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    Home » Appetizers & Snacks » Kung Pao Meatballs – Low Carb and Gluten-Free

    Published: Apr 2, 2014 · Modified: Aug 13, 2018 by Carolyn

    Kung Pao Meatballs – Low Carb and Gluten-Free

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    Juicy low carb meatballs with all the great flavors of your favorite take out dish, Kung Pao. Plus it’s just fun to say Kung Pao! A delicious guest post by Mellissa of I Breathe, I’m Hungry.

    Low Carb Kung Pao Meatballs

    For a second guest post while I am away, I enlisted the help of the beautiful and talented Mellissa Sevigny of I Breathe, I’m Hungry. Chances are you already know her blog well, but if you don’t…you should. She’s got fantastic recipes and I think I will dub her the Queen of Meatballs because she comes up with the most fantastic low carb meatball recipes. And she’s a sweetheart to boot. I am looking forward to meeting her at Blog Her Food in May! 

    When Carolyn emailed me about guest posting for her over here on All Day I Dream About Food, I was equal parts nervous and excited.  Carolyn is the real deal, (you know this already or you wouldn’t be here)  and I wanted to make sure that I could live up to her high standards!

    What terrified me the most is that she would ask me to post a dessert recipe.  Nobody, and I mean nobody, can hold a candle to Carolyn when it comes to creating crazy good low carb desserts!  In fact, if we were on Iron Chef America and it was a low carb dessert challenge, I would happily be the soux chef to Carolyn’s superior dessert genius.  And she would definitely win the whole shebang!

    Low Carb Gluten-Free Kung Pao Meatballs

    Now I’m not saying that I can’t bust out a decent cake when called for, but I tend to lean more toward the savory side of low carb over at I Breathe I’m Hungry.

    That’s why Carolyn and I make a great team – I’m like the peanut butter to her jelly.  The bacon to her chocolate.  The cheese to her low carb cracker.  The….well, you get the idea.

    So when I sent her the email asking her what she had in mind, I was nervous to be sure.  Imagine my relief her response suggested that I come up with a meatball recipe for you guys!  Carolyn obviously took pity on me and gave me an easy assignment, because when it comes to making meatballs – I got this.

    I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything (sure I do), but I know my way around a meatball!  I love meatballs so much that I dedicated an entire day per week to them with my Meatball Monday series!   I have over 30 meatball recipes posted so far, with plenty more on the way!

    Now that I had my assignment, and a long list of meatball concepts to choose from, I agonized over which direction to go in!   I finally decided to go Asian, because who doesn’t love Chinese takeout? I’ve already done the General Tso’s Meatball, the Pork Shumai Meatball, and the Chicken and Broccoli Meatball, so what to make over next?

    After much deliberation, I decided to tackle the Kung Pao Meatball!  Kung Pao is a spicy stir fry dish of Chinese origin, that is traditionally made with chicken, and contains peanuts or cashews.

    Low Carb Kung Pao Meatball Recipe

    I chose to make these meatballs with pork, because ground chicken can sometimes be dry in meatball format.   I also used peanuts in my version, but you can easily substitute cashews if you have an allergy or a preference.

    Finally, I would categorize these as mildly spicy as the recipe is written – if you want to turn up the heat you can increase the dried pepper flakes, or even use fresh hot chilis to really blow your socks off.

    The final verdict?  Easy to make, yet loaded with exciting flavors and texture, this is one of my best meatball creations to date – definitely my top favorite in the Asian category at least.  I hope you’ll try them and let me know what you think!

    A huge thanks to Carolyn for inviting me to guest post (and not asking me to make a dessert!) – it’s been an honor hanging out with you guys over here at All Day I Dream About Food!  Feel free to join us over at I Breathe I’m Hungry anytime – where hopefully I’ll convince Carolyn to return the favor and guest post with an epic dessert recipe soon!

    Low Carb Gluten-Free Kung Pao Meatballs

    Want a truly different kind of of meatball? Check out this Wild Boar Meatball Taco Bowl with Quinoa. Use almond flour for the breadcrumbs and skip the quinoa, black beans, and corn!

    Kung Pao Meatballs – Low Carb and Gluten-Free

    Juicy low carb meatballs with all the great flavors of your favorite take out dish, Kung Pao. Plus it's just fun to say Kung Pao!
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 356kcal

    Ingredients

    For the meatballs:

    • 1 lb ground pork, chicken or turkey
    • ¼ cup almond flour
    • 1 egg
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger powder
    • 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce or tamari
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 2 tablespoon chopped scallions
    • 2 tablespoon finely chopped peanuts or cashews
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoon light olive or coconut oil for frying

    For the sauce:

    • 1 tablespoon light olive or coconut oil
    • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced ginger
    • 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
    • 2 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce or tamari
    • ¼ cup water
    • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar substitute (Swerve works well)
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
    • 3 tablespoon roughly chopped peanuts or cashews
    • 1 scallion sliced

    Instructions

    For the Meatballs:

    • Combine the ground pork, almond flour, egg, garlic powder, ginger, gluten free soy sauce, red pepper flakes, scallions, peanuts, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly and form into 16 meatballs. Heat the 2 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan and fry the meatballs about 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove the meatballs and set aside.

    For the Sauce:

    • Wipe out the nonstick pan you cooked the meatballs in and heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about one minute or until fragrant. Reduce heat and add the water, gluten free soy sauce, vinegar, sweetener, xanthan gum, and red pepper flakes and whisk until xanthan gum is dissolved. Taste and adjust to your preference with salt, sweetener, or more red pepper flakes as desired. Add the peanuts, scallions, and meatballs back to the pan. Toss to coat and cook for about 2 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, you can add another tablespoon of water. Serve hot.

