BBQ Turkey Meatballs

This gluten free BBQ Turkey Meatballs recipe is easy and healthy. It's baked in the oven and tossed in the slow cooker with barbecue sauce!

These Slow Cooker BBQ Turkey Meatballs are great because they're perfect to serve as a party appetizer or as an easy hearty weeknight dinner.

When it comes to flavor it's hard to beat those found in BBQ sauce. If you throw something in the crockpot with a rich and tangy BBQ sauce it's sure to come out irresistible.

I love these meatballs because they're full of savory spices and healthy because they're made with ground turkey and baked in the oven so you don't need to feel too guilty if you eat one (or two) many of them.

They can be served individually on toothpicks at a New Year's Eve party, on a bed of potatoes alongside some veggies for a hearty meal, or on top of a hoagie with melted cheese for a seriously delicious sandwich.

These Crockpot BBQ Turkey Meatballs are downright addicting.

Jump to:

• How To Make BBQ Turkey Meatballs From Scratch
• Should You Brown Meatballs First?
• How Do I Know When Turkey Meatballs Are Done?
• How To Make Tangy BBQ Sauce
• What To Serve With BBQ Turkey Meatballs
• Can You Freeze BBQ Meatballs?
• BBQ Turkey Meatballs

How To Make BBQ Turkey Meatballs From Scratch

I love to use ground turkey when making meatballs because it picks up the flavors of whatever is added to it. These Crockpot Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs, Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs, and Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowls are among my faves.

You can sub any ground meat you like for ground turkey. Ground chicken, beef, or a mixture of beef and pork would be great.

I recommend a 90|10 or 95|5 percent lean ground turkey mixture for leaner meatballs. If you'd like more fat (a little less healthy but fat provides great flavor) feel free to opt for an 85|15 percent lean mixture.

The ground turkey is combined with a mixture of savory spices, Panko breadcrumbs, and eggs. The mixture is then formed into balls, baked in the oven, and tossed in a slow cooker with a tangy BBQ sauce.

Here's What You'll Need To Make BBQ Turkey Meatballs:

• 2.5 - 3 lbs. Ground Turkey (may sub ground meat of choice)
• 2 Eggs
• ¾ cup Gluten Free Panko Breadcrumbs (can use regular Panko breadcrumbs if not GF)
• 2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• ¼ tsp. Kosher Salt & Pepper
• 1 cup Gluten Free BBQ Sauce (or any BBQ sauce if not GF)
• ½ cup Tomato Sauce
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp. Sriracha Hot Sauce

Should You Brown Meatballs First?

These meatballs are tossed in BBQ sauce and kept warm in a slow cooker but they must be cooked through beforehand. Uncooked or undercooked ground turkey is unsafe for consumption.

The great thing is that these meatballs are super easy to whip up and bake in the oven prior to warming in the slow cooker.

1. To make the meatballs combine 2.5 - 3 lbs. of ground turkey in a large mixing bowl with 2 eggs, ¾ cup gluten free Panko breadcrumbs, 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. onion powder, 2 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, and ¼ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper.
2. Mix all of these ingredients together with a large spoon or your hands. (Be careful not to over-mix or they may become tough). Make sure all of the spices are incorporated into the meat before forming it into balls.
3. Scoop the meat mixture into balls using a medium-size ice cream scoop or large spoon (this will ensure that they are all equal in size). Use your hands to form the meat into balls and place them on a baking sheet.

You will likely need more than one baking sheet to bake the meatballs. This recipe yields 32-35 meatballs and may be baked all at once on multiple baking sheets or in batches with fewer baking sheets.

How Do I Know When Turkey Meatballs Are Done?

Once the meatballs are formed and placed on baking sheets it's time to bake them in the oven.

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes.
3. Remove the baking sheets when finished. Place the cooked meatballs in a slow cooker. Repeat with the remainder of the meat mixture until all of the meatballs are cooked.

The best way to tell if meatballs are cooked through is to measure the internal temperature with a meat thermometer.

