These gluten-free meatballs are always tender and juicy with no mess, because they're baked in the oven. This easy gluten free meatball recipe is your new easy weeknight dinner staple!
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Table of contents
Why I love this Italian meatball recipe
- Tons of flavor: A combination of the right Italian herbs and spices, plus a bit of grated cheese in the meatballs means they're always juicy and full of flavor
- Very tender: Packing the meatballs lightly means that they're always tender, never tough.
- No mess: There's no need to saute your meatballs first on the stovetop (unless you really want to!) to get juicy, tender meatballs with lots of flavor. We simply spray them raw with cooking oil spray for even browning in the oven.
- Quick & easy: Since we use dried herbs, minced dried onion, and garlic powder, there's no dicing onions, or chopping garlic necessary.
Ingredients you'll need to make this recipe
- Gluten free breadcrumbs: I often make my own gluten free bread crumbs from odds and ends of leftover packaged bread, but thankfully there are lots of packaged options available. I like Ian's brand, but Aleia's, Schar, and Gillian's brands are also quite good.
- Dried herbs & spices: I use an Italian-style combination of dried oregano, dried basil, minced dried onion, garlic powder, and kosher salt. You can also replace everything but the salt with your favorite Italian seasoning.
- Milk: Adds richness and softens the breadcrumbs so they combine more easily with the beef.
- Ground beef: I typically use 90% lean ground beef, since fattier ground beef just tends to leak out of the meatballs during baking.
- Parmesan cheese: Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese adds depth of flavor to the meatballs. It doesn't make them taste cheesy, just rich.
- Egg: Along with the breadcrumbs, an egg is the binder that holds the meatballs together.
How to make gluten-free meatballs
Make the breadcrumb mixture; combine with beef
- Combine the breadcrumbs, dried herbs and spices in a small bowl.
- Add the milk, and let it soften the bread crumbs.
- In a large bowl, break up the beef with your fingers and toss in the ground cheese, then combine with the breadcrumb mixture.
Shape the meatballs
- Add a beaten egg to the meatball mixture, and mix very gently to combine.
- Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions with 2 spoons.
- Roll each portion gently into a ball between your palms, and spray with cooking oil spray.
Bake at 350°F and serve warm
- Bake the prepared meatballs at 350°F for about 30 minutes or until they reach 165°F internally.
- Add tomato sauce and serve warm.
Recipe tips and tricks
Handle the beef gently
This is such a simple recipe that really could just have the follow instructions: place all of the ingredients in a bowl, mix, form meatballs and bake them. The reason that the instructions are slightly more detailed is to make sure that you don't overwork the beef so it doesn't get tough. Pack it loosely.
Bake in a medium oven
Lots of meatball recipes call for baking at high temperatures for much less time. I really prefer to bake these meatballs at 350°F for about 30 minutes to keep them from burning. If you're really pressed for time, you can bake them at about 375°F for closer to 20 minutes.
Test doneness with an instant read thermometer
The only way to know that your beef is fully cooked and safe to eat is by using an instant read thermometer and making sure the internal temperature of your meatballs is at least 165°F. It doesn't have to be a fancy digital thermometer (even though those are quite inexpensive now). A simple analog meat thermometer works great.
Storage & reheating instructions
You can make and shape the raw meatballs, and store them raw to make another time. If you plan to make them within a day or so, as long as the ground beef is not too close to its sell-by date, you can store them, wrapped tightly, in the refrigerator. Spray with cooking oil spray or brush with oil only right before baking.
Freezing & defrosting instructions
For longer storage, you can freeze the raw shaped meatballs in a single layer on a baking tray until they are frozen solid. Place in a freezer-safe ziptop bag and store for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before baking as usual.
You can also freeze the baked meatballs for later use. Just allow them to cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe ziptop bag. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, place the defrosted meatballs in tomato sauce and warm gently on the stovetop or in a 300°F until warmed through.
Ingredient substitution suggestions
Dairy free meatballs
In place of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, you can use nutritional yeast flakes and still have that depth of flavor. You can also just leave out the cheese entirely. In place of cow's milk, use your favorite unsweetened nondairy milk, but avoid anything fat-free.
How to make gluten free meatballs without breadcrumbs
Instead of plain, panko-style gluten free breadcrumbs, you can use quick-cooking oats, crushed gluten free corn flakes or corn flake crumbs, or even crushed gluten free crackers, in an equal amount, by weight. If you'd like to use seasoned gluten free breadcrumbs, you may want to reduce the amount of dried herbs and spices in the recipe, according to your personal taste.
