Sweet and tangy, these Quick and Easy Keto Baked Asian Meatballs are loaded with flavor. Serve these saucy beef and pork meatballs in no time next to cauliflower rice or with more appetizers on gameday.
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These aren’t your average homemade meatballs. Made with a pork and beef blend and a sticky Asian-inspired sauce, these keto, low-carb, and crowd-pleasing meatballs are such a delight!
These Quick and Easy Keto Baked Asian Meatballs are easy to make gluten-free and don’t need any fancy ingredients. No need for almond flour or breadcrumbs in this recipe! Each meatball is bound together with eggs, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and seasonings before being tossed in a sweet and zesty sticky sauce.
Meatballs are such an easy dish to make and can take on a number of flavors, from Italian to Swedish. Whether they’re stuffed into a marinara and cheese-covered slider or in a lettuce cup with pickled onions on top, they always make for a delicious, freezer-friendly, and filling treat.
Keto meatball ingredients and substitutions
- Ground pork and beef – You get the best of both worlds in this meatball recipe. The pork and beef together mean extra flavor without them being too heavy. You can easily make this recipe using one or the other, or using ground turkey, chicken, or sausage instead.
- Eggs – A must when you want all of the meatball ingredients to bind together.
- Ginger paste – Get ready to turn up the flavor! A heap of ginger paste doubles down on the Asian flavors in this recipe. If you can’t find it in the grocery store, use minced ginger or 4 teaspoons of ginger powder instead.
- Garlic – For extra savory flavors and balance.
- Soy sauce – Feel free to replace this with coconut aminos or tamari to make the recipe gluten-free.
- Herbs and sesame seeds – Cilantro, green onions, and sesame seeds add freshness and also make a wonderful garnish.
- Chili – Use any small chili pepper you like, such as a jalapeno, aleppo, fresno, or chipotle. Remove the seeds and veins to cut down on the spice or leave them in for an extra kick.
- Sticky sauce – The cooked meatballs are covered in a sticky homemade Asian-inspired sauce made from soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, monk fruit sweetener, garlic, and ginger.
How to make Asian meatballs
- Make the sticky sauce: Stir all of the sauce ingredients together in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it’s reduced by half.
- Make the meatballs: Gently fold all of the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Be careful not to overmix or else the meatballs could turn out rubbery.
- Shape and bake the meatballs: Use a 1-inch cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop meatballs from the bowl. Wet your hands so you can form evenly-sized meatballs without the meat sticking. Place them on a baking sheet and broil in the oven.
- Toss in the sauce: Place the baked meatballs in a bowl or saucepan with the sticky sauce and toss together. Serve with cauliflower rice and seasoned cucumbers, then enjoy!
How long to bake keto meatballs
Small to medium sized meatballs should only need to broil in the oven for about 7 minutes. Break one open to see if it’s still pink inside when they’re done or use a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of a cooked pork beef meatball should be 165°F.
Air fryer meatballs
Skip the oven and cook the meatballs in your air fryer instead. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your meatballs. I would recommend cooking them for 8 to 12 minutes at 400ºF.
What goes well with Asian meatballs?
Pork and beef meatballs with sticky sauce are a flavorful protein next to cauliflower rice and cooked vegetables on the side, like baked asparagus or roasted cauliflower salad. Don’t forget a garnish of green onions and sesame seeds on top!
The Asian-inspired flavors in the meatballs make them a welcome addition to a better-than-takeout dinner. Serve them over lo mein, with rice and steamed bok choy, or next to beef short ribs and broccolini. A cucumber salad on the side will add freshness to this flavorful meal.
I particularly love to serve meatballs in lettuce cups or with toothpicks as a crowd-pleasing gameday appetizer. Serve them with keto chicken tenders, ribeye steak crostini, and ahi tuna nachos at your next get-together or party.
How to store meatballs
After the cooked meatballs have cooled, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can toss them with the sauce before storing them, or store both separately. To reheat, cook them for a minute or two in the microwave or bake them in the oven until warmed through.
You can freeze the meatballs before or after they’re cooked. Place the shaped uncooked or the cooked and cooled meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, store them in an airtight container or transfer them to a freezer bag for easier storage. Thaw out before cooking.
More keto appetizer recipes
Spoil your low carb and keto friends with these tasty appetizers:
- Salmon Patties With Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Keto Chicken Kofta
- Cheeseburger Stuffed Mini Peppers
- Fully Loaded Keto Deviled Eggs
If you try my Quick and Easy Keto Baked Asian Meatballs, let me know what you think! Rate and review this recipe in the comments below. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me on Instagram @lenaskitchenblog!
Quick and Easy Keto Baked Asian Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 ½ lb ground pork, or sub out for turkey
- 1 ½ lb ground beef, or sub out for chicken
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp ginger paste
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup green onions, finely chopped
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp sesame seeds, for topping
- ½ small red chili, finely chopped, optional
Sauce
- 1 cup soy sauce, or use coconut aminos
- 2 tsp sesame seed oil
- ½ lime, juiced
- 3 tbsp monk fruit sweetener, optional
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
Instructions
- Turn the oven on to broil.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat until reduced by about half. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir all of the meatball ingredients together. Gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Use a small 1-inch cookie scoop to scoop into balls. Add to a baking sheet. This recipe should make 46 meatballs.
- Wet your hands and roll each meatball into round meatballs.
- Bake for 7 minutes on broil. Remove the meatballs from oven and toss in the sauce.
- Serve over cauliflower rice and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and chilies if you want a little heat. Add seasoned cucumbers for additional freshness and crunch.
Notes
Aimee Orr
Can I omit sausage and double beef?
lena
I think if you keep the beef at 80/20 fat that will be fine for sure t keep them moist.
Alina
These meatballs are so delicious! They’ve become a weekly staple in our home. They’re packed with flavor.
lena
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it!
Caty
Made these for a Sunday lunch with the parents. My husband raved, my mom and dad raved. These burst with flavor and make for even better leftovers. Next time I’m freezing a double batch.