Happy Monday, Peeps! This week’s low carb meatball recipe is inspired by, you guessed it, the Bacon Cheeseburger! Now you might be thinking, why would I make a keto bacon cheeseburger meatball, when I could just make a bacon cheese burger? That is an excellent question!
I don’t really have a great answer, other than that meatballs are more playful, and psychologically I feel better about eating a meatball without a bun then a patty. Somehow the patty is a constant reminder of what I’m missing – does that make sense?
If not, feel free to make it burger style, and have it your way! (see what I did there?) Allllll-righty then….
Now, let’s talk about the bacon. I know you won’t mind. Because it’s bacon. This here keto meatball recipe has bacon oozing out of its pores. (If a meatball had pores anyway, which is kind of gross when you think about it….er, let’s just forget that whole pore thing m’kay?)
Seriously though, if I’d had the room, I would have titled this the TRIPLE bacon cheeseburger meatball. This is no boring hunk of ground beef with a sad piece of bacon perched precariously on top of it like some distant Uncle’s desperate comb-over that you’re getting here. This keto cheeseburger meatball is bacon-tastic!
First, there is raw chopped bacon in the mix, which melts bacon fat through the entire meatball from the inside out. Second, the meatball itself is cooked in bacon fat. Finally it’s lovingly adorned with even more bacon, just before serving.
A veritable trifecta of bacon. A triple threat, even… What I’m trying to say is – it’s bacony people, very, very…bacony.
Now you could just slop some sugar free ketchup on these keto bacon cheeseburger meatballs and it would be fine. Ok, no, it’s not really fine with me. The sauce has four easy ingredients in it. You stir them together and you’re done. No excuses, just make it, OK???? This is my low carb version of the golden arches “special sauce,” which definitely pushes these meatballs over the edge flavor-wise.
To go along with the typical bacon cheeseburger theme, I served these keto meatballs on a bed of shredded iceburg lettuce. The sauce made an excellent dressing, making it a salad of sorts.
It should go without saying (but I’ll say it anyway), that you can customize these keto bacon cheeseburger meatballs in a ton of different ways, according to your burger preference. Love red onions? Throw em on. Pickles? Mushrooms? Tomato? Go nuts! You can also use pretty much any cheese with these. I used sharp cheddar, and it tasted amazing.
KETO BACON CHEESEBURGER MEATBALL RECIPE VIDEO ??
Bacon Cheeseburger Meatball Recipe (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
- Yield: 12 meatballs (4 servings) 1x
Description
A low carb and gluten free meatball recipe inspired by the bacon cheeseburger.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef (I like 80/20 for these)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup chopped raw bacon (from the fatty ends)
- bacon fat to cook the meatballs in
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp sugar free (or low sugar) ketchup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp dill pickle juice (or dill pickle relish if you prefer chunks)
To Serve:
- 3 oz cheddar (or other) cheese
- 4 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 3 slices of bacon, cooked and broken into 12 pieces
Instructions
- Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into 12 meatballs. Fry in a non-stick pan in the reserved bacon fat (or use the oil of your choice) for about 4 minutes for the first side. Turn them over and top each with a slice of cheese. Cook for another 4 minutes, or until done to your liking. Remove from the heat, and top each meatball with a piece of bacon.
For the Sauce:
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth.
To Serve:
- Place 1 cup of shredded iceburg lettuce on a plate. Top with 3 meatballs and drizzle with about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sauce.
Notes
Approximate nutrition information per serving:
1 meatball: 160 calories, 11g fat, .25g net carbs, 14g protein
3 meatballs w/sauce & lettuce: 591 calories, 45g fat, 1.5g net carbs, 42g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
Jan Johnson says
These are so yummy! And not in a burger shape so you don’t miss the bread.
★★★★★
Rachele says
You are absolutely hilarious and write extremely well! I get a kick out of your blog as well as find many useful recipes! Thank you!
★★★★★
JoKing says
I am always looking for different meatball ideas. This is fun and playful and I bet the kids would love them.
Nita says
Melissa, these look great! In the video, as these are frying with a cheese slice on top, you used a little yellow gadget with silver on top to press a meatball. What was that? I replayed the video several times, but it flashed by too quickly to identify. Thanks!
Tawna Moore says
Made these tonight. Doubled the recipe. Baked in the oven instead of frying.
They were delicious
Christina says
I’ve made these once before and they were delicious. I’m making a bigger batch today and was wondering if I could bake them in the oven instead of cooking in the frying pan?
★★★★★
Paulette Flench says
This was outstanding! I’ll be making this whenever we want burgers. Passing it on to my sister too! Thank you!
★★★★★
Shantelle says
Thank you for this great recipe! Due to what I had on hand, I used yellow mustard, coconut flour, and Romaine lettuce. My husband loved them too! It worked out so well!
Michelle Marrujo says
Omgosh, these were gone in seconds with my family. The sauce makes it and is amazing!!!!!!!
Michelle Marrujo says
On the menu plan it says, 1 serving, (4). On the recipe it says 1 serving, (3). Am I correct to assume it’s supposed to be 3 meatballs in one serving? Thanks!
