These homemade crockpot Swedish meatballs are so easy to make and are made healthy and low carb with a few keto friendly substitutions.
Related: I get all of my grass fed beef and pasture raised chicken from Butcher Box. Read my honest review here.
You are going to love this recipe for easy Crockpot Swedish Meatballs. The meatballs are so flavorful and remind me so much of the famous ones from Ikea. We like to serve ours with a creamy mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice.
I personally don't mind the rolling of the meatballs...it's the frying in the skillet that I don't like. It is messy!
That's why I love this Crockpot Swedish Meatball recipe so much! No frying in a skillet. Just dump in the crockpot. Let me show you how I do it!
HOW TO MAKE CROCKPOT SWEDISH MEATBALLS
The most important step, in my opinion, is cooking the onions, allspice and garlic in a little butter before adding them to the meatballs. The one thing I hate in meatballs and meatloaf is biting into it and crunching on an onion. It gives me chills just thinking about it.
So please, soften your onions in 2 tablespoons of butter, then add in the nutmeg and the garlic. We will sit the mixture aside to cool while we mix up the other ingredients.
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I used 1.5 pounds of ground beef for my meatballs because that's what I had on hand. You can use a combo of ground beef and pork if you like.
To the ground beef add in 1 beaten egg, Worcestershire, milk, crumbled pork rinds (or breadcrumbs), salt, pepper, and the onion mixture.
My tips for keeping these crockpot Swedish meatballs keto friendly are to use pork rinds instead of breadcrumbs and your milk of choice instead of cows milk. It's that simple!
Use a cookie scoop to evenly form the meatballs, then stack them all in the crockpot and pour the beef broth over top. Cook them in the crockpot over low heat for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.
After they are finished cooking, remove the meatballs from the liquid so we can finish the sauce.
To finish the sauce, add in the cream and 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum. I love to use xanthan gum as a thickener. This product can be found at most grocery stores in the baking isle. It can be added right into the liquid you want to thicken. Xanthan gum is a common food additive that you find in everything from sauces and dressings to ice cream and yogurt and, of course, gluten-free baked goods. In most cases, it's used as a thickening agent, or as a stabilizer to prevent separation of ingredients.
Now we add the meatballs back into the sauce and serve!
Crockpot Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- ⅓ Cup Diced onion
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1.5 Pounds Ground beef
- ½ Cup Milk
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, divided
- 1 Large Egg, beaten
- 1 Cup Crushed pork rinds
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1 Cup Beef broth
- 1 Cup Heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (click here to see my favorite brand on Amazon)
Instructions
- In a small skillet over medium heat, add the butter and the onion. Cook the onion until softened, 5-10 minutes. Add in the all spice and garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl add the ground beef, milk, egg, pork rinds, 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire, onion mixture, salt and pepper. Mix well and form into meatballs. Add meatballs to the crockpot and pour over beef broth.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. When the time is finished, remove the meatballs from the crockpot and set aside.
- Add the heavy cream, remaining Worcestershire, and xanthan gum to the liquid in the crockpot. Stir well to combine and let thicken. Add the meatballs back to the crock pot and stir. Serve
Jennifer's tips
- You can use a mixture of ground beef and pork or all beef if you like.
- If you prefer not to use cows milk, you can use your milk of choice.
- You can use breadcrumbs instead of pork rinds if you are not following a low carb or keto diet.
- What is Xanthan Gum?
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.
⭐ Did you make these Crockpot Swedish Meatballs? Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @lowcarbwithjennifer
Susan says
They look yummy!!! Can I use ground turkey or would they be too dry?
jenniferbanz says
You could use a ground turkey that is 80/20 to avoid them being dry!
Stephanie W says
My kids usually HATE meatballs. Since we love them I still make a variety of meatball meals that my kids complain through. However, my oldest said "These are pretty good for meatballs!" The two were fighting for the last meatball. I will be making 2 pounds of these next time!
Maureen says
Do you use nutmeg or allspice in this recipe? I see both in the recipe and video. Thank you!