These Keto General Tso’s Meatballs are easy to make and family friendly. Delicious hot or cold, these sweet and spicy keto meatballs are also perfect for meal prep for lunches all week long!
Keto General Tso’s Meatballs guys – you’re gonna want to make these STAT.
These keto General Tso’s meatballs are inspired by the popular Chinese takeout dish that consists of fried chicken chunks in an addicting sauce that is both sweet and spicy.
I’ve taken all the flavors of the classic favorite and jammed them into these little gems of poultry bliss!
One of the things I love about these sweet and spicy keto meatballs is that they are equally delicious either hot or cold. Maybe I’m just weird that way, but I enjoy them right out of the fridge – no heating needed. Which makes them super convenient to take them for lunch on the go when you don’t have the option to warm them up.
I’m including some answers to frequently asked questions in the section below. If I’ve missed anything feel free to put your question in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.
What is the best ground meat to use for these keto meatballs?
I recommend that you use ground chicken or turkey for the most authentic flavor in these keto General Tso’s Meatballs, but ground pork would also work nicely.
In a pinch, you could use ground beef, but the stronger flavor of the meat won’t work as well with this particular sauce in my opinion.
Are keto meatballs gluten free?
The majority of my recipes here on IBIH are gluten free. These particular meatballs can be made with regular soy sauce if that’s what you have on hand and a small amount of gluten isn’t an issue for you.
Traditional soy sauce is a no-no for Paleo and Celiacs, so if you want to make sure these keto meatballs are gluten free, you can substitute a tamari-based gluten free soy sauce, or coconut aminos for the soy sauce in this recipe with excellent results.
Substitutions for this recipe
- Typically, General Tso’s chicken contains blisteringly hot dried peppers, but if you can’t get them, or you don’t like it too hot, you can use fresh chili’s instead and adjust the amount to your preference. Another option is to use crushed red pepper flakes, but the flavor won’t be as authentic.
- If you are Paleo, you can substitute honey for the granulated sweetener, and arrowroot powder (or another preferred thickener) for the xanthan gum. I don’t recommend omitting the thickener altogether in this recipe, because the sauce won’t cling to the meatballs as well and it won’t have that authentic sticky feel – however, the flavor will be just as good!
- If you are allergic to almonds, you can replace the almond flour with sunflower seed flour, hemp hearts, or crushed pork rinds to use as your binder in this keto meatball recipe.
Serving suggestions for Keto General Tso’s Meatballs
Finally, and I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life here, but these keto General Tso’s Meatballs go perfectly with my Coconut Lime Cauliflower Rice to soak up that sticky, yummy sauce.
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General Tso’s Meatballs (Low Carb & Gluten Free)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
These keto General Tso’s Meatballs have all of the flavors and textures of the classic Chinese takeout favorite! Low carb and gluten free, there are also Paleo substitutions available.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey or chicken
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 egg
- light flavored oil for frying
For the General Tso’s Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (unseasoned and sugar free)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (tamari based for GF, or coconut aminos for Paleo)
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar substitute (I like Swerve for keto, honey for Paleo)
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (or arrowroot powder)
- 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
- 4 – 5 small dried chilies, seeded and chopped (or 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes)
Instructions
To make the meatballs:
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Form into 16 balls about 1 inch in diameter.
- Fry in hot oil over medium heat until cooked through and crispy.
**Alternatively you could bake them but they won’t get the crunchy exterior.
To make the sauce:
- Combine the sesame oil, vinegar, GF soy sauce, water, sugar substitute, and xanthan gum in a small saucepan and whisk until combined.
- Add the scallions and chili pepper and bring to a boil.
- Simmer for five minutes or until thickened, and remove from heat.
To serve:
- Add the cooked meatballs to the thickened sauce and stir to coat.
- Garnish with more chopped scallions and chilis if desired.
Notes
Approximate net carbs per serving = 4g
To lower the fat and calories, use extra lean ground turkey, and bake rather than fry them.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Keto meatballs
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 322
- Fat: 25g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 23g
More Keto Meatball Recipes
Keto Spinach & Artichoke Dip Meatballs
Keto Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Keto Turkey Saltimbocca Meatballs
Carol says
I made these last night and they were delicious served over cauliflower rice!
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Stefanie says
Hi Mellissa! For those of us that are new to cooking, how long do you think it’ll take the meatballs to cook through if we shallow fry in olive oil? I know you probably can’t say exactly but is it closer to 10 minutes or 40 minutes? Thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Great question Stefanie – depending on their size the meatballs should take about 6 – 8 minutes to cook through! I would test one before removing them all from the pan, just to be sure! Enjoy!
Ron says
These look fantastic. I’ll be trying them out this weekend. Looking forward to seeing the meatball recipes and trying them out too.
Amy S says
I LOVE meatballs! In fact, I am adding this recipe to my Meatball Madness Pinboard. Thanks for a recipe that my family is sure to enjoy.
Kristyn says
Tried this last night, and it was delicious and so satisfying! The xantham gum really does give that stickiness that makes a good chinese dish saucy. I added a couple shakes of fish sauce, as well as a Tb of gin, since I had no sherry (which is a common flavoring for this dish) and poured it on some steak-chicken-broccoli stir fry, then served that on some cauliflower rice.
Thanks for all of the work you do on this site! Your recipes are head and shoulders above the crowds.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Kristyn, so glad you liked them!
Heather May says
This sounds really awesome. I do not need to worry about gluten so what could I sub for the almond flour (regular flour or bread crumbs?) and the xanathan gum? I love meatballs as well as General Tso so the two combined would be a winner!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Japanese panko breadcrumbs would be perfect in these if you aren’t worried about gluten or a few more carbs. The easiest substitute for the xanthan gum would be cornstarch, though you may want to increase it to 1.5 teaspoons and dissolve it in the 1/4 cup (cold) water before adding it to the sauce so it doesn’t clump up. Enjoy!
Teri Williams says
Could you substitute glucomannan for xanthum gum?
Alison says
Just an FYI, this is not gluten free if you are using soy sauce. Soy sauce contains wheat. The instructions need to say something about using gluten free soy sauce.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I’m so used to using Tamari which is gluten free that I don’t even think about it anymore and forget that not everybody uses it exclusively! Thanks for reminding me, I’ve updated the post!
Sonia! The Healthy Foodie says
Oh my goodness me, Mellissa, this looks so good!
And I so happen to have chicken in my fridge right now, how wonderful is that!
Looks like this one is in my near future… as in VERY near future!
Can I lick the screen in the meantime though? ;)
oh, and ps… soy sauce is also out for us paleo folks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the reminder Sonia! As another posted mentioned, you can also use coconut aminos and I’m going to update the post. Hope you like these as much as I did! :)
Beth says
Sounds awesome!! I can’t wait to try these, as I love me some meatballs. I just wanted to point out another paleo substitution – for the soy sauce, coconut aminos can be used.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for that Beth! I forgot about the soy sauce, I’m going to adjust the post to reflect your suggestion! Enjoy!