- July 9, 2020
- 30 Minute Meals
Keto Egg Roll Meatballs
If you love a good egg roll in a bowl recipe, then you will love this super easy approach to making a deconstructed egg roll (without the wrapper) in meatball form. This simple dish is perfect for meal prep, dinner, or serve as an appetizer. It’s also keto and whole 30 approved too!
If you’re missing out on your favorite Chinese take out egg rolls, this recipe is a great way to get your fix without the extra carbs. Though I am a fan of my keto pork egg roll recipe and my take on keto egg roll wrappers is really great recipe, I think making these meatballs is a much faster alternative with the same incredible taste.
I’m no stranger to making a good ground beef based meatball or these butter chicken meatballs, but this time I wanted to switch things up! This recipe uses classic flavors like ground pork, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), green onions, minced carrots, garlic, and even fresh ginger to create a moist and flavor packed Asian inspired meatball.
Eat the meatballs right off the pan or serve them in cups of butter lettuce and add some Keto Yum Yum Sauce to the top too to make the perfect meal or beautiful keto-friendly appetizer. Read through the post below to get all the helpful tips and techniques for cooking the perfect egg roll inspired meatball everyone will love.
“School” Supplies:
- Knife & Cutting Board
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Baking Sheet
“Class” Notes:
Let’s break down some common questions I get in regards to egg rolls on a keto diet. Below are answers to these common questions that will help guide you through this way of eating as well as this recipe!
Are egg roll wrappers keto friendly?
Straight up, no. Egg roll wrappers or wanton wrappers are made with flour and are definitely not a keto or lower carb option for this diet. Though, I have figured out a great way to make my own version of a keto friendly egg roll wrapper with these keto eggs rolls, I wanted a faster way to enjoy this classic recipe but in a healthier way (keto and whole 30 approved).
How do I make a traditional pork egg roll filling?
Before eating a predominately low carb diet, I was obsessed with this traditional (aka carb based) Pork Egg Roll recipe from Steamy Kitchen. Her recipe features similar flavors to my meatball recipe but adds other fillings like cabbage, mushrooms, etc. What I loved about her recipe, was how small and thin the egg rolls were in comparison to many you get from a Chinese take out restaurant.
I wanted to focus on using ground pork for these meatballs, but you could easily swap that out for ground chicken, ground turkey, or other meat blends that you would prefer. If you are a pork eater, I do highly recommend it because it is higher in fat. The higher fat content is better for keto recipes yes, but fat also equals more flavor too!
My egg roll meatballs used minced carrot, sesame oil, coconut aminos (or sub soy sauce), ginger, garlic, and green onion. I also added a little fresh cilantro which isn’t probably a traditional filing but I thought it added a nice flavor component that really made these stand out.
To bind everything together I included one egg as well as some pork rinds. The crushed pork rinds serve as a replacement to standard bread crumbs in traditional meatball recipes to help with texture and help retain moisture in the meat. This definitely is an element I would not leave out of this recipe (texture is just as important to flavor in my opinion).
PRO TIP- If you are eating Whole30 sub the pork rinds for a little almond flour as a low carb, compliant option too!
How to assemble the egg roll mix and cook?
Mixing everything by hand is you best bet. This helps keep the meat tender and ensures everything is well mixed and combines. Wear gloves if you’re uncomfortable with touching raw meat.
I prefer to broil the meatballs until fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F. This takes 10-15 minutes roughly depending on the size of your meatballs. I like to keep the meatballs around 1-1.5 inches so that they bake faster.
I choose to broil over cooking these in a large skillet for a few reasons. While you could easily sear these in a medium high heat skillet if preferred, I often find that they cook unevenly and also make a large mess. Because I use ground pork, you often get a lot of excess fat. That fat makes quite a big mess when cooking on the stove top. Bake for an easier, faster method with less clean up!
How to serve, eat, and enjoy these meatballs?
You have a few creative options for enjoying this recipe. I love serving up a few meatballs into smaller butter leaf lettuce cups (gives me P.F Chang vibes), drizzle with my friend Anna’s popular keto Yum Yum sauce and you have the perfect meal or fun appetizer.
If you want to go full egg roll in a bowl meatball style, cook it up with this fool proof recipe for the best cauliflower rice and add some coleslaw mix as well. Garnish with more of the sauce I mentioned above and some extra sesame seeds for good measure.
This recipe makes 18-20 meatballs give or take. Serving sizes may vary depending on how you would prefer to serve this recipe, but each individual meatball is only 1 net carb.
Meal prep, storing, and freezing-
As a culinary arts teacher I am well educated in food safety. A good rule of thumb is to note that all cooked foods should last up to a week if properly stored and kept cool in the fridge. You can reheat these in the oven, a skillet, the microwave or the air fryer.
I like to store already cooked meatballs in the freezer for busy weeknights. Lay each cooked meatball out on a sheet pan and let them freeze like this for about 30 minutes before storing them in a freezer safe bag. This prevents them from sticking together and allows for you to cook however many you want at a given time.
Not ready to make this recipe? Go and save it to Pinterest and be sure to follow me there for other easy to make keto recipes too.
Love Asian inspired keto recipes? Check out some other fan favorites below-
Bon Appeteach,
-L
Keto Egg Roll Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- 1 Egg
- 2 Green Onions diced small
- 3 tbsp. Minced Carrot
- 1 Garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger minced
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp. Coconut Aminos or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Pork Panko finely crushed pork rinds
- 2 tbsp Cilantro minced
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to the highest broiler setting and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up.
- In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well with your hands. Roll the mixture into 1-1.5 inch meatballs and place onto the baking sheet.
- Broil in the oven for 10-15 minutes. They should brown nicely on top and reach and internal temperature of 165 F. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Serve in lettuce cups or over cauliflower rice.