These gluten free and keto Swedish meatballs are a terrific spinoff of a family recipe. Think juicy and incredibly flavorful meatballs, bathed in a creamy and luscious gravy!
Gluten Free & Keto Swedish Meatballs
A Family Recipe!
This is a keto spinoff of a traditional family recipe for Swedish meatballs (not my family, we’re Dutch/Mexican!… but a friend’s grandmothers recipe). And let me tell you that it’s as legit as they come.
Always a plus is that they’re easy-peasy to whip up and they make epic leftovers. Oh, and our (actually good!) mashed cauliflower comes highly suggested for these guys!
And yup, these are essentially ‘IKEA meatballs‘! But, perhaps unsurprisingly, they’re much (much!) better when homemade.
‘The Breadcrumbs’
As you know, meatballs traditionally employ breadcrumbs for best texture… so to keto-fy these Swedish meatballs you’ve got a few options:
- actual keto breadcrumbs via our soft ‘n fluffy sandwich bread. Works great… though obviously not too practical, and you may not want to transform your hard work into crumbs…!
- 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!). Because they’re not fried in lard, they’re drier and resemble panko crumbs so very much.
- or simply throw in some almond flour if keeping things kosher! I’ve done it plenty and it works the charm. I found the almond flour to add a lovely depth of flavor, but they were quite a bit more fragile than with pork rinds (but tbh I didn’t find it to be a biggie at all!).
p.s. Don’t forget to serve them up with our (actually good!) cauliflower mash and cranberry relish (a terrific sub for the traditional lingonberry jam).
Gluten Free & Keto Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter divided
- 1 medium white onion finely copped
- 500 g ground beef chuck works great!*
- 1/4 cup almond flour or crushed pork rinds (see notes!)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup heavy cream divided
- extra virgin olive oil for cooking
- 1-2 cups beef broth to taste**
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2-1 teaspoon arrowroot powder or 1/4 tsp konjac (glucomannan) powder
Serving suggestions
- mashed cauliflower
- cranberry relish a terrific sub for lingonberry jam!
Instructions
- 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 from heat and set aside to cool.
- Add the ground meat, almond flour (or pork rind 'panko'), salt, spices, cooked onion, egg and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to a large bowl. Mix everything thoroughly together using your hands and form into rounds (either 20 small-is ones or 14 large).
- Heat up a touch of olive oil in your skillet over medium heat and cook the meatballs until brown all over and cooked through. You'll want to turn them around a few times so they cook evenly. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil while you make the sauce.
- Add the remaining butter to the skillet and cook until it begins to brown (don't clean the meatball remnants as they add the flavor to the sauce!). Add in the broth, remaining heavy cream and mustard to deglaze the pan. 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). Continue to simmer until the sauce just begins to thicken and taste for seasoning.
- Add the meatballs back into the skillet, simmer for a couple more minutes and serve right away (think over a bed of mashed cauliflower!).
Notes
'The Breadcrumbs'
As you know, meatballs traditionally employ breadcrumbs for best texture... so to keto-fy these Swedish meatballs you've got a few options:- actual keto breadcrumbs via our soft 'n fluffy sandwich bread. Works great... though obviously not too practical, and you may not want to transform your hard work into crumbs...!
- 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!). Because they’re not fried in lard, they’re drier and resemble panko crumbs so very much.
- or simply throw in some almond flour if keeping things kosher! I've done it plenty and it works the charm. I found the almond flour to add a lovely depth of flavor, but they were quite a bit more fragile than with pork rinds (but tbh I didn't find it to be a biggie at all!).
Nutrition
and some food (for thought) 👁️
a newsletter about functional food to nourish, create and evolve.
(p.s. we don’t talk about fight club 🪄 )
xo! Paola
Truly amazing dish! Is there a reason you use arrow root powder versus xanthum gum? Thank you!
Awesome to hear Michelle! Yes, texture is *so* much better imo. I find xanthan gum comes out a bit slimy xo!
I am happy I did not read any of the comments before making this recipe because it was perfect! I use almond flour and arrowroot. In Canada we have a French dish call ragoût de boulettes that we make mostly at Xmas. This recipe reminded me of that dish. Next time we will double it! We are happy to have found a keto version of one of our favorite dishes.
These were absolutely dreamy, wonderful, amazing! Next batch will go over your pasta. 💕.
Omg Suzi that sounds like such a legit idea…!!!
I’ve made these a couple of times now & they are wonderful! Thank you for the great recipe!
Hi, the carbs you gave in the nutrients is for all 6 servings or just one?
One serving 3 carbs
could you precise how Much is one serving ?
Just out of interest I think you will find most gravy granules sold in the uk have potato starch as their thickening agent. while the amount probably won’t unduly affect your macros over the whole dish, it might be an issue if you are trying to avoid nightshades.
I use gelatine to bind meatballs/ burgers in lieu of breadcrumbs etc – keeps very moist and holds together well. 1:3 for powdered gelatine to warm water, leave for 5-10mins to make a ” sponge” and mix in. Works every time
Ooh, this is very interesting to me! I always have gelatin on hand—how much do you use per pound of ground meat? Thank you so much, anni!
I found some paleo meatballs at Costco, do you have a recipe for just the sauce??
The recipe for the sauce is included with the meatballs. It is at the bottom.
The recipe is already in the post!!!
