Craving comfort food? Try these bison meatballs! They’re super tasty and a leaner alternative to regular beef. You’ll love the rich gravy that goes with them. Ready in 30 minutes!
This was inspired by our Swedish Meatballs recipe, and pairs well with brown rice or these creamy mashed potatoes.
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Here's What You Need
You only need a few simple ingredients to make these amazing bison meatballs.
- ground bison - may substitute any ground meat like ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork.
- parmesan cheese - flavors and helps the meatball hold its shape. May substitute breadcrumbs, crackers, or almond flour.
- onion - minced so that it softens entirely as it cooks.
- garlic - or garlic powder
- egg - acts as a binder and helps the meatball hold its shape.
- tabasco sauce or sriracha - flavor booster.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
There are so many ways to enjoy these delicious bison meatballs. Try some of these variations:
- Italian Meatballs - They're great with pasta sauces. Make a quick tomato sauce with fresh basil, red pepper flakes or Italian seasoning. Add cooked meatballs to the sauce and serve over pasta or zucchini noodles (zoodles) with some fresh parmesan cheese.
- BBQ Meatballs - Brush on some BBQ sauce that has been mixed with a little brown sugar.
- Teriyaki Meatballs - Make a simple teriyaki sauce by mixing soy sauce, with a little sake, sugar, and some fresh herbs. Add the sauce to the pan, and simmer slowly until the sauce has thickened and the meat is cooked through.
- Bison Meatloaf - Form one loaf instead, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake it in a 400°F oven for 45 minutes.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Related Recipe: One Pot Swedish Meatballs
How to Make Ground Bison Meatballs
You can make this easy meatball recipe by following these simple steps:
Meatball Mixture
- Combine Meatball Ingredients. Put all meatball ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Gently mix together with your hands to combine.
Form Meatballs
- Form Meatballs. The best way to make uniform meatballs is to use a cookie scoop. Scoop out a small amount of meatball mixture. Form 1 inch balls.
One pound of meat will make approximately 18 1-inch balls.
Cook Meatballs
- Sauté The Meatballs. Add a little cooking oil to a sauté pan that has been placed over medium-high heat. Once the oil gets hot and you can see the surface begin to ripple, it's time to add the meatballs.
Using kitchen tongs, place the meatballs into the hot oil. Turn down the heat and continue to cook them over medium heat. Brown them on all sides.
Make The Gravy
- Mix Slurry. Whisk together cold water and corn starch in a liquid measuring cup until corn starch has dissolved. The corn starch slurry will act as a thickening agent for the gravy.
- Add Slurry. Pour the slurry into the pan with the meatballs and stir it into a gravy. Deglaze the pan by gently lifting any stuck bits of meatball with a spoon. Those bits will give amazing flavor to the gravy.
Let the gravy come up to a gentle boil while you stir it into a smooth sauce. This is an important step, as the corn starch will reach its full thickening potential once it has reached the boiling point.
Simmer In Sauce
- Simmer. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes until they’re cooked through and the gravy is thick and delicious. Adjust seasonings as necessary.
More About Gravy: Simple Gravy Recipe, Can You Freeze Gravy?
Serve
- Serve. We like to serve them over creamy mashed potatoes, brown rice, or a vegetable side dish.
Want To Bake Or Air Fry Them?
- Baked Bison Meatballs - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set the uncooked meatballs on baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Air Fryer Meatballs - Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Place uncooked meat in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air Fry them for 8 minutes.
Recipe Tip
Flavor Boosters - Bison is pretty mild, so let’s spice it up! Try adding things like salt, spicy crackers, fresh herbs, more garlic, or hot sauce to give it a flavor kick.
Check our go-to dry rub, and Italian seasoning recipes that are so good on everything.
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Bison FAQS
Bison meat is a healthy alternative to ground beef. It has less fat, and fewer calories and is a great option for those on the keto diet, and for athletes and those looking for a healthy protein option.
Bison once roamed wild and free in the United States. Today, ranchers raise and process American Bison as close to nature and humanely as possible.
Bison meat is similar in texture and taste to beef but its flavor is a little sweeter. So, ground bison is a great substitute for ground beef in recipes.
You can get bison meat at your local grocery store, Costco, or online purveyor.
More Ground Bison Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Bison Meatballs Recipe
Equipment
- Le Creuset pan with glass lid Or Sauté Pan
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 lb ground bison
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- ¼ cup yellow onion minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce or sriracha
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ground
- 1 tablespoon canola oil for frying
Gravy Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
Meatball Mixture
- Combine Ingredients. Put all meatball ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Gently mix together with your hands to combine.1 lb ground bison, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ¼ cup yellow onion, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Form Meatballs
- Form Meatballs. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out a small amount of meatball mixture and form 1 inch balls by rolling it around between the palms of your hands. One pound of meat will make approximately 18 1-inch balls.
Cook Meatballs
- Brown The Meatballs. Add a little cooking oil to a sauté pan that has been placed over medium-high heat. Once the oil gets hot and you can see the surface begin to ripple, it's time to add the meat.Using kitchen tongs, place meatballs into the hot oil, one at a time. Turn down the heat and continue to cook them over medium heat. Turn them over so that they brown on all sides.1 tablespoon canola oil
Make Gravy
- Mix Slurry. Whisk together cold water and corn starch in a liquid measuring cup until corn starch has dissolved. The corn starch slurry will act as a thickening agent for the gravy.1 cup water, 1 tablespoon corn starch
- Add Slurry. Pour the slurry into the pan with the meatballs and use a spoon to gently lift the bits of meat that are stuck to the bottom of the pan as you stir the liquid into a gravy. This is called deglazing the pan. And those bits will give amazing flavor to the gravy.Let the gravy come up to a gentle boil while you stir it into a smooth sauce. This is an important step, as the corn starch will reach its full thickening potential once it has reached the boiling point.
- Simmer. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes until the meat is cooked through and the gravy is thick and delicious. Adjust seasonings as necessary.
- Serve. We like to serve them over creamy mashed potatoes, brown rice, or a vegetable side dish.
Notes
Flavor Boosters
Bison meat has a mild, sweet flavor. Boost that mild flavor by adding flavor boosters like: salt, Italian seasoning, spicy crackers, fresh herbs, garlic, hot sauce, or your favorite dry rub.Alternative Cooking Methods
- Baked Meatballs - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay the uncooked meatballs on baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Air Fryer Meatballs - Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Place uncooked meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air Fry them for 8 minutes.
Megan
Everything about this recipe is just perfect! I love the dough scoop tip for getting even sized meatballs!
Seanna Borrows
Thanks so much Megan!
Russ B
Awesome hearty meal! Great alternative to beef.
Seanna Borrows
Thanks Russ. High protein, too!