These mouthwatering keto BBQ meatballs are an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer. The addition of cranberry gives them a delicious, sweet, tangy spin that everybody will love!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Easy instructions
• BBQ cranberry sauce
• Serving suggestions
• Substitutions
• Storage and making ahead
• Top tips
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

The secret ingredient in these keto BBQ meatballs is the cranberries! They lend a sweet/tartness that takes these BBQ meatballs to the next level.

These little meatballs are flavorful, can be prepared in only 30 minutes with simple ingredients, are gluten-free, and are a perfect appetizer for any shower or party.

Are you looking for more recipes? You'll love these Keto Meatball Soup, Charcuterie Board, Sweet And Sour Low-Carb Meatballs, and Deviled Eggs recipes!

Or this Easy Spinach Dip from Gluten-Free Palate looks pretty amazing, too!

Not a fan of cranberry? No problem! Check out these keto BBQ meatballs from My Life Cook Book.

Ingredients

Here are the keto meatball ingredients:

• Ground Beef: Or use ½ ground beef and ½ ground pork.
• Heavy Cream: Adds moisture, softens the pork rinds, and makes the meatballs juicy.
• Egg: Binds the ingredients.
• Crushed Pork Rinds: My very favorite low-carb breadcrumb substitute! Be sure they are very finely crushed, or buy pre-crushed pork rind breadcrumbs!
• Seasonings: A simple blend of onion powder, dried parsley, garlic powder, celery salt, sea salt, and ground pepper.

And here are the keto cranberry sauce ingredients:

• Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce: Use any brand you prefer, but my favorite is No Sugar Added Sweet Baby Ray's!
• Worcestershire Sauce: Adds smokey depth of flavor.
• Sea Salt: Brings out the flavor.
• Fresh Or Frozen Cranberries: Add a tart sweetness and are the recipe's base.
• Allulose, Xylitol, Or A Monk Fruit/Allulose Blend: These dissolve beautifully and leave ZERO aftertaste! If using pure allulose, you may need to add more because it isn't as sweet as other sweeteners.
• Orange Essential Oil Or Orange Zest: Brightens up the flavor.
• Purified Water - Used to thin the sauce.

Easy instructions

For the meatballs, I used my Keto Meatball Recipe. Please refer to the post to see all my tips and tricks for perfect, juicy meatballs.

Step #1: Mix all the cocktail meatball ingredients except the beef.

💭Tip: Adding all the ingredients except the beef first allows the pork rinds to soak up the milk and make the meatballs juicy!

Step #2: Add the beef and mix by hand, ensuring not to overmix!

Step #3: Roll into balls and bake. Set aside.

Roll the mixture into small meatballs and place on a greased broiler pan. Don't roll them too tightly, or they'll be tough!

Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until just cooked through. Then, turn the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes or until the tops have some caramelization.

While they're cooking, make the sauce...

BBQ cranberry sauce

Step #4: Add the sauce ingredients to a large pot or Dutch oven and simmer.

This includes Keto BBQ sauce, salt, Worcestershire sauce, fresh or frozen cranberries, low-carb sweetener, orange essential oil or orange zest, and water.

Simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes.

Step #5: Blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and blend until desired consistency.

Step #6: Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and serve!

Now that you've seen how easy they are, it's time to party! Go ahead and accept that last-minute invite, or invite guests over and connect over these perfect appetizer meatballs.

Serving suggestions

Serve as an appetizer on a platter with a toothpick in each meatball.

Or, they can also double as dinner! Serve them with some cauliflower rice, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or a simple salad with keto dinner rolls, and dinner is covered.

Substitutions

• Dairy-Free: Replace the heavy cream with canned coconut milk. For the coconut milk, I recommend Sprouts, Thai Kitchen, or Native Forest brands because other brands may lend an aftertaste. Don't store the coconut milk in the fridge; otherwise, it will separate. If it does separate, heat it over low heat until combined.
• Paleo: Use coconut milk instead of heavy cream, coconut palm sugar for the sweetener, and a paleo-compliant BBQ sauce, such as Noble Made Classic BBQ, Tessamae's, or Primal Kitchen.
• For the sweetener, an erythritol-based sweetener will work. Just make sure it’s powdered. If you use powdered erythritol, you may need to use a bit extra because

💭Tip: 1 cup of granulated sweetener = 1 ¾ cup of powdered sweetener.

Storage and making ahead

• Premake: Keep baked meatballs in the fridge for up to three days before adding the sauce.
• Store: Store leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
• Freeze: These low-carb BBQ meatballs can be frozen WITHOUT the sauce because the sauce doesn't freeze well. To freeze: 1) Place a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 2) Freeze until frozen. 3) Transfer to a freezer baggie and freeze for 3 to 6 months.
• Reheat: Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat with the sauce in a slow cooker on low, in the oven at 350 degrees (approximately 20 to 25 minutes), or on the stovetop until heated.

Top tips

• To crush the pork rinds, I prefer to crush them in a food processor to get very finely crushed, but you can place them in a large, resealable baggie and crush them with a rolling pin. Or, If you want to save time and energy, pre-crushed pork rind breadcrumbs are now readily available!
• Adding all the ingredients except the beef first allows time for the pork rinds to soak up the milk and make the meatballs juicy!
• For the BBQ sauce, my favorite is, by far, Baby Rays No Sugar Added because it doesn't have that weird sugar-free aftertaste. But feel free to use any low-carb BBQ sauce you prefer.
• Meatballs can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept covered in the fridge without the sauce.

If you’ve tried these BBQ Keto Meatballs With Cranberry, please let me know in the comments below!

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📖 Recipe