Lupin Free Cassava Flour Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Sweet, tangy, and deeply savory, these meatballs deliver everything you want from a classic sweet and sour dish — without a single ingredient that could cause concern for those avoiding lupin. Lupin flour has quietly crept into a surprising number of packaged foods and gluten-free baking blends, so using cassava flour as the binder here is a genuinely smart swap that keeps the texture tender and cohesive. The sauce is where things get really exciting: pineapple juice, sweet potato purée, apple cider vinegar, honey, and coconut aminos come together into something glossy, complex, and just the right balance of bright and rich. A quick arrowroot slurry thickens it beautifully without any grain-based starches, and fresh pineapple chunks stirred in at the end add juicy bursts of sweetness in every bite. The method — searing first for a golden crust, then finishing in the oven — means you get meatballs that are properly browned on the outside and perfectly cooked through. Pile them over rice, tuck them into lettuce cups, or just eat them straight from the skillet with a fork and zero regrets.
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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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