These spiced-up bison meatballs are egg and dairy free but they really deliver on flavor! Serve them up as an appetizer with a homemade, smoky BBQ sauce in only 30 minutes. Check out how to make these bison meatballs below.
Bison Meatball Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- ground bison meat
- Worcestershire sauce
- yellow onion
- red bell pepper
- garlic cloves
- dried thyme leaves
- fresh parsley
For the BBQ Sauce:
- ketchup
- apple cider vinegar
- brown sugar
- honey
- Worcestershire sauce
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- liquid smoke
- ground cloves
Tips & Info
Without the BBQ sauce, these meatballs are low-carb/keto because we aren’t using breadcrumbs as a filler. So if that is the kind of diet you follow, ditch the sauce and eat them on their own. They have enough spice and flavor to enjoy them that way. Bison meat is also paleo-friendly.
If you aren’t following a keto diet, I highly recommend making this easy, zippy BBQ sauce to go with! This recipe makes plenty of it, so you can slather it on and refrigerate the leftovers for another meal. The liquid smoke gives it amazing flavor, so try to pick some up if you can!
Baking the meatballs in the oven allows you to avoid adding oil in the cooking process. Ground bison is an alternative to ground beef that is lower in fat and calories, but provides similar nutrients, so leaving out the oil just seems like the right thing to do in this recipe.
As an added bonus, ground bison is actually slightly higher in protein than beef. Both have protein that is high in quality and provides all nine essential amino acids that our bodies need, making it a complete protein. As for flavor, they are said to be similar, but I personally like the taste and texture of bison more.
Although there are still some bison grazing in the wild, you will mainly find them on farms in North America. In the US, eastern Montana and the western Dakotas are considered to be the bison heartland. In Canada, you will find a large portion of the herd in Saskatchewan. The bison we cook with in our home comes from a local farmer. This is a good way to support local if you can!
Did you enjoy these baked bison meatballs? Let us know in the comments and please share the recipe!
Bison Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb. ground bison meat
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup yellow onion - diced
- ¼ cup red bell pepper - diced
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 2 teaspoons thyme leaves - dried
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley - finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For the BBQ Sauce:
- 2 cups ketchup
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Do not overmix.
- Loosely form 1-inch balls with the ground meat and transfer them to the lined baking sheet. (The less you handle the meat, the more tender they will be.)
- Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven or until fully cooked.
BBQ Sauce:
- Meanwhile, whisk BBQ sauce ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- Serve the meatballs with the BBQ sauce.
Equipment
Notes
- Nutrition information does not include the BBQ sauce.
- Leftover BBQ sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container or squeeze bottle.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
Hungry for more? Try our Bison Tacos