The safe internal temperature for ground turkey is 165 degrees. The meatballs should be firm (but not tough) to the touch and the outside golden brown in color.

Once the meatballs are all cooked feel free to pile them into your slow cooker. Turkey meatballs are a little delicate so if you're serving them at a party you may want to place them in there carefully.

How To Make Tangy BBQ Sauce

You simply cannot have BBQ Turkey Meatballs without some kind of rich and tangy BBQ sauce.

I have a total weakness for BBQ sauce and love it served with everything from Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches to BBQ Sweet Potatoes to BBQ Chicken Pizza.

This BBQ sauce is super easy to make and can be thrown together as the meatballs are baking in the oven.

1. To make it combine 1 cup GF BBQ sauce in a sauce pan along with ½ cup tomato sauce, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce.
2. Heat the sauce to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes or so on the stove top, stirring often.
3. Cook just until heated through and remove from heat.

It's important not to cook the sauce too long or at too high a heat or the sugars in the BBQ sauce may burn.

You can use any variety of BBQ sauce you like. You can choose a variety that is sweet, spicy, or traditional.

I love the Stubb's BBQ line of sauces because the flavors are amazing, they're gluten free and made with natural sweeteners instead of corn syrup, and they're made without ketchup (which I personally detest).

What To Serve With BBQ Turkey Meatballs

1. Once the sauce is finished pour it over the cooked meatballs that have been placed in the slow cooker. Make sure that all of the meatballs are coated in the sauce.
2. Allow the meatballs to warm through completely with the sauce for an hour or two before serving. They can be warmed on the 'Low' or 'High' temperature setting. This will help the flavors develop even more.
3. Once the meatballs and sauce are totally warmed set the temperature to 'Keep Warm' so they don't dry out or overcook.

Feel free to pour a little bit of chicken broth or water over the meatballs if you'd like to thin the sauce out a bit more.

These meatballs are great served as-is individually arranged on a plate with toothpicks or they may be transferred to a serving bowl and served with a spoon.

You can garnish them with fresh herbs like chives or thyme for a pop of color and freshness.

This recipe makes a great weeknight dinner served alongside a batch of mashed potatoes and a veggie like roasted green beans.

BBQ sauce is a classic summer flavor and would be perfect at a picnic with some potato salad, crunchy coleslaw, or Blue Cheese coleslaw.

You definitely can't beat a sub or hoagie piled high with BBQ meatballs, melted cheese, and a tangy garnish.

This is a great all-purpose recipe that can be enjoyed at all times of the year and in many different forms.

Looking for more appetizers? Don't miss these!

• Smoked Salmon Appetizer Bites
• Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms
• Mushroom Gruyere Tartlets
• Kalamata Olive Tapenade
• Roasted Mushroom Tapenade
• Spanish Roasted Almonds
• Maple Spiced Mixed Nuts
• Gruyere Prosciutto Pinwheels
• Roasted Asparagus with Prosciutto
• Prosciutto Feta Stuffed Dates

Can You Freeze BBQ Meatballs?

Yes! These meatballs may be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer until use.

How To Freeze:

Prepare the meatballs as directed and allow to cool completely before transferring to the freezer for storage.

Place the cooled meatballs in heavy-duty freezer storage bags, label with the date, and store up to 3 months in the freezer.

How To Thaw:

Transfer the frozen meatballs to the fridge 24 hours before use and allow them to thaw completely.

Prepare the BBQ sauce at this time.

Once thawed, transfer to a slow cooker and top with the BBQ sauce. Allow the meatballs to cook for 1-2 hours until completely heated through in the BBQ sauce.

Love slow cooker recipes? Don't Miss These:

• Crockpot Buffalo Chicken
• Slow Cooker Chicken Potato Soup
• Slow Cooker Barbacoa Tacos
• Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
• Crockpot Butternut Squash Sausage Soup
• Crockpot Chicken Corn Soup

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