Honey-Balsamic BBQ Meatballs are sticky, sassy, and saucy. Packed with protein, this gluten free appetizer recipe is perfect for sharing!
There’s a big game coming up in a few Sundays (I’ll let you do the math!) which makes it the perfect time to share my Honey-Balsamic BBQ Meatballs.
These sticky, sassy, scrumptious meatballs are gluten free, packed with flavor, and perfect for sharing!
Mini meatballs are held together with cooked quinoa instead of bread crumbs to make them gluten-free, then are coated in a sticky, sweet-tart homemade Honey-Balsamic BBQ Sauce.
Like I said, they’re a little tangy, a little sweet, and the cooked quinoa in the meat mixture gives them a great texture. Keep the two-bite-sized meatballs warm in a saucepan on the stove, or in a crock pot set to warm.
Start by making a batch of thick and sticky homemade Honey-Balsamic BBQ Sauce, which is super easy to make.
In a small saucepan combine balsamic vinegar, honey, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, salt, and pepper then bring to a boil. Lower the heat then simmer for 45 minutes.
As it simmers, the BBQ sauce will thicken and sweeten – YUM.
Meanwhile, rinse 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa then cook it in 2/3 cup water for 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed. Fluff it with a fork then cool slightly.
Combine the cooked quinoa with 1 whisked egg, 1/2 grated small onion, 2 microplaned or minced garlic cloves, and lots of salt and pepper.
Finally add 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary then mix everything together.
Add 1lb lean ground beef then mix with your hands and separate into eight wedges.
Form three meatballs out of each wedge, placing them on a cooling rack sprayed VERY well with nonstick spray, set atop a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes at 400 degrees.
Finally, add the meatballs to the Honey-Balsamic BBQ Sauce then turn the heat down to low to keep warm.
Alternatively, you could add the meatballs and sauce to a crock pot set to “warm”. 
Set out tooth picks to pluck the meatballs from the tangy sauce with then enjoy!
I know “homemade BBQ sauce” can sometimes sound scary or intimidating, but this sauce is incredibly easy to make, thick, sticky, and sweet. Absolutely delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup quinoa
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 large shallot or 1/2 small onion, grated or minced
- 2 garlic cloves, microplaned or minced
- 1 Tablespoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt and pepper
For the Honey-Balsamic BBQ Sauce:
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 Tablespoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Combine ingredients for Honey-Balsamic BBQ Sauce in a saucepan then stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring every so often, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until sauce is thick and has lost its vinegary bite, stirring every so often.
- Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a small saucepan then add rinsed quinoa, cover with a lid, turn heat down to medium-low, and then cook until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork then cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil then place a cooling rack on top and spray very well with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine cooled quinoa, egg, shallot, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme and rosemary. Stir to combine then add beef and mix to combine using hands. Separate mixture into eighths, then form three meatballs from each segment, to form 24 meatballs. Place on prepared cooling rack then bake for 15-17 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center. Add meatballs to sauce then turn heat down to low to keep warm, or transfer to a crock pot set to "warm".
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Omg…these meatballs are delicious! Thank you for the recipe, I made them this weekend and everybody just loved it!!!
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Kristin, have you ever made meatballs ahead of time? I’m wondering if I should form them and refrigerate, or cook them and then reheat in the sauce the next day or later the same day. Thanks!
You could definitely make the meatballs ahead of time. I’d wait until the day of to bake them!
I think that in the ingredient list you need to specify gluten free for the Worcester sauce. I didn’t realise that mine wasn’t until after I had made the sauce. I hadn’t read the accompanying text. The non-coeliacs enjoyed them.
Hey Inge! I mentioned it in the post text, but added it to the recipe, too. Hope you get the chance to try them sometime!
Just made these and they are AMAZING! One question, mine are kind of falling a part as I try to stir them into the sauce, despite being gentle. Any tips? Maybe I have a little too much quinoa in them?
That could be! Did you add more than the recipe called for?
No I used 1/3 cup. They were mostly fine, I’ll just use a slightly larger saucepan next time. They were a hit!
are the cooling rocks an absolute a must? I don’t own any :(
These look amazing and I’m going to make them for my Super Bowl party. I think it would work, but I’m wondering if I could pre-make the meatballs and the sauce separately, then reheat them together on game day. Thoughts?
Thanks!!
I think you could get away with making the sauce ahead of time. I’d wait to bake the meatballs until the day of, as meat can tend to dry out if reheated!
Aw rats. I ended up making both this AM. The meatballs were juuuuust cooked and they felt moist, so I’ll slowly reheat them on Sunday. The BBQ sauce tasted divine, though!
I’m sure it will be absolutely fine and just as delicious! :)
These are amazing, but if you have a husband, make a double batch. I took 5, went back for more, and they were ALL GONE! Thanks for the great recipe!
I am GF and was SEARCHING for a GF meatball because my boys have been requesting them…THANK YOU!!! I never would have thought to use quinoa.
That honey balsamic sauce looks so good! I love a good sauce on a meatball, these really look delicious! What a great idea for the quinoa instead of breadcrumbs too. Yum!
Question from an onion-hater: could you leave the onion out? I didn’t know how prevalent they were or needed to be in the recipe. I can handle small doses, but if the taste of the meatballs was quite onion-y, then I would probably pass on this recipe. Even though it sounds delicious!
Love how you can make this right from the pantry! I am always looking for different ways to use ground beef since it is always on sale. Will have to give this one a try :)
Loving the GF recipes! Our house gave up gluten last year as an experiment. My husband had just generally not been feeling good, and I suspected that it might be the culprit. After ONE week, his migraines were gone, his acid reflux disappeared, and he had about 10x the energy. We haven’t looked back. We still love carbs – we just eat brown rice pasta and wraps, polenta, almond flour cookies etc! I was surprised how easy it was to give up wheat!
These look amazing – and I love your photography! Great blog, happy I found it today!