Keto Swedish Meatballs Recipe - Low Carb, Keto, THM S, GF (2024)

These Keto Swedish Meatballs are the real deal with just 4g NET carbs per serving. Juicy meatballs in a creamy gravy – best served over mashed cauliflower! This recipe is low carb, Keto, gluten free and Trim Healthy Mama (THM S) friendly.

I’ll be honest: I never eat the meatballs at IKEA 🙈 I know… Unpopular opinion, but I just don’t think they’re that good.

I do love making my own at home, though! Complete with juicy meatballs and creamy gravy. To keep the meatballs low carb, I serve them over my mashed cauliflower, because you absolutely need something to mop up all that delicious sauce!

Ingredients you’ll need

This is just an overview of ingredients used, plus tips for substitutions. For quantities, skip to the recipe card at the bottom!

Meatball ingredients

• Ground beef: I used grass-fed ground beef, but you can use any ground meat you like, really. A mix of ground pork and ground beef is really delicious as well.
• Baking blend: I use my homemade low carb baking blend, but the store-bought THM baking blend, a different low carb flour blend or even just almond flour all work well.
• Onion: I use just half of a small onion for flavour, texture and moisture in the meatballs. Chop it very finely OR grate it on a box grater and it will evenly distribute. If you’re not overly concerned about keeping the carb count very low, feel free to add a whole onion.
• Spices: Allspice and nutmeg sound strange in a meatball recipe, but they’re classic additions to Swedish meatballs. It adds just a hint of warmth. If you don’t have the individual spices, try adding a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice – or just leave them out.
• Egg: The egg acts as a binder, but you can absolutely make the meatballs egg-free if you need to. Just use 1/4 cup of ricotta OR cream cheese (OR 2 more tablespoons of low carb baking blend plus 2-3 tablespoons of non-dairy milk for a dairy free version).
• Mustard: I used smooth Dijon mustard, but plain old yellow mustard works just as well.

Gravy ingredients

• Beef broth: I just used regular old low sodium beef broth here, but feel free to use bone broth instead.
• Worcestershire sauce: You can use soy sauce instead, or just leave it out.
• Cream: I used heavy cream for a rich gravy. You can also use half and half, or non-dairy cream for a dairy free version. In fact, you can even use extra beef broth plus a few tablespoons cashew butter – the taste is a little different, but it totally works if you want to make this Whole30-compliant.
• Glucomannan: My thickener of choice for low carb recipes! You can also use arrowroot powder instead, or cornstarch if you’re not concerned about the carbs.
• Butter: This is just for taste, but feel free to leave it out if you want to keep this recipe dairy-free.

How to make Swedish Meatballs

First, you start with the meatballs.

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You can either brown the meatballs in a skillet in a little oil or bake them in the oven. I always opt for browning because it will give the gravy a better flavor.

It’s important to let the meatballs brown enough (3-4 minutes per side), or you’ll have trouble releasing them from the skillet.

Once the meatballs are done, remove them from the skillet and set them aside. Just simmer all the gravy ingredients in the same skillet, then thicken the sauce with your thickener of choice.

Recipe tips

• Make sure to shape firm meatballs, or they’ll fall apart when browning/simmering in the sauce.
• Whisk the gravy very well, or you’ll get lumps in it. A lumpy gravy is near-impossible to fix, so you don’t want the lumps to appear in the first place.
• If your gravy doesn’t thicken, you may need to add more thickener. This can happen for various reasons. Just make sure to simmer your gravy for a few minutes before adding more Glucomannan (or starch), and always dissolve your thickener in a little cold water before adding it to the hot gravy for best results.

Serving suggestions

Swedish Meatballs are traditionally served with wide egg noodles or mashed potatoes, and Lingonberry jam.

I like the Keto/low carb/THM version best with mashed cauliflower on the side. If you’re feeling fancy, you can try a sugar free cranberry relish. I also really like to add a veggie side – sautéed green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts are my favorites here!

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