These Tangy Sesame Meatballs are juicy homemade meatballs that are hand rolled and then coated in a sweet and tangy sesame sauce that gives the meatballs a bright burst of flavor. Great over cauliflower rice for dinner or set out at your next part as an appetizer.

Meatballs Are Delicious and Easy To Make!

Sometimes I just get a craving for some tasty meatballs. I love them over rice, or cauliflower rice these days, as the main meal but I also find they make a great appetizer at parties or social gatherings. 

I  love meatballs, but when I think of those little juicy bites of meat, I’ll admit I usually am imagining them coated in a yummy sauce or dipped in a creamy dip. So no dry flavorless meatballs for me!

When it comes to meatballs I like to use very specific meatball recipes. They turn out wonderfully each time and they are so juicy. The meatballs are also easy to prep ahead and freeze for later. 

There are so many ways to make meatballs, some with fillers like oats or breadcrumbs, to keep them tender and juicy.  But I find that my family doesn’t like the texture fillers give the meatballs so we don’t miss those high-carb fillers at all when I use a mixture of just ground pork and ground beef. 

Using the mixture of two higher fat proteins not only aids in keeping your meatballs juicy, but the combination of two types of meat also gives the meatballs a better flavor in my opinion.

Some people might say without the addition of the fillers the meatballs are denser and heavier than when you do use them. I’d say that is true, but I don’t mind them a bit more dense since I’m avoiding extra carbs and they are still very flavorful.

I like to let the flavors in the meatballs develop for 30-60 minutes before I start to roll them into balls so I cover the mixture and place it in the refrigerator. But you can skip this step if you are in a hurry to get your dinner on the table. 

When I’m ready to make the meatballs, I always use a small cookie scoop. This makes the perfect size meatballs for my family.

They’re big enough to require a fork but small enough to keep you from looking greedy when you want to add several to your plate. Ha, ha!

My meatball recipe is nothing hard or fancy, just some yummy ground meat, spices, and some of my favorite Asian flavors whipped into a sauce.  Remember delicious doesn’t have to be hard or complicated.

Let’s Talk about the Yummy Sesame Sauce!

My homemade meatballs work so well with my sweet and tangy sesame sauce for this recipe. The sauce is low carb and sugar-free but you’d never know because it is super delicious and very reminiscent of those tasty sauces you find at your local Asian Food buffet. 

It’s no secret around here that I’m a huge fan of Asian foods. So over the years, I’ve learned to recreate some of my favorite Asian dishes at home.  I’ve shared many of those recipes here on the blog. Be sure to go check out my recipe index for those recipes after you finish here!

Remember, the meatballs alone are yummy and would be so good with pasta sauce, but let me tell you friends, this sesame sauce just takes them to a new level of flavor town!

The sauce is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and nutty. The great thing about this sauce is that all the ingredients are simple to find in your local Walmart or the grocery store. 

Here’s What You’ll Need For the Sauce:

• Water
• Rice Vinegar (or Apple Cider)
• Tomato Sauce
• Low Carb Sweetener
• Coconut Aminos or Soy Sauce
• Sesame Seed Oil
• Ground Garlic, Onion, Ginger
• Xanthan Gum

I usually mix up my sauce while my meatballs are in the oven baking. They bake for about 25 minutes so that is the perfect time to get this sauce whipped up so it will be ready to pour over them when they come out of the oven. 

To make the sauce all you have to do is add all the ingredients into a saucepan, except the Xanthan Gum, and turn to bring them up to a simmer on medium-high heat. Don’t walk away from the sauce while it is cooking. 

Once the sauce is at a low simmer it’s time to thicken it up some. That step includes you carefully sprinkling the Xanthan Gum into the sauce very slowly whisking the entire time!

Xanthan Gum is an effective thickening agent and stabilizer that is used to thicken low-carb dishes and it prevents ingredients from separating. It is used because it is much lower in carbs compared to corn starch.

It’s important to know that the old saying “a little dab with do ya” are words to live by with low-carb thickeners like Xanthan Gum.

Because if they are not added into the recipes slowly, and in very small amounts they will clump up into little balls of gel and that makes a mess of your sauces or gravies. It is not a pleasant site or mouthfeel, trust me. 

So go easy on it and follow the directions carefully in the recipe card when using it to thicken this sauce.

Tips For a Successful Recipe:

• Use a combination of meats to add flavor to your meatballs. Pork and Beef work very well together but turkey can be used if you want to avoid the pork. If you are a fan of a filler in your meatballs you can add a 1/2 cup of very finely crushed pork rinds and an egg or two to the other ingredients. 
• Avoid over-cooking the meatballs as it will dry them out. 
• Don’t skip the step of letting the meatball mixture rest while the flavors meld together. Yes, this step can be skipped with any major harm to the recipe if you are in a hurry to get dinner on the table, but giving it at least 20-30 minutes will work wonders on the flavor of your meatballs.
• When making the sauce taste as you go and adjust the sweetness or vinegar to fit your desired tastes. 
• For an added kick of heat use a pinch of red pepper flake or stir some Siracha into the sauce.
• To garnish your dish chopped some green onions or chives and toast up some white sesame seeds to sprinkle over the top of the meatballs before serving as you see in the recipe pictures. 
• Last but not least, enjoy yourself with family or friends!

Yield: 7 Servings

Tangy Sesame Meatballs

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Juicy homemade meatballs coated in a sweet and tangy sesame sauce. These low carb meatballs are great over cauliflower rice or used as an appetizers.

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Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1.5 pound ground beef
• 1.5 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
• 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Amino
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Tangy Sesame Sauce

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Coconut Amino or Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoon THM Super Sweet or 3 Tablespoons Pyure Sweetener
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum (for thickening)

Optional Toppings

• Chopped Green onions
• Toasted White Sesame Seeds

Instructions

1. To make the meatballs place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Let the the mixture sit in the fridge covered for at least 30 minutes if your time permits.
2. Using a small cookie scoop measure out the meatball mixture one scoop at a time rolling each between your hands to form the meatballs. Using my small cookie scoop (about 1 inch) I got 44 meatballs. Yours may vary depending on how large you make them.
3. Place each meatball on a baking tray that has been lined with parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
4. While the meatballs are baking prepare your Sesame Sauce.
5. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan except the Xanthum Gum
6. Over medium heat bring the sauce to a simmer and slowly sprinkle the Xanthum Gum into the sauce wisking briskly the whole time to thicken. It is very important to do this step slowly because if it is added to quickly the Xanthum Gum will clump up and and not be pleasant.
7. After mixing in the thickener let the sauce bubble away on a medium simmer for 12 minutes until it has reduced slightly and thickened some.
8. Once the meatballs and sauce are finished you can combine them and toss them around until each meatball is well coated.
9. To serve place a serving of meatballs over some cauliflower rice and top with a sprinkle of chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
10. If you would like to use these as an appetizer or if you want to prep them ahead you can put them into a slow cooker to reheat them and keep them warm for your guests.

Nutrition Information

Yield

7

Serving Size

6.5 ounces
Amount Per ServingCalories 625Total Fat 42gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 22gCholesterol 178mgSodium 866mgCarbohydrates 7gNet Carbohydrates 5gFiber 1gSugar 4gSugar Alcohols 1gProtein 53g

I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.

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Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!