These keto Spam meatballs happened, and it was AWESOME. Who knew keto friendly Spam could be so delicious?! Made with easy to source pantry ingredients!
I’m bumping this keto Spam meatballs recipe to the top of the blog from waaaaay back in 2013 because canned meats like Spam (or generic luncheon meat or canned ham) is one of those keto pantry items that a lot of you may have stocked up on due to recent events. If you’d like to see more posts like these (using canned meats and other common Keto Pantry items,) let me know in the comments!
Happy Meatball Monday, Peeps! This keto spam meatball recipe is kind of out there for me. Not only is it based on a pizza topping that I don’t even LIKE (this is one of Mr. Hungry’s favorites, and one of the few things we disagree on), but it’s made with canned SPAM, which isn’t even at the way bottom of my list of favorite foods!
See, I’ve always thought it was just plain wrong to put ham and pineapple on a pizza with red sauce on it. If it was a white pie, then I probably wouldn’t be as against the idea – but it just doesn’t seem to belong with a tomato-based sauce.
People who love it though, REALLY love it – and I figured I’d experiment with a keto spam meatball for their sake. Take one for the team, if you will. To make it even more unique, I thought it would be fun to use canned Spam (which barely qualifies as food in my opinion) as the meat base.
In all honesty, I did not have high hopes for this combo. In fact, I was fully prepared to have to toss it in the trash.
That being said, these were RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME! SPAM-TASTIC! SPAM-ERRIFIC! SPA-MAZING!!!! Maybe the Hawaiians are onto something with their Spam love. All I know, is that this recipe turned me into a believer.
Interestingly, when I went shopping for the Spam for this recipe (I used original Spam), I could NOT BELIEVE how many varieties of Spam flavors there are out there! I posted this photo recently (lol this was actually years ago now) on Instagram, and it shows just a few of the many options available. Jalapeno Spam, Hot and Spicy Spam, Hickory Smoke Spam, LITE Spam – the list goes on! Who knew???
#spamitswhatsfordinner
As in most of my keto meatball recipes, I wanted to incorporate as much flavor into these keto Spam meatballs as possible – that way they even taste great without the sauce or toppings. In this recipe I chose to add the pineapple to the meatball mix, as well as a small amount of cheese. I opted not to put tomato sauce in the mix – that you are getting only in the topping.
These keto spam meatballs do taste great by themselves – salty and just a hint of sweet from the small chunks of pineapple. I’m not going to lie though – to have the full on awesomesauce experience, you really need to cover these low carb spam meatballs with marinara sauce and melted cheese. Seriously tasty!
If you love Spam you’ll go crazy for these. If you hate Spam you’ll still go crazy for these. I won’t even eat Hawaiian pizza and still loved these. I think you will too, and I can’t wait to hear what what the verdict is in your family!
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Keto Spam Meatballs – Hawaiian Pizza Version
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 18 meatballs (6 servings) 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
These keto Spam meatballs are inspired by the Hawaiian Pizza and made with canned Spam and keto pantry ingredients!
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 can original Spam
- 1/4 cup pineapple, chopped finely
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp minced scallions
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- approximately 2 Tbsp oil for frying
For the topping:
- 1 cup easy keto marinara sauceĀ
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- In a large bowl, mash the spam with a fork until finely ground (or pulse it in a food processor). Add the rest of the meatball ingredients and mix thoroughly. DO NOT ADD SALT! Firmly pack the mix into 18 meatballs. Heat the oil in a nonstick saute pan and add the meatballs. Cook over low heat until golden brown. They fall apart easily until fully cooked, so be gentle with them when turning. Also, don’t use too much oil or they will disintegrate into it. Remove to a paper towel when golden on the outside.
- To serve:
- Place the meatballs in an ovenproof dish. Spoon some marinara over each meatball. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Serve hot.
Notes
Approximate nutrition information per “naked” meatball: 85 calories, 7g fat, .9g net carbs, 4g protein
Per meatball & toppings: 110 calories, 8g fat, 2g net carbs, 6g protein
Per serving (3) meatballs & toppings: 329 calories, 24g fat, 6g net carbs, 18g protein
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Keto Meatballs
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs + sauce + cheese
- Calories: 329 calories
- Fat: 24g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 18g
Keywords: keto spam recipes, keto spam meatballs, easy Keto Recipes
Let me know what you guys think! Are you game to try them – or too grossed out by the Spam?
SeeGee says
Curious if you could do this with just egg whites (with maybe 1 yolk)?
And can these be done in a crock pot or convection oven?
SeeGee says
FYI… I made a with the following tweaks to the 3X recipe:
– baked, so no added cooking oil
– Spam Lite for calorie reduction
– 6 egg whites and 2 whole eggs for calorie/fat reduction
– extra 1/3 cup of almond flour to keep them together
– 1 jar of Yo Mama’s sauce
– 6 oz of Provolone
So one serving of 60gr / 2.1oz (about 1/4 cup) before cooking is:
– calories: 170
– net carbs: 3.7g
– fiber: 1.1g
– protein: 11.1g
– fat: 12.2
LeeAnn P. says
any advice or opinions for cooking these in silicone muffin cups in an air fryer or oven?
