Irresistible Keto Swedish Meatballs: Classic Comfort Food Made Low-Carb and Delicious!

This article provides a comprehensive guide to making delicious and authentic Keto Swedish Meatballs. It covers everything from ingredient selection and substitutions to step-by-step instructions and serving suggestions.

Introduction

Craving comfort food but sticking to a keto diet? Look no further! This recipe brings the iconic flavors of Swedish meatballs to your table without the carbs. These keto Swedish meatballs have all the creamy flavour of your much loved favourite but made low carb. Think juicy and tender gluten-free meatballs, cooked in a creamy, flavorful sauce. These meatballs are perfect as an appetizer or served alongside a keto-friendly vegetable for a complete and satisfying meal.

Why Keto Swedish Meatballs?

Traditional Swedish meatballs, especially those from IKEA, are unfortunately not keto-friendly. This recipe offers a delicious alternative by making smart swaps to the traditional ingredients. The result? A hearty and flavorful dish with only 4.7g net carbs per serving.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Here's a breakdown of the essential ingredients and how to adapt them to fit your dietary needs:

Ground Meat: Most traditional meatball recipes combine a mix of ground meat - usually ground beef and ground pork for Swedish meatballs. I like to use a mix of lean ground beef and ground pork. The pork makes the meat mixture softer. But, you can definitely make these meatballs using only ground beef if you prefer! I used grass-fed ground beef, but you can use any ground meat you like, really. A mix of ground pork and ground beef is really delicious as well.
Breadcrumb Substitute: Traditional Swedish meatballs are ALMOST entirely low carb, except for the breadcrumbs. Coconut flour is the perfect stand-in for wheat breadcrumbs. Alternatively, use either almond flour or crushed pork rinds. For both, you'll need to use 3 tablespoons. Actual keto breadcrumbs via our soft ‘n fluffy sandwich bread. Works great…crushed pork rinds! These work surprisingly well in lie of bread crumbs…as in very little discernible difference (i.e. no after taste and they're my top choice!!)! A lot of you ask me for brands, and I’ve loved the new baked variety from Epic (which have 40% less calories btw!). Or simply throw in some almond flour if keeping things kosher! I've done it plenty and it works the charm. Baking blend: I use my homemade low carb baking blend, but the store-bought THM baking blend, a different low carb flour blend or even just almond flour all work well.
Onion and Garlic: Fresh onion and garlic taste so much better than garlic powder and onion powder. To save time, you could use frozen chopped instead. I use just half of a small onion for flavour, texture and moisture in the meatballs. Chop it very finely OR grate it on a box grater and it will evenly distribute. If you’re not overly concerned about keeping the carb count very low, feel free to add a whole onion.
Spices: Salt and pepper, of course. Also, don't miss out on the warming goodness of nutmeg and allspice. Spices: Allspice and nutmeg sound strange in a meatball recipe, but they’re classic additions to Swedish meatballs. It adds just a hint of warmth. If you don’t have the individual spices, try adding a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice - or just leave them out.
Egg: The egg acts as a binder, but you can absolutely make the meatballs egg-free if you need to.
Coconut Aminos: This is an umami flavouring sauce made from coconut. It lends a subtle salty sweetness that complements the creaminess of the sauce.
Beef Broth: I just used regular old low sodium beef broth here, but feel free to use bone broth instead.
Worcestershire Sauce: You can use soy sauce instead, or just leave it out.
Cream: I used heavy cream for a rich gravy. You can also use half and half, or non-dairy cream for a dairy free version. In fact, you can even use extra beef broth plus a few tablespoons cashew butter - the taste is a little different, but it totally works if you want to make this Whole30-compliant.
Thickener: Since you typically use flour in cream sauce, we’re replacing it here with arrowroot powder or xantham gum. Xanthan gum: To thicken the sauce. You can also use ground chia seeds. Glucomannan: My thickener of choice for low carb recipes!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here's how to make these delectable keto Swedish meatballs:

