Easy Paleo, Whole30 + Keto Italian Meatballs Recipe & Video – made with almond flour and served with marinara sauce over zoodles. The most delicious, moist, flavorful meatballs! Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, sugar free, clean eating, freezer friendly.
You guys! These are hands down the best meatballs I have EVER HAD! I’m serious. Juicy, flavorful, tender, and packed with tons of Italian flavor.
The best part? They’re paleo, whole30, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, sugar free, and 100% clean eating. I tweaked my previous go-to meatball recipe, and made some adjustments to make these completely diet friendly.
The first key to the meatballs is using both ground beef and ground pork because this adds a lot of flavorful and fat to keep these meatballs juicy. I personally prefer 85% lean beef and 80% pork, and always from ButcherBox.
Rather than using a panade of bread crumbs and milk, I make a panade using almond flour and chicken stock. Works beautifully! I cannot even tell the difference. In fact, I like it even better. The almond flour adds even more protein to the meatballs, and the chicken stock adds a light flavor that doesn’t compete with the beef and pork.
These meatballs also have 2 eggs, onions + garlic that have been sauteed until golden, italian seasonings, salt, pepper, and fresh chopped parsley. All simple, real ingredients.
I mix it all together, and use a large cookie scoop to keep the meatballs because it keeps them uniform in size so they bake at the same rate. Plus, it’s much easier to scoop them out than doing it all by hand.
I like to roast my meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet with baking rack. By baking them on the wire baking rack the meatballs get crisp and golden because they don’t have to sit in the juice as they bake.
Once they’re done baking, they’re ready to serve! I like serving mine on zoodles or spaghetti squash noodles with marinara sauce. These can also be kept warm in a slow cooker or on the stove with the marinara sauce, and they freeze beautifully! See the recipe and notes for instructions on that.
These paleo & whole30 meatballs are also my favorite way to get red meat into my 2 year olds diet. He has a hard time chewing steak, so these meatballs are the perfect way to get him a chewable red meat dinner that is packed with iron, zinc and B12.
This meatball recipe is perfect for meal prep for lunch or a make ahead dinner. See recipe notes for meal prep instructions.
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil (for easy clean up), and place the wire rimmed baking rack on top.
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.
Bake the meatballs in the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve immediately while warm, topped with your favorite marinara sauce. Delicious on top of zucchini noodles or roasted spaghetti squash.
Leftovers will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 days, or frozen for 6 months.
Meal Prep Instructions: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. HEATING: Either microwave until warm, about 3-5 minutes (I like to sprinkle in a little water to help it steam and prevent it from drying out). Or reheat in a 350ºF oven until warm, 10-15 minutes. When meal prepping, I prefer serving these with spaghetti squash noodles since they reheat better.
Freezing: After baking, allow the meatballs to cool completely, then freeze the baked meatballs in a freezer ziptop bag for up to 6 months. When ready to reheat, bake the frozen meatballs on a baking sheet in a 350ºF oven for 15-20 minutes until heated through.
These are the best meatballs I’ve ever had! My 2 girls asked for seconds! And my husband ate so many. This is making our Whole30 so easy! Will be making these again and again. Thanks for sharing!
Aren’t they the best! I make these at least twice a month. We can’t get enough!
These meatballs are the best I’ve ever had!! I subbed 1 lb ground turkey for the ground pork! Oh so yummy!!!!
I’m so glad you liked them Pamela! This just made my day! And I love that you subbed turkey for the pork and they were still delicious. I’m going to have to try that! Thanks for letting me know you liked my recipe!
Fantastic! This was my first time making meatballs so I was a litttle worried. Easy and delicious! Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked them Miranda! And that they were the first meatballs you made! I feel so honored! We love these meatballs, I make this dinner at least twice a month. Thanks for letting me know you liked my recipe, you made my day!
I don’t have almond flour is there something else I can use or can I omit it?
Are you trying to keep this Paleo and Whole30 compliant? If so, maybe cassava flour? If you don’t need it to be whole30 or paleo, use breadcrumbs!
Hi!! Would like to make this but I don’t want to make that much so I’m thinking of just 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb ground pork. Would I just need to cut all the ingredients in half if this is the case? Thank you!!
Yes! Just divide the entire recipe in half. Or, you could make the whole recipe and freeze half the meatballs. They freeze beautifully! There are freezer instructions in the recipe instructions. Enjoy!
These meatballs are incredible! My husband and I agreed this recipe is a keeper even after we are done with our Whole30!!!
I’m so glad you liked them Mallory! A keeper AFTER Whole30?! That is the ultimate compliment! But I must agree, these are my favorite meatballs I’ve ever had. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you liked my recipe. You made my day!
I’d love to try these but my son is allergic to tree nuts. Any nut-free substitution for the almond flour while remaining paleo? thank you!
Gluten free bread crumbs! But it won’t be paleo and whole30 anymore. If you need it to still be paleo and whole30 maybe try coconut flour as a substitute. I haven’t tried this, so I can’t say for sure, but I would think it would work as well.
These meatballs are spectacular. One of the best Whole30 recipes I’ve tried. Completely satisfied my craving for Italian, makes a nice big batch for leftovers. This is a new permanent favorite. Thank you for this!
I am so glad you liked them Deb! What a huge compliment! And thanks for taking the time to let me know you liked my recipe. You just made my day! Such a favorite in our house. They really are the best meatballs I’ve ever had, Whole30 or not. Yea!
Have you ever tried cooking them in the sauce? That’s typically what I do and it makes the sauce so rich!! I’m excited to try this tonight!
I haven’t, but I bet that would be delicious! If you try it let me know how it turns out.
Omg, these are amazing. Thank you!
Yea! I’m so glad to hear you liked them Molly! You made my day!
Amazing recipe! I’ve not made meatballs before, much less paleo, but these taste great. Don’t look any further.
I’m so glad to hear that David! Thank you so so so much!
I know I already reached out via Instagram but I ALWAYS read comments on recipes so I figure it’s only right to leave one.
Chae! Thank you so so so much! I love hearing it! Your picky eaters ate it too?! What a mom win! Way to go! thanks for making my recipes and letting me know how much your family loves them. It makes my day to hear it!
Delicious and so easy! My whole family loved them. Even my hubby who refuses to eat Whole 30 tried one while waiting for his non-W30 dinner to be ready and thought they were really good.
I’m so glad to hear it Lisa! Aren’t these the best?! I love hearing that non-whole30ers like them too! Best compliment ever. Rooting for you on your Whole30!
I’m so happy to hear you liked them Kristin! What a great friend you are bringing meatballs! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you liked my meatball recipe. Means the world!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you Michelle!
How many meatballs equal one serving?
The recipe makes 24 meatballs. A serving size is 3 or 4 meatballs. They’re so good! Hope you love them when you make them!