Get ready to feed the family a new favorite with these Gluten-Free Sweet and Tangy Meatballs!

This recipe for Gluten-Free Sweet and Tangy Meatballs has been a favorite around our home for years, so much so that we use it as the base for many recipes, including this Ninja Foodi Meatloaf. This is one of our all-time favorite recipes!

The secret to these homemade meatballs is in the sauce, it is a sweet and tangy sauce that gives the meatballs all the flavor!

This recipe makes anywhere from 24 to 36 meatballs, which is plenty to serve to the family or use as an appetizer for a party too. These are the perfect appetizer, just serve them with a cup of toothpicks and guests can add a meatball to their plate too.

It’s totally up to you on how you serve them, we typically eat these for a family dinner, then we freeze the rest to warm up later.

What is the secret to Sweet and Tangy Meatballs?

The sauce ingredients are a combination of ketchup, brown sugar, chopped onion, liquid smoke, and garlic powder. The texture will be similar to barbecue sauce but it will be sweet with brown sugar.

The meatballs do not need a lot of sauce because it is very sweet, so you will want to lightly coat them with the sauce.

This delicious sauce will please your taste buds!

How do you make Gluten-Free Sweet and Tangy Meatballs?

The only swap needed to make these gluten-free is to use gluten-free oats. This recipe does not use bread crumbs, in place of those this meatball recipe will use oats.

This is a very easy recipe to make gluten-free, be sure to check all remaining ingredients; however, they should all be naturally gluten-free.

What do you need for Sweet and Tangy Meatballs?

• Beaten Eggs
• Old Fashioned Oats or Gluten-Free Oats
• Evaporated Milk
• Chopped Onion
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Ground Beef
• Ketchup
• Brown Sugar
• Liquid Smoke

That’s all you need to make these Sweet and Tangy Meatballs.

Tips for Preparing Meatballs:

I find it’s best to either line the baking pan with aluminum foil, parchment paper, or spray with non-stick cooking spray. In order to avoid any grease dripping, use a pan with an edge this can be a rimmed baking sheet that has an edge on the side or a 13×9 baking dish.

Use a large mixing bowl to prepare your meatballs, this will include combining all meatball ingredients into the large bowl.

The meatballs will then be shaped into small balls about 1 1/2 tablespoon size, they can be shaped with your hand or a scoop.

Place them in the prepared dish and these will be baked for 30 minutes at 375°F. While they are baking, this will be the time to prepare the sauce ingredients.

Once the initial baking is done, I like to pull the meatballs out of the oven and transfer them to another dish that is not covered with grease, this is optional.

Once they are transferred, top each of the beef meatballs lightly with sauce and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Any leftover sauce can be discarded or saved for another dish if you prefer. It will need to be stored in an airtight container.

How do you Freeze Sweet and Tangy Meatballs?

Once you have fully cooked the meatballs, take the ones that you are planning to freeze and wrap them in plastic wrap.

Then, place them in a freezer-safe storage bag or storage container.

The meatballs can be placed in the freezer for up to 4 months.

When you are ready to eat these, simply warm them up in the oven, slow cooker, or microwave and serve. This makes for a great freezer meal to store and eat later.

Can you make Sweet and Tangy Meatballs in the slow cooker?

Yes, if you want to make these in the Slow Cooker be sure to follow this recipe for Slow Cooker Sweet and Tangy Turkey Meatballs.  The ground turkey meatballs can be made with ground beef too. Now it’s time to enjoy Sweet and Tangy Meatballs!

If you enjoyed this recipe, next time be sure to check out these Ninja Foodi Grape Jelly Meatballs too!

Sweet and Tangy Meatballs make a complete meal as a main dish paired with Mashed Potatoes and Corn on the Cob, or served as a delicious appetizer. Enjoy this easy dish!

Created by: Kristy Still

Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 8 Servings

Make the best Sweet and Tangy Meatballs that will feed a crowd, plus gluten-free too!

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Meatballs

• 2 Eggs Beaten
• 2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats if GF use Certified GF Oats
• 12 oz Can of Evaporated Milk
• 1 Cup Chopped Onion
• 2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 3 lbs Lean Ground Beef

Sauce:

• 2 Cups Ketchup
• 1 1/2 Cups Packed Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
• 1 Tsp Liquid Smoke
• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

Instructions

• In a large bowl combine first seven ingredients, crumble beef over the mixture and mix well.
• Shape the meat into 1 1/2 inch balls. Using the tablespoon measuring spoon works well to shape these.
• Place in two lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking pans or a large rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake these uncovered for 30 minutes at 375°F.
• Remove from the oven and drain them. (At this point, you can transfer to a different pan, or simply drain the pan that you used.)
• Place all meatballs back on the baking sheet if needed.
• In a small saucepan bring all sauce ingredients to a boil.
• Pour over the meatballs and return to the oven.
• Bake these uncovered for 20 minutes or until no longer pink.

Notes

Note:  This makes enough to feed a crowd, many times we will freeze 1/2 of them to use later.

Ground Turkey can be used instead of beef too.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 614kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 1314mg | Potassium: 1079mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 470IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 6mg

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