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prep time
30 min
cook time
55 min
ready time
1 h 25 min
Keto Vegan BBQ Meatballs
This Vegan Keto BBQ recipe is perfect for anyone who is worried about feeling left out at the Summer barbecue party! The meatballs are made with zucchini, walnuts, and ground flax seeds. Once baked, the meatballs are crisp on the outside and tender/spongy on the inside, just like real meatballs. The meatballs are then coated in a homemade Vegan BBQ sauce that is also Keto-friendly. You’ll do a little work in the kitchen, but making these meatballs in batches is well worth the effort for feeding a crowd or meal prepping.
Is BBQ sauce Keto-friendly?
Many BBQ sauces you’ll find at the grocery store are loaded with sugar and high-carb ingredients. While there are some brands of Keto condiments, your healthiest option may be to make your own, homemade BBQ sauce. This recipe includes a Vegan Keto BBQ sauce that is made with tomatoes, but there’s no added sugar, and other high-carb ingredients have been substituted.
Add more fat to your meal
If you’re Vegan and Keto, you want to add lots of fat macros to your meal. You can add more fat to your meal in simple ways, like having a handful of high-fat nuts or seeds. Try drizzling extra virgin olive oil over your meatballs before tossing them in your homemade BBQ sauce. You can also eat a high-fat side dish from Carb Manager alongside the meatballs.
How to enjoy the recipe
You can simply stick toothpicks in the finished meatballs and serve them as an appetizer to a group or at a party. Meatballs are also great on veggie pasta. Put a fun BBQ twist over some spiralized veggie noodles or shirataki noodles. Since the meatballs have a “meaty” texture, you can also add them on top of salads or make a Vegan BBQ meatball sub!
Net Carbs
2 g
Fiber
3.3 g
Total Carbs
8.5 g
Protein
2.8 g
Fats
7.1 g
90 cals
#1 Low Carb & Keto Diet App Since 2010
Track macros, calories, and access top Keto recipes.
Ingredients
Tomato, canned
28 oz
Water
1 cup
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (Canned)
0.5 oz
Dijon mustard
0.5 tbsp
Apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp
Brown Sugar Replacement
4 tbsp
Salt
0.75 tsp
Black pepper
0.5 tsp
Paprika
4 tsp
Onion powder
0.5 tsp
Garlic powder
1 tsp
Cumin, ground
0.5 tsp
Zucchini
10 oz
Walnuts
4 oz
Salt
1 tsp
Flax seeds (Ground/ Milled)
0.75 cup
Black pepper
0.5 tsp
Onion powder
0.25 tsp
Garlic powder
0.25 tsp
Italian seasoning
0.5 tsp
Oregano, dried
0.25 tsp
Recipe Steps
steps 7
1 h 25 min
Step 1
Add whole tomatoes and their liquid from a can with water and chipotle peppers to a large pot on the stove. Cover and bring the pot to a boil, then boil the pot for about 10 minutes. Cook the ingredients until the tomatoes have softened and chipotle peppers have rehydrated.Step 2
Remove the pot from the heat, then pour the contents into a blender. Add dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar to the blender, then blend all the ingredients until they’re smooth. Now, pour the ingredients from the blender through a sieve back into the pot you were using to remove any seeds and pulp from the sauce.Step 3
Add your brown sugar substitute, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin to the pot and stir. Cover the pot again and bring the sauce to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer for several minutes until it reduces to a thickened, slightly-sticky consistency that can coat the back of a metal spoon. Leave the sauce aside to cool and thicken while you make the meatballs.Step 4
Turn on an oven to preheat to 350 F (180 C) and line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Shred the zucchini using a cheese grater and add the shreds to a large mixing bowl. Mix the chopped walnuts and salt into the zucchini, then set the bowl aside for 5 minutes. The salt is going to draw extra moisture from the zucchini.Step 5
After 5 minutes, stir ground flax seed, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and oregano into the bowl mixture. Leave the bowl aside for an additional 5 minutes so the flax seed absorbs the extra water in the bowl and congeals. The mixture should have a texture similar to mixed ground beef.Step 6
Form meatballs by grabbing 2-tablespoon portions and rolling the portions into balls. Arrange all the meatballs on your lined sheet tray, then bake the meatballs for 20 minutes. The meatballs should naturally release from the paper, have golden-brown exteriors, and be firm on the outside but spongy on the inside.Step 7
Let the meatballs cool for 10 minutes. Add the cooled meatballs to a clean mixing bowl, then pour your Vegan BBQ sauce over the meatballs. Toss the meatballs gently in the sauce until they’re all coated. You can serve the meatballs with toothpicks or your preferred method with any extra sauce.
Comments
AbraKadabra 2 years ago
NOTE: This review is for the veg balls only! All in all this is not a bad recipe. It's simple to execute, ingredients are basic, seasonings are yummy (if you are sensitive to salt I suggest throttling back some). I'm going to assume that there was a margin of error on my part... I more than doubled the cook time & the centers never firmed up. Incorrect ratio of liquid to flax? I will make this again (with reserved optimism) and post follow up review, next time including the sauce. ❤️