These easy and delicious keto meatballs are packed with flavor and boast a legit Italian meatball texture. Being smothered in marinara sauce and melty mozzarella cheese doesn’t hurt either! A low carb and gluten free meatball recipe that the entire family will LOVE.
The foundation of these Keto Meatballs Parmesan (or Parmigiana if you’re feeling fancy) are obviously the meatballs themselves. Juicy, tender, and full of flavor, a classic italian meatball is a beautiful thing.
Unfortunately, finding a decent low carb and keto meatball recipe isn’t easy.
You see, it’s the bread crumbs that usually make meatballs tender – without them you can end up with a dense, chewy mouthful that more resembles a rubber hockey puck than an authentic keto meatball.
I know because I’ve tried. So what’s a meatball loving low carber to do?
I’m very happy to report that I finally figured out a keto meatball recipe that results in tender gluten free meatballs that anyone’s Italian grandmother (I’m totally guessing here, mine is French Canadian) would be satisfied with!
They “meat” (heh heh, see what I did there?) all of the requirements of a good meatball, and won’t bust your carb budget for the day!
In fact this keto Meatballs Parmesan recipe is so good that you won’t even miss the pasta and garlic bread. Ok that might be pushing it, but they are really good, I promise!
Especially when you bathe these keto meatballs in marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese!!! Yes please.
My favorite way to eat these keto meatballs parmesan is to bake them in my easy no cook marinara sauce with a gooey topping of mozzarella cheese on top. If you don’t have time to make your own sauce, there are plenty of decent keto friendly marinara sauces out there – Rao’s is my favorite store bought one.
It’s hearty and satisfying and perfectly keto friendly.
Since even a sugar free marinara sauce does have some carbs though, I spoon about a tablespoon over each low carb meatball, which makes it easier to keep track of my macros – especially carbohydrates. Any more sauce than that gets wasted in the bottom of the pan anyway.
Same goes with the cheese – you can shred it and dump it onto the meatballs, but most of it will melt into a puddle anyway, so I just slice it and put a piece on top of each of the keto meatballs. Then I bake it until bubbly. You can also microwave it if you’re short on time, you just won’t get the nice brown color on the cheese.
The secret to tender low meatballs is the parmesan cheese, almond flour and water added to the mix. The almond flour bulks up the meatball, the cheese adds flavor and more fat, and the water creates steam when heated, which puffs them up and keeps them tender and juicy.
But don’t take my word for it, give them a try and see for yourself! And do be sure to let me know how they come out – especially if you are someone’s Italian grandmother!! ;)
Best Meat for Meatballs
Ground beef is the most common ground meat used in meatballs, but for the best flavor and texture, I prefer a mix of ground beef and ground pork. If you are only using ground beef, be sure to use an 80/20 lean to fat ratio for best results.
You can also make keto meatballs with ground turkey, but I find them to be a bit dry and the taste isn’t as good in my opinion either.
Adding a few tablespoons of grated vegetable like zucchini or mushrooms to the mixture can improve both the flavor and the moisture content when making keto meatballs with ground turkey.
Breadcrumb Replacements
In this recipe I use almond flour to bulk up and lighten these keto meatballs, but you can also use crushed pork rinds with good results – and as an added bonus it will decrease the amount of net carbs by a few grams per serving. I recommend substituting the pork rinds if you are making low carb meatballs with a nut allergy. You can also use hemp hearts or sunflower seed flour as an alternative binder.
Air Fryer or Oven Instructions
Yes! You can bake these keto meatballs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in the oven with excellent results. They will be a little drier and not as crunchy and brown on the outside, but cleanup is easy and when baking them as a meatball casserole with sauce and cheese you won’t even notice the difference.
You can also make these meatballs in the air fryer by simply following the instructions for your model with any meatball or burger recipe – mine takes about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
The nice thing is, these keto meatballs are delicious plain, so they make a great finger-friendly lunch on the go. I like to make a bunch and freeze them in bags of 3 – 5 meatballs. If I know I’m going to be out, I can grab a bag of meatballs out of the freezer and toss it into my purse or cooler bag. A couple of hours later they are thawed, and I can just reach in and eat a few of these Italian keto meatballs, even if I’m driving in my car.
It’s a great alternative to the drive thru, and minimizes your chances of grabbing something that will wreak havoc on your diet or digestive system simply because you’re starving and desperate.
If your family isn’t eating keto or gluten free, then you can serve these low carb Italian meatballs with pasta for them and spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or even konjac noodles or palmini noodles for yourself. It’s so filling as a casserole that I’ve even eaten these keto meatballs without a side dish.
I’m also not above enjoying them over a pile of cheesy cauliflower polenta – and while it may sound weird to do that with a sauce containing tomatoes, it’s surprisingly tasty and satisfying.
These keto meatballs store well in an airtight bag or container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer
More Keto Meatball Recipes
- General Tso’s Meatballs
- Beef Stroganoff Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Turkey Saltimbocca Meatballs
- Jamaican Jerk Meatballs
Keto Meatballs – Low Carb
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 15 two-inch meatballs 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
A delicious keto Meatballs recipe that the entire family will love! Low carb, Atkins, gluten free and kid friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (80/20)
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup almond flour (or crushed pork rinds)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 cup easy keto marinara sauce (or any sugar free store bought marinara)
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Combine the ground beef, pork, parsley, parmesan, almond flour, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, oregano, and water in a large bowl and mix well.
