Deliciously Easy Keto Meatballs: The Ultimate Guide

Enjoy ultra-juicy, incredibly tender, and totally delicious keto meatballs that are easy to make and perfect for meal prepping! This recipe is versatile and adaptable to a variety of different sauce options.

Introduction

Meatballs are a crowd-friendly dish that can be adapted to suit international cravings without the guilt. The key to making perfect meatballs is moisture. This recipe provides a guide to making flavorful and perfectly cooked low carb meatballs. You can serve them solo, with marinara sauce, or in a casserole.

Why Keto Meatballs?

These keto meatballs contain no breadcrumbs or grains of any kind, making them perfect for a low carb or paleo diet. They are moist, tender, and juicy, and they don't require any breadcrumbs or flour.

Traditionally, meatballs employ breadcrumbs as a binder to add moisture and prevent the proteins in the meat from shrinking and becoming tough. This keto recipe replaces breadcrumbs with crushed pork rinds or almond flour. Crushed pork rinds work surprisingly well and really play up the flavors. Almond flour can also be used, or even keto breadcrumbs.

Cooking Methods: Pan-Fried or Baked

You can pan-fry or bake these meatballs. Baking is less messy and more hands-off.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need for the keto meatballs:

• 16 ounces Ground Beef Round (10% fat)
• 1/2 pound Ground Pork
• 2 large Eggs (Whole)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (Grated)
• 1/2 large Scallions or Spring Onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves pressed through a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/2 c. cream
• 1/2 c. mozzarella
• 1 dash garlic powder
• 1 dash onion powder
• Fresh basil or other Italian herbs for garnishing (optional)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese to top the meatballs (optional)
• 1 jar Rao's brand low carb pizza sauce or homemade marinara (optional)
• 3/4 c. ricotta cheese (optional)

Cooking tip: If you don't have these specific ground meats, you can make this baked meatball recipe with lean ground beef.

How to Make Keto Meatballs

Here are the detailed instructions to make these meatballs:

Step 1: Prepare the Meat Mixture

1. If possible, have the butcher grind together the different meats. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw pork.
2. Heat oven to 375°F or 400 degrees (depending on the recipe you choose below).
3. Thinly slice the onion and mince the garlic.
4. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, warm oil and cook onion and garlic for about 1 minute stirring frequently, until softened and aromatic.
5. Transfer to a bowl and mix in ground meats, cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper.

Alternatively, in a large mixing bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients. Mix the raw meat gently with clean hands, folding in the other ingredients gently. Folding gently creates tender meatballs that are not compacted.

Step 2: Form the Meatballs

1. Roll the mixture into golf ball-size meatballs, about 2 3/4 tablespoons each (or make 16 meatballs for 4 servings, or about 24 meatballs). Using a 2-3 oz. scoop, scoop out meatballs, roll in your hands, and place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray.
2. Place on a jelly roll pan. These may also be baked as larger or smaller meatballs depending on your use. For example these may be baked as smaller meatballs and served as cocktail meatballs as an appetizer for a party. Just consider baking them less if smaller or for longer if larger than the golf ball size.
3. Sprinkle the meatballs with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Step 3: Bake the Meatballs

1. Bake at 375°F (or 400°F) for 20-25 minutes, until browned and cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. You want some browning on the outside, but the meatballs will be cooked again momentarily.
2. Place the meatballs onto the sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. The meatballs are ready when the outsides are brown.

Step 4: Serve

1. Serve the meatballs warm, topped with mozzarella or with Rao’s Marinara Sauce. Garnish with more freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!
2. Each serving is 4 meatballs (made from about 2 3/4 tablespoons meat mixture each).
3. Transfer the meatballs to a glass baking dish or a large cast-iron skillet.
4. Pour the entire jar of pizza sauce on the meatballs and spoon ricotta cheese all over it. Sprinkle with extra parmesan if desired.
5. Bake meatball casserole at 400 for 15 minutes and then broil for 1-2 minutes to create the browned top.
6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Alternative Cooking Methods

Air Fryer Method

1. Start by lightly greasing the basket of the air fryer.
2. Combine all the ingredients and form meatballs using your hands.
3. Set the Airfryer at 350°F/180°C and cook for about 13-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through. You can fit all the meatballs in this recipe into a 6 QT Air Fryer.
4. Serve the meatballs warm, topped with mozzarella, low carb tomato sauce, and zucchini noodles.

Frying the Meatballs

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of oil or bacon grease.
2. Add meatballs and cook, occasionally turning until golden on all the sides (about 8-10 minutes).

Make a Keto Meatball Casserole

This easy meatball casserole has many 5-star reviews. It's a great make-ahead meal that tastes even better as leftovers!

Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide

Ingredients:

• Meatballs (as prepared above)
• 1 jar Rao's brand low carb pizza sauce or homemade marinara
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 c. ricotta cheese
• Fresh basil or other Italian herbs for garnishing

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Transfer the baked meatballs to a glass baking dish or a large cast-iron skillet.
3. Pour the entire jar of pizza sauce on the meatballs and spoon ricotta cheese all over it.
4. Sprinkle with extra parmesan if desired.
5. Bake meatball casserole at 400 for 15 minutes and then broil for 1-2 minutes to create the browned top.
6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Serving Suggestions

Our family favorite is to eat them right out of the pan or pair the meatballs with some zucchini noodles and extra pasta sauce. Add a bit of fresh basil and you won't care about pasta ever again.

Glazed Keto Meatballs

These keto meatballs are juicy, flavorful, and easy to make. Bake them in the oven and then coat them in a quick glaze. These keto meatballs are ready in about 30 minutes, even faster if you skip the glaze - they're delicious with or without it.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef (85/15 lean-to-fat ratio recommended)
• 2 large Eggs (Whole)
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (Grated)
• Creamy ingredients: Mayonnaise and Dijon mustard
• Minced garlic
• Chopped parsley

Glaze:

• Ketchup
• Maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with high-heat-resistant parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the ground beef, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, parmesan, and parsley. Mix thoroughly but not excessively, and try to use a light touch. The more you work the meat, the tougher the meatballs.
3. Divide the mixture into 20 portions, each weighing about 1 ounce. Use a kitchen scale to make them uniform. It's fine to eyeball it - divide the mixture into 4 parts, then divide each of these parts into 5 portions.
4. Shape the portions into 20 meatballs. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet and lightly spray them with olive oil.
5. Bake the meatballs until cooked through, for about 15 minutes.
6. If using the glaze, mix the ketchup and maple syrup in a medium saucepan while the meatballs are in the oven. 5 minutes before the baking time is done, heat them over very low heat.
7. When the meatballs are done, turn the heat off, add them to the glaze, and turn to coat.
8. Transfer the meatballs to a serving plate or bowl and brush their tops with the remaining glaze. Serve immediately.

Tips for the Best Keto Meatballs

• Don't overwork the mixture: Mix the meatball mixture thoroughly but not excessively, and try to use a light touch. The more you work the meat, the tougher and denser the meatballs.
• Use the right meat: Extra-lean ground beef doesn't work well in this recipe. It produces dry meatballs. The leanest you should go is 85/15.
• Ensure Adequate Moisture: The key to perfect meatballs is moisture.
• Consider texture and flavor: These ingredients form the perfect texture and flavor in the meatballs-resulting in perfectly cooked little bites that melt in your mouth.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

• Make-ahead: You can mix the ingredients and shape the meatballs a few hours in advance. Store them in a wax paper-lined container in the fridge. If layering, separate the layers with wax paper. You can do this in the morning.
• Freezing uncooked meatballs: Prepare the balls, then arrange them in a single layer onto a baking sheet and freeze. Transfer them to a container and freeze for up to 1 month.
• Freezing cooked meatballs: Arrange the completely cooled meatballs in a single layer onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid.
• Storage: They will keep for three to four days in the fridge, they also freeze well in the sauce. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them covered in the microwave at 50% power.

Nutritional Information

This recipe has approximately 7 grams net carbs per serving and serves eight people which is a generous 6oz of meat per person and includes the tomato sauce.

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. Nutrition facts are accurate, but if you are using different products, please make your calculations. Always best to calculate your own because not all brands of cheese have the same number of carbs, and most of them in this recipe come from the cheese and garlic. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners.

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

Frequently Asked Questions

• How many keto meatballs are there per serving? It really depends what size they are, but I got about 38 meatballs that were about two tablespoons of the meatball mixture.
• Can I make them ahead? Yes you can, they are really easy to reheat in the sauce either on the stove or in the microwave.
• How long do they keep? They will keep for three to four days in the fridge, they also freeze well.
• Can I make them with beef only? Yes, but if you use really lean beef they may be dry.
• Could I add almond flour to my keto meatballs? You could, but I chose not to because it’s expensive, and I didn’t think it improved the taste or texture.
• Are tomatoes Keto? Tomatoes can be keto-friendly, it depends how much you have. According to the United States Department of Agriculture [1] red ripe tomatoes have almost four grams of carbs per 100 grams, and a little over one grams of fiber per 100 grams.
• Can I skip the glaze? Yes. The glaze is optional. The meatballs are delicious without it.
• What binder should I add to meatballs? You don't need a binder. In this recipe, the mayonnaise and parmesan act as a filler/binder, mostly added for their flavor.

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