Paleo Swedish Meatballs (Dairy-free & Whole30)

Paleo Swedish Meatballs served with a creamy dairy-free gravy –  the ultimate comfort food made healthy! The meatballs are made with ground beef and almond flour and bathe in a creamy dairy free cashew sauce. Delicious served over cauliflower mash for a low carb dinner. 

Swedish meatballs – also known as köttbullar or simply “Ikea Meatballs”! Oh, what’s not to love about a steaming plate of juicy all-spiced Swedish meatballs swimming in a silky, rich and creamy gravy?

Savory and tender and that sauce OMG! I’m generally a fan of all things gravy and mash but when it’s a creamy gravy that also happens to be healthy, dairy-free, gluten-free paleo, and low carb, EVEN Whole30?! That’s basically a miracle, right?

I know food bloggers tend to exaggerate at times  and I know those furniture store meatballs have a pretty serious fan club behind them. So let me just put it like this: I actually like these paleo Swedish meatballs way better than the ones at IKEA.  Why? I feel good about eating them plus the meatballs are super flavorful and that cashew cream gravy is LIFE!

I feel we should all live our best life by making this sauce not only with these Swedish meatballs but also with zucchini meatballs for a plant-based meatball dinner. Not into cashew cream? Make the gravy using coconut cream and thicken with some arrowroot if needed.

What to serve with Paleo Swedish Meatballs?

If you want to keep things low carb, I recommend cauliflower mash or celeriac mash. If you are not on a Whole30 you could add some refined sugar-free lingonberry jam, my homemade cranberry sauce, or (not authentic but delish) raspberry jam.

However, I totally feel this would be amazing served over zucchini noodles or just with a simple side salad.

How to make Paleo Swedish Meatballs:

Step 1  -Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet (you’ll use the same skillet for the whole recipe). Cook onion over medium heat for 2 minutes or until softened. Let it cool a bit.

Step 2 – In a large bowl, mix cooked onion, beef, almond flour, all spice, pepper, garlic powder, salt, parsley and egg. Don’t overwork the meat to keep it tender.

Step 3 – Roll meat into meatballs and place on a large plate or lined baking sheet. It’ll make about 12/13 meatballs.

Step 4 – Heat two teaspoons olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Brown meatballs, rotating them 2-3 times carefully to brown all sides (this should take about 10 minutes or less). Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 7-8 minutes or until almost cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside on a clean plate.

Step 5 – Stir in beef broth, cashew cream, Dijon mustard, and coconut aminos. The sauce will look too liquid at the beginning, it’s normal. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a very slow simmer. Add meatballs back to the skillet and simmer until sauce has thickened a bit, about 2-3 minutes, keeping in mind that it will keep thickening once it cools down.

Step 6 -Turn off the heat and serve immediately sprinkle with fresh parsley, over cauliflower mash, mashed potatoes or pasta.

Tips:

• To reheat, remove meatballs for the sauce and whisk it in with a bit of broth (the sauce thickens a lot as it cools).
• For the meatballs, you could also use ground chicken, pork or turkey or a mix of several meats, if you like.
• During the winter months, serve these paleo Swedish meatballs with a side of my homemade sugar-free cranberry sauce. It is sweet and tart, just like lingonberries but way easier to source
• Make sure you mix the meatballs ingredients just until combined but don’t overmix. Use your hands to mix the batter until just incorporated and then move on!
• A dash of coconut aminos adds a nice depth of color and flavor to the sauce. If you are not on Whole30/paleo use soy sauce.

5 from 5 votes

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Dairy Free Swedish Meatballs

Paleo Swedish Meatballs served with a creamy dairy-free gravy -  the ultimate comfort food made healthy! The meatballs are made with ground beef and almond flour and bathe in a creamy dairy free cashew sauce. Delicious served over cauliflower mash for a low carb dinner.  

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword almond flour meatballs, healthy Swedish meatballs, paleo meatballs

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 476 kcal

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 small onion finely minced
• 4 teaspoons olive oil divided
• 1 lb lean ground beef / 500 g
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon all spice
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley + more for serving
• 1 large egg

Creamy Gravy

• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup cashew cream click to see my super easy, 2-ingredient recipe
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons coconut aminos

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet (you’ll use the same skillet for the whole recipe). Cook onion over medium heat for 2 minutes or until softened. Let it cool a bit.

2. In large bowl, mix cooked onion, beef, almond flour, all spice, pepper, garlic powder, salt, parsley and egg. Don’t overwork the meat to keep it tender.

3. Roll meat into meatballs and place on a large plate or lined baking sheet. It’ll make about 12/13 meatballs.

4. Heat two teaspoons olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Brown meatballs, rotating them 2-3 times carefully to brown all sides (this should take about 10 minutes or less). Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 7-8 minutes or until almost cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside on a clean plate.

5. Stir in beef broth, cashew cream, Dijon mustard, and coconut aminos. The sauce will look too liquid at the beginning, it’s normal. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a very slow simmer. Add meatballs back to the skillet and simmer until sauce has thickened a bit, about 2-3 minutes, keeping in mind that it will keep thickening once it cools down.

6. Turn off the heat and serve immediately over cauliflower mash, mashed potatoes or pasta.

Recipe Notes

To reheat, remove meatballs for the sauce and whisk it in with a bit of broth (the sauce thickens a lot as it cools).

Nutrition Facts

Dairy Free Swedish Meatballs

Amount Per Serving (1 /4)

Calories 476 Calories from Fat 333

% Daily Value*

Fat 37g57%

Saturated Fat 18g113%

Cholesterol 193mg64%

Sodium 923mg40%

Potassium 568mg16%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 1103IU22%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 86mg9%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Healthy Paleo Swedish Meatballs Meatballs recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy comfort food recipes from the blog:

• Italian Wedding Soup 
• Vegan Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup
• Creamy Mushroom and Rice Soup
• Healthy Turkey Taco Soup
• Beef and Sweet Potato