No holiday around here is complete without these Spinach Balls with Parmesan…an old family favorite updated and ketofied! Savory, cheesy, light, and super simple to prepare, these low carb spinach balls will be your new favorite go-to snack! This easy recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
I love cooking and entertaining so as you can imagine, I am always game for celebrations and get-togethers. This also means that I'm always looking for simple and delicious recipes, too.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The best part of any gathering is the appetizers and snacks! At our family gatherings, there is quite a bit of grazing and gabbing going on before the actual meal and the spread of appetizers is mighty impressive if I do say so myself. Dips, antipasto trays, veggie, and cheese platters to yummy finger foods like these Spinach Balls…they’re all there for the taking.
In this free 5-day email series learn all my tips for incorporating a low-carb lifestyle into the life of your family.
I always make sure to add these Keto Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms to my appetizer planning menu as well. A wide variety of food options is key!
Ingredients
Butter: The richness of the butter is delicious in this recipe. I prefer to use unsalted butter but if you want to use salted butter, you may want to omit adding in any extra salt.
Red Onion: Dice it up finely so that you know it's there but not overpowering the other flavors.
Frozen Spinach: Be sure to thaw fully and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. If you want to use fresh spinach you will need to saute it first.
Pork Rind Crumbs: This is what keeps this recipe keto-friendly and gives that awesome crunch! Just toss pork rinds into the food processor to break them up quickly. Pork rinds replace the stuffing mix or breadcrumbs traditionally used in spinach balls.
Poultry Seasoning: Adding in this seasoning just helps to enhance the flavor.
Shredded Parmesan Cheese: There's nothing quite like fresh parmesan cheese.
Shredded Fontina Cheese: I love that flavor of this cheese and I think you're going to as well. In a pinch, you can sub in shredded cheddar, gruyere, mozzarella, or Monterey Jack.
Heavy Cream: This gives a rich flavor to these spinach bites.
Eggs: Adding the eggs is important as it's the main binding agent to hold everything together.
Salt and Black Pepper: Use to your taste and preference.
How To Make This Spinach Balls Recipe
This is just as easy as the original recipe without all the carbs. You just mix the ingredients for the spinach balls together, scoop, and bake!
Step One: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with parchment and set it aside.
Step Two: In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Remove from heat to cool.
Step Three: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry spinach, pork rind crumbs, cooled onion and garlic, and the next 8 ingredients.
Step Four: Mix well to combine and let the mixture rest in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
Step Five: Using a small scoop, divide out the mixture into 16 portions and use your hands to form each portion into a ball. Place the spinach balls on the parchment paper lined baking sheet about an inch apart and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the sheet pan and place on paper towels to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Variations
Cheese: You can change up the type of cheese that you use. Shredded cheddar cheese would be great as well.
Add some heat: Just a dash of cayenne pepper is a fun way to make these spinach balls spicy.
Bread crumbs: If you're not worried about these being keto or gluten-free, you can use breadcrumbs in place of the pork rinds.
Fresh spinach: Chopped spinach that is fresh will work as well. I would recommend cooking it first with a few tablespoons of olive oil to saute it a bit.
Common Questions
What is the best way to dry out frozen spinach?
This is the part of the recipe that will take the most prep time. Using spinach from the freezer is great but you have to be sure that you're getting out as much of the liquid as possible. Otherwise, your 1-inch balls are going to fall apart while cooking in the oven.
I layer about three paper towels onto each other, wrap the thawed spinach up and squeeze over the sink! Then repeat a second time, again pressing the spinach between a few layers of paper towels…DONE!
What do you serve spinach balls with?
While they're really good on their own, you can serve them with your favorite dipping sauce like ranch dressing or even marinara sauce.
Can I make spinach balls ahead of time?
You bet! Roll all your balls ahead of time and refrigerate them until guests arrive. Once you’re ready to serve, pop them on a sheet pan and bake. Super quick and easy!
Like what you see? Follow me on Facebook! Love this recipe? Leave a comment & 5-star rating right here! Make sure you don’t miss new recipes by getting email updates!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- ⅓ cup finely diced red onion
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 10 oz. frozen spinach thawed & squeezed dry
- 1 cup pork rind crumbs
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ tsp. poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ⅓ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ cup finely shredded fontina cheese
- 1 Tbsp. heavy cream
- 5 Tbsp. butter salted
- 3 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with parchment and set aside.
- In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Remove from heat to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine, dry spinach, pork rind crumbs, cooled onion and garlic and the next 8 ingredients. Mix well to combine and let mixture rest in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
- Using a small scoop, divide out the mixture into 16 portions and use your hands form each portion into a ball. Place balls on the lined cookie sheet about an inch apart and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the sheet pan and place on paper towels to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
In search of other great holiday-worthy recipes? Check these out!
Keto Mashed Cauliflower with Cream Cheese
Originally Published November 19, 2018. Revised and Republished February 11, 2022.
Edika says
These were so yummy! I do have a question. When I took them out of the oven they were swimming in butter. Is that the way it is suppose to be? I melted the 5 tablespoons of butter that I added as part of the 8 ingredients. The recipe didn't say to melt the butter but I did it on accident so I just added it melted. Was I suppose to add the butter cold? They were still so good. I am thinking these might have to be part of my monthly meal prep. I really enjoyed them. Also, they are a THM S, right? Thank You!
Taryn says
Hi Edika, yes using melted butter may have caused that. I normally use softened butter. These are an S.
Pat says
If I used bread crumbs, how much?
Taryn says
I'd use the same amount, 1 cup.
Dory says
What can I use instead of pork rinds? I don’t eat pork?
Taryn says
Almond flour should work.
SHaron says
What kind of sauce do you reccomend?
Taryn says
To dip them in? You can use a no sugar added marinara, ranch dressing, or just eat them plain.
Lindsay says
Planning to make this for a Christmas Eve gathering! One quick question; it says there 1tbs butter and then another 5tbs butter. Are all used to sauté the onion and garlic? I read through the recipe a few times, but if I’m missing a direction I do apologize in advance lol. Thank you! I have loved all of you recipes!
Taryn says
No, the 5 tbsp butter is included in the 'next 8 ingredients' and mixed into the spinach mixture. Re: "In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry spinach, pork rind crumbs, cooled onion and garlic, and the next 8 ingredients."
Lindsay says
I’m sorry. Thank you for your reply.
Taryn says
No prob! I hope you like them!
Karly says
These were so flavorful, thank you so much for this recipe!
Justine says
These turned out so good. My kids gobbled them right up!
Maria says
Hello, is it one ball per serving?
Taryn says
Yes
jessica says
what could I use in place of the pork rinds?
Taryn says
Almond flour should work.