My Favorite Paleo Coconut Curry Meatballs

My favorite paleo coconut curry meatballs are next level grain free meatballs! Made with ground pork (or another meat of choice), peppy spices, ginger, cilantro, and a super flavorful creamy curry sauce with tomatoes, red bell pepper, and onions. A satisfying meal for any night of the week.

Okay friends – let’s talk about this food-crush!

These meatballs are pretty near perfect and the husband and I are sort of obsessed with them. Just the right amount of spice and flavor that’s precisely balanced with a super creamy coconut milk curry sauce. They are tender yet sturdy (aka will not crumble or fall apart!), and packed with flavorful ingredients like fresh cilantro, a few zippy spices, onion, and ginger 👈🏼 YUM!!!

It’s enough to make me want to jump up and down and tell you just how much I love ’em. Which is, I guess, kinda what I’m doing 😝

This is an older recipe from NK that I thought deserved a little update. Took some new pictures and edited the recipe a tiny bit to make it easier to make, but it’s still got same mouth-watering flavors that you know and love.

Why you’ll love my favorite paleo coconut curry meatballs

These curry meatballs are:

• Oh-so-flavorful
• Filling
• Awesome for leftovers
• Paleo + easily made Whole30 compatible
• Comforting
• Easy to make

My favorite paleo coconut curry meatballs ingredients

The recipe for these paleo curry meatballs is made up of 2 key parts – the meatballs, and the creamy coconut curry sauce. The ingredient list may seem a bit long, but I promise you it’s totally manageable.

Paleo meatball ingredients:

• Ground pork – You can also substitute turkey or chicken, but if you do switch to poultry I recommend opting for dark meat so the meatballs don’t get too dry.
• Egg – A single egg helps to bind all of the other ingredients together.
• Garam Masala – A traditional all purpose Indian spice blend that is made with cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, black pepper, and coriander. If you don’t have it or can’t find it at the store feel free to substitute another type of curry powder.
• Garlic powder
• Pinch of chili flakes – To add a little heat! Totally optional if you don’t like spicy food.
• Salt + Pepper
• Coconut sugar – Or brown sugar, OR leave it out completely for a Whole30 compliant option.
• Cilantro – Adding chopped fresh herbs to the meatballs gives them such a nice added layer of flavor and brightness.
• Grated or finely chopped onion – Use a box grater or the grating blade of your food processor to grate the onion, adding flavor and moisture to the meatballs! If you don’t have a grater you can also just chop it finely.
• Fresh ginger – Just enough to add a little zip and zing to to the meatballs.
• Coconut flour – You only need about 1 tablespoon to help bind everything together along with the egg. If you don’t have coconut flour you can leave it out, but your meatballs may not hold their shape quite as well.

Coconut curry sauce ingredients:

• Thinly sliced Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Red curry paste or curry powder – I usually opt for red curry paste if I’ve got it (this is my go-to brand), but curry powder will work in a pinch!
• Canned whole peeled tomatoes – I love the texture of whole peeled tomatoes when you break them apart with your hands or a spoon into a sauce, but you could always substitute diced or crushed tomatoes if that’s all you have.
• Red bell pepper – The perfect sweet + flavorful veggie addition for this dish.
• Coconut milk – For the best creamy texture!
• Lemon juice – Lemon juice or lime juice will both work. The addition of a squeeze of citrus really brings life to this dish!
• Coconut sugar – Again this ingredient can be left it out completely for a Whole30 compliant version of this recipe.
• Salt

How to make my favorite paleo coconut curry meatballs

For this recipe you’ll need a mixing bowl, a large baking sheet, a large skillet, and if you want to make portioning the meatballs easier – a metal cookie scoop.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven and prep the meatballs

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Add all ingredients for meatballs to a large mixing bowl and mix everything together using a large spoon, or (if you don’t mind a little mess!) your hands until well combined. The mixture will thicken ever so slightly after a few minutes as the coconut flour absorbs some of the moisture. You can test for proper seasoning by frying a little bit of the mixture in a pan on the stove top if you want. Add more salt if desired.

Step 2: Bake the meatballs

Using wet hands, or a metal cookie scoop, portion meatball mixture into 1 1/2 inch sized meatballs, and evenly space about 1 inch apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the meatballs are nicely browned. If they don’t seem to be browning, broil them on high for a minute or two before pulling them out of the oven. While the meatballs are cooking, make the curry sauce.

Step 3: Make the curry sauce

Heat about 1 tablespoon avocado or coconut oil in a large skillet or medium high heat. Add thinly sliced onion and cook until just starting to soften and brown – about 5 minutes. Next add garlic, ginger, curry paste (or curry powder) and cook, stirring frequently, for about 30 seconds more, until spices are fragrant and start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Now add the sliced red peppers, canned tomatoes (breaking up with your hands or the back of a spoon if using whole peeled tomatoes), broth, and coconut milk. Stir to combine and scrape up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a fast simmer. Season with salt, coconut sugar, and lemon juice.

Step 4: Add meatballs to curry sauce

When meatballs are done, transfer from baking sheet to the sauce and stir to coat. Cook on medium low heat for about 10 minutes, until peppers are tender, meatballs are cooked through, and the sauce has reduced slightly.

Step 5: Season, garnish, and serve!

Taste curry sauce and season with a little more salt and an extra squeeze of lemon if desired. Serve over rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, hearty greens, or a baked sweet potato (the last 3 make great whole30 + paleo options). Garnish with cilantro, thinly sliced red onion, and a few roasted cashews for bonus flavor and texture points!

A few notes on the recipe

• To modify this recipe to be Whole30 compatible simply omit the coconut sugar in the meatballs and the curry sauce (I promise it will still be delicious without it!) and serve over greens, cauliflower rice, or a baked sweet potato.
• The ground pork can be substituted for turkey or chicken, but I recommend using dark meat to make sure the meatballs don’t turn out too dry.
• If you don’t have garam masala for the meatball mixture simply replace with regular curry powder.
• This dish makes a delicious lunch or dinner, and even better leftovers! The sauces flavors will deepen overnight to a whole other level.
• These meatballs will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. 

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