Keto Swedish Meatballs Recipe
This Keto Swedish Meatballs Recipe gives you all the flavor and comfort food satisfaction you crave without any of the guilt. Not only is this dish incredibly flavorful, but it’s also easy to make in just a few simple steps.
Plump, juicy Keto Swedish Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food. Homemade gravy finishes the meatballs and gives them that classic flavor.
Every time I visit Ikea, I have to get some of their meatballs! Those are what this recipe is inspired by. I used to think that making Swedish meatballs had to be complicated. Thankfully, I was wrong, and they are actually pretty simple to make. So, if you haven’t made them before and are on the fence, I highly recommend giving them a shot. You and your whole family will be so glad that you tried these keto meatballs.
For more great meatball recipes, try my Pork Sausage Meatball Recipe and Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs.
Meatball Ingredients
- Meat – I like to use a combination of ground beef and ground pork. They pair nicely together and give the meatballs lots of flavor. You can use just one kind of meat if you’d rather.
- Pork Rinds – Make sure the crushed pork rinds are finely ground, so they resemble breadcrumbs to ensure you get the correct texture. Or use this Pork Panko to save a step!
- Onion – Chop up any variety of onions to add to the Swedish meatballs recipe.
- Garlic – I typically just use 1 clove, and it’s plenty, but you can certainly add more if you like them extra garlicky.
- Heavy Cream – To get the creamiest flavor, heavy cream is a must. You could probably use coconut milk, but it’s going to have a coconut flavor. Half and half is ok as well but the sauce will be a little less creamy.
- Egg – Just like any other meatball recipe, the egg is what binds the ingredients together so well.
- Salt & Pepper – You are welcome to add more or less depending on your preference.
Swedish Cream Sauce Ingredients
And then for the sauce, I use a combination of butter, coconut flour, a combination of beef stock or beef broth and chicken broth or chicken stock, heavy cream, soy sauce, mustard, and xanthan gum (if it needs a little extra thickening). It’s delicious!
How To Make Keto Swedish Meatballs
Step One: Heat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare your baking sheets with parchment paper or foil greased with olive oil or cooking spray.
Step Two: Combine both kinds of ground meat, pork rinds, onions, garlic, cream, egg, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
Step Three: Form the meatball mixture into 40-50 small meatballs and place them on the baking sheets.
Step Four: Bake for 20 minutes or until they are thoroughly cooked.
Step Five: While the meatballs are baking, you are going to prepare the keto Swedish meatball sauce. Begin by melting butter in a large skillet or frying pan.
Then pour in the coconut flour and form a roux.
Pour in the broth, heavy cream, soy sauce, and mustard, then whisk. Simmer for around 10 minutes or until the sauce becomes thicker. Season to taste.
Step Six: If desired, slowly add xanthan gum if you want the gravy to be thicker.
Step Seven: Add the meatballs into the cream sauce in the pan and serve immediately.
Storage
The Swedish meatballs will last around 3-4 days in the fridge. Store in an airtight container and reheat in the microwave when you are ready to serve. They heat up rather quickly.
The meatballs also freeze well. You can prep the meatballs ahead of time and freeze in a freezer bag. Then make the creamy gravy on the day you will serve them.
Variations
- Almond Flour – Substitute almond flour for the pork rind crumbs in the keto Swedish meatballs.
- Dairy-free – Sub in coconut cream to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Sauce – You can also try this sauce made with sour cream and cream cheese.
- Dried Onion & Garlic – Sub in dried minced onion and dried chopped garlic to save on prep time. You could also use garlic powder and onion powder if you prefer.
- Spices – I personally don’t care for nutmeg or allspice but if you like it in your Swedish meatballs go ahead and add a pinch or two. Parsley is a nice garnish to add a little color. Dijon mustard will give the sauce an earthy note.
- Protein – A combination of ground chicken and ground turkey work in place of ground beef and ground pork if you would rather use poultry.
Make these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs next!
Expert Tips
I want these keto Swedish meatballs to become one of your favorite keto recipes, so I thought I would share a few ideas to help you along.
- Don’t overwork the meat mixture. Once everything is combined, then you can start making meatballs. If you keep working it, then you will end up with dry and not very flavorful meatballs.
- Use a cookie scoop. To make the meatballs all the same size, I recommend using a small cookie scoop and scooping right from the large bowl of meat mixture.
- Do not overcook the meatballs. They end up tough if you do. So, use a meat thermometer and check the temperature. Remove them from the oven once they hit 160 degrees.
- Meatballs are great for meal prepping. If you love to make food ahead of time, so it’s ready to go, be sure to add these meatballs to your list. They are delicious as leftovers!
Common Questions
Is it Okay to Cook the Meatballs on the Stove?
Yes, if you prefer frying them in a skillet instead of baking, that is fine. Be sure to add some oil to a skillet and heat it over medium heat or medium-high heat. Cook until they are done all the way. Be sure to flip them frequently, so they don’t burn. They cook reasonably fast on the stovetop and should take around 10 minutes or so. But, you will need to do several batches or half the recipe.
What do I Serve with Keto Swedish Meatballs?
We enjoy this with a simple side of steamed vegetables like the green beans pictured. The sauce is so good I mop it up with whatever happens to be on my plate. Serving this over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower or over zucchini noodles is another great choice for a low carb keto diet.
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Keto Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 cup pork rinds finely ground
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Sauce:
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 3/4 cup beef broth
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1/2 – 1 tsp xanthan gum optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 and line to rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or greased foil.
- Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs.
- Form small meatballs and place on the prepared trays. You will get between 40 & 50 meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the coconut flour and whisk to make a roux.
- Add the broths, cream, soy sauce, and mustard. Whisk until smooth. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened.
- If you would like to thicken the sauce further you can add 1/2 to 1 tsp of xanthan gum. When using xanthan gum I recommend adding it slowly.
- When the sauce is the desired thickness add the cooked meatballs. Serve immediately or keep warm over low heat with a lid.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally Published February 19, 2021. Revised and Republished November 10, 2025.
Could I use almond flour in place of the coconut flour?
Hi Rob, coconut flour works better as a thickener. If you try almond flour I would also use the optional xanthan gum in the full amount (1 tsp).
Oh my goodness! Absolutely love your recipes! Made the Swedish meatballs today for a dinner this week and hubby LOVED them! He said, “Don’t change a thing, these are wonderful!” Thank you for great recipes! BTW, I eat keto and he eats what I cook and non-keto foods. 🙂
These meatballs hold together well and the sauce has a good deep flavor.
This sounds wonderful! Just wanted to be sure – do you measure the pork rinds before or after making them into crumbs? Can’t wait to try these!
Measure after making them into crumbs. I hope you love this recipe!
Just a note that Soy Sauce is not Gluten Free, so be careful to get a GF Tamari or maybe use Coconut Aminos of you are needing these to be Gluten Free. The GF label could be misleading for someone who doesn’t know this. Looking forward to making!
can I make this ahead for an event and will it hold well in a crock pot?
Yes, I think so. I might increase the amount of sauce.
I made these exactly as in the recipe since it was my first time making it…it was delicious! I served over cauliflower rice!
Outstanding recipe I’m 70 years old and I love meat balls I will make some one think though can you add pork sausage.
These were fabulous! I made a few changes. I didn’t have pork rinds, so I used powdered parmesan….used dried minced onion and dried minced garlic…that’s what I had available and sometimes hubs gets finicky about too much chopped onions. For the sauce, I added a splash of Worcestershire and also 2 tbls, of cream cheese to thicken it a bit. Topped with some fresh parsley. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe…it’s a keeper. Would also be lovely to serve at a dinner party!