The Best Keto Meatballs Recipe
These keto meatballs are juicy, tender, and made without breadcrumbs or flour. Made with ground meat, parmesan, egg, heavy cream, onion, garlic, and parsley, they can be baked, air fried, or pan-fried for an easy low-carb dinner, appetizer, or meal prep recipe.
Servings: 12 meatballs
Calories: 159kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground meat 85% lean such as beef, pork, chicken, turkey, veal or mix
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 small onion finely grated onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Serving Suggestions
- Zucchini noodles
- Mozarella
- Rao's Marinara Sauce
Instructions
- In a bowl combine the beaten egg, salt, pepper, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, parsley, onion, garlic. Whisk to combine.
- Add the ground meat to the egg mixture. Use your hands to incorporate the egg mixture into the meat. Try not to overwork the meat.
- Form about 12 meatballs. I use a scale (not mandatory!) and weigh my meatballs to make sure they are equal. This step helps the meatballs cook evenly.
Bake in the Oven Meatballs Method:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with foil or use a silicone baking mat.
- Place the meatballs onto the sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. The meatballs are ready when the outsides are brown.
- Serve the meatballs warm, topped with mozzarella or with Rao’s Marinara Sauce. Garnish with more freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!
Air Fryer Method
- Start by lightly greasing the basket of the air fryer. Combine all the ingredients and form meatballs using your hands.
- Set the Airfryer at 350°F/180°C and cook for about 13-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through. I manage to fit all the meatballs in this recipe into my 6 QT Air Fryer.
- Serve the meatballs warm, topped with mozzarella, low carb tomato sauce, and zucchini noodles.
Fry the meatballs
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat add a few tablespoons of oil or bacon grease.
- Add meatballs and cook, occasionally turning until golden on all the sides (about 8-10 minutes).
- Remove from the skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towels.
Notes
- Use 85% lean ground beef for juicy meatballs, or use pork, turkey, chicken, veal, or a mix.
- Don’t overmix the meat mixture, or the meatballs can turn dense.
- Shape the meatballs evenly so they cook at the same time.
- Ground beef meatballs should reach 160°F in the center. Ground poultry meatballs should reach 165°F.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze cooked or uncooked meatballs for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 377IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 1mg | Net Carbs: 1g