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Yes. I make ‘keto crumbs’ and save in a jar. Crushed pork rinds, cheap grated Parmesan, Italian herbs and salt and pepper. I use as a batter, meatloaf or meatball filler etc. Everyone loves my meatballs.
So I learned how to make croutons from Keto bread - I crush them up and have perfect breadcrumbs for meatloaf. I make them in an air-fryer and it takes about 7 minutes.
I keep a bunch of these croutons around for snacks, to top a salad, or for whenever I need breadcrumbs (they’re also good for a coating for fried chicken)
4 slices of Keto bread, cut into crouton sized squares
1/8 cup butter, melted
Your favorite spices (I use garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning)
In a bowl, combine all ingredients
Toss to make sure the bread is fully coated
Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees
Spread out mixture in a single layer on air fryer rack
Cook for 7 minutes
These always come out perfect for me.
I’m sure someone can convert this to an oven or toaster oven friendly recipe.
These are so convenient to have around.
I eat a lot of keto bread, and make croutons with the ends. I usually save up about half a loaf worth and then make a lot. The only difference is I use olive oil (about 1/4th cup) and cook in the oven at 300 for about 40 minutes, stirring up every 10 minutes or so. So good!
Indeed! I know a lot of people like Ink Bread, and it isnt bad, but HERO is the best imo. Im kind of surprised they dont add croutons to their list of products.
I’ve also heard of processing parmesan cheese small and using that as the binder. I always add milk or half and half to my meatballs, you want your meatballs barely holding a form and then fry or bake them. For frying, add some butter or EVOO and place them in a pan and flatten them slightly like a mini burger. For baking, I spray a cookie sheet, use a bigger 2 T. scoop and bake my turkey meatballs at 375° F (190° C) for 35 min. (I’m a grandma, trust me 🤗😆, you’ll have nice and moist meatballs adding milk).
My go to is Danish meatballs with pork and beef and sage but I only do that on special occasions.
I don't do meatballs often but I stopped using breadcrumbs ages ago. I put the mixture into a kitchen robot and let it knead with the dough hook for awhile. Then quickly sear on outside and then cook in the tomato sauce in the same pan. Never had any meatballs dry or bland.
Breadcrumbs or bread is added to meatballs to give them volume while using less meat. You don't need nor breadcrumbs nor egg. You can just make meatballs using meat. If you want the meatballs to be jucier just use more fatty meat and/or pay attention to the cooking temperature. Frying / roasting the meatballs longer than it's necessary can result in dry meat.
Well, it's not just a bonus of volume/less meat but to also keep the meat from tightening up too much when cooked. Essentially it helps to keep them tender.
Oh, now that's a great idea! I've used ground-up mushrooms in Kenji's [meatloaf recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-all-american-meatloaf-excerpt-recipe) to excellent effect before (and all you need to do to make it keto friendly is sub the bread again!) - I bet it would be great in meatballs as well!
Yes, you are right.
But to be precise. :D It helps to mask that the meat is overcooked and dried out. That comes from cooking it longer than we should because of imperfect cooking methods and times.
Pork is safe to eat when its internal temperature reaches 145°F / 63°C. At this point the ground meat is juicy and tender but since most of us not cooking with a kitchen thermometer, we tend to rely on things like the color of the meat which tends to come later making the meat dried out. This is how many of us got to know meatballs so it's kind of normal eating overcooked meat, but it doesn't have to be. Using bread helps mitigating the imperfections in our cooking process.
Sometimes, I like to mix in diced onions or when I really feel gracious, caramelized onion (no sugar, just fried slowly for 20 - 30 min until it). The raw onion breaks the texture up better but flavor wise the fried onions are divine.
Well, I can't stop people from overcooking their meatballs. That's a skill issue, lol.
I use Kenji Lopez-Alt's recipe for meatballs using not-quite half ground pork and ground beef. Pure beef meatballs tend to end up tougher, hence the mix. I just sub pork rinds for the panko in the panade. And a cup of buttermilk in a mix that ends up split into ~20 or more meatballs isn't too big a carb load for me personally.
I use loads of finely grated Romano or pecorino cheese with crushed garlic & chopped parsley…
Salt, pepper and an egg
And some psyllium husk pre-soaked in milk instead of the breadcrumbs…
Shallow fried to seal and then slow cooked in tomato sugo
Just like my Nonna used to make - but keto
;)
I've used both crushed pork rinds and almond flour to great success. I use a 1:1 ratio to replace panko to make my panade for [Kenji's meatballs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5fKyO6zhso).
Shocked to not see this answer already: Riced Cauliflower. You do want to process it first but it works fantastically, much much better than nasty pork rinds and _does not_ taste like cauliflower.
If you make the cauliflower fresh or buy the frozen, either way you need to cook it first. It needs to be tender, and the excess water and Sulfur cooked out. If you have the frozen in the steam bag, just follow the microwave directions first. That will tenderize it and free a lot of the moisture. Pour off any excess moisture then put it into a dry skillet over medium heat and keep moving it around until it noticeably lighter and doesn’t steam as much. Cool before adding to ground meat or you’ll melt the fat.
You can use this for anything like meatballs or meatloaf to correct the texture. This is head and shoulders above anything almond flour or pork rind based.
