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Ginger-Cilantro Pork Meatballs

May 10, 2021 Modified December 28, 2022 By Nicole Charles 12 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links.

These AIP and paleo Ginger-Cilantro Pork Meatballs are packed with fresh herbs, veggies and spices and complemented by a mouthwatering sweet lime sauce. 

light brown speckled plate with pork meatballs stacked in a pile. one of the meatballs has a bite taken out of it revealing its soft texture with orange flecks from the grated carrots. The meatballs surround a small wooden bowl with an herbed lime sauce and a green salad with cucumbers

Looking for a simple and delicious appetizer or meat entree? These Ginger-Cilantro Pork Meatballs are perfect! They pack a flavorful punch and can be cooked in a variety of ways. They’re great on their own and even better with the dipping sauce!

Here are the main ingredients in these meatballs:

  • ground pork – If you don’t eat pork you can substitute another ground meat. See the FAQs below for my recommendations.
  • carrots – these add incredible moisture to the meatballs. Who doesn’t love hidden veggies?
  • chives, garlic, fresh ginger, cilantro and mint – these give these meatballs all their flavor!
  • coconut aminos – if you want to make these coconut free, you can try substituting with Red Boat Fish Sauce.
  • lime juice, olive oil and maple syrup – these are the additional ingredients you’ll need for the sauce.
light brown speckled plate with pork meatballs stacked in a pile. o. The meatballs surround a small wooden bowl with an herbed lime sauce and a green salad with cucumbers

Ginger-Cilantro Pork Meatballs FAQS

How do I store these?

These meatballs are a great meal prep item. They can be stored in the fridge in a seal container for 4 to 5 days or frozen raw in a freezer safe bag or container for up to a month. If cooking meatballs from frozen, you can place them directly in the air fryer, but increase the cook time by a few minutes minutes. 

I don’t eat pork. Can I use another protein?

The flavors in this dish would also lend themselves well to beef. These meatballs would also be great with ground chicken and turkey as these proteins are not as flavorful.

What can I serve these with?

These are great as an appetizer or as a main course with a vibrant Spring salad, cauliflower rice, or within an AIP cassava flour tortilla or sweet potato tortilla.

Can you bake these meatballs?

The sear from a cast iron pan on the stovetop and/or an air fryer really gives these a beautifully crispy exterior. You can definitely try baking them but I would recommend doing so at a really high heat. Instructions for my preferred methods of cooking are listed in the recipe card below.

a charred cassava flour tortilla sits on top a white plate with crushed pork meatballs, an herbed green sauce and sprigs of lettuce

If you enjoyed these AIP meatballs you might also like:

  • Maple Breakfast sausage
  • AIP Beef Meatballs
  • Moroccan-inspired Lamb Meatballs 

If you tried these Ginger-Cilantro Pork Meatballs I would appreciate it if you would give them a rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious.

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light brown speckled plate with pork meatballs stacked in a pile. one of the meatballs has a bite taken out of it revealing its soft texture with orange flecks from the grated carrots. The meatballs surround a small wooden bowl with an herbed lime sauce and a green salad with cucumbers

Ginger-Cilantro Pork Meatballs (AIP, paleo)


★★★★★

5 from 9 reviews

  • Author: Nicole @healmedelicious
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

These AIP and paleo Ginger-Cilantro Pork Meatballs are packed with fresh herbs, veggies and spices and complemented by a mouthwatering sweet lime sauce.


Ingredients

Scale

Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 1/2 TBSP fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 TBSP mint, finely chopped
  • 2 TBSP coconut aminos
  • 1/2 cup carrots, grated 
  • 2 TBSP olive oil (if cooking on stovetop)

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 TBSP coconut aminos
  • 1 TBSP maple syrup
  • 1 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • 2 TBSP mint, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine ground pork with salt, garlic, ginger, chives, cilantro, mint, coconut aminos and grated carrots and form into meatballs. 
  2. If cooking on stovetop, heat a large cast iron skillet with olive oil. Once hot, add meatballs in an even layer and cook 3-4 minutes per side. Alternatively, preheat airfryer to 400F. Split meatballs into two batches and cook each batch 10-12 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, flipping or shaking the basket once halfway through. 
  3. To make sauce, combine olive oil, coconut aminos, maple syrup, lime juice, mint and cilantro in a bowl and whisk together. 
  4. Serve warm with sauce. 

Notes

1. If you want to bake them I would recommend doing so at ~ 400F for 12-15 minutes and basting them with some of the sauce halfway through.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Category: Appetizers

Keywords: AIP, Paleo, meatballs, pork meatballs, pork, ginger, cilantro, lime, mint

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag @healmedelicious — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Categories: AIP, All Recipes, Appetizers, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Mains, Paleo, Pork, Quick Meals Tagged With: snacks

Previous Post: « Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kirsten

    January 19, 2023 at 8:50 pm

    Incredibly simple to make and so flavorful! I did omit the mint as I knew my kids wouldn’t eat it with mint. Everyone loved it, such a great sauce! I did bake the meatballs and they took 17 minutes at 400 degrees – they weren’t dry at all – I just made sure to turn them during cooking and basted with a little of the sauce. Such a fresh flavor – surprising for a pork dish.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Amanda

    August 2, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    I have never been more grateful for my herb garden. These are delicious–so juicy and full of flavor. I’m serving them over spaghetti squash alongside your zucchini tempura recipe. *chef’s kiss* Thank you for another winner!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      August 2, 2022 at 8:47 pm

      So glad you enjoyed, and thanks for your review as always!!

      Reply
  3. Renata

    June 19, 2022 at 7:42 pm

    Like others said, this recipe is the BOMB !!!! It’s flavorful and easy to make. I wish I had double the recipe as 10 meatballs were not enough for dinner.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Michelle

    November 4, 2021 at 8:50 am

    I made this recipe for a friend, and doubled it so I could have some too. I’ve made it for myself twice since then. These are phenomenal. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
  5. Andrea Roach

    October 3, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    LOVE THESE – I first made them for brunch (for a bunch of non-AIP friends), and it was a major hit. Have made these several times more, and have made the sauce to serve with fish and other meats.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Sue

    September 27, 2021 at 6:09 pm

    Delicious! I didn’t make the sauce and I used fish sauce instead of the coconut aminos and they turned out great! Cooked them in the air fryer. I will definitely make these again. Thank you for a great recipe. I had all the herbs in my garden so even better

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. ahs

    August 1, 2021 at 3:58 pm

    wonderful & versatile! I served these on top of a crispy, thin slices of white sweet potato as a kind-of meatball sandwich for breakfast & a few days later in cassava noodles for dinner. continued thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Cally

    May 20, 2021 at 8:55 pm

    These are super tasty and great for spring. I really dislike cilantro so I subbed parsley and left out the chives (they kill my gut) and they still tasted great! I ate them with cucumber slices and avocado.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      May 21, 2021 at 10:09 am

      Awesome Cally, thanks for sharing these substitutions – I know there are a lot of folks who aren’t fans of cilantro out there so this is great to know! Thanks for sharing a review xx

      Reply
  9. Madison Ford

    May 19, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    Put all the mix-ins in my little food chopper, chopped it up, and threw it in with the pork and it was good to go to make into balls! Super easy and very tasty.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Yodalis

    May 14, 2021 at 9:27 pm

    These are sooooo yummy and so incredibly easy to make! I thoroughly enjoyed them and it was very hard not to eat the entire 1lb of pork in one sitting. I didn’t even bother making the sauce and can only imagine how that would have elevated an already A+ meatball. Thanks so much for the recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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