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Slow cooker BBQ turkey meatballs in blue bowl.
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4.91 from 20 votes

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!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Warming Time:2 hours
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: ground turkey meatballs, gluten free meatballs, BBQ meatballs, crockpot meatballs
Servings: 32
Calories: 79kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Combine 2 ½ - 3 lbs. of 85% lean 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove the baking sheets when finished. Repeat with the remainder of the meat mixture until all of the meatballs are cooked.
    The meatballs are fully cooked when the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees and can be tested with a meat thermometer.
  • Place the cooked meatballs in a slow cooker.

Make The BBQ Sauce:

  • Combine 1 cup BBQ sauce in a sauce pan along with ½ cup tomato sauce, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce.
  • Heat the sauce to medium low and cook for 5 minutes or so on the stove top, stirring often. Cook just until heated through and remove from heat.
  • 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.
  • Heat the meatballs in the sauce 1-2 hours before serving. The slow cooker may be set to 'Low' or 'High'. After an hour or two the slow cooker may be set to 'Keep Warm'.
  • To Serve: Serve individually or in a serving platter.

Notes

Use any variety of BBQ sauce you like. I love Stubb's BBQ line of BBQ sauces.
Feel free to add more Sriracha if you like spicier meatballs or leave it out altogether if you don't like any spice.
Chicken broth or water may be added to the BBQ meatballs if you'd like to thin out the sauce.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 30grams | Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg