Humans love meat! We all love consuming meat, whether steaks, sausage, fried meat, or meatballs. Because of its great taste and countless health benefits, meat is widely consumed worldwide.
It is used in dozens of recipes, making it a versatile option. With hundreds of recipes, including meat, it’s no wonder that millions of tonnes of meat are consumed every year.
With that out of the way, meatballs are among the most popular meat dishes worldwide. They are made of beef, an excellent source of protein, zinc, vitamins, and other micronutrients.
However, it is not only liked because of its health benefits. Its delicious taste also satisfies your taste buds, an absolute cherry on the cake. Meatballs are popular among kids and adults likewise.
To make delicious meatballs, people often use milk because it acts as a binder. In addition, milk adds vitamins, minerals, and proteins to the meatballs, and what more could you want?
However, if you want to make meatballs and forgot to buy milk from the grocery store, you may like to learn about the substitutes for milk to use in meatballs. This article intends to discuss precisely that!
Substitutes For Milk In Meatballs
There are plenty of options that you can use instead of milk in meatballs.
1. Almond Milk
Almond milk is the first choice if you are looking for a milk substitute (natural milk). Almond milk is extracted from almond seeds or almond water and butter.
It generally has a nutty and sweet flavor, which makes it suitable for light meatballs. In addition, the lesser fat and low-calorie count make it a healthier option than regular milk.
Yes, almond milk is non-dairy, but that doesn’t mean that it has any lesser nutrients. As it turns out, almond milk is rich in antioxidants and Vitamin E.
As far as the meatballs are concerned, it is better that you use unsweetened almond milk because it won’t sweeten the meatballs. All in all, unsweetened almond milk is a great choice to make meatballs.
To make almond milk at home:
- Peel the almonds first and soak them in cold filtered water.
- Make sure that the water is enough to cover the almonds.
- Keep them in water for anywhere between 8 to 40 hours.
So, you can keep them in water overnight, and they would be good to go the following day.
Now, transfer the almonds to a blender and add water to it. For every cup of almonds you have, add four cups of water. To enhance its flavor, consider adding just a little bit of salt.
If you are not making almond milk to use in meatballs, you can add vanilla extract and sugar to bring the sweetness. Furthermore, if you want chocolate almond milk, you can add cocoa powder and other flavorings.
Now cover the blender with a lid and turn it on. Keep it running for a minute or two until you notice that all almonds have been blended completely. Once it is blended, consider segregating almond milk from the almond pulp.
For this purpose, take a fine strainer, cover it with a cheesecloth, and put it in a bowl. Now start pouring the almond milk into the bowl through the strainer.
The residue will stay on the cheesecloth, whereas the almond milk will drip down to the bowl. You may also use a spatula to squeeze every drop of almond milk.
2. Coconut Milk
As the name suggests, coconut milk is made from water and brown coconut, with low fat and calorie count. Its taste feels like a combination of herbs and cream.
That being said, coconut milk can be used in light meatballs and will undoubtedly add a versatile and delicious flavor to the meatballs. The creamy consistency will add an easter touch, too, taking the flavor up a notch!
As an added bonus, coconut milk is enriched with minerals and vitamins, and saturated fats. Saturated fats help with weight loss and normalize blood cholesterol levels, while the other minerals also benefit your body.
So, it’s not only a good substitute for milk in meatballs, but it’s also a healthy one. Coconut milk stays at its best quality for about one week. So, make sure to add just enough quantity, so you don’t waste it.
3. Rice Milk
Rice milk is not very popular, but it could be used to substitute regular milk in meatballs. For the most part, rice milk is made from brown rice water and/or white rice water.
This is because rice milk is thicker than regular milk, which binds the mince much better and leads to a creamy texture. Without an iota of doubt, rice milk is an excellent substitute for milk in meatballs.
However, be mindful that it is low in fats and proteins, but the carbohydrate content in rice milk is high. Apart from that, you shouldn’t use rice milk if the meatballs are consumed by diabetic patients.
4. Soy Milk
Soy milk is made with vegetable oils and thickeners along with soy. So, you can rest assured knowing that it will undoubtedly improve the taste of your meatballs.
Soy milk has a creamy texture, making it suitable for replacing milk in the meatballs (the texture varies with the brand, though).
For the best results, you should opt for unsweetened soy milk as the sweetened milk will make the taste of your meatballs sweet. Of course, you don’t want that! So, keep it in mind while purchasing it.
Another thing to bear in mind is that if you use soy milk in meatballs, you cannot cook them at higher temperatures. While it means that your meatballs will take longer than usual to be cooked, they will surely taste great.
However, since it will take more time, consider opting for another substitute if you are hungry and want to make meatballs ASAP.
5. Oat Milk
Oat milk is the next substitute for milk in meatballs on our list. It is pretty healthy and is recommended for people who want to reduce their weight.
Oat milk is made from water and oat mixers, which leads to a higher protein and fiber count. It also benefits your body by regulating sugar levels. Moreover, adding oat milk to meatballs makes you feel fuller (are we shedding some pounds here?)
To make oat milk at home, take half a cup of rolled oats and put them in a bowl. Now add a cup of water and let oats soak for about 25-35 minutes. This way, oats give up their phytic acid, which may cause digestion problems in some people.
And yes, if you are suffering from some digestion problem already, consider soaking it for a longer time, or even overnight.
Now, put all the oats in a strainer and rinse them properly using your hands. Once they are clean, add them to a blender jar and add two cups of water.
To make sure it doesn’t get slimy, consider adding a couple of ice cubes. Now, put a strainer on a bowl and place a mesh cloth or cheesecloth on it. That’s it! Your homemade fresh oat milk is ready!
6. Egg & Breadcrumbs
If you just want to add a binder to the meatball mixture, you can always opt for the old and traditional binder. The combination of egg and breadcrumbs will help create the sticky mixture for meatballs.
They are one of the most widely used ingredients to bind the mince. Since we all have eggs and bread at home, you won’t even need to visit your grocery store to make this combo.