Italian Meatballs without Breadcrumbs (Keto & Whole30)
This easy meatball recipe features healthy, homemade meatballs made with beef, pork, and almond flour. Truly the most flavorful, moist, and tender meatballs without breadcrumbs! Freezer-friendly, keto meatballs– perfect for meal prep!
Table of Contents
What Makes This Recipe Great
Juicy, flavorful, tender, and packed with tons of Italian flavor. There are actually a ton of carbs in meatballs because of the breadcrumbs. However, these keto whole30 meatballs are just 2 net carbs per serving, with no added junk!
These Italian Keto Meatballs without breadcrumbs are keto, Whole30, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and 100% clean eating. I tweaked my previous go-to recipe to make these easy, healthy meatballs.
They taste just like your classic Italian meatball, just without the bread crumbs. Instead, I use an alternative to breadcrumbs: almond flour. Almond flour is low-carb and the perfect way for meatballs to keep their shape.
Mom Hack: This keto meatball recipe is also my favorite way to get red meat into my boys’ diet. They have a super hard time chewing steak, so I needed an alternative. These delicious meatballs are the perfect way to feed them red meat. The best part? They love them!
Watch The Recipe Video
Note: You can also watch this recipe video on YouTube.
How to Make Meatballs Without Breadcrumbs
The best part about this recipe is that you only need a few simple ingredients and a sheet pan! The oven does most of the work. My secret trick is to rest the meatballs on top of a wire rack on the baking sheet so they cook through and the grease drips to the bottom of the pan.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef/ Ground Pork: The first key to meatballs without breadcrumbs is using both ground beef and ground pork. This combo adds a lot of flavor and fat to keep these meatballs juicy.
- Almond Flour & Chicken Stock: For this recipe, I make a panade using almond flour and chicken broth. This works beautifully and is such a great alternative to breadcrumbs! Almond flour is the perfect gluten-free breadcrumbs substitute. It adds even more protein to the meatballs.
- Olive Oil
- Eggs
- Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Seasonings: This recipe calls for Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper, parsley, and garlic. If you don’t have fresh garlic or parsley, feel free to substitute garlic powder and dried parsley.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and set it on the wire rack.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour and chicken stock. Stir and set aside while it absorbs the liquid.
- Heat a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and turning golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
- Combine the cooked onions, garlic, meatball mixture, eggs, parsley, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings in the same large bowl as the almond flour and chicken stock. Use a spatula or hands to mix until completely combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop (or measure out 3 tablespoons) to scoop out meatballs. Place the meatballs on a wire rack on top of a lined baking sheet in a single layer. Will make 23-24 meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. While baking in the oven, prepare your tomato sauce and hearts of palm pasta.
Expert Tips
- Meat Choice: This recipe combines ground beef and pork. I get my meat through ButcherBox, which I highly recommend! You could use all beef or substitute ground turkey for turkey meatballs. You’ll need 2 pounds of ground meat for this keto meatballs recipe.
- Nut-Free: If you have a nut allergy, you can use pork rind panko in place of almond flour. If you don’t need this to be Whole30 + keto, you can use gluten-free breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs. Same quantities for all substitution options.
- Egg Free: You should be able to use a flax egg or chia egg to make this meatball recipe egg-free. You’ll need 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal or chia seeds soaked in 5 tablespoons water for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Parsley: If you don’t have fresh parsley on hand, dried parsley can work too. You’ll need 1/4 cup of dried parsley.
- Noodles: My favorite Whole30 & keto noodle swap is hearts of palm pasta (code TASTESLOVELY for 15% off). This tastes the closest to regular noodles that I’ve found. You can also use zucchini noodles. Or even serve over mashed cauliflower.
- Slow Cooker: You can make this keto meatballs recipe earlier in the day as instructed above. After they’re done baking, transfer all the meatballs to your slow cooker with a jar of spaghetti sauce over LOW. They’ll stay warm in there for hours!
Serving Tips
Serve immediately while warm. I love serving the cooked meatballs over hearts of palm pasta or zucchini noodles with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.
Storage Tips
Leftovers/Meal Prep: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Reheat in the microwave until warm, about 3-5 minutes. I like to sprinkle in a little water to help it steam and prevent the meatballs from drying out. Or reheat in a 350ºF oven until warm, 10-15 minutes. When meal prepping, I prefer serving these with hearts of palm spaghetti because they reheat better.
