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!
Emily says
Hi, I was wondering about using egg whites instead of whole eggs? Would that bring the calories down some? Thanks! I’m excited to make these :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sure, you could do that Emily! Hope you like them!
Sandy says
I am planning on making these tonight! They look awesome! I am not the best at frying though- how long did you fry them for? and did you use pam to coat the pan? Thanks! I’ll let you know how they turn out!
Mellissa Sevigny says
This is one of my favorites Sandy! I would fry them in a nonstick pan in a bit of olive oil – if they are sticking, just add a little more oil to the pan. Depending on how large you make them, it’s about 3 – 4 minutes per side of frying, then they should cook the rest of the way through in the oven! Hope you like them!
Katharine says
These were amazing!! Kids loved them too. I had them with spaghetti squash….kids & hubby had gf spaghetti. I made them in the oven and they did leak, but that seems to happen with every meatball I bake. Didn’t detract from the flavor! So excited for leftovers tomorrow. :) next time I’ll do a double batch so I can have lots of leftovers!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the feedback Katharine! So glad the whole family enjoyed them!
katharine says
Had to add another comment….I made them again but without any dairy – I left out the parmesan cheese and didn’t top with cheese either. I had to add a smidge more almond flour and a little less water but the flavor was still fantastic!!! I cooked for 20 minutes at 350… flipped them over and topped with marinara. Then 10 more minutes in the oven. Yummy! Kids loved them too.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yay! Thanks for letting me know Katherine! :)
Amy says
I save the end from loaves of Udi’s to make breadcrumbs for meatballs. This recipe looks great.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Great idea Amy!
Haleigh says
These were so delicious! I served the meatballs with leftover homemade marinara sauce and zucchini pasta and they were a real hit with the whole family. The only thing I tweaked was adding some chopped yellow onion. I will definitely be making them again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds delicious Haleigh – I love adding onions to pretty much everything, so I’m sure it was great! :)
Geni says
These were very good! I recommend baking them on a rack over a parchment lined baking sheet.
Luana says
Melissa, you are a girl after my own heart: I love meatballs, too. I discovered years ago on Atkins that meatballs and meatloaf without breadcrumbs just taste like a hunk of meat. Yuk.
I put almond flour in meatballs, also about 1/2 of a small zucchini (grated), and about 1/4 cup grated Parm or Romano. They come out with a nice soft mouth-feel, just like a meatball made with breadcrumbs, and I do the same with meatloaf.
I am loving what I’m seeing so far with your meatball recipes and everything else here. So glad I found your site!
Jennifer says
I just wanted to clarify before I make these tomorrow night – you bake the meatballs for 20 minutes…..then add the Mariana and cheese and bake for an additional 20 minutes, correct?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Give or take – it’s mostly important that the meatballs are cooked through and that the cheese has melted. If you are baking them, taking them out hot and putting the sauce and cheese on and then putting them straight back into the oven, it may only take 10 to 15 minutes to get the sauce hot and the cheese melted. Enjoy!
Renee Patrick says
Thanks for the great recipe. I made them without the almond flour and water and they were perfect. Thanks again. I’m really into meatballs.
Susan says
I was wondering about the nutrition info. The serving size is listed as 3 meatballs but the info says per meatball. If it is per meatball that is going to increase all the amounts by 3.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sorry for the confusion, but since some people will just eat one, or 4 or 5, it’s easier to list the content per meatball so people don’t have to divide by three and then multiply by however many they are actually eating.