No Egg Italian Meatball Recipe (2024)

Published: by Lyndsey Piccolino · This post may contain affiliate links

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These are the BEST juicy eggless meatballs you will find! These egg-free meatballs are so easy to make. Simple ingredients like ground beef or turkey, olive oil, cheese, Italian seasoning, fresh herbs, and no egg. Quick to make in less than 25 minutes!

No Egg Italian Meatball Recipe (1)
Jump to:
  • Why You Should Make These Juicy Meatballs
  • Ingredients for Making Perfect Meatballs
  • How to Make Meatballs Without Egg
  • How to Serve Italian Meatballs
  • Expert Tips for Making Perfect Eggless Meatballs
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Other Homemade Meatballs You'll Love!

Why You Should Make These Juicy Meatballs

These are the top 5 reasons to make these simple meatballs without eggs:

  • Juicy, flavorful, delicious, and tender meatballs with simple ingredients and the perfect texture, even without eggs.
  • Egg allergy-friendly, gluten-free, made without breadcrumbs, no milk, and no yogurt. Low-carb and keto-friendly.
  • This is the perfect beginner recipe for babies or toddlers. It is kid-friendly with no eggs, no onion, and a smooth texture - perfect for the whole family!
  • Quick and easy to make when you run out of eggs - done in 25 minutes with no hand mixing and no need for a food processor.
  • Eggless meatballs can be baked in the oven, instant pot, or slow cooker.

Ingredients for Making Perfect Meatballs

Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.

No Egg Italian Meatball Recipe (2)

Italian eggless meatballs can be made with lean ground beef, ground chicken, ground pork, chicken sausage, or turkey.

Oat flour or oatmeal will work in the place of a cup of breadcrumbs if you are adding breadcrumbs.

Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, or whichever all-purpose seasoning blend you prefer.

Salt and fresh garlic flavor the meatballs, while parsley imparts a fresh quality. Black pepper may be added for additional spice, but is not necessary

What Can I Use Instead of Egg to Bind Meatballs?

Olive oil makes a perfect egg substitute for meatballs. It provides moisture and it works as a binding agent to keep the meatballs together.

Fresh parmesan cheese adds a delicious savory and cheesy flavor and also works with almond flour to keep the meatballs from falling apart.

Almond flour works with the olive oil to keep the meatballs together. You can substitute fresh breadcrumbs if desired.

How to Make Meatballs Without Egg

Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.

Step 1

No Egg Italian Meatball Recipe (3)

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl to create the meatball mixture.

Step 2

No Egg Italian Meatball Recipe (4)

Use your hands to gently incorporate all of the ingredients. You do not want to over-mix as this will lead to hard, tough meatballs.

Step 3

No Egg Italian Meatball Recipe (5)

Use a cookie scoop to scoop out a ball of meat from the meat mixture. Use the size scoop that you want for the size of the meatball you want.

Generally, I try to make mine the size of a golf ball. Alternatively, if you only have a large scoop you can divide a large scoop in half to make two smaller balls.

Step 4

No Egg Italian Meatball Recipe (6)

Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake according to recipe time and size (see the recipe card.)

How to Serve Italian Meatballs

There are many different ways to serve eggless meatballs.

Heat the meatballs in tomato sauce at a low simmer for about 5 minutes. Then, serve them with your favorite sauce - our family loves them with traditional marinara sauce along with pasta.

Zucchini noodles, zucchini rolls, or spaghetti squash noodles are a great way to enjoy these traditional meatballs while still keeping the recipe low-carb.

A meatball sub, an Italian quesadilla, or a toasty sandwich are great ways to enjoy leftover turkey meatballs.

For a simple and easy weeknight meal your whole family will love, try serving these eggless meatballs with a veggie side dish like garlic green beans and roasted red potatoes.

Expert Tips for Making Perfect Eggless Meatballs

  • Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • Reheating: Reheat leftovers on the stovetop in sauce, in the oven at 350 F, or in the microwave until heated through.
  • Make Ahead: This recipe is great for meal prep! Make the meatball mixture up to two days in advance and bake in the oven when ready.
  • Freezer: Assemble and freeze uncooked meatballs on a baking sheet. Once frozen, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. They can be cooked straight from frozen, allowing an extra few minutes per side during baking.

