These Turkey Cranberry Meatballs taste like Thanksgiving in meatball form! They are loaded with ground turkey, sage, apples and cranberries and served with an orange cranberry sauce for dipping. I love serving these as a canape but they can also be enjoyed as a main with mash. These Turkey Meatballs are Paleo, Whole30, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Gluten Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal. 

Turkey Cranberry Meatballs
These Turkey meatballs are all of the flavours of thanksgiving dinner, combined into one bite sized mouthful of deliciousness. They are the perfect combination of roast turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing, my three favourite parts of a turkey dinner.

So what’s in these turkey meatballs? We start with a base of ground turkey, which is a low fat, high protein meat, and mix in shredded apple, sage, parsley, orange zest for a nice citrusy kick, and oven roasted cranberries for bursts of juicy tart flavour. The meatballs are baked in the oven and then served alongside a tart cranberry orange sauce that is perfect for dipping.

Turkey Cranberry Meatballs
I am always shocked at the amount of sugar in store bought dried cranberries (cranberries are only the second ingredient listed after sugar!) and unfortunately unsweetened dried cranberries are very hard to find. Even if you can find unsweetened cranberries, I prefer to quickly bake fresh ones in the oven as it gives you complete control of what is in them. In this recipe I toss fresh cranberries in olive oil and bake them in the oven until they are soft and slightly dried, which only takes about 20 minutes. This results in juicier and more flavourful berries baked in the meatballs.

Turkey Cranberry Meatballs
You could serve these turkey cranberry meatballs as a main dish alongside some roasted veggies and mash, but I like the idea of serving them as a canapé with toothpicks for guests to dip them into the sauce.

Paleo Turkey Meatballs
An easy entertaining tip – double the recipe and freeze portions of the cooked meatballs along with the sauce in Ziploc bags, so you can have a quick and delicious appetizer ready to go in minutes.

Paleo Turkey Meatballs

Here are a few more Thanksgiving recipes that you might enjoy…


If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!

Turkey & Cranberry Meatballs with Cranberry Orange Sauce

Every Last Bite
These Turkey Cranberry Meatballs taste like Thanksgiving in meatball form! They are loaded with ground turkey, sage, apples and cranberries and served with an orange cranberry sauce for dipping. I love serving these as a canape but they can also be enjoyed as a main with mash.
4.54 from 15 votes
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Diets Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Paleo, Refined Sugar Free, Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal, Whole30
Servings 20 meatballs
Calories 55 kcal

Ingredients
  

Meatballs

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large shallot finely diced
  • 1 pound ground Turkey
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup shredded apple
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
  • 1/3 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Cranberry & Orange Sauce

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 tbsp honey or maple syrup*

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay 1 cup of cranberries out evenly. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until they become shrivelled and slightly dried.
  • Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add in the garlic and diced shallot and saute on for 8-10 minutes until the shallot has softened.
  • In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients for the meatballs along with the sauteed shallot and garlic. Mix with your hands until completely combined. Add the oven baked cranberries in at the end so they stay intact and gently mix.
  • Roll the mixture into approximately 20 small meatballs and place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for 18 minutes until slightly golden on top and cooked through.
  • While the meatballs are baking, in a pot cook the cranberries, orange juice and honey on medium heat until the cranberries begin to pop. Transfer the cranberry sauce to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  • Before serving brush each meatball with the cranberry sauce and sprinkle with parsley. Serve the remaining cranberry sauce in a bowl alongside the meatballs for dipping.

Notes

*Omit if Whole30
Nutrition
Calories: 55kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 6gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 44mgPotassium: 101mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2g
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!