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.
Making these for a Holiday party this weekend, just making a few tweeks to make them Paleo, but they sound wonderful!
What a wonderful post. Meatballs are one food my entire family loves, so I will have to try this.
Big hit at the party!! Everyone loved them thanks for the great recipe, Such nice details. I always love when people share. I have a great Italian Gravy recipe.
I don’t often cook, but these looked too good to be true. I seriously wanted to lick the pan clean! I love them! I worried there wouldn’t be enough sauce to coat the meatballs, but thankfully it was the perfect ratio. Thanks so much for sharing this new family favorite!!!
So glad to hear, Kelly! Thanks for the awesome feedback!
Because of time, I got store bought meatballs but made the Balsamic sauce. It was so good. The sauce is amazing! and so easy to make! I made it for a Opera Concert that my husbands group does. There were about 50-75 people there. Everyone loved the meatballs. One lady said they were the best meatballs she had ever had. I had about 150 meatballs and just doubled the sauce recipe. I still had a small bowl full of sauce left over. And the meatballs were plenty saucy. Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I may never buy store bought BBQ again(this was my first time making my own).
I’m so glad to hear that, Heather, thank you so much for the awesome feedback!
would like to know the type or quality of balsamic vinegar is used?
I use regular, run of the mill balsamic though I look for one that doesn’t contain caramel coloring.
How would you make this a meal instead of an appetizer?
I would shape them into mini loaves then bake. I actually tried a whole loaf with this recipe last week and it was a bit crumbly but the smaller loaves should work fine.
i am planning to make these tomorrow and am doubling it. Do I really need to completely double the sauce recipe? Or is there quite a bit leftover for dipping so that I could maybe make 1-1/2 the amount of sauce for twice as many meatballs? Thanks.
Hi Katie! I would double the sauce recipe too just to make sure there’s enough!
I havent read all the comments, so I’m sorry if you’ve already answered this; I live in a country where you can’t get quinoa, so what should I substitute it for and how much? Bread crumbs, oatmeal, rice…?
Thanks!!
I want to make a triple batch of these for a couple of events. Do you think I should triple the recipe for the sauce? It sounds like a lot of sauce, but I don’t want them to be dry. Thanks for your amazing recipes!
I would go ahead and triple the sauce – if there’s too much you can set it out for dipping!
Just a note for those wondering about freezing these… I tried it as I really want to serve these at my casual wedding and need all the pre-prep help I can get! They turned out great!! In fact I did a taste test with some not frozen and some frozen and I didn’t notice any difference! After cooking the meatballs and once they have cooled completely, I spread them out on a cookie sheet and freeze them. Then once they are frozen put them all into a ziplock freezer bag. The sauce I will make a few days ahead and add it once thawed. My plan is to reheat and keep them warm in a crock pot. Great, moist meatballs!
Would would you suggest serving these with? Can’t wait to try them!
They’re intended as a stand alone appetizer, but if you wanted them for dinner you could roll them a bit bigger and serve on little slider buns with a salad and maybe roasted asparagus!
Yummy! Made these for dinner, larger meatballs. They were a huge hit with my husband. Will make a double batch of the sauce for ribs next week.