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:
- Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl, then mix everything together by hand.
- Next, use your hands to form balls roughly the size of a golf ball with the mixture. Arrange the meatballs on a baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 - 23 minutes.
- 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
Keto Meatballs
These keto meatballs are so juicy and tender! An easy keto appetizer or dinner recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, (I recommend 85/15)
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley, (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- keto-friendly marinara sauce, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl. (with the exception of the marinara sauce)
- Using your hands, mix everything together until combined.
- Form the mixture into individual balls (about the size of a golf ball), and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Baked in the oven for 20 - 23 minutes.
- Optional: Warm marinara sauce on the stove in a small saucepan, and then spoon it on top of the meatballs prior to serving. Sprinkle on extra parmesan cheese. (I used Rao's marinara sauce)
Notes
- Meatballs are done when they reach an internal temp of 165 degrees, and there is no pink in the center.
- Using 80/20 ground beef will result in greasier meatballs while using 90/10 will result in dryer meatballs. I found that 85/15 has just the right amount of fat for meatballs.
- My meatballs took exactly 23 minutes to cook.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 216Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 305mgCarbohydrates: 2gNet Carbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 18g
All nutritional information and calculations are provided as a courtesy. Nutritional values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product, and brand selection. You should not rely on this information for medical advice.
Kay is passionate about living a healthy low carb lifestyle. She loves low carb comfort foods that are also family-friendly!
Franca
Perfect!
Thank you!
Dee
Made the meatballs last night after work for dinner, loved how quick and easy and delicious they are. Next up I'm going to try the Cauliflower Mac & Cheese with baked chicken drumsticks. The very simple recipes make transitioning to Keto much easier, thank you.
Thank you so much! I'm so happy that you enjoyed them.