On of my favorite foods is meatballs and another one of my favorite foods is Korean food, so I combined the best of both with these Keto Korean Meatballs! The method used below makes the most moist and flavorful meatballs you’ll ever eat. They are great as appetizers or as the main course served with cauliflower rice or roasted veggies!
Always Shoot For A Homemade Marinade!
The marinade I made for these meatballs is made from scratch and that is how it should always be. Store bought ones can be great for convenience sake, but they are usually crammed with preservatives and unnecessary added sugars. By making it at home you know exactly what’s going into it so you can feel good about eating it and feeding it to your family. You also have more say over the flavor profiles when it’s a homemade marinade.
Low Carb Breading Alternatives
One of the most common questions we get is what to use for a bread crumb replacement in meatballs or even for breaded chicken, and the answer is always pork rinds. At first I was unsure about it altogether. Pork rinds aren’t lacking flavor like breadcrumbs and they are very different in terms of texture and ingredients. However, once I tried it I was sold. Pork rinds are the perfect low carb breading alternative and they pick up the flavor profile of all the other ingredients masking the pork rind flavor. Another great pork rind recipe are our fried goat cheese and keto onion rings!
Keto Korean Meatballs
If you have never had Korean food I highly recommend you start with this recipe! Meatballs are always a fan favorite so add a little spice and flavor from the Asian seasonings and you’ve got yourself a great low carb meal or snack. Next time I make these I plan to stick each one with a toothpick and serve them as an appetizer with a rich peanut sauce. Make these Korean meatballs for your next party or get together and watch the compliments roll in!
Recipe can be quickly added to MyFitnessPal – Search “KetoConnect – Korean Meatballs”
Korean Meatballs | Low Carb, Keto-Friendly!
Ingredients:
Meatballs
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef
- 1 ounce pork rinds, finely ground
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Marinade
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 stalk scallions, chopped into fourths
- 1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1/2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 1/4 cup liquid aminos
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp Onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 30 drops Liquid Stevia
Instructions:
- Crush up the pork rinds in a food processor or a zip top bag and pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the marinade ingredients to a blender and blend until a you get a smooth liquid. Add a splash of water if needed.
- Add the ground beef to the pork rind bowl and pour the marinade over top. Using your hands combine everything. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-24 hours.
- Once the meat has marinated, drain off any excess marinade and make the meatballs using your hands or a 1 inch cookie scooper. You should get around 20 meatballs.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat and add in 1 tbsp coconut oil.
- Place all the meatballs (or in batches if necessary) into the hot skillet and allow to brown on all sides until fully cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove and enjoy immediately or allow to cool and then store in a sealable container up to 10 days.
Notes
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
Angela Abed says
These were so flavorful! I love the combination of seasonings. I cooked them in the air fryer (no spatter) and I will definitely be making them often. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!
Dave says
I think I messed up by using a whole bunch of scallions instead of a single stock. Was wondering why the marinade looked like baby poop. Will have to wait and see once everything has marinated. Likely will be an oniony disaster.
Mary says
My meatballs are marinating right now, smells delicious!! I just wanted to say you guys make this lifestyle so simple and exciting, I’m just so grateful for your recipes! I have tried many and they always turn out great! I’ve rediscovered my joy for cooking and it’s largely due to your recipes, thank you and God bless you and your new little one!!:)
Bekki says
Could I turn the marinade into a sauce to go over already cooked meatballs? I usually make a big batch and freeze for future use.
Donattella says
These were really good but fell apart. I think I would add an egg next time. I also added some extra hot pepper flakes to give it a kick!
Keto Ultimate Shark Tank says
I don’t even know the way I finished up here, however I thought this put up was great.
I don’t understand who you are but definitely you are going to a well-known blogger in the event you are
not already 😉 Cheers!
Cat says
Hey! My family is big on sauces, what would be a good sauce to go with the meatballs?
Thanks for all the resources!
Cass (KetoConnect) says
Maybe our Peanut Sauce!
Beth says
I made these meatballs and a batch of low carb dinner rolls shaped like hoagie rolls for Korean meatball subs. Used shredded cabbage and red pepper for lettuce and drizzled on extra sauce. Yum!
Marsala says
This is going to be a must in my house! There will always be some of theses either in the fridge or in the freezer
gina says
What can I substitute pork rinds with?
Cass (KetoConnect) says
You can probably just omit them!
Melissa Zitar says
Congratulations!!
bracha says
just heard the great news…. so happy for you !!!
Monica says
I’m excited to try these this weekend. Thank you for sharing!
Cynthia says
Is the serving one meatball, or if not, how many?
Cass (KetoConnect) says
yes one meatball
Paul says
As a Korean myself, I would say this is pretty close!
Baidha says
In just love your recipes, I try them and the good is just yummy, thank you
Saf says
Hey there, what if I cannot have pork/pork rinds for religious reasons? Is there an alternative or can I just opt out of it?
I’d love to try these 🙂
Cass (KetoConnect) says
They should work out fine without them! Might change the texture a bit.