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Meatball Preparation

Combine Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the beef, pork, onion, garlic, parsley, egg, coconut flour, salt and spices. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients together for the meatballs and mix. Use a potato masher or your hands to combine everything together. Add ground beef, crushed pork rinds, 1 teaspoon of salt, spices, egg, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream into a large bowl. Mix well until combined. Gently fold ingredients together.
Shape Meatballs: Shape the meatball base into around 2 teaspoon sized balls. Divide meatball mixture out into about 1" meatballs using a spoon or small cookie scoop. Roll into 20 small meatballs. Roll about 1 ½ tablespoons of ground beef mixture into a ball, repeat with remaining ground beef mixture. You should be able to make about 24 meatballs. For even-sized meatballs, use a small cookie scoop. The secret to fluffy meatballs: Keep some air in the meatballs! Handle them lightly when you form them. I suggest letting the meatballs chill in the fridge for about an hour after forming so they won’t fall apart while cooking.
Cook Meatballs: Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Heat some oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Brown the meatballs in batches, about 6-8 minutes per batch. Add olive oil to the same skillet and then add in meatballs. Once the oil is hot, place meatballs in the skillet to sear on all sides. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning every few minutes, until browned on each side and cooked through. You may need to cook in two batches to avoid overcrowding. Spread out the meatballs in the frying pan so they don't touch. This way, they brown evenly. If necessary, fry them in two batches. Brown meatballs on all sides over medium high heat. Then, lower heat to medium/medium low and cover pan. Every 3-4 minutes, rotate meatballs until they are cooked through. Total time can take between 10-20 minutes, depending on how thick you made your meatballs.
Baking Option: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You can either brown the meatballs in a skillet in a little oil or bake them in the oven. Can you bake the meatballs in the oven?Yes. Spread the meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 410F / 210C for 12 minutes or until browned all over. While meatballs are in the oven, drain the cast-iron skillet of any leftover grease and then use the same skillet for the sauce. Transfer to a plate while you make the sauce. Set meatballs aside. Remove meatballs from pan once cooked through.

Creamy Gravy Preparation

Sauté Onions: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add in onions and a teaspoon of salt. Cook onions, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet or pan over medium heat. Add the onion, a pinch of salt, and sauté until it just begins to caramelize (6-8 minutes). Remove onions from the pan, but leave remaining butter. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Make the Sauce: Add the butter to the skillet. Once you see bubbles, add the xanthan gum or ground chia and whisk using a hand whisk to combine. Add stock and cream to the skillet and whisk over medium-low heat. Return skillet to medium high heat. Add in broth, mustard, and remaining heavy cream. Cook gravy: For the gravy, add the broth and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cream and Dijon mustard. Add in beef and vegetable stock, and whisk for about 2 minutes. Add Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Slowly add in the heavy cream while whisking and let simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to simmer for a couple minutes and make a slurry out of your thickener of choice (i.e. mix it with a couple tablespoons of cold water prior to adding it to avoid clumping).
Thicken and Finish: While sauce is simmering whisk together water and xantham gum/arrowroot. in a small bowl. Stir the Glucomannan into a few teaspoons of cold water, then gradually stir into the sauce. It will form a very loose paste. Gently pour the paste to the pan and whisk quickly to keep lumps from forming. Lower heat to medium low and continue to cook the sauce for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened. Simmer until thickened. Stir the butter into the sauce, then add the meatballs and stir to coat. Cook until the sauce is thickened. A few of you have had issues with reducing the sauce (i.e. cooking it down so it doesn't end up too thin). As you know, meatballs traditionally employ breadcrumbs for best texture…
Combine: Return your cooked onions and meatballs to skillet, and cover meatballs with the sauce. Simmer for two minutes, then add the meatballs back into the pan.

Serving Suggestions

Plate meatballs on a platter and pour the sauce over top. Serve over mashed cauliflower! Top with freshly chopped parsley if desired. You'll want something to scoop up all that lovely sauce with. Most of the time, I serve Swedish meatballs over cauliflower mash, as seen in the image below. I like the Keto/low carb/THM version best with mashed cauliflower on the side. If you’re feeling fancy, you can try a sugar free cranberry relish. Sprinkle over chopped fresh parsley for a color pop. Good alternatives are cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles or steamed low carb vegetables like green beans and broccoli. You can serve as an appetizer or alongside a delicious keto veggie such as cauliflower rice like I did for a complete keto dinner.

Tips and Tricks

Make sure to shape firm meatballs, or they’ll fall apart when browning/simmering in the sauce.
Whisk the gravy very well, or you’ll get lumps in it. A lumpy gravy is near-impossible to fix, so you don’t want the lumps to appear in the first place.
If your gravy doesn’t thicken, you may need to add more thickener. This can happen for various reasons.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

These keto meatballs store in the fridge or the freezer really well - so they’re perfect for keto meal prepping or making ahead of time. Keto Swedish meatballs is a perfect dish to make ahead. Tried this recipe? You can also freeze the meatballs. To freeze these meatballs, arrange them in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined plate or baking sheet, and freeze them until solid. After that, you can transfer them to a freezer bag.

Dairy-Free Option

Can you make this dish dairy-free? Yes, you can use coconut cream instead of the heavy cream. Of course, this will change the flavor of the dish.

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tags: #keto #Swedish #meatball #sauce #recipe