For novice home cooks, preparing homemade meatballs may seem like a daunting task. Nevertheless, in truth, these meaty orbs are typically are made with uncomplicated ingredients and are surprisingly easy to make. If you’re ready to move past the best (and worst) frozen meatballs from the grocery store, you only need a small assortment of ingredients to make delicious meatballs at home. Though, as you scour your kitchen for the essentials, next to the ground beef, garlic, egg, and breadcrumbs, you may find yourself completely out of milk.
In traditional meatball recipes, milk is included to not only add moisture but to also help bind the residual ingredients of your recipe together. Whether you’re adding a splash of milk directly to the mix or combining milk and breadcrumbs to make a panade to keep your meat nice and tender, this creamy liquid plays a significant role in most renowned meatball recipes.
Thankfully though, if you don’t have any milk in the fridge, there are other ingredients you can use to make delicious meatballs. You simply need another liquid that can do the same job as milk, and fortunately, you have more than one option. If you’re after a substitute that has the same creamy appeal as milk, consider using a small amount of watered-down yogurt or buttermilk. You can also use ricotta cheese for a creamier consistency. Beyond dairy-rich alternatives, there are even more substitutes that contain no dairy and still work to produce mouthwatering results.
You don’t need milk to make deliciously tender meatballs
If you want the same richness that milk provides, use beef, chicken, or vegetable stock. Stock can easily be mixed with breadcrumbs to make a sufficient panade while also adding savory flavor to the other ingredients in the mix. For a sufficient alternative, you can also grate the onion included in your meatball recipe into a small bowl and allow the vegetable’s liquid to moisten the added breadcrumbs.
Speaking of no-fuss substitutes, Ina Garten’s secret meatball ingredient is so shockingly simple, it would be silly not to try it. When you’re out of broth and don’t have the energy to grate an onion, just use water. Sure enough, a small amount of water can easily provide your meatball mixture with just the right amount of moisture. When using this simple alternative, start small, then add more as needed. While the main purpose of adding water is to avoid dried-out meatballs, too much can leave you with an overly wet mixture that’s more difficult to shape and bake.
Depending on the liquid you choose, you may need to add more or less breadcrumbs or a bit more salt and spices. Now that you know you can make meatballs with more than just milk, feel free to make extra for a lunchtime pita or a quick pasta dinner with three-ingredient aglio e olio made with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