Re nutrition figs: Carbs are listed as 3 grams. What did you substitute for the wheat bread crumbs?
Along with the meatballs, I wondered if I could add mushrooms to this fish?
Omg! This recipe is amazing!! I served it over roasted cauliflower instead of the mash and it was so good! I wish I had doubled the recipe so I had leftovers. This recipe was the perfect amount for 2 people as a main course (over roasted cauli). Can’t wait to make this again!
Soooo delicious! Everyone loved it! Thank you 🙂
Just wondering if this freezes well and what you w po uld do differently with cooking times if so.
sorry if this is a silly question. This recipe is for 6 servings, how many meatballs per serving? Trying to calculate so I can meal prep.
Hi Amanda – I found the meatballs to be quite filling so had 4-5 per serving ….
It says 3 net carbs per serving. How many meat balls per serving so we can track macros? Thank you!
If six servings is what you want, just divide the meat mix into six sections, then make meatballs any size you like. Or make patties/mini loaves, for easier browning
What do you do with the onions? After you set them aside to cool, I never saw what it said to do with them.
I was wondering the same thing…
It says to mix it with the ground meat mixture when forming the meatballs.
I’m new here , I have two grands that are Celiac so I was looking for a Swedish Meatball recipe. I’m from Swedish decent 🇺🇦. Wondering about thickening, what to use . Cornstarch ???
Hello, I have Celiac’s and use cornstarch for thickening gravy, stir-fry, etc. all the time. Note: the gravy comes out clearer than “regular” gravy, which is cloudy. I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I would think it would work just fine.
Cornstarch Or arrowroot powder.
I am celiac also, I use 0.5 – 1.0 tsp of Xanthan Gum, mixed same as arrowroot in a slurry and added to the hot gravy. Thickens just enough and best choice for Low-Carb-Keto
Made these for dinner last night together w/the brown butter calif mash. I used pre-made meatballs that I discovered that were lower carb and actually taste good! Because I used pre-made meatballs I diced onion and cooked in bacon fat as a starter for the sauce. I also didn’t have arrow root so used xanthan gum as my thickener… 1/2 t to 2 T water… was fine putting it in a bit at a time. Anyway… I found the sauce to be super bland. Added more mustard, garlic & onion powder, parsley and a few drops of frank’s hot sauce. My hubby thought it was good. I felt there were too many add-ons to build flavor.
Paola, you definitely have terrific recipes. I made these using your absolutely amazing sandwich bread as I have always used breadcrumbs before. Brought them to holiday party and everyone raved!
Just made the Swedish Meatballs…so delicious with Keto cauliflower mash, cranberry sauce, and some Keto red cabbage.”.and some for the freezer!
Thank you Paola for your wonderful inspiring recipes!
How many equal a serving?
It says 4-5 but it depends on the size 🙂
This recipe needed some serious tweaking regarding seasoning. I always cook a test patty with meatballs so that I can adjust the seasoning as necessary. This recipe needs about twice as much salt, nutmeg and allspice than what it calls for. Also, the gravy must reduce for a considerable amount of time. Not only will that concentrate the flavor of the gravy, but it was also thicken it. The meatballs also required twice the amount of binding- (pork rind panko) otherwise the mixture was way too loose to form any kind of ball.
Has anyone used xanthan gum for the thickener?
Im not a big fan of xanthan as a gravy-type (hot) thickener. I use it for other liquids (like keto maple syrup or berry syrup) But as a gravy thickener, just dont like it.
How do you make keto maple syrup?? :.)
Boil water, add zero calorie sweetener til dissolved and maple flavoring. You can reduce the mixture til thickened or add a thickened like xanthum gum.
I used xanthan gum. It thickened up just fine. I just find this sauce/gravy to be a little bland. Has anyone doctored it up in any way?
My mom-in-law made a sauce that didn’t include the cream, but she did add 1/2teaspoon of nutmeg. Don’t see why it wouldn’t work here.
Better choice for xhanthan gum is guar gum.
I can’t eat beef so could a substitute of chicken or turkey mixed with ground pork work? Thanks!
Tried it with pork rinds for binder; it was delicious.
The resident non low-carbers were very happy, too.
How long do you cook the meatballs for please?
Do you think I can do 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 mild sausage? Would that make them too strong?
I just made these because I needed to do something with the ground beef in my freezer. I’ve never made meatballs before because I always thought they were too dry. These were AMAZING !!! It took some time to reduce the sauce just right but it was worth it. I put it over cauliflower mash and I was so full after 1 serving. I highly recommend it!!!
Tasted spot on! Thanks so much for all you do. Looking forward to this being a family staple.
They tasted spot on! My In-laws are Swedish decent. So happy I could make this for them.
Oh my Gosh, Paola – just made a batch of these and they are fan-flipping-tastic! Thank you.
For others (particularly UK keto-ers) I made these with half beef, half pork, and some Porky Scratchings…… every other thing was the same as recipe…. other than I thickened with 2 teaspoons of chicken gravy granules…. yes, possibly not 100% Keto, or particularly healthy……. but divided amongst the dish as a whole, it’s really very little…….. and super tasty.
Thank you again, Paola – this is a keeper! x
Thanks Paola – this looks like a great recipe and I’ll definitely try it!
Thanks also for the top tip Louise! The chicken gravy granules is a great idea for a thickener (from a fellow UK-Keto’er)!