- Form into fifteen 2″ meatballs.
- Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 20 minutes, OR fry in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
- Pro-tip – try frying in bacon grease if you have any – it adds another level of flavor. Frying produces the golden brown color shown in the photos above.
- Place all of the cooked meatballs in an oven safe dish.
- Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce over each meatball.
- Cover with approximately 1/4 oz of mozzarella cheese each.
- Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 20 minutes (40 minutes if meatballs are frozen) or until heated through, and the cheese is golden and melted.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.
Notes
Approx nutrition info per “naked” meatball: 121 cals, 8g fat, .7g net carbs, 11g protein
Approx nutrition info per meatball parmigiana: 151 cals, 9g fat, 1.7g net carbs, 12g protein
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Meatballs
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs with sauce and cheese
- Calories: 453
- Fat: 27g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 36g
Need more low carb dinner ideas? Check out this post of delicious keto dinner recipes the entire family will love!
Dina says
almond flour–great idea!
Jemma says
I made these for my tea tonight and they were delicious! They’ll be on my regular meal list from now on :) thank you!
Suzanne M says
I make a meatball recipe very similar to this but without the almond flour. (Only because I never thought of it.) I just add a bit more parmesan cheese and a little less water. Sorry, I never measure anything. They are very tender and taste great. But I think I will try the almond flour next time just to compare.
April says
I second the request for a recipe that doesn’t use almond flour! I worry coconut flour would dry them out too much- maybe crushed pork rinds?
Jenny says
Ugh…I’ve made these with coconut flour…you do not want coconutty meatballs…trust me. You CAN taste it, and will wind up throwing the leftovers out!
Go with pork rinds instead.
Cathy says
How about using bison? I have been experimenting with ground bison to lower fat in my diet. So far just using it for “hamburgers”.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I don’t see why not, they may be less tender but should have great flavor – let us know if you try it!
Karla says
Thanks for this recipe, I am eager to try it. I’ve done a meatball mixture (for stuffing in cabbage leaves) using riced cauliflower. It added a lot of tenderness and was pretty darn good!
Mellissa Sevigny says
We grew up on stuffed cabbage leaves and I’ve been wanting to experiment with cauliflower in place of the rice! Good to know that it works – thanks for sharing! Hope you like the meatballs!
Vivian says
This is so timely…I have been trying to achieve a juicy soft meatball in a non-grain way (ie. no wheat/oat crumbs)…I tried adding cooked quinoa to the mix but it turned out rock-hard and very dry. I will try this next. Thanks so much for your experimenting on our behalf.
Mellissa Sevigny says
We loved them Vivian and I hope you do too!
Brad says
This looks fantastic, thank you. Your photography is amazing. Is there a packaged marinara that you recommend, or should I make it myself?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Brad! I usually make my own, but there are some jarred brands that are not bad carbwise. Unfortunately for your wallet, it’s usually the more expensive brands like Rao’s that have the lowest carbs. The cheaper brands usually contain high fructose corn syrup or sugars to make up for the poor quality.
Laura says
I use Classico brand sauce from walmart. Its a really simple sauce, and doesn’t have sugars or soy anything either!
Asilem says
Just thought I would mention that Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Marinara sauce has 4 net carbs per 1/2 cup. It costs about 4 bucks and is really good! It’s gluten free and has an amazing ingredient list! This is right off the back; Imported Plum Tomatoes From Italys San Marzano Region, Locally Grown Fresh Basil, Fresh Garlic, Fresh Onions, Imported Italian Olive Oil, Sea Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper.
I can find this at Albertsons, Walmart and our local IGA. Its $4 less than Rao’s and only 1 more carb!
Christy says
I know I’m a little late to the party but Publix Premium tomato basil pasta sauce has NO added sugar, and it’s only $2.50 per jar! Can’t wait to to try this recipe tonight in celebration of National Meatball Day – which, IMHO, should be every day! :)
E. says
Mmm, these look so good! Ever tried making them with pork, turkey or chicken?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I will turn almost any protein into a meatball at some point! Any of those will work – but if you use really lean ground turkey or chicken they won’t be quite as tender from a lack of fat. Still good though! Enjoy!
Melanie says
I would love to try this recipe but I’m allergic almonds and other nuts. Do you think coconut flour could work, instead?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You could try it – I would only use 1/3 of a cup though so it doesn’t dry it out too much – or add a little more water to the mix. Let us know how they come out if you try it!
karma says
I’ve actually replaced the almond flour with golden flax meal and had pretty awesome results…they’re definitely a little denser, but the friend I was cooking for had a nut allergy and I didn’t want her to miss out.
sharon says
This recipe sounds very similar to my own. With exception that I use crushed Rice Crispy Cereal in it. I also use the crushed Rice Crispies in my meatloaf recipe as well:P It holds them together and keeps them so moist and tender. Everyone thinks I have some secret ingrediant in my recipes but its just that crushed Rice Crispies;)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Rice krispies – cool idea! I’ve used instant potato flakes in my gluten free meatballs before I went low carb, but never even thought of rice krispies! I bet there are lots of other uses for them too…
Judy says
You could use finely crushed “regular” flavor pork rinds instead of the almond flour. Even if you don’t like pork rinds, you can’t tell they are in there.
Penny says
When I make meatloaf or swedish meat balls I use pork rinds that I pulse in the food processor.
Darcey says
I don’t see why it wouldn’t. The flour helps hold them together.