Black Pepper Free Cassava Flour Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Sweet, tangy, and deeply savory, these meatballs hit every note you want from a classic sweet and sour dish — without a single crack of black pepper in sight. For anyone who needs to avoid that spice, it can feel like a constant game of label-reading, since it sneaks into so many sauces, spice blends, and pre-made meatball mixes. Here, every element is built from scratch, so you stay in complete control of what goes into the bowl. The meatballs get their depth from fresh garlic, grated ginger, turmeric, and coconut aminos, while the sauce layers pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, and a clever sweet potato purée that gives it body and a subtle natural sweetness. Arrowroot starch thickens everything to a glossy, clingy consistency that coats each meatball beautifully, and fresh pineapple chunks folded in at the end keep the whole dish bright and a little tropical. Searing before baking locks in a golden crust, so the texture holds up once everything gets tossed together in the skillet. Finish with sliced scallions and you've got a crowd-pleasing plate that looks and tastes like it came from a restaurant, not a restricted ingredient list.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
- 2 tbsp cassava flour
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
For the sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice (unsweetened)
- ⅓ cup sweet potato purée
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (about 1-inch pieces)
For serving
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, cassava flour, 2 tbsp coconut aminos, garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, salt, and turmeric. Mix with your hands until just combined — do not overwork the meat. Roll into balls about 1½ inches in diameter (roughly 20–22 meatballs) and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
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