Gluten Free Hawaiian Meatballs Recipe (2024)

It’s been cold ’round here and I wanted to bring a little sunshine to the dinner table. What better way than with tropical flavors in a hearty dish?

These gluten-free Hawaiian Meatballs are a cinch to prepare, use mostly pantry items and liven up these dreary, dark days of winter. I spiced up the meatballs with a little dried ginger and garlic, browned them up well and then made a quick sauce with some canned pineapple, maraschino cherries and a bell pepper. It couldn’t be simpler and prep time was only about 10 minutes and then about 25 minutes in the oven unattended.

I served my Hawaiian meatballs on a bed of rice which I had flavored up with some more dried ginger and garlic plus a little dried parsley. It was a lovely tropical dinner that brought a little warmth and sunshine into an otherwise dismal day.

Want a fun and filling snack for watching a football game (I hear there is one coming up)? Make the meatballs smaller and serve them with toothpicks.

I like my meatballs juicy and tender and there are a few tricks for achieving this.

• Do not compact the meatballs too much when shaping, lightly roll them into the size you want but don’t squeeze them.
• Brown them really well. You know how when you sear a steak it keeps the juices inside? Same principal here, get them nice and brown and they will stay moist when you finish cooking them.
• Use an appropriate sized ice cream scoop to shape them if you have one, this ensures all the meatballs are the same size. If you don’t have the right sized ice cream scoop then no worries, just eyeball them.
• Meatballs need something to bind them so they don’t fall apart. I used gluten-free bread crumbs in this recipe but if you don’t have any then just put a couple slices of slightly toasted gluten-free bread, bagels or even waffles in the blender and grind them up. You can even use left over or instant rice in place of the bread crumbs.
• A bit of milk helps keep the meatballs moist, any kind of milk will do even the dairy free milk of your choice.
• Gratingin a little onionnot only flavors the meat well but also adds moisture. If you don’t have a grater then mince the onion finely.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.

Disclaimer: All nutrition facts on Gluten Free & More are meant only as a guide and may differ depending on product brands used or ingredient substitutions. Some errors may occur, so you are encouraged to confirm the recipe’s ingredient and nutrition suitability for your own diet.

Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.

Tags:Cherries Dairy Free Football Hawaiian Meatballs Pineapple