High Fructose Corn Syrup 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 drop of high fructose corn syrup anywhere in sight. That's a bigger deal than it sounds, because most bottled sweet and sour sauces are practically built on the stuff, making this kind of recipe genuinely hard to find ready-made. Here, the sauce gets its body from sweet potato purée and unsweetened pineapple juice, its tang from apple cider vinegar, and its sweetness from honey — real, recognizable ingredients that you can actually pronounce. Coconut aminos stand in for soy sauce throughout, adding that umami depth while keeping the ingredient list clean from start to finish. The meatballs themselves get a subtle warmth from fresh ginger and turmeric, and cassava flour binds everything together without weighing them down. Searing before baking gives you that gorgeous caramelized crust, and the arrowroot-thickened sauce clings to every meatball in the most satisfying way. Finish with a scatter of scallions and you've got a weeknight dinner that looks and tastes like it came from somewhere far more complicated.
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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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