Gelatin Free Cassava Flour Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Sweet, tangy, and deeply savory all at once, these meatballs deliver that classic takeout-style flavor you crave without a single shortcut ingredient you'd need to second-guess. The sauce gets its gorgeous body from sweet potato purée and a quick arrowroot slurry — no gelatin-based thickeners, no mystery packets, just real food doing the work. Cassava flour binds the beef beautifully, keeping every meatball tender and juicy through the sear-and-bake method that locks in flavor before they ever hit the sauce. Pineapple juice and apple cider vinegar bring the bright, punchy acidity, while honey and coconut aminos round everything out with a mellow sweetness that tastes like it took way longer than it did. Fresh pineapple chunks stirred in at the end add little bursts of fruit that make the whole dish feel vibrant and alive. This is the kind of weeknight dinner that looks impressive enough to serve to guests but comes together in one skillet and a sheet pan.
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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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