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Stainless steel skillet full of glazed meatballs with green onions and sesame seeds on top.
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5 from 3 votes

Sesame Garlic Meatballs

This delicious sesame garlic meatballs recipe is grain-free, paleo friendly, soy-free, and refined sugar-free. Easy to prepare for a show-stopping appetizer or main dish!
Prep Time24 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time32 minutes
Course: Appetizers, Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14 Meatballs
Calories: 353kcal
Author: Julia

Ingredients

Meatballs:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • cup tapioca flour*
  • 2 green onions finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and grated, optional
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil for cooking

Sesame Garlic Sauce:

  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • cup coconut aminos
  • 2 Tbsp rice vinegar or lime juice
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp sriracha optional

Instructions

  • Add all of the ingredients for the sesame garlic sauce to a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
  • Transfer all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl. Use your hands to mash all of the ingredients together until everything is well-distributed throughout the meatballs. Note: If you have a stand mixer, feel free to mix the meatball mixture in your eclectic mixer using the paddle attachment.
  • Form 14 equal-sized meatballs out of the meatball mixture. If you have a cookie scoop, feel free to use it but I find rolling the meat with my hands ensures the meatballs hold together nicely.
  • Heat two to three tablespoons of avocado oil (or high temperature cooking oil of choice) over high heat in a large skillet. I use a 12-inch nonstick skillet, but a large cast iron skillet works great too. Allow the oil to heat up for a few minutes, until it is sizzling hot.
  • Carefully place the meatballs on the surface of the hot skillet in a single layer and sear for 2 minutes. Flip meatballs to the other side and brown for another 2 minutes.
  • Pour the sauce into the skillet. It should immediately come to a boil. You can reduce the heat to medium-high heat or medium heat if the mixture gets too out of control. Allow the meatballs to continue cooking, flipping once or twice, until they have reached your desired level of doneness, about 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. If you’d like, you can use a meat thermometer to test the temperature of the center of the meatballs. I aim for about 160 degrees Fahrenheit so that the meat is cooked through for those who like their beef well done, but the meat is still juicy.
  • Serve meatballs as an appetizer, or as a main dish with side dishes. You can garnish them with sesame seeds and more green onions if you’d like. I enjoy these meatballs as a complete meal with brown rice and sauteed vegetables.

Notes

*If you don’t follow a grain-free diet, you can replace the tapioca flour with ⅓ cup of gluten-free all-purpose flour OR ½ cup bread crumbs.
**or coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (3.5 Meatballs) | Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 415mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g