These Egg-free AIP/Paleo Breakfast Meatballs are both savory and sweet! They’re juicy, veggie-packed, and a quick and easy breakfast that’s also dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free.
If you’re struggling to figure out what to eat for breakfast on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP diet), these sweet and savory Egg-free AIP/Paleo Breakfast Meatballs are the perfect choice!
These paleo meatballs combine meat protein with complex carbohydrates and lots of veggies for a nourishing and well-balanced egg-free AIP breakfast.
The sweetness from the apples and sweet potatoes is perfectly balanced with a savory blend of herbs and ground meat. The complex flavor profile with notes of sage reminds me of stuffing and is so delicious! These oven-baked, eggless meatballs are tender with a slight outer crisp and the perfect amount of moisture without any binders.
Egg-free AIP/Paleo Breakfast Meatballs
you’ll love these breakfast meatballs because they’re:
- Allergy-friendly and gluten-free – this recipe is free of the top 9 allergens and these AIP/paleo meatballs bind without eggs, milk, breadcrumbs or any other grains, flours or dairy products.
- Sweet AND savory, so you don’t have to choose!
- Filled with hidden veggies for kid-friendly meatballs that everyone will love.
- Versatile and can be enjoyed as a snack, for dinner, or lunch.
- Freezer-friendly and great for easy AIP meal prep.
- A quick and easy sheet pan breakfast ready in 30 minutes.
What you’ll need to make this egg-free, AIP/Paleo meatball recipe
- ground turkey or ground chicken – I also think this would taste amazing with ground pork!
- olive oil and sea salt
- apples – use any variety you’d like. First peel the apples, then shred with a grater or food processor.
- yellow onions and celery – diced
- sweet potatoes – choose white or orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, or any other variety. Peel them first, then shred with a grater or food processor.
- cremini mushrooms – or substitute with any other type of mushroom.
- herb seasonings – I used a combination of dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried thyme and fresh sage. I’m a sucker for fresh sage, but if you only have dried sage on hand you can use that as well. I recommend using about 1 tsp. In general, dried herbs are more concentrated so you’d use less if substituting for their fresh counterparts.
how to make sheet pan egg-free breakfast meatballs
Step 1: Prepare oven and baking sheet
First, preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Make the meatballs
- Combine the ingredients in a bowl.
- Use your hands or a cookie scoop to shape the mixture into meatballs about 1-inch wide.
Step 3: Bake meatballs
- Finally, bake the meatballs for 20 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
- Garnish with fresh herbs of your choice (optional).
Air Fryer Paleo Meatballs without Eggs
Making these sweet and savory AIP/Paleo Breakfast Meatballs in the air fryer couldn’t be easier!
- Preheat air fryer to 400F.
- Make the meatballs as described in the recipe card.
- Coat the basket with olive oil and add meatballs in an even layer. Work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding.
- Air fry for about 10 minutes or until cooked through, shaking the basket or turning the meatballs once at the halfway mark.
how to serve these egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free baked meatballs
These savory sweet potato meatballs are so versatile and can be enjoyed in many ways. For example:
- As an easy egg-free AIP breakfast – Meal prep/make these meatballs ahead for a quick weekday breakfast-to-go option. They’d pair nicely with fresh fruit like this Avocado Grapefruit Salad for weekend brunch.
- As a hearty meatball sandwich with Sweet Potato Tortillas or Cassava Wraps.
- As an AIP snack or appetizer – Have these on their own or stick them with toothpicks and serve with a dipping sauce like this Wild Leek Pesto.
- As a main dish – Pair these meatballs with leafy greens and veggie sides like Herbed Cauliflower Salad or these Sautéed Veggies with Pears and Chives, and grain substitutes like cauliflower rice or cassava orzo .
Tips for Easy Meal Prep
- Prepare these meatballs in advance, like on a Sunday for the week ahead.
- Make a double batch and store half in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.
- Keep some in the fridge for a grab-and-go AIP breakfast option during the week.
- Freeze meatballs either pre-cooked or after baking them so you always have an AIP compliant meal on hand.
- If storing a large number of meatballs in one freezer-safe container or bag, layer and separate with parchment paper.
- Defrost before baking or reheating.
- Vacuum seal the meatballs so they last even longer in the fridge or freezer.
FAQs
Can I make these meatballs with another type of ground meat?
Yes! Try with ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or a combination of them. Keep in mind that the baking times may vary. Ensure the meatballs are cooked through.
How do I store these breakfast meatballs?
Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop.
Can I freeze these meatballs?
Yes, freeze the meatballs either pre-baked or cooked in a resealable container. Place in even layers separated by parchment paper if storing a large amount in one container or resealable bag. Defrost, then bake or reheat.
You’ll love these other easy, egg-free AIP/paleo breakfast recipes:
- AIP Sweet Potato Hash with Bacon and Kale (Paleo, Egg-Free)
- Stuffed Sweet Potato Cakes
- Salted Cod in Coconut Milk
- Meatloaf Muffins
- Vegan Paleo Pumpkin Spice Pancakes paired with Maple Breakfast Sausages
Try these other grain-free, dairy-free and egg-free meatball recipes:
- Paleo Honey Garlic Meatballs (AIP)
- Ginger-Cilantro Pork Meatballs
- Chicken Meatballs in Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- Moroccan-inspired Lamb Meatballs
If you loved these Egg-free AIP/Paleo Breakfast Meatballs I would appreciate it if you would give it a rating and review. Be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious.