Freezer: To freeze, place the raw meatballs on a baking sheet in the freezer for 1 day until fully frozen. Transfer to a freezer bag for up to 6 months. Bake the frozen meatballs on a baking sheet in a 350ºF oven for 35-45 minutes until heated through.
Recipe FAQS
The carbs in meatballs come from the breadcrumbs. They are used to keep the meatballs in the correct shape. Because these are meatballs without breadcrumbs, that eliminates most of the carbs! There are just 2 net carbs in each serving of this keto meatballs recipe!
Yes! Making meatballs without breadcrumbs, plus the other ingredients I used, means they are Whole30 compliant.
More Keto Italian Recipes
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Italian Meatballs without Breadcrumbs (Keto & Whole30)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced
- 1 pound ground beef, 85% lean
- 1 pound ground pork, 80% lean
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup packed finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil (for easy clean up), and set in the wire rack.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour and chicken stock. Stir and set aside while it absorbs the liquid.
- Heat a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, garlic and a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and turning golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
- In the same large mixing bowl that has the almond flour and chicken stock, add the cooked onions & garlic, ground beef, ground pork, 2 eggs, parsley, salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. Use a spatula or hands to mix until completely combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop (or measure out 3 tablespoons) to scoop out meatballs. Place meatballs on wire baking sheet. Will make 23-24 meatballs.
- Bake the Whole30 meatballs in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Meat Choice: This recipe combines ground beef and pork. I get my meat through ButcherBox, which I highly recommend! You could use all beef or substitute ground turkey for turkey meatballs. You’ll need 2 pounds of ground meat for this keto meatballs recipe.
- Nut-Free: If you have a nut allergy, you can use pork rind panko in place of almond flour. If you don’t need this to be Whole30 + keto, you can use gluten-free breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs. Same quantities for all substitution options.
- Egg Free: You should be able to use a flax egg or chia egg to make this meatball recipe egg-free. You’ll need 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal or chia seeds soaked in 5 tablespoons water for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Parsley: If you don’t have fresh parsley on hand, dried parsley can work too. You’ll need 1/4 cup of dried parsley.
- Noodles: My favorite Whole30 & keto noodle swap is hearts of palm pasta (code TASTESLOVELY for 15% off). This tastes the closest to regular noodles that I’ve found. You can also use zucchini noodles. Or even serve over mashed cauliflower.
- Slow Cooker: You can make this keto meatballs recipe earlier in the day as instructed above. After they’re done baking, transfer all the meatballs to your slow cooker with a jar of spaghetti sauce over LOW. They’ll stay warm in there for hours!
184 Comments on “Italian Meatballs without Breadcrumbs (Keto & Whole30)”
These were delicious! I will definitely be adding this to my list of easy recipes for weekly meal prep :)
I am so glad that my meatballs turned out delicious for you Devon! That is fantastic that you will be adding them to your regular recipe rotation.
Hands down, best grain free meatball recipe out there. The cooking technique on the wire wrack is genius! Yum yum yum!!
I am so glad you like my meatballs Lauren! Isn’t the wire rack a gamer changer? Gives the perfect texture. Thanks so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it.
I loved the meatballs never would have thought to use almond flour in the meatballs.
I am so happy you liked my meatballs Laila! I agree, who would have thought almond flour would work in meatballs. I was so pleased when I finally got the recipe just right. Thanks so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it.
Always moist, delicious, and doesn’t feel greasy or heavy.
Again, another amazing recipe!!
I am so happy you liked my meatballs Alycia! I am so glad they were moist, delicious and not heavy. That is music to my ears!
Delicious!
Thanks! So glad you liked them Elsie!
Seriously the BEST!!! They were soooo yummy. Thank you for this awesome recipe. I just heard about cooking them in egg cartons, I can’t wait to test that out next time.
I am so happy you liked my meatballs Corinne. I am so glad they turned out yummy. Yeah! I’d love to hear more about making them in an egg carton. I’ve never heard of that!
made these for dinner tonight – DELICIOUS! will def make again
I am so glad you liked my meatballs Jessica! I am happy they were delicious and you will be making them again! That is fantastic to hear!
it was the italian ones, but whatever ? and they meal prep great! we only have one portion left & i will fight for it ?
