Keto meatballs are the perfect appetizer or dinner recipe. They are so juicy and easy to make! Serve these meatballs with your favorite keto-friendly marinara sauce for added flavor.

Keto Meatballs

In order to make these meatballs low carb, I used grated parmesan cheese instead of breadcrumbs.

As an added bonus, they are also gluten-free and high in protein!

These meatballs come out juicy and tender every time. I like to serve them up with marinara sauce, sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese.

Keto Breadcrumb Substitutes for Meatballs

When you make low carb recipes that traditionally use breadcrumbs, you need a good keto substitute. Breadcrumbs act as a combination of a binder for the balls as well as a way to keep them moist.

Here are some keto breadcrumb substitutes that work great for meatballs:

• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Almond flour or Almond Meal
• Ground Pork Rinds

Ingredients

When I make this recipe, I use the following ingredients. I’ve listed some substitutes where appropriate:

• Ground Beef - I recommend 85/15, but you could use leaner cuts. I wouldn’t go much lower than 80/20 because they become greasy and can shrink quite a bit. 

• Ground Pork - This helps add some extra tenderness to the meatballs. Another possible substitute is ground turkey or chicken, but they tend to be a bit drier.

• Parmesan - In meatballs, particularly Italian-style ones, Parmesan is a great, low-carb sub for breadcrumbs. Either pork rinds or almond flour would also work well too.

• Dried or Fresh Parsley - This is really a preference thing. Either taste great in this recipe.

• Fresh Garlic - I highly recommend adding this, but if you don’t like garlic, you could skip it.

• Seasonings:  You’ll want salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. If you want to make the Italian style, you could also add in some oregano or Italian seasoning mixes.

• Egg - Eggs act as a binder in meatballs.

How to Make Keto Meatballs

Step by Step instructions:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl, then mix everything together by hand. 
2. Next, use your hands to form balls roughly the size of a golf ball with the mixture. Arrange the meatballs on a baking sheet.
3. Bake the meatballs in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 - 23 minutes. 
4. Optional: Serve the meatballs with your favorite keto-friendly marinara. (I used Rao's)

How to avoid dry meatballs

Here are some easy tips to keep your meatballs from being dry:

• Don’t use extremely lean ground beef. I recommend 85/15, though 80/20 would also work. Just keep in mind, that if they are too lean, they’ll be a bit dry. On the other hand, if they are too fatty they may be a bit greasy.
• Don’t overmix the meatball mixture. Be gentle when forming the meatballs. Over mixing kneading them will cause them to get too tough.
• Don’t overcook. The internal temp should be 160 degrees. If you have a meat thermometer, I recommend using that.
• Add moisture. In this recipe, I used heavy cream and parmesan cheese to keep the meatballs juicy.

What to serve with

Here are a few ideas of what to eat with keto meatballs

• Shredded spaghetti squash
• Zucchini noodles
• Fried Cabbage

Keto-friendly pasta sauce or marinara sauce like Rao’s marinara will work great too.

For a bit of a southwestern flavor, you could toss them in keto-friendly BBQ sauce. 

What to do with leftovers

You can easily refrigerate or freeze leftovers, or you can make a large batch ahead of time to have quick dinners for a few months.

To store, place cooled meatballs in an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 3 days. For longer storage, place them in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

More keto ground beef recipes

If you like keto-friendly ground beef recipes, you should check out these other great flavors:

• Keto Meatloaf
• Low Carb Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
• Keto Big Mac Salad with Big Mac Dressing
• Easy Keto Stuffed Peppers (Mexican Style)
• Cheesy Keto Taco Casserole
• The Best Big Mac Casserole