The sweet flavor of blueberry pancakes and the savory flavor of breakfast sausage collide in these Paleo Baked Blueberry Pancakes & Sausage Balls. Gluten-free and grain-free pancake mix, breakfast sausage and blueberries are rolled into meatballs and baked to perfection. These breakfast balls are perfect for a flavor-packed early morning meal on-the-go!
A pancake breakfast isn't complete without a dousing of maple syrup and a side of sausage! Am I right? There's just something so palate pleasing about loading your fork with a piece of pancake and a bite of sausage and then dunking it in maple syrup. These breakfast meatballs encompass all of those flavors in one bite-sized ball of Paleo breakfast bliss.
There's no denying that I LOVE meatballs. I've shared a few meatball recipes on this baby food blog of mine because they can be easily customized, are great for weekly meal prep and can be cooked in batches and frozen.
These breakfast meatballs, in particular, are great if you're stuck in a breakfast conundrum. If you're anything like me, you crave big flavors in the morning, but you don't have time to fix a big, flavorful breakfast. I've tried so hard to accept hard-boiled eggs as a quick on-the-go breakfast option, but they just don't cut it. These breakfast balls are the solution to bland breakfasts. They're packed with protein without skimping on flavor.
I know it might be tough to imagine, but these gluten-free meatballs are everything you've ever wanted from a blueberry pancakes and sausage breakfast all in one bite. When I presented these to Chris, his response was, "I don't know what to expect" -but after popping one into his mouth he looked at my befuddled and said, "How on Earth did you pull this one off?" 🙂
When a recipe idea pops into my head, sometimes I'm certain it's going to work. This was not one of those recipes. In fact, it took 3 failed batches before I got the recipe just right! Y'all know how I am about wasting food, so tossing out a tremendous amount of failed meatballs broke my soul a bit. It was all worth it in the end though because these breakfast meatballs are just so damn good.
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Here's What You'll Need to Make Paleo Baked Blueberry Pancakes & Sausage Meatballs
For the Paleo "Pancake" Part:
- Coconut Flour: I love using coconut flour in sweet foods because it's naturally sweet and pancakes should be sweet! Alternatively, you could you use a different grain and gluten-free flour, but I can't guarantee you'll accomplish the same sweet pancake-y flavor.
- Unsweetened Shredded Coconut: Once again, coconut is naturally sweet. Since we're making a pancake mix of sorts without any refined-sugar the more naturally occurring sweetness we can sneak in the better!
- Tapioca Starch, Baking Soda and Salt: We're using these ingredients to help the meatballs hold their shape and "fluff up" like pancakes in the oven.
For the Sausage Part:
- Ground Pork Sausage: If you're on a strict Paleo-diet, I can't urge you enough to make your own sausage and freeze it in batches. I've been reading labels and hunting down Paleo-friendly foods for years and sugar-free sausage is always the trickiest to find. You can use the spice blend I use in my recipe for Venison Breakfast Sausage with Bacon and Cranberries, but just use ground pork instead and omit the bacon and cranberries!
- Eggs: the eggs aren't adding any flavor, but rather helping bind the ingredients together.
- Pure Maple Syrup & Vanilla Extract: these two ingredients really bring out the pancake-y flavor without overpowering the savory sausage.
Can I Use Fresh Blueberries Instead of Frozen?
Yes ...but don't be alarmed when your meatballs turn blue! I used frozen because they stay intact when folding them into the meatball mixture. If you use fresh, they'll most likely burst and serve as an unintentional blue food coloring (which isn't necessarily a bad thing)!
How to Make Paleo Baked Blueberry Pancakes & Sausage Balls
- You'll want to start by pre-heating your oven to 350 degree and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- While the oven is preheating, make the meatballs. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the coconut flour, shredded coconut, tapioca starch, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate larger bowl, combine the ground pork sausage with the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla. Use the back of a heavy spoon or fork to really mash these ingredients together well!
- Next, add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the pork sausage mixture and mix well. The mixture will become very dough-like, so you may need to use your hands to really get everything combined evenly. Once the meatball mixture resembles a big ball of dough, gently fold in the frozen blueberries.
- Using about a rounded tablespoon of the "dough" for each ball, round the mixture into about 20 equally-sized meatballs.
Lastly, place the meatballs on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven, flip each meatball and then return the baking sheet to the oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until their internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Serve these meatballs with a side of maple syrup and enjoy the heck out of them!
FAQs
Are these balls more meat-y or more more pancake-y?
They're absolutely more meat-y. In one of my failed attempts at creating this recipe I accidentally made meatball muffins. They were just as delicious, just not the direction I was trying to take with this. SO if you'd rather these balls be more pancake-y and muffin-like, do this: use only a ½ pound of breakfast sausage and one egg. The rest of the recipe stays exactly the same!
How do I store Paleo Baked Blueberry Pancakes & Sausage Balls?
- Refrigerator: they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: they can be frozen for up to 8 months. To reheat, simply defrost and microwave for a few minutes.
These little poppers make a great snack, on-the-go breakfast or fun brunch appetizer! While I don't have kids, I have a good feeling these are also kid-approved (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)! If you're a pancakes and sausage lover, these meatballs are for you! If you give them a try, I'd love to hear all about it! Leave a comment below, tag me on Instagram and tag your gorgeous photos with #paleoishkristaeats! I'm super stoked about this recipe, and I hope you are too!
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📖 Recipe
Paleo Baked Blueberry Pancakes & Sausage Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ tablespoon tapioca starch (flour)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup plus additional for serving
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degree.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, mix coconut flour , shredded coconut, tapioca starch, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate larger bowl, combine sausage with eggs, maple syrup and vanilla. Using the back of a heavy spoon or a fork, mash everything together very well.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the bowl with the sausage mixture. Using a heavy spoon or your hands, combine everything together until the mixture becomes dough-like. Gently fold in frozen blueberries to the dough.
- Using a heaping tablespoon for each meatball, round mixture into about 20 equally sized balls.
- Place meatballs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in preheated oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (flipping halfway through) or until meatballs are browned and cooked through (internal temperature should be 160 degrees).
- Serve with a side of maple syrup for dunking! ENJOY! 🙂
Notes
- This recipe yields about 20 meatballs.
- Fresh blueberries can be used in place of frozen, keeping in mind that they'll most likely burst when folded into the meat turning the meatballs blue (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
- Meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 6 to 8 months.
Nutrition
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