Mediterranean Meatballs (No Breadcrumbs)
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Making meatballs without breadcrumbs is a simple way to create a delicious gluten-free, high protein, and keto friendly meal. With a zingy Mediterranean flavor, the almond flour meatballs are oven baked to juicy perfection. Even better, you can make them using any ground protein!
2025 Update: This recipe is still a family favorite and has been updated to simplify the cooking instructions and add extra cooking tips for our readers. We hope you love it as much as we do!
Download the Cooking Time Chart and say goodbye to rubbery chicken forever!
Why I Make Meatballs without Breadcrumbs
For some people, creating juicy meatballs is a never-ending struggle. Just like a great meatloaf recipe, making tender meatballs requires the perfect balance of ingredients.
You need a protein with just enough fat to add flavor and moisture, but not too much, or they become greasy. A good meatball recipe also requires a good binding agent to hold the meat mixture together.
Most recipes call for bread or some form of breadcrumb as the binder. This is great, unless you’re on a keto or gluten-free eating plan. This is where meatballs without breadcrumbs save the day!
For this recipe, I used ground lamb, lemon, garlic, and oregano, for authentic Mediterranean meatballs. I like to serve them on a crunchy romaine salad with homemade roasted red pepper hummus and cauliflower tabbouleh.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Versatile meal prep recipe. The meatballs are delicious in salads, lettuce wraps, meatball soup, or over zucchini noodles with sugar-free marinara sauce.
- Perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. The recipe comes together in a snap, but if you’re a meal prepper, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Oven baked means less mess. I try to avoid pan-frying meatballs, I don’t adore cleaning splatter off the stovetop and counters.
- Adaptable- use any protein you like! I like using ground lamb in Mediterranean meatballs, but the recipe is super adaptable.
If you love lamb, you may also want to try my recipes for Skillet Lamb Meatballs and Slow Cooker Italian Lamb Shoulder.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The spices are Mediterranean, but you can easily swap them out for whatever you have on hand. The important thing is using the right ingredients to make meatballs without breadcrumbs:
- ground lamb, or any ground meat of your choice. If you want to use ground beef, ground pork, or ground chicken, it's best to use an 85/15 blend. Because ground turkey is very lean, you may want to add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil or another healthy fat to the meat mixture.
- almond flour: This is our substitute for breadcrumbs in meatballs. It is gluten-free, keto/low carb, and paleo-compliant.
- unsweetened almond milk: Be sure to use an unflavored variety. Unless you want the Mediterranean meatballs to have a vanilla flavor, in which case, I won't judge!
- garlic: Fresh garlic cloves will give you the most flavor, but jarred minced garlic is a convenient option.
- lemon zest: I love the zingy citrus flavor of lemon in lamb dishes, but you can omit it if you want. Or, substitute it with lime or orange zest.
- Mediterranean spices: You just need a bit of garlic and onion powder, plus some oregano, salt, and pepper. I use my homemade Greek seasoning because I almost always have a jar of it in my pantry.
How to Make Mediterranean Meatballs without Breadcrumbs
This is just a summary of the steps involved. For the full instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Add the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. The order you add them to bowl doesn't matter at all.
- Combine the meatball mixture. Use your hands or a spoon. The important thing is to avoid overmixing, because if the strands of protein in the meat are worked too much, it can cause the meatballs to be dry.
- Portion the mixture and roll it into balls. Do your best to keep all of the meatballs similar in size. The easiest way to ensure this is to use a small cookie scoop or ice cream scoop.
- Arrange and bake on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Leave some space between each ball, so the heat can circulate all the way around them. This helps them cook evenly.
See my post, How to Cook Meatballs, for tips on making perfect meatballs, no matter what cooking method you use.
Tips for Success
Here are couple of tips for perfectly juicy oven-baked meatballs.
- Line your baking pan. I normally line my baking sheet with parchment paper (slightly more eco-friendly than tin foil). Once the drippings cool off, I just roll it up and throw it away. This makes cleaning up after dinner so much easier!
- Avoid over mixing the meatball mixture.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with the flavors. A great way to tell if you need more seasoning in your meatballs is to pinch off a small portion of the raw mixture. Then, place it on a plate and cook it in the microwave. This allows you to taste the flavors before baking off the whole batch!
Storing and Freezing
Because these meatballs have no breadcrumbs, you don't need to worry about the mixture drying out in the fridge. This allows you to make the meatballs ahead of time!
The raw meat mixture will keep for a couple of days in the fridge. You can either wait to form the mixture, or roll them ahead - either way works!
If you make them ahead of time, just cover the bowl and keep it in the fridge. The meatballs freeze beautifully for up to 3 months, baked or unbaked.
Baked Meatballs without Breadcrumbs FAQs
Some people believe that breadcrumbs are essential for creating juicy meatballs that don't fall apart. However, almond flour is the perfect substitute for breadcrumbs in meatballs! It binds well without weighing the meat mixture down.
The answer partially depends on how large each meatball is, and what temperature you bake them at. For this recipe, the meatballs are baked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other Easy Mediterranean Dinners
If you love Greek food, be sure to also try these recipes!
- Greek Chicken Salad
- Mediterranean Salad with Tuna & Lemon Dressing
- Greek-Inspired Mediterranean Salmon
I'd love to hear about your experience making this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below!
Mediterranean Meatballs without Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb or ground meat of your choice
- 1 large egg beaten
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk unflavored
- 3 tablespoons almond flour
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add ground meat, almond flour, milk, and all seasonings to a large mixing bowl. *Do not include the olive oil. Combine the mixture using your clean hands or a large spoon or stirring spatula.
- Rub a little of the olive between your hands, then form the mixture into 2-inch balls for entree-sized meatballs (it should make 8 meatballs).
- Arrange the meatballs in a single layer, 1 to 2 inches apart, on the prepared sheet pan. Place in preheated oven to cook for 18-20 minutes, or until internal temperature of a meatball reaches 165℉.
Notes
- Store any leftover cooked meatballs in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Meatballs without breadcrumbs are perfect for meal prep, because you can freeze the meat mixture raw or cooked.
