Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs (Egg Free)

Crockpot turkey meatballs in homemade marinara sauce are the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. With just 10 minutes of hands-on prep, the slow cooker takes care of the rest, so dinner is ready and waiting when you walk through the door. These meatballs are tender, flavorful, and sure to be a family favorite.

Made with simple ingredients and naturally gluten free, dairy free, and egg free, they’re perfect for a variety of dietary needs. You can even sneak in some extra shredded zucchini for added veggies, your family won’t even notice. Serve them over spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, or your favorite gluten free pasta for a satisfying, comforting meal.

If you love making turkey meatballs, you should try these Buffalo Turkey Meatballs or Air Fryer Ground Turkey Meatballs.

Tips on making the best egg free Turkey Meatballs:

• Use dark turkey meat if possible! Lean turkey meat has less fat and will have less flavor and be more vulnerable to drying out. If you need are using the 98% lean, be sure to add a veggie to help keep the meatballs moist and tender! I like to use the 93% lean for meatballs.
• As with any meatball recipe, don’t overmix it. I like to combine the spices, tomato paste and shredded zucchini together first and only add the ground turkey last, to avoid over mixing.
• Adding balsamic vinegar to the turkey meatballs helps tenderize them and helps cut through the heavy taste from the tomato paste, don’t skip it!
• Turkey meatballs are very soft and will not form like regular beef meatballs when they are raw. Don’t worry, during cooking, they firm up and are perfect! Just be gentle with them when you are forming them.
• Add the marinara to the bottom of the slow cooker first. Gently add the turkey meatballs (remember they are fragile). You can stack them on top of each other if needed.

What veggies can you to add to these Whole30 Turkey Meatballs?

I like to pack as much nutrition into my meals as possible. Since turkey meat tends to be a little bit on the dry side, I like to add shredded zucchini to the mixture. If you don’t have zucchini you could also add:

• Shredded carrots
• Finely chopped onions (use the food processor for this)
• Riced cauliflower or broccoli

TIP: If you decide to use shredded zucchini, be sure to take the time to really squeeze out any excess moisture. You can use your hands, a few sheets of paper towel, cheesecloth or a very clean kitchen towel.

Instructions:

Start by grating the zucchini. Once the zucchini has been grated, use your hand or a towel and squeeze out all the excess water. Do this in batches and don’t rush this process.

Add the zucchini to a large mixing bowl. Add the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and spices to the bowl, stir well.

Add the turkey meat to the zucchini and spices. Stir well but don’t over mix.

Using your hands, carefully form the turkey zucchini meatballs. NOTE: these will seem very loose and barely stick together. This is normal, just be careful with the meatballs.

Place the meatballs directly into the Whole30 approved marinara sauce.

Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

How to make Whole30 spaghetti sauce

Follow the steps below to make Whole30 Spaghetti Sauce

Step 1: Drain the excess liquid from the diced tomatoes.

Step 2: Combine all the ingredients in the bottom of the slow cooker and stir well.

Tools to make homemade turkey meatballs

• I upgraded my Crockpot last year and I love it! Here is the Crockpot I have! 
• To grate the zucchini, I use a vegetable grater.

Common questions

How long can you store paleo turkey meatballs in the fridge?

Once cooked you can store these slow cooker meatballs in the fridge for 3 days.

Can you freeze slow cooker turkey meatballs?

Yes! You can freeze these meatballs before or after cooking them.

To freeze before cooking, carefully form the turkey meatballs and freeze them on a single baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once fully frozen, you can add them to a freezer safe bag or container.  Freeze the sauce separate. The night before, defrost the Whole30 spaghetti sauce. Add the frozen meatballs directly to the defrosted sauce and cook on low for 10 hours or high for 4-6.

To freeze after cooking, freeze the meatballs with the sauce in a freezer safe container. Store in the freezer for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge.

Do you need to sear the turkey meatballs first

Nope, they are going to be cooked in and covered with sauce and don’t require the extra step.

Make ahead tips

The night before you plan on making the meatballs for dinner:

• Make the meatballs and instead of putting them directly into the tomato sauce, place them on a dinner plate. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.
• In a large mason jar or easy to close container, combine the ingredients for the Whole30 marinara sauce.
• The next morning, add the sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker, carefully add the meatballs and turn it on for the required cooking time.

What to serve with these meatballs:

• Zucchini noodles
• Rutabaga noodles
• Cauliflower rice
• Gluten free pasta of choice
• Roasted garlic mashed cauliflower

If you love this recipe, you should try

• Whole30 Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Recipe
• Whole30 Mini Turkey Meatloaf
• Crockpot Low Carb Vegetable Soup (Whole30)

Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in December of 2015, but was published again in July 2019 to include step by step directions, recipe notes and new photos.