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These Italian-style keto meatballs are extra juicy and tender and are perfect to feed a family! I love how quick and easy they are to make.
Looking for more keto ground beef recipes? Try keto meatloaf, keto lasagna, and keto chili.
I love a quick and easy keto dinner, and nothing tastes as good as juicy, saucy, Italian meatballs.
Traditional meatballs are usually bound with bread crumbs, which makes them unsuitable for a keto diet. Luckily, with a few smart swaps, my keto meatballs will rival any Italian Nonna!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- The best texture. This keto meatball recipe is better than any meatball out there because they are extra soft and juicy. Even those who don’t follow a keto diet consider this their go-to meatballs!
- It’s easy to prepare. No hard-to-find ingredients are needed, and you probably have everything in your refrigerator and pantry right now.
- Ready in 20 minutes. From prep to plate, this entire dish takes barely any time.
- Versatile. Enjoy it over your favorite low-carb pasta, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or simply over steamed vegetables.
Ingredients needed
- Ground beef. Use 80/20 ground beef (80% lean, 20% fat). Every good meatball needs a little fat, which helps it from drying out and keeps it extra juicy.
- Ground pork. Pork is traditionally a little fattier than other meats, and swapping out half the beef with pork will yield extra juicy meatballs. If you don’t want to use pork, double the ground beef.
- Egg. To bind everything together.
- Onion. Finely chopped.
- Garlic. Freshly minced garlic, skip the jarred variety!
- Parmesan cheese. You must use freshly grated or refrigerated parmesan cheese. Avoid using the shelf-stamp kind, as it is super-processed and will not hold its shape in the meatballs.
- Breadcrumb substitute. There are several options, including crushed-up pork rinds or homemade keto breadcrumbs.
- Kosher salt and black pepper. To taste.
For the marinara sauce
I made a simple from scratch sauce. Alternatively, you can skip the marinara sauce and use homemade keto spaghetti sauce, pomodoro sauce, or sugo (two kinds of Italian tomato sauce that are also both low carb!).
- Olive oil. A good quality olive oil makes all the difference and is a must for Italian-style meatballs.
- Onions and garlic. Finely chopped to add extra flavor.
- Tomato sauce. Also referred to as passata or unsweetened pasta sauce. This is NOT tomato ketchup!
- Italian seasonings. It is a must for any good meatball recipe. You can swap this out for some fresh parsley and fresh basil instead.
- Salt and pepper. To taste.
How to make keto meatballs
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the meatballs. Start by mixing all the meatball ingredients together, then shape them into small bite-sized balls.
Step 2- Cook the meatballs. Next, place olive oil into a non-stick pan and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and cook until no longer brown. Remove the meatballs from the pan.
Step 3- Make the marinara sauce. Now, prepare the marinara sauce. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.
Step 4- Combine. Finally, add the meatballs back to the marinara sauce mixture and cook for 8-10 minutes, regularly turning. Remove the meatballs from the heat and serve immediately over your favorite keto pasta or keto gnocchi.
Recipe tips and variations
- Do not overbake the meatballs because, let’s face it—no one wants rubbery meatballs here. To ensure this does not happen, always use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. Fully cooked beef should reach 165F.
- When making the meatball mixture, avoid overmixing. Like cake batter, the more you mix, the tougher they will be.
- Swap out the ground meat for Italian sausage, ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey.
- For cheesy meatballs, fold through some freshly grated mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese.
- Instead of a red sauce, these meatballs taste incredible with a keto alfredo sauce or a keto cheese sauce.
How to store leftovers
To store: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Place low carb meatballs in a shallow container and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw the meatballs before reheating.
Reheating: Either microwave the meatballs for 1-2 minutes or reheat in a non-stick pan until warm and the sauce is bubbling.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’d like to oven-bake meatballs instead of frying them, place the shaped meatballs on a baking sheet and bake at 180C/350F for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Using two kinds of ground meat (pork and beef) ensures the meatballs are juicy and tender every single time. Using just one kind of ground meat risks the meatballs being dry and crumbly.
If you don’t have keto bread crumbs on hand, you can either use almond flour or toast up some keto bread. Once toasted, add it to a food processor or blender and pulse until a crumb consistency.
More cozy keto dinners
- Keto cheeseburger casserole– All the best parts of a cheeseburger, minus the carbs.
- Keto taco casserole– My family LOVES this for a comforting dinner.
- Keto stuffed peppers– Easy to customize and so fast.
- Crustless pizza– All the best parts of a pizza, baked in one dish.
Perfect Keto Meatballs
Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground beef 80/20
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 large egg
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1/2 cup keto bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the keto marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb tomato sauce passata
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the meatball ingredients and use your hands to mix well. Roll out tablespoons of the meat mixture into meatballs and place them onto a plate.
