I love these Low-Carb and Keto Baked Swedish Meatballs; use pork breakfast sausage if you want this recipe to be Keto.
PIN the Baked Swedish Meatballs!
I love these Baked Swedish Meatballs, and if you’re looking for low-carb and Keto Appetizers Recipes, these are a great choice for anyone who’s watching their carbs and they seemed like a perfect to feature for Friday Favorites this week! And if your experience to Swedish Meatballs is limited to Ikea Swedish Meatballs, it might be only the seasonings used in this recipe that are familiar.
I loved so many things about this recipe for Swedish Meatballs that I spotted years ago on a Swedish food blog: the finely chopped onion, that it didn’t use breadcrumbs or serve the meatballs with a creamy gravy, and the way they were baked instead of fried.
The biggest change I made was make the meatballs with a combination of turkey breakfast sausage and ground beef. You could certainly use pork sausage too if that’s what you prefer! I tested the recipe with my niece Kara, and we both thought these meatballs were delicious.
What ingredients do you need?
Are these Swedish Meatballs gluten-free?
Of course not using breadcrumbs to hold the meatballs together makes them gluten-free, FTW! Most sausage will be gluten-free, but check the package to be sure.
Can the Swedish Meatballs be made ahead and kept warm?
I haven’t tried making these meatballs ahead and keeping warm in a slow cooker, but I’m pretty sure it would work if you’d like to serve Swedish Meatballs for game-day food! If anyone makes these and keeps them warm that way, please come back and let us know how that turned out!
Want more ideas for low-carb meatballs?
Check my round-up of Low-Carb and Keto Meatball Recipes for even more ideas for meatballs for dinner or game-day noshing.
How to Make Baked Swedish Meatballs:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe including nutritional information.)
- I used half ground beef and half ground turkey sausage, but use pork sausage if you prefer. Crumble meat into a bowl and let it come to room temperature.
- Be sure the onion is very finely minced so it can be well-distributed through the meat. I used my beloved Cuisinart Food Processor (affiliate link) to chop the onion, which worked well.
- Add the onions and spices to the bowl, and gently mix with clean hands.;
- I’m a fan of baking meatballs and meatloaf on a rack so the fat drips down. We used two different baking racks that we rigged up from what I had in my kitchen, but the meatballs on the wire rack definitely cooked more quickly and browned better on all sides, so use that type if you can. Cooking on a rack like this is probably not 100% necessary, but there will be some liquid that oozes out and baking on a rack lets that drip down away from the meatballs.
- Spray the rack with olive oil. Use a tablespoon-sized measuring spoon to scoop out meatballs and form them with your hands. We made about 40 small meatballs, about 10 servings for an appetizer.
- Bake meatballs 20 minutes or slightly longer; until they’re slightly browned and cooked through. (We turned the ones on the rack with smaller holes half way through, but the ones on the wire rack didn’t need to be turned.)
Make it a Meal:
For a low-carb meal you could make the meatballs a little bigger and serve with something like Many Peppers Greek Salad or Arugula, Kale, and Gorgonzola Salad.
More Tasty Meatballs You Might Like:
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb ground turkey breakfast sausage (see notes)
- 1 small onion, diced very small
- 1 T garlic puree (also called ground garlic)
- 1/2 tsp. Veg-Sal (see notes)
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Put meat in mixing bowl and allow to come to room temperature while you finely chop onion. I used my beloved Cuisinart Food Processor (affiliate link) to chop the onion, which worked well.
- When the meat is room temperature, mix in onions, garlic, Veg-Sal, pepper, ginger, cardamom, allspice, and cinnamon. Mix with your clean hands just until spices and meats are well combined; don’t over-mix the ingredients.
- Mist pan or grilling rack with olive oil or non-stick spray. (Baking on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath it will make the meatballs cook more evenly and it also lets any liquid that oozes out drip down away from the meatballs.)
- Use a tablespoon-sized measuring spoon to measure out meat, forming small meatballs by rolling with your hands and placing them on the rack as you go. We made about 40 small meatballs, but they can be a bit larger if you prefer, just adjust the cooking time.
- Bake until meatballs are slightly browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes for small meatballs. Serve hot.
Notes
Use ground pork or pork sausage if you prefer. If you don’t have Vege-Sal (affiliate link) use a slightly smaller amount of regular salt.
Nutritional information based on appetizer-size serving of four meatballs.
This recipe was originally from Anne’s Food, and slightly adapted by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 235Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 332mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 19g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Did you make this recipe?
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
These Baked Swedish Meatballs will be good for any type of low-carb diet, although you’d want to use pork sausage if you’re making them for Keto. With low-fat ground beef and low-fat ground turkey sausage or ground turkey, the meatballs are a good dish for all phases of the original South Beach Diet
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Appetizers or Oven Dinners to find more low-carb recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2007 and I’ve made it many times since then! It was last updated with more information in 2021.