Recipe FAQs

What can replace eggs in meatballs?

Although there are many options for making meatballs with no eggs, my favorite is olive oil because of the flavor and moisture it imparts. You can also try buttermilk, plain yogurt, or cheese.

Some may argue whether eggs are necessary for meatballs and I tend to believe that they are not essential. My eggless meatballs with turkey have no egg and are very tasty and juicy.

How long does it take to cook meatballs at 400 F?

Depending on the size, meatballs take anywhere from 5 minutes per side to 12 minutes per side. For this homemade meatball recipe, they are considered small (golf ball-sized) and only take 5 minutes per side.

If baking at 350F they will take anywhere from 7-14 minutes per side. They will be considered done when an instant-read thermometer reads 165F when inserted.

No Egg Italian Meatball Recipe (7)

Other Homemade Meatballs You'll Love!

  • Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
  • Best Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs Recipe (Gluten-Free)
  • Easy One-Pot Swedish Meatballs Recipe (Dairy-Free)
  • Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs

If you've made this recipe, would you please leave a star rating and comment below on the recipe card? If you wantmore simple + delicious eats, please subscribe to mynewsletterand follow along onFacebook,Pinterest,andInstagram for the latest updates.

Eggless Meatballs Recipe (Juicy & Tender!)

These are the BEST juicy eggless meatballs you will find. Easy to make with no egg and other simple ingredients like ground beef or turkey, olive oil, cheese and seasoning. Gluten and grain free! On your table in less than 25 minutes!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 25 meatballs

Calories 248kcal

Author Lyndsey

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey beef, sausage or chicken also fine
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese
  • cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup parsley chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  • Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

    1 pound ground turkey, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ⅓ cup almond flour, ¼ cup parsley, 4 cloves garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • Use your hands to gently incorporate all of the ingredients. You do not want to over-mix as this will lead to hard, tough meatballs.

  • Use a cookie scoop to scoop out a ball of meat. Use the size scoop that you want for the size of the meatball you want. Alternatively, if you only have a large scoop you can divide a large scoop in half to make two smaller balls.

  • Place meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake. For small meatballs bake at 350F for 6 minutes per side. For medium ones bake 8-10 minutes per side and for large meatballs bake at 12 minutes per side.

  • Be sure to temp with an instant read thermometer to 165F.

Notes

Store cooked leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat leftovers on the stovetop in sauce, in the oven at 350 F, or in the microwave until heated through.

The recipe can be assembled ahead of time, up to 2 days in advance, and then baked in the oven when ready.

To freeze uncooked, combine and shape the meatballs. Then, freeze the meatballs on a baking sheet. Once frozen, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. They can be cooked straight from frozen allowing an extra few minutes per side during baking.

Nutrition

Serving: 5meatballs | Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.9g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16.3g

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @cookathomemomma or tag #cookathomemomma!

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About Lyndsey Piccolino

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Xavier D

    Hello! Can I make this without parmesan cheese? I'm trying to look for a base meatball recipe that doesn't require eggs nor dairy (challenge impossible). Sorry for weird late night comment, plotting my grocery list for later in the morning, lol.

    Reply

    • Lyndsey

      I think so! I just like the cheese for the flavor but you could omit it.

      Reply

  2. Kate

    What if you don't have oatmeal OR almond flour?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Lyndsey

      you could try breadcrumbs! I've only used almond flour personally.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

No Egg Italian Meatball Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What to use if you don't have eggs for meatballs? ›

What can I use instead of eggs to bind meatballs? There are several options to substitute eggs in a meatball recipe: 2 tablespoons of buttermilk per egg, 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt per egg, 1/4 cup ricotta cheese per egg, or 3 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce per egg.

What happens if you don't put eggs in meatballs? ›

If you forgot to grab eggs at the grocery store, don't worry. The liquid and breadcrumbs are sufficient to hold the egg-free meatballs' shape and ensure the meatballs are tender. However, we do want to add a little extra liquid to make up for the lack of egg.

How do you keep meatballs from falling apart without eggs? ›

Some recipes also call for taking slices of bread, cutting the crusts off and soaking them in milk for several minutes. Once the bread is soaked, you squeeze out as much of the milk as you can. What soaking the bread does is add moisture to the meatball as well as bread for a binder.

