Low carb Swedish meatballs make a delicious easy main course, a yummy appetizer you can keep warm in a slow cooker, or an easy main dish for your holiday table. While Swedish meatballs traditionally combine beef and ground pork together, our version uses Italian pork sausage to up that flavor!
Our keto Swedish meatball recipe gets on the table fast by baking the meatballs while the sauce simmers on the stove. It's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs are so good!
I recently got back from a Scandinavian cruise with my mom and sister, the first thing on my mind was re-creating low carb versions of all the delicious Scandinavian foods we came across in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
I admit, my plan at first was to create a low carb Swedish meatball recipe in a crock-pot, but having to stand over the stove frying the balls batch by batch before cooking them in a slow cooker (as many recipes advise us to do) was a huge turn-off.
Instead, I simply baked the meatballs for only 18 minutes in the oven like we do with other family favorite meatball recipes, and added the low carb meatballs to a cream sauce that simmered on the stove top.
It was SO QUICK AND EASY! You can literally whip up delicious low carb Swedish meatballs in under 40 minutes!
This keto meatball recipe got rave reviews from my husband and teen son, the pan was half gone in an instant and we never actually sat down to have a normal dinner.
When I'm either creating recipes or just cooking, I always try to use up what I have at home first and commonly make substitutions. I have a new secret ingredient that turned these low carb Swedish meatballs into "wow!" that will now always be my go-to ingredient for this meatball in cream sauce recipe.
Be sure to serve the low carb Swedish meatballs with riced cauliflower, roasted broccoli, and keto cranberry sauce.
If you're a meatballs lover like us, you'll also want to try our Italian air fryer beef meatballs or our precooked frozen meatballs in an air fryer.
Why You'll Love This!
- No bread crumbs mean it works for a variety of health plans like gluten-free, low carb, and keto.
- The combination of using Italian sausage AND ground beef makes these low carb Swedish meatballs so full of flavor!
- By baking the meatballs while you make the quick keto Swedish meatball sauce recipe on the stovetop, the entire meal takes less than 35 minutes from start to finish.
- The whole recipe needs just 3 ingredients!
Step by Step Instructions
Form the Meatballs
Using a large mixing bowl, combine both meats with the almond flour, finely chopped onions, parsley, garlic salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
While, according to my grandma, mixing ground meats with your clean hands works best, if that isn't your style, using a mixer on low setting works even better!
Once the meats and remaining meatball ingredients are combined, roll them into 1.5 inch balls and space evenly apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake
In an oven that was preheated to 425, bake the meatballs on the center rack for 18-20 minutes.
While the meatballs are baking, add the ingredients to a large pan and simmer the ingredients. I'd recommend starting the sauce 10-15 minutes into the baking time since it'll heat up quickly.
Make the Sauce
Once the meatballs are done fully cooking in the oven, carefully add the meatballs to the low carb cream sauce and simmer until all is heated through and the sauce is lightly bubbling.
Serve the low carb Swedish meatballs with a chopped parsley garnish. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- You want to simmer the sauce until it's starting to thicken, it will continue to thicken once you remove it from the heat.
- Dairy products burn easily on the stovetop so make sure you stir the sauce constantly and don't let it come to boiling.
- Flipping the chicken tenders is not necessary for even cooking, but we did find that the result was better when we filled after 5 minutes.
- Chicken tenders will need some air between them, so be sure not to overcrowd your fryer. Cook in batches if necessary.
Common Questions
What to serve on the side?
Swedish meatballs are often served with the sauce over the top of egg noodle pasta. You can also serve them with potatoes, roasted vegetables, steamed vegetables, a simple green salad, riced cauliflower, rice, or gnocchi.
How long do leftovers last?
Leftover cooked meatballs can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days after cooking. They can be frozen for up to 3 months in the freezer. If you're making Swedish meatballs, do not store the sauce in the freezer, it turns grainy.
What is Swedish meatball sauce made of?
Swedish meatball sauce is made of whipping cream, beef broth, cream cheese or sour cream, salt, pepper, and seasoning. Some variations could use half n half or milk thickened with flour or corn starch.
More Low Carb Holiday Recipes
- Keto cranberry sauce
- Cauliflower mac n cheese
- Air fryer turkey breast
- Brussel sprouts casserole with bacon
Low Carb Swedish Meatballs
Cooking homemade low carb Swedish meatballs is easy and gets on the table in just 35 minutes! Bake the beef and Italian sausage meatballs while the sauce simmers on the stovetop for a savory dinner or for your holiday table.
Ingredients
- MEATBALLS
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground Italian pork sausage
- ½ c almond flour
- ½ c finely chopped onions
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- CREAM SAUCE
- 4 T butter
- 3 T cream cheese, melted in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
- 1 c beef broth
- 1 c heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Using a large mixing bowl, combine both meats with the almond flour, finely chopped onions, parsley, garlic salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- While, according to my grandma, mixing ground meats with your clean hands works best, if that isn't your style, using a mixer on low setting works even better!
- Once the meats and remaining meatball ingredients are combined, roll them into 1.5 inch balls and space evenly apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- In an oven that was preheated to 425, bake the meatballs on the center rack for 18-20 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, add the ingredients to a large pan and simmer the ingredients. I'd recommend starting the sauce 10-15 minutes into the baking time since it'll heat up quickly.
- Once the meatballs are done fully cooking in the oven, carefully add the meatballs to the low carb cream sauce and simmer until all is heated through and the sauce is lightly bubbling.
- Serve the low carb Swedish meatballs with a chopped parsley garnish. Enjoy!
Tracie says
Do you have a nutritional breakdown for this Low Carb Swedish Meatball recipe?