Eggless Turkey Meatballs
When my daughter was diagnosed with a severe egg allergy, one of the first things that came to my mind was, “Well what about meatballs?! How will I ever be able to make meatballs ever again?” Really? We rarely ate meatballs, so why was this on the forefront of my mind?
Maybe because I had them on our dinner menu that week and sometimes when you panic you think of really random unimportant things to distract you from whats happening.
Creating The Best Turkey Meatball Recipe
I was extremely determined to find the perfect, easy meatball recipe that didn’t call for eggs. Guess what? It’s hard to find an eggless meatball recipe that ALSO tastes delicious. So I was on a quest to make my own.
A lot of trial and error lead me to these delicious turkey meatballs. They are packed with flavor, perfectly moist and are also very versatile. They can be added to just about any dish.
Turkey Meatballs Without Egg And Breadcrumbs?
It’s next to impossible to find breadcrumbs that are egg free, whomp, whomp. My husband is the one who came up with the brilliant idea to replace breadcrumbs with “safe” non-eggy crackers instead. You just crush up your favorite crackers and use them as a binder within the meatball. Genius.
If you need gluten free meatballs, just add your favorite gluten free crackers. Easy, peasy.
I take the crackers and place them into a zip lock bag and then smash the bag up. If you have a young child, this would be something fun that they could do to help out. I zip up the bag and let my daughter step on them, which she thinks is the coolest thing ever.
For three years my daughter also had a dairy allergy (she JUST grew out of it) and our home is mostly dairy free. Unsweetened almond milk became our milk of choice, and I still use it to cook with. If you don’t use nut milk at home as the recipe suggests, regular milk will work just fine.
Applesauce rounds out the meatball ingredients, stepping in for the egg. Applesauce can be used in place of egg for almost any dish that only calls for one egg. Whenever I tell people about these meatballs with applesauce they give me a funny look. The applesauce actually adds a lot of depth, increases the moisture and flavor profile. It is my go-t0 egg replacer in almost any dish.
What To Make With Turkey Meatball
Use the meatballs in your favorite pasta dish. They are also extremely delicious on their own. Turkey meatballs with spaghetti squash is becoming one of my favorite ways to enjoy these delicious meatballs and it is low carb which is a huge bonus.
It’s one of my toddler’s favorite meals for lunch (we love eating them cold the next day). This easy to make meatball is great for baby as well.
Consider adding the meatballs, to your favorite soups, like Skinnytaste’s Pasta Fagioli or using them for turkey meatball subs. Last way, try them on top of mashed potatoes (don’t knock it till you try it).
What is your favorite way to eat meatballs? Let us know in the comments.
Eggless Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- ½ cup crushed crackers of choice (make sure they are egg free)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450
- Crush the crackers up in a large sandwich bag, into granola pieces and set aside
- In a large mixing bowl combine turkey, Italian seasoning, onion powder salt and pepper, the crushed crackers and mix together with hands
- Add in the applesauce and milk, and mix thoroughly through turkey mixture
- Roll mixture into balls to your liking and place on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Bake for 8 minutes and then flip and cook another 7-8 minutes until meatballs are golden brown and slightly crisped on the outside
Yum!! This looks so good and is so creative! I need to try it!
Great way to make meatballs for people with allergies! Would these be good as bbq meatballs? Maybe without the Italian seasoning?
I didn’t know that you could replace applesauce for an egg! That’s so interesting. And weird. haha
You don’t realize how many different allergens are in the foods we love until you can’t have them! Love that you came up with an alternative!
Wow! I would have never expected a recipe like this to exist!! Great resource for those with allergies! I may have to see if my daughter would love these!
These look SO yummy! That is so interesting that you can replace an egg with applesauce in meatballs. I have heard of substituting it for other things but not eggs. So cool!
This looks so good! I love the idea of replacing the egg with applesauce!
That is an awesome idea! I would have never thought to use crackers!
Thank you for this! Egg allergy mom over here, too and I’ve been hoping to find a good meatball recipe!
You can also use flax meal and water. I didn’t have any applesauce so used one tablespoon of flax meal and two to three tablespoons of water beaten with my mixer. They came out great.
The crackers sound so good in this!! Yummy!
These look easy and delicious. I have never made meatballs before, but it’s something I have wanted to do. Going to give these a try.
Could these be prepped ahead and frozen? Would you bake then freeze or prep and freeze raw? Thanks!
Yes, they can be frozen. You will want to cook them first and then freeze them. I love making a double batch and having our family eat one now and one for later.
How many meatballs do you usually portion out for this cook time from the 1lb?
Replace apple sauce with a dash of agave.
I used 1 T unsweetened homemade applesauce and 1 T ketchup. I also used g-free unseasoned bread crumbs instead of crackers. This recipe made 20 medium meatballs for me. The texture and taste were excellent! Thanks!
Yum the additions sound delish 🙂
After baking can I toss in the sauce?
Yes, absolutely!
If any one is looking for egg free, dairy free, cholesterol free and low sodium Bread Crumbs. Progresso makes good Panko Bread Crumbs.
Thanks for this suggestion!!