Print
Egg-free AIP/Paleo Breakfast Meatballs
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 22–25 meatballs 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Egg-free AIP/Paleo Breakfast Meatballs are both savory and sweet! They’re juicy, veggie-packed, and a quick and easy breakfast that’s also dairy-free, grain-free and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey (or ground chicken)
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup peeled and shredded apple (any variety)
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onions
- 3/4 cup finely diced celery
- 2 cups peeled and shredded sweet potato
- 1 cup finely diced cremini mushrooms
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 TBSP fresh sage
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey with olive oil, sea salt, shredded apple, diced onions, diced celery, shredded sweet potato, diced mushrooms, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and sage.
- Using your hands or a cooke scoop, form mixture into meatballs about 1 inch wide.
- Place onto parchment paper.
- Bake on middle rack of oven for 20 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh oregano or other fresh herbs (optional).
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
This meal is the tastiest I have made during my AIP journey. I appreciate that the meatballs make a complete meal. Thank you for another delicious, nutritious recipe.
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Hi! Is there carrot in this? I don’t see it listed as an ingredient but it looks like it is in the video/photos. If it is, how much carrot?
Thank you!
Hi Caitlane, all the ingredients are listed in the recipe card.
If you were to, say, eat this as your breakfast, exatly how many are considered a serving? All 22 meatballs?
No, it all depends on how many you want to eat as a portion and what else you’re eating with it. I eat about 4-5 with my meals.
I began the paleo diet two weeks ago to see if I could improve inflammatory health issues, and this recipe is BY FAR the best paleo recipe I have tried yet!! SO delicious. I subbed ground lamb because it’s what I had on hand, and air fried them at 350 for 18 minutes. I was heavy on the apple and herbs, and lighter on the celery, and they were SO GOOD. I’m planning to make another batch ASAP to share with friends. I never write reviews but these were so good I couldn’t not proclaim their merit to the world LOL!
Thanksgiving meatballs!!! I just need some cranberry sauce 😊. I may actually make this next thanksgiving instead of figuring out gluten free goodness. thanks!
This is a great idea that I hadn’t thought of! I feel like they’d be amazing with cranberry sauce! The perfect balance of sweet and savory.
I can’t get over how amazing these are! I struggle not going to toast for breakfast, but these meatballs make it easy. I look forward to these and feel satisfied after eating these. these are definitely a new staple in my house. will be freezing some to make for easy breakfast on my busy work weeks. thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! Now I need to check out your other recipes!
I made these and loved them. My kids on the other hand were not willing to try or eat. 6 and 4. I was a bit upset because they’re so healthy for them. Anyway, and chance you think these would cook up as a hash? Or know of how best to cook in hash form?
You could cook it in a skillet perhaps with some finely diced potatoes?
These look wonderful, thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe! Do you happen to have the nutritional information?
Thanks!
Hi! I’m not a nutritionist or health coach so don’t feel I can provide nutritional information in my recipes but I suggest you copy/paste it into one of the free online calculators to get this 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This looks so good! What a great combination of spices!
It’s like the flavors of Thanksgiving wrapped up in a meatball! I initially pinned this recipe to make for myself but when I shared the recipe with my daughter, she thought it would be perfect for her one year old…she was right! We all love them!
always looking for breakfast options and this recipe is a hit! it is up there with one of my favorite HMD recipes: Nicole’s AIP turkey burgers (https://healmedelicious.com/aip-turkey-burgers/)
Are mushrooms essential for these or can I omit? Not a mushroom fan 🙂
You can exclude!
Can’t wait to try these! just curious if I could sub applesauce for shredded apple? I have all remaining ingredients.. just trying to avoid an extra trip to the grocery store? thanks for sharing such wonderful ideas & recipes with us!
Hi! I’d just omit it because the applesauce is likely to make the batter too wet. You could replace with a sprinkle of raisins if you’d like, for that sweetness!
Hi I love these recipes, this is a great breakfast. thank you. I am having a hard time seeing the macros. I need to track fat and sugars and fibre so wondering how to see this part of the recipes. I made a paleo chicken dish last night as well and it was so delicious!
Hi Lea, I don’t include calories or nutritional info as part of my recipes, but would suggest you plug it into one of the free online calculators to find that out.
Could I substitute the mushroom for zucchini? will it turn out the same way? I can not eat mushrooms
The water content is so different I wouldn’t recommend it! I’d simply omit.
These were awesome and simple to make! My 16 month old allergy babe gobbled them up and he’s not easy to please these days. I cheated a little and used 1 TBSP Italian seasoning instead.
These are amazing. I’m eating them hot off the pan I didn’t think they would hold together but they sure did.
So juicy and filling!
How many servings does this make?
Hi Kelly, the yield for all recipes is noted at the top of the recipe card 🙂
But the way it reads, 1 serving is 22 meatballs?
It says recipe yields 22 – 25 meatballs 🙂