Tikka Masala Meatballs are officially my new favorite dinner! The flavor is just amazing and that sauce…. so good! Cannot wait for you to try this one!
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY:
This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, but the opinions are my own.
A big thank you to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post! As you all know, I have been a long-time fan of their products and I use their Almond Flour in A TON of my recipes! It is dependable, versatile and never lets down! My go-to, store-bought almond flour!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Dairy-Free: Love that this classic recipe is altered to make sure it is dairy-free (as well as Paleo, Whole30, etc.). This will be on our menu again and again!
- That Sauce: The sauce is just spot-on and delicious! And there is lots of it so if you are serving with cauliflower rice (Paleo/Whole30) or regular rice, there will be lots of extra sauce so you can enjoy every single bite!
- Leftovers: Hopefully you have leftovers because this one of those recipes that is almost better the next day as those flavors continue to meld together.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Ghee: If you aren’t concerned with Whole30/Paleo feel free to use real butter. If you are dairy-free then you can use olive oil.
- Ground Chicken Substitute: I have only ever tested this recipe with ground chicken. Feel free to try something else (like turkey) and report back!
- Almond Flour Substitute: I have only ever made these with Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour, but people have reported making other similar recipes with Bob’s Red Mill Casava Flour with good results – Let me know if you try something different!
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Coconut Milk: I know some people aren’t huge fans of the flavor of coconut milk – honestly you can’t really taste it in the this recipe with all the other flavors and spices at play. You CAN sub an almond milk creamer, but it might not be as thick and creamy – FYI. For best results, use coconut milk.
- Can I make the meatballs in the oven? Yes! You can prepare the meatballs as instructed and then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for approx. 18-20 minutes (or until they reach 165 in the center). Remove from oven and then combine with sauce.
How to Make Tikka Masala Meatballs
Begin making your sauce by sautéing garlic, onion and seasonings.
Then add your tomato sauce, lemon juice and coconut milk.
Other Popular Meatball Recipes
Greek Chicken Meatballs
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Orange Chicken Meatballs
Curried Meatballs
Make your chicken meatballs.
Cook your chicken meatballs (see recipe card for baked meatball instructions).
Combine sauce and chicken meatballs.
Serve with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Lemon Garlic Chicken
Healthy Orange Chicken
Healthy Beef and Broccoli
Sheet Pan Shrimp and Broccoli
Print
Tikka Masala Meatballs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 20–24 meatballs 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top + Oven
- Cuisine: Indian-Inspired
Description
Tikka Masala Meatballs – an easy and delicious weeknight dinner recipe (also perfect for meal prep) that your whole family will love!
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Meatballs
- 1lb ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Tikka Masala Sauce
- 1–2 tablespoon ghee
- 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
- 2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1–2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1–2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
- (1) 15oz can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
Topping:
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a medium saucepan to medium-high heat and add ghee. Once ghee has melted, add garlic. Let cook, moving around the pan, until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add onions and let cook down, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, paprika, cumin, garam masala and red chili powder. Stir to combine.
- Pour in tomato sauce, lemon juice and coconut milk. Stir to combine and bring to just under a simmer. Cover.
- To make the chicken meatballs, combine ground chicken, egg, almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper in a medium mixing bowl.
- Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop out approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons of meatball mixture, forming a ball, and place on a large plate. Continue until all of the meatball mixture is used. (See Notes)
- Take large/medium cast iron skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and use a spatula to spread evenly to coat the pan. Add chicken meatballs and sear on all sides, about 3 minutes.
- Turn down heat to medium and then add the tikka masala sauce. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a meat thermometer to ensure meatballs have reached in internal temp of 165 to ensure they are fully cooked.
- Serve with cauliflower rice (Whole30/Paleo) or with regular rice and top with fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Ghee: If you aren’t concerned with Whole30/Paleo feel free to use real butter. If you are dairy-free then you can use olive oil.
- Ground Chicken Substitute: I have only ever tested this recipe with ground chicken! Feel free to try something else (like turkey) and report back!
- Almond Flour Substitute: I have only ever made these with Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour, but people have reported making other similar recipes with Bob’s Red Mill Casava Flour with good results – Let me know if you try something different!
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Coconut Milk: I know some people aren’t huge fans of the flavor of coconut milk – honestly you can’t really taste it in the this recipe with all the other flavors and spices at play. You CAN sub an almond milk creamer, but it might not be as thick and creamy – FYI. For best results, use coconut milk.
- Can I make the meatballs in the oven? Yes! You can place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for approx. 18-20 minutes (or until they reach 165 in the center). Remove from oven and then combine with sauce.
Lynn says
From our 5 year old to my 46 year old hubby, we all LOVED this dish. I doubled the sauce and had frozen chicken meatballs on hand so used those in place. Delicious!! Thanks!
Erin says
That’s so awesome to hear, Lynn! So happy everyone enjoyed 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review + feedback – I really appreciate it!