These Low-Carb Cocktail Meatballs with a BBQ Cranberry Glaze are an easy appetizer that can double as a meal when served with cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash. Plus, they're gluten-free and can be made whole30 & paleo!
Need a last-minute appetizer? No problem! Need one that's gluten-free, keto, Paleo, and/or Whole30 approved? I've got you covered!!!
These little meatballs are full of flavor, can be prepared in only 30 minutes with a few simple ingredients, and are a perfect appetizer for any shower or party.
They can also double as dinner! Simply serve them with some cauliflower rice, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or a simple salad, and dinner is covered 🙂
For the sweetener
Any keto sweetener will work. However, erythritol tends to crystallize and doesn’t dissolve as well as other sweeteners.
So if you use an erythritol-based sweetener, make sure it’s powdered.
Also, if you use the powdered variety, you may need to add a little extra. This is because powdered sweeteners measure differently than granulated sweeteners.
I personally prefer xylitol or an allulose/monk fruit blend because they dissolve beautifully and leave zero aftertaste!
Allulose can also be used, however, it's not quite as sweet as other sweeteners. So if you choose this option, you'll need to add a few extra tablespoons.
For Paleo, feel free to use coconut palm sugar or the whole30 options.
For Whole30, use ½ cup of orange juice blended with ½ cup of finely chopped dates.
The meatballs
For the meatballs, I used my Keto Dairy-Free Meatball Recipe. To see all of my tips and tricks for perfect, juicy meatballs, please refer to the post.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the egg, crushed pork rinds, onion powder, garlic powder, celery salt, salt, pepper, and 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, though, simply heat it over low heat until combined.
If you're not dairy-free or Whole30, feel free to use heavy cream instead of coconut cream.
By adding all the ingredients except the beef first, this allows time for the pork rinds to soak up the milk and make the meatballs juicy!
Then, add the beef and mix by hand, being sure not to overmix!
Roll the mixture into small meatballs and place on a greased broiler pan. Be careful not to 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 and broil 2-3 minutes, or until the tops have some caramelization.
While they're cooking make the sauce...
The cocktail sauce
In a large dutch oven or stockpot, add 1 ½ cups of BBQ sauce, cranberry sauce, salt, Worcestershire sauce (can be omitted for Whole30), and water to thin as needed.
Cranberry sauce: For homemade cranberry sauce, simply combine 12 oz. of fresh or frozen cranberries, sweetener, orange essential oil or orange zest, and water. Then, add to the pot along with the other sauce ingredients.
For the BBQ sauce, my favorite is Noble Made Classic BBQ. However, Tessamae's and Primal Kitchen have good whole30 & low-carb BBQ sauces as well.
Simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes.
Then, blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and blend until desired consistency.
Then, 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 whole30 appetizer meatballs.
Freezing and reheating
These low-carb cocktail meatballs can be frozen for up to 3 - 6 months WITHOUT sauce because the sauce doesn't freeze well.
To freeze: 1) Place in 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.
To reheat: Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat with the sauce in a slow cooker on low or in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
Top tips
- 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, though, simply heat it over low heat until combined.
- If you're not dairy-free or Whole30, feel free to use heavy cream instead of coconut cream.
- To crush the pork rinds, I prefer to place them in a large, resealable baggie and crush them with a rolling pin.
- By adding all the ingredients except the beef first, this allows time for the pork rinds to soak up the milk and make the meatballs juicy!
- For the BBQ sauce, my favorite is Noble Made Classic BBQ. However, Tessamae's and Primal Kitchen have good whole30 BBQ sauce as well and are a bit lower-carb if that's what you're looking for.
- Meatballs can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept covered in the fridge.
Looking for more recipes?
Or this Easy Spinach Dip from Gluten-Free Palate looks pretty amazing too!
If you’ve tried these Gluten-Free Low-Carb Cocktail Meatballs or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Low-Carb Cocktail Meatballs {Gluten-Free, Paleo, & Whole30 Options!}
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 Lb. Ground Beef - or ½ ground beef and ½ ground pork
- 2 tablespoon Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk - or heavy cream (see notes below)
- 1 Large Egg
- ⅓ Cup Pork Rinds, very finely crushed - or blanched almond flour
- 2 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Celery Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Pepper
Cocktail Sauce:
- 14 oz Cranberry Sauce - can use store-bought or the recipe below
- 1 ½ Cup Sam Noble BBQ Sauce - see notes below for other options
- 1 tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce - omit for Whole30
- 1 pinch Sea Salt
Homemade Low-Carb, Paleo, or Whole30 Cranberry Sauce:
- 12 oz Fresh Or Frozen Cranberries
- 1 Cup Keto Sweetener - see notes below
- 3-4 Drops Orange Essential Oil, use therapeutic grade for consumption - or 1 tablespoon Orange Zest (can omit for Whole30 version since we used orange juice)
- ½ - ¾ Cup Purified Water - or as needed to thin
Instructions
Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together the coconut milk, egg, pork rinds, and seasonings. Allow mixture to sit for a minute or two.
