30-minute Kung Pao Meatballs (gluten-free)

Hold up before you dial for takeout! Try these 30-minute Kung Pao Meatballs first. They are are gluten-free, absolutely delicious and such an easy recipe to make for dinner.

I am on a roll over here with one pot dishes. Particularly one pot dishes that have to do with meatballs apparently too. Every week when I brainstorm new ideas, new meatball recipes keep coming to me. And I love how much you love meatballs too like my DELISH French Onion Soup Meatballs and Thai Turkey Meatballs in Coconut Curry.

I love how these are another freezer-friendly recipe, can easily be reheated for dinner or lunch and they feed me and my family.

So these Kung Pao Meatballs 100% need to be added to your list of things to make. You can use ground turkey or chicken to make these. And the homemade sauce that they are covered in is just beyond delicious. I love that you can serve these with some basmati rice, quinoa, noodles, anything you’d like. 

I also cook these in a pan instead of the oven. I prefer it that way so the balls get a little browned and crisped a bit.

I cannot wait to hear what you think of this recipe. It is easy enough to on a weeknight and delicious enough for any night! Not to mention you won’t even know that these are “healthier” too. They’re also egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free.

What ingredients you need to make Kung Pao Meatballs:

• Ground turkey or chicken – really either can work for this
• Rice vinegar – I haven’t used another vinegar. I like rice vinegar for flavor
• Peanut butter – I look for ingredients that are just peanuts and salt!
• Chili paste– love this for flair!
• Coconut aminos – or use soy sauce or tamari if you wanted
• Almond flour – you can use breadcrumbs if you want to as an alternative. To keep these gluten-free, I usually use almond flour. 
• Arrowroot flour or tapioca flour – you can also use a corn starch if you want too
• Coconut sugar – or omit if you don’t like sugar!
• Garlic clove – fresh garlic clove is preference over garlic powder
• Green onions – the green parts of the scallions
• Sesame oil – I love using sesame oil for flavor but you can use olive oil or avocado oil if you prefer
• Red bell pepper – I couldn’t find dried red chiles like the traditional recipe so I just add some red bell peppers to this
• Peanuts – I usually do unsalted roasted peanuts but really any variety works!

How to make Kung Pao Meatballs:

1. In a bowl, mix together the ground meat, peanut butter, chili paste, coconut aminos, vinegar and almond flour
2. Form into 15-18 meatballs and set aside
3. Grease a large skillet with sesame oil then add meatballs to skillet, without over crowding them and cook over medium heat, rotating so they brown on all sides
4. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until meatballs are golden and full cooked through (165 degrees F)
5. Remove from skillet and scoop out an excess meatball scraps and set aside (if meatballs fell apart – meat wasn’t cold enough. The ground meat shouldn’t be room temp, it should be cool)
6. In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside
7. In the same large skillet, add sesame oil, garlic, green onions and bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes over medium/high heat, until fragrant 
8. Add the sauce on top and quickly toss, cooking on medium heat for 2 minutes as the glaze forms
9. Next add meatballs back in, sprinkle peanuts on top and serve while warm

FAQs and tips on making these healthier than takeout meatballs:

• What is Kung Pao Chicken? Chinese-style stir-fried chicken with chili peppers. The sauce is really my favorite part that it is cooked in!
• Can I freeze these meatballs? Absolutely! I usually cook them, then freeze them. Place the cooked meatballs in an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze for 2 months. When you’re ready to use, place them in fridge overnight to thaw then continue to follow the recipe, beginning with making the Kung Pao Sauce.
• How should I serve these meatballs? With white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, or any type of grain or alternative noodles/rice. Even some of my Copycat P.F. Chang’s Spicy Green Beans would be so good with these.

A few other easy weeknight dinner recipes to try:

One Pan Pizza Chicken (gluten-free)

Gluten-free Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole

15-minute Beef and Broccoli Skillet

DELISH French Onion Soup Meatballs