Kara says
I’m working my way through your meatball recipes (newbie Keto-er here) and made these last week! Woof, you were right about them being difficult to keep together while cooking, but I definitely enjoyed them! I’m a pepperoni and pineapple (with jalapeno!) pizza gal myself. Red sauce. Sorry!
Diana Leitch says
Hi Melissa . I am so pleased to find you . This is day 1 again .Last year I lost 45 pounds and fell off the wagon Christmas last year so here I am again !, As I live in Eastersn Canada there really aren’t many low carb foods available . The Jones food for example or tortias and so on . How ever I intend to follow you and enjoy your ideas very much ! thank you for all of your efforts. Diana Leitch n
Mellissa Sevigny says
Welcome Diana! Most if not all the things in my recipes can be substituted for or ordered online so hopefully you’ll be able to make it work for you!
Cindi says
I used to think that pineapple had no business being on a pizza…until I tried it! It was wonderful…so I guess I’m siding with Mr. Hungry, too! I also like spam…so I plan on making these soon. They really do sound good to me! Thanks for the recipe!
Wellmansteak says
Made these tonight for DH. He loved them! Of course, he loves Spam in any shape or form. :-) I might’ve done something wrong, but they didn’t keep their meatball shape–they ended up looking like sliders (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). Hubby said they tasted more like salmon patties than hawaiian, but again, he liked them. Maybe if I added more pineapple? Of course, that would increase the carb count, and since he’s technically back on Atkins Induction, it was a small “cheat” for him to have these. I forgot pineapple was a no-no until I was cooking them!
I am freezing half of the batch, and we’ll see how they reheat.
mnk says
Sorry, but we’re going to have to side w/ Mr. Hungry on this one :)! My all-time FAVORITE pizza – ever – probably will sound even weirder to you than Mr. Hungry’s fav, lol! It’s topped with…wait for it…pepperoni, pineapple, banana peppers, then hubby takes it to an even wierder level by additionally adding sliced green peppers and onions on his half. I know, it sounds gross, but it is truly delish, and yup, this all goes on top of the standard red sauce and cheese pizza. OMG, it’s great…in case you’re feeling sick reading this, try it before gagging, I promise some of you will love it. If not, that’s okay too; we’ve come to accept our food weirdness.
Thanks for the meatball recipe, we’re totally making this soon :)!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Well there will be no living with him now that you guys have taken his side! Ha ha! :) You are definitely food weirdos, and I like it! I can actually get behind the pineapple and banana peppers – the spiciness must be awesome! Thanks for sharing!
KK says
THIS IS SO AMAZING!! I adore SPAM :) and SPAM musubis :D
Mr Hungry says
These came out great, though I disagree that ham and pineapple are wrong with red sauce on pizza. ;)
Mellissa Sevigny says
After 20 years, I’m well aware of your stance on this particular subject. The meatballs are my compromise – I’m still not eating Hawaiian pizza. ;)
Teone says
I’m nut free, will pork rinds work instead?
Carolyn says
Okay, I confess I may be a little freaked out by the spam! But they look good!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Carolyn – even I was freaked out by the Spam! But it was surprisingly good! :)
Jo says
I’m sure my DH will be soooo happy w/this recipe!! Canned Spam AND pineapple (plus… fresh pineapple is growing in our S. Fla garden)!! The Wifey is not a fan of spam (although I do include it in our hurricane emergency kit of non-perishables to keep DH happy)… and, when we are safe… I send the cans of spam off to food banks when DH isn’t looking). Do admit… When we first started low-carb, I made a pulled-spam sammie (using a Walden Farms zero carb BBQ sauce) which was tolerable…
As for pizza… DH likes a “loaded” red pizza, and I prefer white pizza… (a low carb white pizza is what I make @ home)… BUT after 45 yrs of marriage, we have (finally) learned to compromise and we do order a Pappa John’s red sauce pizza – DH has all of his favs, and my favs on MY side are pepperoni/mush/tom/black olive/bacon/chicken/ham/pineapple – LOVE the pineapple!! Yep, we know this isn’t low carb…. we only do this 2 times a year, and at our age..what the heck!!
Will def try this spam recipe….
Mellissa Sevigny says
Pulled spam? Not even sure how you’d do that! The half and half pizza is definitely the way to go when you can’t agree on toppings. I’m sure it has saved many a marriage! ha ha! Hope your husband is a fan of these, and who knows, maybe you will be too! :)
Donna says
Oops…typo majeur….meant to insert “I’m” between “that” and “up” in the next-to-last paragraph!!
Donna says
JUST….AWESOME…that’s all. I am making these as soon as I can sprint, not walk, to the American Ć©piceriĆ© here in France (the only place I can hope to find it). I will report back…because my family would simply die over this kind of missed fare from the States….as they LOVE Hawaiian pizza to no end…
Thank you for DARING the Spam element…Normally I would not go NEAR the stuff either…but you make it look so damn tasty and delicious that up for the challenge!
I really love your blog…your wit…and …and…I’m a new, gushing fan. Thanks for unique share!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Welcome to IBIH Donna! :) I’m so jealous that you live in France, yet I’m sure you all must miss “home” at times. I hope that you are able to score some Spam (or something similar), and that this recipe is a huge hit with the family! Looking forward to hearing back!