    Notes

    Approximate nutrition info per serving: 356 calories, 26g fat, 3.5g net carbs, 27g protein
    Nutrition Facts
    Kung Pao Meatballs – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
    Amount Per Serving (2 meatballs)
    Calories 356 Calories from Fat 234
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 26g40%
    Carbohydrates 3.5g1%
    Protein 27g54%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    Nutritional Disclaimer

    Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kin says

      February 08, 2021 at 11:30 am

      Hello, I have a few questions. Can the meatballs be made ahead and reheated? Also can I substitute the peanuts with a different nut such as almonds or walnuts? I forgot to check if the recipe stated how many people can this recipe feed? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 08, 2021 at 2:57 pm

        This is not my recipe, but I think you can freeze and yes to a different nut.

        Reply
    2. Rose says

      November 27, 2017 at 6:34 pm

      All I can say is Kung POW! I loved it. I don’t usually make Chinese at home because I can’t get the flavors right. You absolutely did. It’s a keeper!

      Reply
    3. Jill says

      July 28, 2017 at 3:06 pm

      I did not like the taste of the sauce at all I don’t like the sweeteners yucky taste & aftertaste I dipped my finger in like 10 times I guess I thought I would have a different result. HOWEVER on the other hand it was too hot in the house air is out so I made it into ? Cheese burgers. I doubled everything for the meat I used half venison & half pork (that is what I had in the house ground it myself ?) YUM the burgers were awesome so thank you for sharing!! Everyone has different taste buds

      Reply
    4. Mubeena Miller says

      May 28, 2016 at 4:52 pm

      these were super yummy. Family asks for them often.

      Reply
    5. Chantelle says

      June 05, 2015 at 10:41 pm

      These are SO tasty! I threw in too many chilli flakes and they were super spicy so I added some coconut cream which was delicious. Thanks!

      Reply
    6. AKATALCUL1 says

      June 27, 2014 at 1:17 pm

      I made these last weekend with a home-ground blend of 80/20 chuck and spam! Ha! My kids (3 teenagers) were completely blown away.

      Reply
    7. Baron says

      May 15, 2014 at 5:33 am

      My neighbor gave me a bunch of Turkey Burger patties, he said they weren’t very good. I knew it was because he tried just cooking them plain like a beef burger. So I got four of the 1/4lb patties, defrosted them, mixed in the ingredients and whipped-up the meatballs which were excellent! The Turkey Kung Pao mixture was kind of ‘wet’ so they couldn’t be formed into meatballs but I discovered a heaping 1/8th cup measure was about right for each ‘meatball’ to drop onto the oiled pan. Made some Mock Fried Rice (made with cauliflower) to go with it. 10 out of 10 would cook and eat again.

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        May 15, 2014 at 9:40 pm

        Great idea on the burgers!

        Reply
    8. Lisa says

      May 02, 2014 at 6:28 pm

      Made these, but sadly, I made a mistake. Should have made a double batch! These were so good, I had to stop and save some for my husband as well. Usually I change recipes to suit my taste buds, but in this case, I won’t change a thing.

      Reply
    9. Tamitha says

      April 11, 2014 at 9:56 am

      These were outstanding. Thank you very much for the recipe!!

      Reply
    10. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says

      April 08, 2014 at 11:59 am

      Oh I have never heard of kung pao meatballs before but I love the two things independently so I bet I would together as well!

      Reply
      • mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says

        April 08, 2014 at 5:08 pm

        They really do Erin – hope you like them!

        Reply
    11. Donna says

      April 04, 2014 at 11:43 am

      These look so good! Can you suggest a sub for the eggs and almond flour? Very difficult to be allergic to these two ingredients.
      Thank you, Donna

      Reply
      • mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says

        April 08, 2014 at 5:08 pm

        Sorry I didn’t get to this sooner Donna! You can simply omit the egg and almond flour – the meatballs will be a little more dense, but still very flavorful!

        Reply
    12. Candice says

      April 04, 2014 at 7:41 am

      These meatballs look great and flavorful!

      Reply
      • mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says

        April 08, 2014 at 5:09 pm

        Thanks Candice – it’s not easy to make meatballs look pretty!

        Reply
    13. Robin says

      April 03, 2014 at 7:22 am

      I love Kung Pao and I’ve made some of your meatball recipes and was wanting just such a recipe. This will be dinner tonight!

      Reply
      • mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says

        April 08, 2014 at 5:09 pm

        Hope you liked it Robin!

        Reply
    14. Eva@Whole Food Mom on a Budget says

      April 03, 2014 at 5:06 am

      My two favorite low carb bloggers! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
      http://www.wholefoodmomonabudget.com

      Reply
      • mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says

        April 08, 2014 at 5:10 pm

        Thanks so much Eva! I’m sure this won’t be the last time Carolyn and I collaborate!

        Reply
    15. charlotte says

      April 02, 2014 at 10:46 am

      these look like a remake of the best meatballs in the world!

      Reply
    16. Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says

      April 02, 2014 at 10:20 am

      These are everything meatballs should be. They look insanely flavorful!

      Reply
    17. Gretchen RS says

      April 02, 2014 at 9:28 am

      This looks like a great dish to serve to my family along with a veggie stir-fry. I am trying to avoid soy. Would substituting coconut aminos for the soy sauce work?

      Reply
      • mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says

        April 02, 2014 at 4:48 pm

        Absolutely Gretchen! Hope your family enjoys them!!!

        Reply
    18. Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says

      April 02, 2014 at 9:09 am

      Holy scrumptiousness. I want a big batch of these for dinner! What a fabulous low-carb recipe. Thanks, Carolyn!

      Reply

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