Sesame Free Cassava Flour Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Sweet, tangy, and deeply savory all at once, these meatballs hit every note you want from a classic sweet and sour dish — without a drop of sesame oil or sesame-based sauce in sight. That's a bigger deal than it sounds, because most takeout-inspired recipes lean hard on ingredients that make this style of cooking completely off-limits for people avoiding sesame. Here, coconut aminos stand in beautifully for the umami depth you'd normally get from soy or sesame-forward sauces, and the result is genuinely rich and satisfying. The sauce is the real star: pineapple juice and fresh pineapple chunks bring the brightness, sweet potato purée adds body and a subtle earthiness, and apple cider vinegar keeps everything lively and balanced. Arrowroot starch thickens it all into a glossy, spoonable coating that clings to every meatball. Searing the meatballs before finishing them in the oven gives you that browned, caramelized exterior that makes the whole dish feel restaurant-worthy rather than weeknight-rushed. Pile them over rice or noodles and finish with scallions for a dinner that's as fun to look at as it is to eat.
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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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