Share This:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip
My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip was a Denny family favorite long before anyone heard of Ranch Dressing! And this family favorite Ranch Dip is a delicious low-carb and keto dip recipe and in my family this makes an appearance at every holiday gathering!
PIN Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip to try it later!
My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is one of my favorite memories from childhood! As early as I can remember, my Grandma Denny made a fantastic dip that she served with carrots and celery as an appetizer at every family gathering. In those days we called Grandma’s homemade ranch dip just *Vegetable Dip* as if there was only one kind of dip that could possibly be served with veggies.
This was long before the introduction of Ranch Dressing to the American culinary scene, and obviously my Grandma Denny was ahead of her time, because now people all over the country are eating Ranch Dip with veggies. And in my own extended family, there would never be a holiday gathering without this delicious homemade Ranch Dip on the table.
Of course there’s nothing wrong with making Ranch-Style Vegetable Dip using a package mix if that time-saver works for you. But my grandma’s Homemade Ranch Dip is a bit fresher tasting as well as being low in carbs, and if you usually use the mix but don’t have a package on hand I bet you’ll love my Grandma’s recipe.
Grandma Denny always used full-fat mayo and sour cream, but for anyone wanting lower fat you can obviously make this with reduced-fat products if you prefer. Or if you don’t like mayo, you might prefer the variation below for Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip, made with Greek yogurt and blended cottage cheese for a higher protein, lower-fat dip.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
Can you make this dip with onion powder?
I love the flavor the grated onion gives to my Grandma Denny’s homemade ranch dip. But if you prefer or want to save time, just use 1 tsp. onion powder.
Can you make this homemade ranch dip with Greek Yogurt?
I sometimes make a variation of this that I call Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip that’s lower in fat and higher in protein. For that variation follow this recipe but replace the sour cream with one cup of cottage that’s blended in the food processor until it’s nearly smooth and replace the mayo with one cup fat-free Greek Yogurt. (This is the version I would make when I was strictly following the original South Beach Diet.)
Want a version of ranch dip with more texture?
You can make a variation of this homemade ranch dip recipe with a little chopped red onion, finely diced cucumber, and finely diced red pepper if you’d like a chunkier dip. I would use about 2 T of each.
How to Make Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning Salt as the secret seasoning in her vegetable dip, but it’s no longer being made (sob!) If you still have Bon Appetit, use it, but now I use Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link). If you’re in Europe you can also use Trocomare Seasoning. (affiliate link)
- Grate a small amount of raw onion into a bowl. (I use the large side of a box grater; don’t use a microplane grater which just turns the onion to liquid.)
- Add mayo and sour cream to bowl.
- Then add Beau Monde Seasoning and dried dill weed (affiliate link).
- Mix all ingredients together well with a whisk. You can use a food processor as well, but the whisk is quicker.
- Let the dip chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two for best flavor.
- Serve with raw vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, bell pepper strips, jicama, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower.
- This is also good with carrots or as a dip for baked sweet potato fries for those who don’t mind more carbs.
- I tested this out on my friend Robin and she gave it two thumbs up!
More Tasty Vegetable Dips You Might Like:
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream (see notes)
- 1 cup mayo (see notes)
- 1 tsp. grated onion
- 2 tsp. dried dill weed
- 2 tsp. Beau Monde Seasoning (see notes)
Instructions
- Grate onion into a bowl, using the large side of a box grater or flat grater (not a microplane grater.)
- Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir together with a whisk (or you can use a food processor, but it’s not necessary.)
- Chill an hour or so before serving.
Notes
I only use Daisy full-fat sour cream and full-fat mayo for this recipe but if you prefer to make a lower-fat version of the recipe you can definitely use reduced fat sour cream and mayo.
My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning for this. When that was discontinued I started making it with Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link), which is almost identical in flavor.
This will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. Nutritional information doesn’t include vegetables and is calculated on 1/4 cup serving size.
Recipe from my Grandma Denny, who was a wonderful cook!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 245Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 564mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Did you make this recipe?
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is great for low-carb diets.Eat with low-carb vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, jicama, bell pepper strips, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower for low-carb diets. If you’re making this for the original South Beach Diet the Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip variation above is better for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Appetizers to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Kalyn was making this dip recipe long before the existence of the internet, and it was first posted on this site in 2005 (probably without a single photo in those days.) The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.
Share This:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Join the Conversation (0)
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
- Calories N/A
- Total Fat N/A
- Saturated Fat N/A
- Cholesterol N/A
- Sodium N/A
- Total Carbohydrates N/A
- Protein N/A
Hi, I'm Alex!
I love sharing easy, healthy, and family-friendly recipes that anyone can make at home.
Be the first to comment on this recipe!