These super tasty keto Jamaican Jerk Meatballs have all the spicy and sweet flavors of my Keto Jamaican Jerk Rib recipe, but in an easier to eat, and faster to cook keto meatball format!
Happy Meatball Monday, Peeps! My local grocery store was having a sale on ground pork a couple of weeks ago, so I stocked up my freezer. Sadly, I realized that there weren’t that many pork friendly options on my list of future low carb meatball recipe concepts to try out.
I was wracking my brain trying to think of some, and then it hit me – pretty much anything that tastes great on pork ribs, will also taste great in a pork meatball. So I created this keto Jamaican Jerk meatball recipe using similar flavors as in my Jerk BBQ Ribs recipe.
It worked perfectly flavor-wise, and they are certainly easier to eat, but I don’t know if anything is really a substitute for a falling off the bone, perfectly cooked rib. Am I right????
I guess these keto Jamaican Jerk Meatballs aren’t really meant to be a substitute for ribs though – more an alternative for when you don’t have an entire afternoon to devote to pampering a rack of ribs like they deserve.
Even though these Keto Jamaican Jerk Meatballs were a delicious use of my freezer full of ground pork, it would also work great with any ground poultry, and probably even ground beef if that’s what you have.
I like my keto Jamaican Jerk Meatballs really spicy, so I added a teaspoon of minced habanero pepper to my batch. I’m listing it as optional, since not everybody wants their tongue to burst into flames when they eat their dinner. You can also add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce if you don’t have any habaneros.
My current favorite is this one, which adds a nice heat and subtle, smoky flavor to pretty much everything.
Jamaican Jerk Meatballs (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
- Yield: 12 meatballs (4 servings) 1x
Description
A spicy and sweet low carb and gluten free meatball recipe inspired by Jamaican Jerk Ribs.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1.5 Tbsp Caribbean jerk seasoning
- 1 tsp granulated sugar substitute
For the Sauce
- 1/4 cup tamari (wheat free) soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbl chopped fresh ginger
- 2 Tbl orange zest
- 1 tsp minced habaneros or scotch bonnets (optional)
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/8th tsp allspice
- 1/4 cup sugar substitute (honey for Paleo)
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or arrowroot powder for Paleo)
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into 12 meatballs. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or fry in a nonstick pan for about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through.
For the Sauce:
- Combine the tamari sauce (or coconut aminos), water, ginger, habaneros (if using), orange zest, orange juice, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 8 minutes. Strain the sauce to remove the habaneros, ginger and orange zest. Add the strained sauce back into the pan, and add in the allspice, sweetener and xanthan gum, whisking until smooth. Simmer for another 5 minutes until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.
- When the meatballs are cooked, add to the sauce and heat for a minute or two, tossing to make sure they are fully coated. You could also broil them for a couple of minutes before serving to cook the sauce onto them. Serve garnished with orange zest.
Notes
Approximate nutrition information:
per “naked” meatball: 118 calories, 10g fat, .3g net carbs, 7g protein
per serving (3) “naked” meatballs: 355 calories, 30g fat, 1g net carbs, 21g protein
per sauced meatball: 126 calories, 10g fat, 1.3g net carbs, 8g protein
per serving (3) sauced meatballs: 379 calories, 30g fat, 4g net carbs, 24g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
Can’t get enough low carb and gluten free keto meatball recipes? Check out some of these other Meatball Monday favorites: Low Carb Meatballs alla Parmigiana, Caprese Meatballs, General Tso’s Meatballs, Green Chicken Enchilada Meatballs, and Carolina BBQ Meatballs!
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Tracy says
OMG, this was such a delicious recipe! I used red peper flakes instead of scotch bonnet and it was plenty hot for me. I didn’t strain out the ginger, zest, and pepper flakes from the sauce, just left them in there and ate it. Served the meatballs over steamed/salted/buttered broccoli cut in bite sized pieces. So good and so easy!, thanks for sharing your recipes!