- Then, add the beef and mix by hand, being careful not to overmix!
- Roll into 1 ½-inch sized meatballs and place on a greased broiler pan. Be careful not to roll the meatballs too tightly or they'll be tough. If you don't have a broiler pan, you can place a greased cooling rack over a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until just cooked through. Then, turn the oven up to broil and broil 2-3 minutes, or until the tops are nicely browned. Set aside.
Keto Cocktail Sauce:
- In a large pot, mix together all of the cocktail sauce ingredients. If making the homemade cranberry sauce, add those ingredients as well.
- Simmer 15-20 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and blend until desired consistency. Taste and add additional sweetener or seasonings as needed.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat.
Notes
- Nutritional Info uses low carb options and a heaping amount of sauce per meatball
- 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, though, simply heat it over low heat until combined.
- If you're not dairy-free, feel free to use heavy cream instead of coconut cream.
- To crush the pork rinds, I prefer to place them in a large, resealable baggie and crush them with a rolling pin.
- By adding all the ingredients except the beef first, this allows time for the pork rinds to soak up the milk and make the meatballs juicy!
- For the BBQ sauce, my favorite is Noble Made Classic BBQ. However, Tessamae's and Primal Kitchen have good whole30 BBQ sauce as well and are a bit lower-carb if that's what you're looking for.
- Meatballs can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept covered in the fridge.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
- To Freeze: Cooked meatballs can be frozen for up to 3 - 6 months WITHOUT sauce because the sauce doesn't freeze well. To freeze: 1) Place in 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.
- To reheat frozen meatballs: Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat with the sauce in a slow cooker on low or in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
- For the low-carb sweetener, any keto sweetener will work. However, erythritol tends to crystallize and doesn't dissolve as well as other sweeteners. So if you use an erythritol-based sweetener, make sure it's powdered. Powdered sweeteners measure differently than granulated, so if you choose this option you may need to add a bit more. I personally prefer xylitol or an allulose/monk fruit blend because they dissolve beautifully and leave zero aftertaste! Allulose can also be used, however, it's not quite as sweet as other sweeteners. So if you choose this option, you'll need to add a few extra tablespoons.
- For the Paleo sweetener, you can use coconut palm sugar or the whole30 option.
- For the Whole30 sweetener, use ½ cup of orange juice blended with ½ cup of finely chopped dates.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out these resources:
K says
Can I use King Arthur all purpose flour instead of the blanched almond flour?
Cassidy says
I don't know without trying it. You probably could, but I would use a little less. All purpose flours seem to be more absorbent than almond flour, I'm just not sure how much less. If you give it shot let me know how it turns out!
-Cassidy
Kelly says
I think I'm going to need these for upcoming super bowl and/or Oscar parties. Look delish!
Cassidy says
Thank you Kelly! I think I'm going to make these for the Super Bowl too 🙂
-Cassidy
Yolanda Solis says
can I use Namaste organic flour blend ,instead of almond flour. it contains sweet rice flour,brown rice flour,tapioca, arrowroot,starch,sorghum flour and xanthan gum.
Cassidy says
I'd imagine you could, but I just can't say for sure without trying it. You might try using just a bit less though, because the flours in the blend are bit more absorbent that almond flour so I'm worried about them turning out too dry. If you try it come back and let me know how they turned out!!!
-Cassidy
Mae says
Would you be able to tell me what chili sauce you used for this recipe? I only ask because there are some sauces that are more spicy, and others that are more sweet and I want to ensure I'm getting the right kind. Thanks!
Cassidy says
Hi Mae! I used Heinz Chili Sauce. Hope that helps and enjoy the meatballs!!!
-Cassidy
Rena says
These are much better than the typical grape jelly version! CHANGES: I boiled the meatballs in low salt chicken broth until they turned gray and floated for several minutes, then drained them and added them to the sauce. Boiling them makes for a moist, rounder, and not flat on the bottom or burned, meatball. Also, half the ground beef can be replaced with ground pork or turkey and the results are a very nicely textured meatball that still tastes beefy enough for the guys. BTW the crumbs are not necessary to "make" the recipe, but the crumbs do make for the meatballs lighter if you use only ground beef. Thanks!
CassidyS says
Thanks Dad!!! I saw you eating them 🙂
Anonymous says
Yes, I did sneak a few. They were really good!
dad