Susan says
These were a HUGE hit at our house! My husband has been refusing hamburgers for a while because he’s “tired of the meatiness” of them (no, I don’t know what planet he’s from either). But he LOVED these and said to put them into the meal rotation :-)
On an unrelated note I’m doing your keto diet, which is where I found these. But I have to cut out your awesome desserts on that because they are TOO awesome – I end up eating half the batch of everything instead of 1 piece! I’m still drooling over the raspberry cheesecake slices…
Mellissa Sevigny says
So glad everyone liked them Susan! I feel your pain in the desserts thing – I really need to make some less tasty recipes so we can all stop at one lol!
Alicia says
I thought I had left a comment in 2013 when I first tried these. I made them again to celebrate a co-workers birthday today and they were such a big hit. Plan to make them again next week for a girls weekend camping trip I am going on. I love all your meatball recipes!
kirsten says
Another request to make these meatballs! Better triple so I can freeze some for later!
Civita says
These were delicious! !!!!!
Ruthinthedesert says
We used these ingredients to make bacon cheeseburgers. Yum. No hamburger bun needed.
ElZee says
Do I have to fry the bacon first? The recipe reads use bacon fat?
Nicole says
I liked these but the raw bacon didn’t cool through so I was a little unsure about them lol I modified the recipe and made a cheddar stuffed bacon wrapped meatloaf instead… It’s in the oven now. I used 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese instead of the almond flour to cut down some carbs and also added a little worschestire too. I scooped out the middle and put cheddar cheese inside! It’s going to be a tiny loaf but it’ll last me a week!
Thanks for the ideas!!! I love your recipes!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Nicole! I like your cheddar stuffed meatloaf idea – will have to try that myself one of these days! :)
Pamela says
Made these tonight for dinner. The family loved them!! I doubled the batch so hubby could have them for lunch tomorrow. Another great recipe:) Thank you!
Arielle says
This sounds amazing! I keep trying to add your recipes to my “Recipes to Try” board on Pinterest but only some of them are working, and this one doesn’t :( I know I’ll find it again, but I actually use that board when I’m planning my weekly meals and shopping! Is it fixable? Maybe it’s my Mac…
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sometimes they pin and sometimes they don’t and nobody seems to be able to figure it out for me! If you go to my I Breathe I’m Hungry board on Pinterest, I have all of my recipes pinned there and you can pin them from there until I get this issue addressed! Thanks!
Rachel says
Made a big batch of these last weekend. I had a 3lb roll of beef so i just tripled your recipe. It took me forever to fry that many but it was worth it. By the end, some ended up being cheeseburger meatballs because i kept eating the bacon. Picky boyfriend liked the meatballs but not the sauce. He doesnt like big mac sauce so no idea why he tried it. I loved both of them, especially together. My only problem was with the cook time on the meatballs. I just couldnt get it right. Some meatballs turned out medium rare while others turned out well done, even rhough i cooked them all the same amount of time. Maybe something to do with the pan i used or the amount of bacon grease.
Nathan w says
Because it’s easier with a toddler, how long should I bake these in the oven? 35 minutes at 350?
Mellissa Sevigny says
35 might be too long and they would dry out – start with 20 minutes and then add another five if necessary until they are done to your liking! Enjoy!
Christine Castaneda says
Dropping by to say these Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs are AMAZING! I literally feel like I’m eating a Big Mac without the bread. I think the simple sauce is what makes it. Thank you! I feel like I’m cheating. :-)
Emily Strobel says
Is it ok to just leave the almond flour out or should I replace it with something else?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can leave it out Emily, or replace it with grated parmesan!
Emily Strobel says
I replaced the almond flour with the parmesan cheese! Sooo good! :) My kids really loved the sauce! It was a great way to eat meatballs and I’m planning on trying other recipes.
Judy @Savoring Today says
I know exactly what you mean about the patty sans the bun because that is exactly how we eat our burgers most of the time. Love your meatballs, the bacon sends them over the top! :)
Dalena says
I just read over your recipe and my mouth is watering! :) I am so making these Friday night for my husbands Fantasy Football Draft that is at our house! These will be great for Football season! :) Thank you so much for posting!
Britany White says
I DID make these for dinner and they tasted SOOOOOO good!!
I made a perfect little meatball salad that tasted just like a burger! Thank you so much! :)
Awesome recipe and it was SO easy to make too!
My toddler always loves your meatball recipes! (She’s a picky eater too!)
Beverly says
Dill pickle juice is an underutilized ingredient. I use it in my chicken marinades and am so glad to see you use it here!
movita beaucoup says
Oh. My. Gawd. BACON! Need. Want. Immediately.
Cathi Warren says
Any chance you meant dijon mustard instead of mayo? The amount of mayo already in the recipe and the tiny amount of dijon makes me think you meant to include some mustard :-)
Can’t wait to try these!
Mellissa Sevigny says
YES Cathi! Thank you for catching that – I meant dijon mustard! Fixed it! Oops! :) Enjoy!