- Add the olive oil to a non-stick pan and place over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning regularly until browned and mostly cooked (not 100% cooked). Remove from the pan and place onto a plate.
- Prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil into the frying pan and place it over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and bring it to a simmer. Once it begins to simmer, reduce to low heat.
- Add the meatballs into the saucepan and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning every so often.
- Remove the meatballs and sauce from the heat and serve over low carb pasta or your favorite low carb vegetables.
These are absolutely delicious. Going in my eat regularly rotation. I love all your recipes.
Excellent meatballs
These meatballs were amazing! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
So welcome!
Can I soak almond flour in heavy cream ? Or will that be too much fat ? Or should I use water instead ? Was gonna do equal parts almond flour with liquid . Please get back to me making them tomorrow
Even my PICKY hubby loved these!! This is one fantastic recipe! Will make these weekly, for sure. Thank you so much for this!!
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I added a bit of extra spices to the meatballs (complete seasoning, Worcestershire and liquid smoke), but the sauce didn’t need need a thing. This is probably the only sauce recipe I’ve made, that I didn’t need to doctor up. The meatballs probably didn’t need anything else either, but I like a lot of flavor. I will definitely use this as a staple. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, that is what I did
Does anybody know what the nutrition breakdown is for just the meatballs?
You can calculate it using myfitnesspal or similar 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I don’t normally make meatballs because my previous recipes have been rather bland and dry. Well today everything changed. This recipe is full of flavour and easy to make. The cheese is just perfect. I am looking forward to making this recipe again.
TOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These are great meatballs! Adding some pork to the beef makes them tender and flavorful. I used some onion powder because I didn’t have an onion on hand, and for the breadcrumbs, I just used plain ground pork rinds. Even without sauce, they were so tasty. This recipe is a keeper!
These meatballs came out delicious. I did add the parsley and cayenne pepper that Callmechaz recommended. Thank you all
So yummy.. added a bell pepper
This recipe was fantastic! My meatballs always turned out bland, but these were so flavorful. Thanks for the wonderful recipes! I think in one day I printed off over 15, and we have loved every one of them!
My Italian Grandmother and Mother would have LOVED these. They made the best, authentic meatballs on the planet–always fried, by the way. These are ALMOST identical, but of course I now substitute crushed pork rinds for bread. One essential missing ingredient–chopped FRESH parsley in the mix. I accidently left it out one time. Never again. Noticed it in the first bite! About 1 tablespoon in this 1/2 lb. recipe should suffice. Try it. You will be surprised.
Oh, and I always add pinch of powdered Cayan. Not enough to create heat. Just enough to add zest! (Don’t tell Grandma I made ANY changes LOL)
Thanks for the suggestion 🙂 I won’t tell your nonna 😀
I made these meatballs (not the sauce) and they are excellent. Definitely will be my “go-to” for keto meatballs now. I will make the sauce when I have the ingredients on hand. The thing I LOVE about this recipe, is that I find it to be the perfect base for my creative ways.
Here are a few things that I did, in case anyone else is wondering “Could I…”?
One, I didn’t have ground pork on hand, so I used about half 80/20 ground beef and half 73% fat ground beef. It worked very well.
Two, The second time I made these, I added an add’l egg, because they fell apart on me a bit too much the first time.
Three, I made two sizes: the size in the recipe and also an extra large 3″ size, stuffed with 1″ cube of halloumi. Another time with very sharp cheddar. Super delicious.
Four, I air fried mine. Easy peasy.
Five, I used a tweaked jarred marinara because it’s what I had on hand and I actually just brushed the marinara on my small ones so they wouldn’t be drippy. My marinara was quite potent, that’s why I did that and also, I didn’t want my meatballs to dry out while in the fridge. The large ones, I brushed on the marinara to keep them moist in the fridge and when I heated them up, I put add’l marinara on them and my roasted zucchini side.
Six, I made mine spicy with cayenne pepper and habanero hot sauce. We’re heat freaks. I also replaced some of the salt with my favorite seasoning salts.
Seven, I doubled the recipe.
Despite my “tweaks”, I’m sure anyone would love these as written, thank you so much!
BTW….luckily, I made an initial lunch for my husband with the first batch of small meatballs, because the rest of them…I ate cold from the fridge and couldn’t resist them, so I never had enough for the make-ahead dinner that I’d intended!
Thanks so much 😊
My husband has never, ever liked my meatballs because I make them without the breadcrumbs. I made these yesterday. He NEVER gives compliments. He said “Please make these again”. I shared this recipe with my mom who is dealing with cancer and on a strict keto diet. She and my dad loved them. I will make these weekly now. To die for.
Aw, that means so much- Thanks for the feedback, Jennifer!
How many Meatballs per Serving, Arman? Would like to try these but need to know. Thanks 😊
It depends on how big or small you make them 🙂 Usually 5-6.