The Best Buffalo Turkey Meatballs are not only healthy but also so easy to make! Perfect for game day or weekly meal prep. I know these meatballs will be a winner at your house because they sure are in mine. They are gluten free and can also be made Paleo and Whole30 friendly!
If you are a fan of buffalo sauce (I mean who isn’t?!), check out our Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers recipe for another great dinner option.
Are you like me and put Frank’s RedHot Sauce on everything? Okay maybe not everything but I do have it on my eggs every morning. The great thing about it is that it’s Whole30 approved too! So whatever they are doing to make that sauce taste delicious while still maintaining simple ingredients, they need to keep doing it.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love these buffalo turkey meatballs
- Ingredients in the best buffalo turkey meatballs
- How to make buffalo turkey meatballs
- Recipe substitutions and variations
- Equipment
- How to serve buffalo turkey meatballs
- How to store
- More Game Day Recipes:
- Let's Connect!
- The Best Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
Why you’ll love these buffalo turkey meatballs
Tasty: The flavor is great in these buffalo turkey meatballs, that is what makes them the best!
Simple to make: The prep only requires one mixing bowl and the rest is just forming the balls and baking them for about 18 minutes. Done in under 30 minutes, easily.
Healthy Ingredients: We will get into the ingredients below but these meatballs are made with ground turkey, shredded carrots and chopped green onion.
Customizable: Don’t like one of the ingredients? No worries, these meatballs are easy to customize! I will go over some customization options below.
Crowd Pleaser: Did I mention my family and friends love this recipe? It’s not a surprise because many people love buffalo sauce flavored recipes. Serve these at a Super Bowl party or your next gathering. You’ll see what I mean.
Ingredients in the best buffalo turkey meatballs
- Ground turkey: I love that this recipe uses turkey instead of a more fatty ground beef. I purposely did that so it would be a lighter dish and turkey works incredibly well with buffalo sauce. If you want though, you could substitute the ground turkey for ground chicken instead.
- Egg: The egg helps the meatballs keep their form and moisture.
- Carrots and Green Onion: You didn’t think I’d make a turkey meatball without a little added veggies, right? The shredded carrot and chopped green onion are a must!
- Hot Sauce: So if you read above, you know I love Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. So I highly recommend using it for this recipe but you could substitute with another hot sauce, if you must. If you are doing Whole30 or on a Paleo diet, make sure the hot sauce is compliant.
- Almond Flour: Instead of traditional panko breadcrumbs, we use almond flour to keep this recipe gluten free.
- Garlic: You could substitute the fresh garlic for ¼ tsp of garlic powder if you prefer.
- Seasoning: Chili powder, salt and black pepper make up the short list of seasoning in these turkey meatballs.
Optional Serving:
- Blue Cheese
- Ranch Dressing
- Carrots
- Celery
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make buffalo turkey meatballs
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the turkey, egg, carrots, green onion, almond flour, hot sauce, garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Step 3: Form the turkey mixture into 16 meatballs (about 1-½ inch diameter) and place them on the baking sheet. Pro tip: use a medium cookie scoop to easily portion out and form the balls.
Step 4: Bake the meatballs for about 18-20 minutes or until the meatballs are golden and internal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hint: Make sure not to not overcook the meatballs. The easiest way to check if the internal temperature is using a digital meat thermometer.
To Serve: (Optional) Drizzle with more hot sauce, sprinkle with blue cheese and dip in ranch. Serve carrots and celery sticks on the side and enjoy!
Recipe substitutions and variations
I mentioned that these turkey meatballs are easy to customize so I wanted to give a few ideas on how to customize this recipe.
- Turkey: I love using ground turkey in this recipe because it is usually easily found in the grocery store and it is leaner than some meats. Alternatively though, you could use ground chicken for an equally delicious meatball.
- Spicy: If you want these meatballs to be extra spicy, try substituting the chili powder for ground cayenne pepper. You could also roll the balls in the hot sauce after they come out of the oven.
- Whole30 and Paleo: To make this recipe Whole30 and Paleo compliant, simply don’t use the blue cheese or ranch. Also make sure the hot sauce you use is approved.
- Deluxe Version: These buffalo turkey meatballs are delicious on their own but top them with blue cheese, ranch and additional hot sauce for an extra show stopper.
Equipment
There isn’t any fancy equipment that you need to make these meatballs but I do have a couple suggestions.
Cookie Scoop: It’s a little easier to get even sized meatballs when using a cookie scoop. I also like that you don’t have to get your hands dirty. Less mess and more efficient.
Rimmed Baking Sheet: You can use a regular baking sheet but the meatballs do have some liquid that leaks while baking. The rimmed baking sheet makes sure nothing drips down off the sheet.
How to serve buffalo turkey meatballs
With Veggies and Ranch: I like to serve these meatballs as an appetizer with celery sticks and carrots on the side in a large bowl. I also set out ranch dipping sauce for anyone who wants it.
Rice: You could serve these buffalo turkey meatballs over cauliflower rice or regular rice.
Salad: These turkey meatballs could also be a great addition to some greens for a healthy meal.
How to store
These buffalo turkey meatballs are great for meal prep because they can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days! They can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
More Game Day Recipes:
- Roasted Garlic Hummus Without Tahini
- Easy Ginger Turkey Meatballs
- Dairy Free Tzatziki Sauce
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
Let's Connect!
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The Best Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb groung turkey
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup carrots shredded
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
- ⅓ cup hot sauce plus more for topping
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Optional Toppings
- blue cheese
- ranch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the turkey, egg, carrots, green onion, almond flour, hot sauce, garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Form the turkey mixture into 16 meatballs (about 1-½ inch diameter) and place them on the baking sheet. Pro tip: use a medium cookie scoop to easily portion out and form the balls.
- Bake the meatballs for about 18-20 minutes or until the meatballs are golden and internal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To Serve: (Optional) Drizzle with more hot sauce, sprinkle with blue cheese and dip in ranch. Serve carrots and celery sticks on the side and enjoy!
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