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Home / Recipes / Keto Appetizers

Low-Carb Sausage Balls (Gluten-Free, Paleo)

By Lisa MarcAurele · Jul 5, 2020 · 13 Comments

1.2K shares
Jump to Recipe
sausage balls pinterest image

Most low-carb sausage balls are loaded with cheese. But, with these tasty keto almond flour ones, you won't need to rely on cheese for flavor. There's no need to load keto sausage balls with cheese. If you've gone dairy-free, you'll love that these meatballs made with almond flour are low-carb, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly too!

sausage balls cover image
Article Index
  • Ingredients Needed For Low-Carb Sausage Balls
  • How To Make Low-Carb Sausage Balls
  • Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Sausage Balls
  • More Appetizer Recipes
  • Recipe

For a crowd pleasing appetizer, change up the meat in your meatballs with sausage. Not only do these balls make a great appetizer, they are perfect for breakfast too!

You can make these tasty meatballs way in advance because they freeze well. And, you can freeze them either cooked or uncooked. But they last longer if frozen uncooked.

One thing you may notice in these low-carb sausage balls is that there's no cheese. That's because there's plenty of flavor from the sausage and seasonings. But, you can always choose to add it in if you'd like.

This appetizer recipe is really easy! However, it takes a little time to form the balls, so you'll want to make them when you aren't pressed for time. It's a great item to add to your weekend meal preparation.

Ingredients Needed For Low-Carb Sausage Balls

The ingredients are fairly simple - in fact, you probably already have everything that you need. It's almost the same ingredients as traditional meatballs.

Here's what you need:

Sausage

The best kind of sausage is ground pork. Always avoid anything that says "maple" on the label because that means it has added sugar. If you want the sausage balls to have some kick, choose spicy sausage.

Almond Flour

Make sure you use almond flour, not almond meal. Almond meal is made by grinding up the almonds with the skin on, which means it has a grainy texture. If you use almond meal, it might make the sausage balls have a grainy texture too.

Baking Powder and Egg

You can replace the baking powder with 1 ⅓ teaspoons baking soda and ⅔ teaspoon cream of tarter. The egg binds it all together!

Spices

Use your favorite spices and seasonings in the sausage balls recipe. I used Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. I'm sure onion powder and some red pepper flakes would taste delicious as well!

If you want to use more spice, choose a mild sausage or else the seasoning in the meat will compete and could be overpowering.

Cheese

The cheese is completely optional. If you love cheese, use about 3 cups of grated cheddar. I always recommend that you grate your own instead of buying shredded cheese.

Packaged shredded cheese from the store has hidden ingredients used to prevent it from caking and sticking together.

Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.

Quick Tips:

  • Use parchment paper on top of the baking sheets. Not only does this make clean-up easier, but it prevents the sausage balls from sticking.
  • Serve them as either an appetizer or with your favorite marinara sauce on top of zucchini noodles.
  • Add these sausage balls to your meal prep for the week. They are high in protein!

How To Make Low-Carb Sausage Balls

All of the steps are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, I have some helpful photos of the process, along with some additional tips.

Use A Large Mixing Bowl

First, you'll want to grab a large mixing bowl to dump all the ingredients into.

sausage and egg in bowl

Put Everything In The Bowl

Add in the ground sausage and egg first. Then, pour in almond flour, Italian seasonings, and garlic powder.

adding almond flour baking powder garlic powder and italian seasoning

Mix It All Together

After adding in the spices, it's time to blend everything together. You can mix with either your hands or a rubber spatula.

Form The Sausage Balls

Once you've fully combined the ingredients in the bowl, form the mixture into balls using your hands or a meat baller.

raw sausage balls on lined baking sheet

Bake The Sausage Balls

After placing all of them on a lined baking sheet, bake the sausage balls for about 20 minutes.

cooked sausage balls on lined baking sheet

Dipping Sauce for Low-Carb Sausage Balls

If you like dunking meatballs in sauce, you can use a commercially prepared low-carb ketchup or keto BBQ sauce. However, I like to make my own homemade sauces.

You may also want to try serving them with a simple low-carb cheese sauce. Because the balls are seasoned, I wouldn't use a spicy cheese dip.

sausage balls social share image

Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Sausage Balls

Before we get to the recipe card, here are some questions people often ask about it.

How do you store leftover sausage balls?

Store cooked low-carb sausage balls in the refrigerator in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

How many carbs are in sausage balls?

If you follow my recipe, there are just 2g net carbs in each ball. The number of carbs will go up if you add dipping sauce.

Can you have sausage on a low-carb diet?

Yes, sausage is an excellent type of protein if you are on a low-carb diet. Just make sure that you choose meat that doesn't have any hidden carbs in the ingredients. Sources of hidden carbs in sausage include maple, sugar, and any fillers.

sausage balls with sticks on white plate with dipping sauce

That's about everything you need to know to make low-carb sausage balls. They are some of my favorite things to eat for lunch and make fantastic snacks at parties too!