What can be used as a binder for meatballs? ›

Add a lightly beaten egg, but not too much. Egg acts as a binder for the ingredients, but you only need a small amount. One small egg will do for one pound of minced meat. Alternatively, if you're following an egg-free diet, you could soak fresh bread in milk, squeezing out any excess milk, to use as a binder.

What can I use to bind instead of egg? ›

Chia seeds

Just like with flaxseeds, you can mix chia seeds and water to make an egg-like binding agent. Add 1 tablespoon of organic chia seeds to 2.5 tablespoons of water, then leave for 15 minutes until it has a consistency similar to jelly.

What can I use in a recipe if I don't have an egg? ›

See the list of 11 egg substitutes below to find the right one for the recipe you're whipping up.
  1. MASHED BANANA. ...
  2. APPLESAUCE. ...
  3. SILKEN TOFU. ...
  4. GROUND FLAXSEED OR CHIA SEEDS & WATER. ...
  5. YOGURT. ...
  6. BUTTERMILK. ...
  7. SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK. ...
  8. ARROWROOT POWDER OR CORNSTARCH.

Can I use mayo instead of eggs in meatballs? ›

But it's not an unusual choice, either, when you consider its parts: egg, oil, and a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice, all whisked or blended together. Because it's a stable emulsion, mayo serves as an excellent binder for meatballs. It easily slips into the role played by eggs and bread crumbs.

Is milk or egg better for meatballs? ›

Add Milk for Moisture

A little bit of milk will add moisture to your meatballs. (Many people think it's the eggs that add the moisture, but their role is to bind the meat, breadcrumbs, cheese and herbs.)

What not to do when making meatballs? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Meatballs
  1. Not seasoning the meat.
  2. Not adding any moisture to the meat.
  3. Over-mixing the meat.
  4. Not shaping the meatballs correctly.
  5. Not forming evenly-sized meatballs.
May 1, 2019

How do you bind ground meat without eggs? ›

No, eggs are not necessary for binding burger patties, though they are commonly used for binding them. However, you can use other binding agents such as breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, potato starch, flour, and porridge oats to bind burger patties according to your preferences.

How do you make meatballs stick together? ›

Egg: A lot of meatball recipes add egg to the mince mixture because it helps to bind the balls together. Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs also help to bind your meatballs. If the mince mixture is quite wet, breadcrumbs will help soak up excess moisture so that the balls don't fall apart.

How important is egg in meatballs? ›

You only need a small amount of egg – it's there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn't detract from the meat's flavour or texture. Filler ingredients like breadcrumbs or flour are important too because they stop the meatballs becoming dry.

What can I use instead of eggs to hold meatballs together? ›

Ricotta cheese is a great alternative for the eggs in meatballs. A good rule of thumb is one cup of ricotta cheese for every pound of ground meat.

What is the secret of a tender meatball? ›

They are super flavorful but what makes them so so tender and moist is this: Plain Greek Yogurt. The lactic acid from the yogurt tenderizes the meat while adding subtle flavor. The addition of egg and parmesan cheese help keep the meat together so that you get delicious weeknight meatballs in minutes.

Is it better to bake meatballs at 350 or 400? ›

For 1-2 inches of beef, pork, or turkey meatballs without any pre-cooking, use these guidelines for your wall oven:
  • 350°F wall oven:
  • 8–14 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
  • 14–18 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
  • 400°F wall oven:
  • 6–10 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
  • 10–14 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
  • 425°F wall oven:
Aug 16, 2023

What can you use as a binder if you don t have eggs for meatloaf? ›

Potential Egg Substitutes
  1. Extra Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs are already found in most meatloaf recipes, but an extra ¼ cup of them can make up for the loss of one egg.
  2. Olive Oil: Olive oil is far runnier and, naturally, oilier than eggs, so you'll want to add one tablespoon at a time until the consistency seems right.
Jul 3, 2022

What can I use instead of egg in ground meat? ›

Chia seeds work as a great egg replacer. 2 tablespoon of Chia Seeds soaked in 3 tablespoon of water is the equivalent of one egg.

What can you use instead of egg to coat meat? ›

THE BOTTOM LINE: We recommend using heavy cream when breading foods if you cannot use eggs. CREAM IS BEST: If you can't use eggs, use heavy cream to hold breading in place.

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