Replacing dried herbs
You can replace each of the dried herbs with fresh herbs in these gluten-free Italian meatballs. Dried herbs are about twice as potent as fresh, so you would need to use twice as much fresh as dried. You can also use different herbs, or use about 3 tablespoons total of your favorite Italian seasoning blend as a replacement for all of the herbs and spices except for salt.
Ground turkey meatballs
You can make these meatballs with ground turkey in place of ground beef. The mixture will be a lot softer, and you may want to add more breadcrumbs to give them some more structure. Or better yet, use half ground turkey and half ground beef.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! If you are used to frying your meatballs first on the stovetop, you can use that step here. Heat a thin coating of olive oil in a frying pan until rippling, then cook the meatballs on all sides until golden brown. I recommend finishing them in a 325°F oven until cooked throughout, but you can cover the frying pan and finish them on the stovetop, too. Be sure your meatballs read at least 165°F on an instant read thermometer when they're done.
Yes! You can use one-half pound of ground beef, and one-half pound of ground pork. If your pork is very lean, I'd recommend using a slightly fattier ground beef, maybe 85% lean instead of 90% lean.
They're fully cooked when they read 165°F on an instant read thermometer. They may still be a bit pink inside, but that doesn't meant that they're undercooked.
According to the USDA, ground meat can still be pink inside after it's been safely cooked. It can be due to a reaction between the oven heat and myoglobin, which causes a red or pink color. If you have a child like mine who refuses to eat what she insists is raw food even when it's fully cooked, try reducing the heat to 300°F and baking the meatballs for another 8 minutes or so.
Yes! But the ingredients are slightly different when you change the method so much. Come visit our recipe for slow cooker meatballs or our recipe for Instant Pot spaghetti and meatballs for full instructions.
Gluten-Free Meatballs
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (80 g) coarsely ground gluten free breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion (or 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder)
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ (4 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons (¾ ounce) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 egg at room temperature, beaten
- Cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease with nonstick cooking spray. Set the baking sheet aside.
- In a medium-size bowl, place the breadcrumbs, basil, oregano, onion, garlic powder, and salt, and mix to combine.
- Add the milk and mix to combine. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes to let the breadcrumbs soften while you prepare the beef.
- In a large bowl, place the beef and pull it apart to loosen it gently with your fingers.
- Add the grated cheese, and toss to coat the meat in the cheese.
- Press the breadcrumbs mixture into a paste, and add it to the beef. Mix gently with clean hands or a spoon to combine.
- Add the beaten egg and mix again, gently, until everything is just moistened by the egg. Don’t overwork the beef or the meatballs will be tough.
- Using 2 small spoons, divide the meatball mixture into 12 equal pieces. Roll each lightly into a ball, taking care not to pack the meat tightly.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart from one another.
- Spray the meatballs with cooking oil spray to help them brown.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325F and continue to cook until they are cooked all the way through.
- When they’re done, the meatballs should read at least 165°F on an instant read thermometer. Allow to rest briefly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Judy Edmonds says
Another great way to make gluten-free meatloaf or meatballs is to use oatmeal. Oatmeal is a lot cheaper than gluten-free crackers.
I have done this for years even before I was gluten intolerant.
Jenn Wilkins says
Looks great! If I use fresh garlic and onion instead of the powder and/or dried, will these turn out the same?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Jenn, Good question! Fresh minced garlic won’t really affect the moisture balance, but the onion will, so you might want to compensate with a bit more of the breadcrumbs of the raw mixture seems overly soft. You want to make sure the meatballs hold their shape. Use about twice as much fresh as dried, since dried is concentrated in flavor. I hope that helps!
Gail Buick says
My grandson is allergic to eggs. Can you suggest a substitute for the egg?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Gail, since there’s only one egg in these meatballs and they do also have breadcrumbs as a binder, I think a “chia egg” would work well. Just mix one tablespoon ground white chia seeds with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water and allow it to gel first. A “flax egg,” if you’re familiar with it, would probably work as well.
Gail Buick says
I will definitely try each option. This grandson is also allergic to milk…I think of him as a vegan who eats meat. Doesn’t make sense, I know, but it helps me to remember what I have to leave out for him.