More Appetizer Recipes

Planning a party or get together with friends and family watching carbs? You'll want to have a variety of low-carb finger foods. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Salt And Vinegar Wings combine that saltiness you crave with the tanginess of vinegar.
  • Cucumber Sandwiches With Cream Cheese are a popular tea party item, but there's no reason not to serve them at other gatherings!
  • Taco Dip With Meat can be served with lettuce wraps. Or serve them with a batch of low-carb tortilla chips!
  • Keto Popcorn is basically puffed cheese, and it is amazing how tasty it is. It's also really popular at parties.
  • Low-Carb Crackers are both keto and paleo-friendly and are excellent to use in low-carb dips.

Follow us on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and INSTAGRAM for even more tasty keto-friendly recipes!

Recipe

sausage balls featured image

Keto Dairy Free Sausage Balls

5 from 8 votes
This paleo sausage balls dairy free recipe is made with almond flour and added seasonings. Although cheese can be added, it's not needed as there's plenty of flavor.
Prep Time:10 minutes mins
Cook Time:20 minutes mins
Total Time:30 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Print Pin Review Recipe Save Recipe View Collections
Servings: 16 people
Calories: 152

Video

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground pork sausage
  • 1½ cups almond flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder see note
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 dash ground black pepper or to taste

Optional

  • 2 to 4 cups grated cheese cheddar works well

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, and mix together well using your hands.
  • Form the meat mixture into 16 even sized balls, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake the sausage balls for 20 minutes until browned and cooked through.
  • Let cool for several minutes before serving with your favorite keto-friendly dipping sauce.

Notes

Baking powder can be replaced with about 1 ⅓ baking soda and ⅔ cream of tartar for paleo.
2 to 4 cups of grated cheddar cheese can be added to make cheesy sausage balls and stretch out the recipe.
Use parchment paper (or a silicone baking sheet) on top of the baking sheets. Not only does this make clean-up easier, but it prevents the sausage balls from sticking.

Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart

Nutrition

Calories: 152 | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

Additional Info

Net Carbs: 2 g | % Carbs: 5.2 % | % Protein: 18.3 % | % Fat: 76.5 % | SmartPoints: 5
Values
Array
(
    [calories] => 152
    [carbohydrates] => 3
    [protein] => 7
    [fat] => 13
    [saturated_fat] => 3
    [cholesterol] => 34
    [sodium] => 259
    [potassium] => 128
    [fiber] => 1
    [sugar] => 1
    [vitamin_a] => 40
    [vitamin_c] => 1
    [calcium] => 49
    [iron] => 1
)

Notes on Nutritional Information

Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

Copyright

© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.

First published on June 19, 2015. Post updated on June 3, 2021, with new images and additional recipe information.

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Week 41 Keto Meal Plan »

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rehoboth

    November 19, 2022 at 4:52 am

    5 stars
    Nice post
    Thanks

    Reply
  2. Suzanne

    December 26, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    You can also leave out the almond flour and the baking powder and add mushrooms, peppers and onions for bulk. We make them often with or without added ground beef.

    Reply
    • Becky

      December 27, 2021 at 9:27 am

      I was wondering about omitting the almond flour and using mushrooms and good ole ground pork rinds for less carbs. My husband lacks portion control if he likes something si I try to go as low carb as possible.

      Reply
      • Lisa MarcAurele

        December 27, 2021 at 2:21 pm

        You can definitely swap the almond flour out with pork rind crumbs!

  3. Donny

    February 09, 2020 at 11:29 am

    5 stars
    Yum! I love any excuse to eat meatballs and these are so simple but so tasty!

    Reply
  4. Jessica

    February 06, 2020 at 3:40 pm

    5 stars
    Making a double batch and adding to my freezer right now. These are excellent for stocking up on!

    Reply
    • Renae

      December 15, 2020 at 5:01 pm

      Thanks! I was just going to ask if they can be frozen. This will help with the holidays. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Kelly

    February 04, 2020 at 3:53 pm

    5 stars
    So moist and delicious! Great for dinner or entertaining!

    Reply
  6. ChihYu

    February 04, 2020 at 2:47 pm

    5 stars
    The perfect meatball! So flavorful and juicy!

    Reply
  7. gregory d harris

    February 04, 2020 at 4:59 am

    Can you freeze these premade (raw) to be cooked later to avoid prep time?

    Reply
    • Lisa MarcAurele

      February 04, 2020 at 9:56 am

      Yes! The meatballs can be frozen raw or cooked.

      Reply
  8. linda spiker

    February 03, 2020 at 7:02 pm

    I am in a meatball kick right now. Thanks, going to try it!

    Reply
  9. Jean Choi

    February 03, 2020 at 5:45 pm

    5 stars
    The seasoning is amazing in these meatballs! So easy to make too.

    Reply
5 from 8 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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