, just in case! (And for those not allergic to cheese, Parmesan is a great sub for nutritional yeast). We absolutely LOVE them!! (Sorry my response is a year and a half later than your question 😂🥹)
This recipe is NOT nut free if you put almond flour as one of the possible ingredients. For people that don’t understand allergies, they may think that almond flour may not cause a reaction. Please be more careful when making such claims.
Hi Sue, the recipe does include oat flour as a clear alternative to almond flour. We did add a note in the recipe card to use oat flour to ensure the recipe is nut-free. Hope you enjoy!
could I sub King Arthur gluten free flour?
Hi Carol, I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, only oat flour and almond flour. It’s possible the gf flour would dry out the meatballs too much, but if you give it at try let us know how it turns out.
I’m after SULPHATE free which means no eggs, onions, garlic, cheddar or Parmesan cheeses…….no milk from any animal and no green veggies or lettuce. It’s a nightmare finding food we can eat safely. The side effects from a mistake are horrific. No wine or grapes in quantity also. So no, I’m not rating your recipe. I need help….and believe me, there are thousands around the world with the same problem. I know people around where I live, have run into them overseas too.
I just want a sulphate free recipe for meatballs.
Hi Joan, you’re right, trying to eat sulphate free sounds quite difficult. I’m afraid I can’t be much help, as I don’t have any meatball recipes that meet those requirements. I wonder if Danielle Walker from Against All Grain might have some recipes of this type, as I know she has more expertise with elimination diets than I do. Best of luck to you in your search!
Hello thanks for this recipe. I am dairy,Gf, egg, coconut, peanut free and few other I find it very hard to eat. I read all comments and going to use substitutions. I am making these this morning. I hope this will be a staple for me moving forward. I am trying with ground chicken. Thanks. 🇨🇦 🍁.
I hope they are a hit for you, Petrina!
Hi. Want to try this recipe! My son though wants a saucy meatball. When should i add the tomato sauce to get that hot saucy taste??
If you’re making the meatballs on the stovetop, you can pour in a jar of marinara after they are cooked and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Similarly, if roasting in the oven, you can transfer to a medium pan, add the sauce, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. I hope you and your son enjoy!
Could these be cooked in a slow cooker? similar to this recipe: https://realfoodwholelife.com/recipes/slow-cooker-meatballs/#recipe
Yes, definitely! Make these meatballs per this recipe, then follow the recipe instructions for the slow cooker meatballs starting with step four. I hope you enjoy!
So glad to find an egg free meatball recipe that tastes delicious, thank you!! Can you make the mixture a head of time and roll / bake the meatballs the following day?
You’re so welcome, Linda. Yes, you can make the meat mixture ahead, refrigerate, covered, than bake off the next day!
This recipe is a keeper! I added some Italian herbs for some extra flavour and they turned absolutely scrumptious.
Amy, yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one and I love the idea of adding some extra herbs. Yum! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
These are delicious. I substituted cassava flour for almond or oat, and added fresh parsley, chopped very finely. Yum!
Wonderful to hear you enjoyed these, Vera! Thanks for the tip on the cassava flour and finely chopped parsley, too. Thanks so much for leaving a review!