So glad you’re still enjoying the meatballs Jessica! Sorry I mixed up Italian and Thai! My Thai Meatballs are new and I have been getting lots of comments on those.
Wow! Everything you post is fantastic. These meatballs are delicious. Thank you for making keto life so fun!
And, the cookie scoop makes the recipe so easy!!
I am so glad you liked my Thai Meatballs and that they turned out delicious Susan! I love using the cookie scoop because they all turn out so uniform and great. I am thrilled you liked that tip. Thanks for saying I make Keto life fun! What a fantastic compliment!
Can you use tapioca flour instead? That’s what I currently have on hand so just curious if that can be substituted for the almond flour?
I haven’t recipe tested this with tapioca flour yet, but I think it would work no problem Sarah.
These meatballs were so good! Easy to make and they made a ton (I froze half of them). Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I am so happy you like my Italian Meatballs Maura. I also make a big batch and freeze half of it. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed them, I really appreciate it.
Hi I am starting my whole 30 this 2020 and I’m a beginner so what kind of sauce spaghetti sauce do you recommend and if I’m making the zucchini noodles do I microwave it for how long
Thanks so much for the question on my meatballs Donna. My favorite marinara sauce is Rao’s. I haven’t tested the zoodles in the microwave so I don’t know if they would work. They just take a few minutes stove top in a skillet and that is how I always make them. You could test them at a minute interval and see if they are soft enough and the texture is right. I sure hope this helps! Happy cooking to you!
These meatballs are delicious!! So flavorful, and they are Whole 30!! Thank you so much, I’m loving your recipes.
Hi I just made this recipe and used only beef bc I’m allergic to pork. They stuck to the wire rack….is there a trick to that? Thanks so much I love your site!!!!
Thank you for your question about my meatballs Cameron. If they are sticking to the wire rack, you could coat the rack with olive oil or a non stick spray. Hope this helps! Happy cooking!
SO GOOD!! Didn’t have fresh parsley so I just used dried parsley instead (just not as much as what the recipe called for. Also subbed fried garlic bc not fresh garlic. And I halfed the recipe.
Gotta try them!!
I am so happy you liked this Snydal! So glad you had dried parsley and garlic on hand. Those are some great tweaks to the recipe and I am pleased that they turned out so well for you. Thanks for sharing.
My entire family loves your recipes! these meatballs are a huge hit! I made them last night and served over broccoli! my family doesn’t even realize they’re eating keto with me!
So pleased your family likes my meatballs! I also like to pair them with broccoli. Thanks for sharing Carly.
These are the best! So full of flavor and so moist! Perfect with sauce but just as good on there own! Make them, you’ll be so glad!
Kriss – there is nothing worse that a dry meatball! I am so glad these turned out moist and flavorful for you! This makes me so happy!
The BEST meatballs I’ve ever made. They’ve been on rotation in our house for months now and are so full of flavor!!! They also freeze really well for Easy meal prep!
It makes me so happy to make it into your recipe rotation Amanda. So glad you like these.
These are amazing! I baked them as directed and then let them simmer for a bit in our sauce and wow! Even my suuuuuper picky six year old loved them. They’ll be in our weekly rotation for sure over here now! Thanks for another great recipe!
Lisa – I am so glad you enjoyed my meatballs. Isn’t it fun adding new recipes to your weekly rotation? What a compliment that your 6 year old loves them. That is always a win-win!
Hands down best whole 30 meatballs. I made them tonight and I could seriously eat seconds. I’m looking forward to eating them for lunch tomorrow. My boyfriend who isn’t too keen on meatballs said they were delicious! I sprinkled in a little bit of nutritional yeast to the mixture but other than that followed the recipe exactly. Everyone should make these!! They are a new favorite for sure.
Thank you so much for the nice comment Amanda! I am thrilled you liked my Italian Meatballs. Adding nutritional yeast sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing that.
I love how easy these were to make and that I didn’t have to brown them in a pan first. My husband had no idea that they were whole30 and he ate every last bit of his dinner! These will be on repeat in my house!
Not having to brown the meatballs is such a time saver Sara! I am so glad they were husband approved!