Buffalo Turkey Meatballs

Sometimes you just have to have some fun playing with ingredients and these Buffalo Turkey Balls were so amazing they deserve a permanent place on the blog. The best part is you can make them taste more like buffalo or more like barbecue just by adjusting the amounts of buffalo sauce you use. You can also make them with ground chicken or beef. You do you! I served them with some Whole30 Coleslaw and of course a drizzle of ranch over the buffalo turkey meatballs!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

With just a handful of ingredients you will have the most flavorful buffalo turkey meatballs you ever had. Everyone loves them whether served as an appetizer, lunch or dinner they always make a huge hit and disappear fast.

Ingredients You Will Need

Ground Turkey: is usually a combination of dark and light meat. I like Grass Roots Coop pasture raised ground turkey.

Almond Meal/Flour: is typically finer and made from blanched almonds, while almond meal is coarser and often includes the almond skins in its preparation.

Onion Powder: adds a sweet and savory flavor to certain dishes that you can’t get from fresh onions.

Salt and Pepper: salt enhances the overall flavor of the dish and ground black pepper adds a gentle heat.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: stands out as an excellent choice for sautéing, adding richness and enhancing the natural flavors of foods.

Buffalo Sauce: is a hot sauce enhanced with ingredients to make it richer and smoother than regular hot sauce. Noble Made is hands down my favorite buffalo sauce and it’s also dairy-free. I love that it is sugar free, whole30 approved and you get to choose your own heat level for buffalo turkey meatballs.

Barbecue Sauce: I like Noble Made Classic.

Ghee: incorporating ghee into this sauce adds a rich, nutty flavor to the buffalo turkey meatballs.

Instructions

Combine in a bowl: ground turkey, almond flour, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Mixing with your hands: roll into good sized buffalo turkey meatballs.

Heat oil: in large skillet.

Cook meatballs: 2-3 minutes per side.

Meanwhile: mix the barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce and ghee in a bowl, don’t worry about ghee being solid as it will melt in the pan.

Add sauce: to the pan and coat all the buffalo turkey meatballs.

Cover: and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Double this recipe: as there never seems to be enough buffalo turkey meatballs and leftovers are amazing served over a big salad with Creamy Dill Dressing.

Recipe Variations

Ground chicken: is a great alternative for the ground turkey in buffalo turkey meatballs.

Butter: can be used in place of the ghee if you are not concerned about keeping the recipe dairy free.

Bread crumbs: is a good option instead of the almond flour but keep in mind it would no longer be a Paleo or Whole30 friendly dish.

Storage Tips

You can store these buffalo turkey meatballs in the refrigerator for up to 5 days when placed in an airtight glass container. They also freeze well for up to 6 months.

FAQs About Buffalo Turkey Meatballs

Why are my turkey meatballs rubbery?

Turkey meatballs can become rubbery when they have been overcooked.

What not to do when making turkey meatballs?

Over mixing the meat, not shaping them correctly, not keeping them uniform in size are a few things to avoid when making buffalo turkey meatballs.

What happens if you put too much breadcrumbs in the meatballs?

They can become dense and heavy.