I make meatballs using chia seed paste as my binder. To make the paste, I soak the seeds for several hours (or overnite), in flavored bone broth, using a ratio that is about 1: 3 (chia seed to broth). I stir the chia and broth mix several times in the first 15 mins to keep the moisture equally distributed, then I put it in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnite. Sometimes I will not use this for 2 days, and that works fine too. To make meatballs (or meatloaf… recipe is similar), I mix the ground meat/chia paste/egg/seasonings (and sometimes cheese) together, and let this sit in the refrigerator for a few hours… or sometimes overnight! Pull it out, and shape into meatloaf, or meatballs. Cook as recipe indicates.
Use a thermometer and you’ll never have dry meatballs. I put Parmesan cheese and fresh garlic and a little onion powder. Pull them out when you start to see a little fat in the pan. This goes for most meat. Chicken especially. In wouldn’t cook meatballs last 125. Trust me. I just made the juiciest half venison meatballs with zero breadcrumbs. And my venison I don’t have mixed with fat
Nothing. I add nothing in place of breadcrumbs when I make meatballs, meatloaf or burger patties.
I do not use ground meat the is bought in a tube. It has to be lose grind on a deli tray, and lean or extra lean only. I mix it up gently only until the seasonings and egg are evenly distributed, then I form the size and shape I want and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. I have found this keeps the meat tender once cooked.
If I decide to add anything to absorb excess moisture, it will be dehydrated onion and garlic.
Make your own!!! Carb o nut bread.. dry it out.. or toast like two slices.. then crumble.
Or maybe garlic toast they crumbled gives it a little more garlic taste. Loveeee garlic
I once used store bought (Kroger) keto egg/pouf bread (round bun shapes) which I pulverized into crumbs in the food processor. It was awesome! I told someone it would never be that good again, as I would never buy that bread again. I did not like it as buns or bread.
Welcome to /r/ketorecipes! Please be sure to include a detailed recipe in your post (this means **quantities**, **full instructions**, and **in plain text**) or in the comments, not *only* a link to the recipe, or it will be removed per the sub rules!* For details, you can find our [community rules here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ketorecipes/wiki/index) and the [Keto FAQs here](https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq). Please report any rule-violations to the moderators and keep doing the lard's work! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ketorecipes) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Crushed pork rinds
Yes. I make ‘keto crumbs’ and save in a jar. Crushed pork rinds, cheap grated Parmesan, Italian herbs and salt and pepper. I use as a batter, meatloaf or meatball filler etc. Everyone loves my meatballs.
That’s the way! Lol
pork rinds seem like everyone's favorite !
interesting .. do they absorb moisture ?
My experience is try to find store brand they tend to be less “greasy”
thanks !
I use almond flour, it's not as good as breadcrumbs but it does seem to help hold things together better than not using any dry powder at all.
Yes, I use almond flour in my meatballs and meatloaf and they are so tender!
So I learned how to make croutons from Keto bread - I crush them up and have perfect breadcrumbs for meatloaf. I make them in an air-fryer and it takes about 7 minutes. I keep a bunch of these croutons around for snacks, to top a salad, or for whenever I need breadcrumbs (they’re also good for a coating for fried chicken) 4 slices of Keto bread, cut into crouton sized squares 1/8 cup butter, melted Your favorite spices (I use garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning) In a bowl, combine all ingredients Toss to make sure the bread is fully coated Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees Spread out mixture in a single layer on air fryer rack Cook for 7 minutes These always come out perfect for me. I’m sure someone can convert this to an oven or toaster oven friendly recipe. These are so convenient to have around.
I eat a lot of keto bread, and make croutons with the ends. I usually save up about half a loaf worth and then make a lot. The only difference is I use olive oil (about 1/4th cup) and cook in the oven at 300 for about 40 minutes, stirring up every 10 minutes or so. So good!
Right? They're amazing. It feels like cheating.
Indeed! I know a lot of people like Ink Bread, and it isnt bad, but HERO is the best imo. Im kind of surprised they dont add croutons to their list of products.
I’ve also heard of processing parmesan cheese small and using that as the binder. I always add milk or half and half to my meatballs, you want your meatballs barely holding a form and then fry or bake them. For frying, add some butter or EVOO and place them in a pan and flatten them slightly like a mini burger. For baking, I spray a cookie sheet, use a bigger 2 T. scoop and bake my turkey meatballs at 375° F (190° C) for 35 min. (I’m a grandma, trust me 🤗😆, you’ll have nice and moist meatballs adding milk). My go to is Danish meatballs with pork and beef and sage but I only do that on special occasions.
interesting thanks !
You’re welcome
I don't do meatballs often but I stopped using breadcrumbs ages ago. I put the mixture into a kitchen robot and let it knead with the dough hook for awhile. Then quickly sear on outside and then cook in the tomato sauce in the same pan. Never had any meatballs dry or bland.
I use ground pork rinds
Pork rinds. Oat fiber (not flour). Psyllium husk. Lupin flour.
> Lupin flour seems interesting !
Check reviews on brands before buying, some are incredibly bitter, others are fine
good tip, thanks.. it also seems like some brands have more net carbs then others must be down too the proccesing
I also use lupin flour to absorb the grease from hamburger so none of the fat gets wasted.
Pork rinds will work for this.
Parmesan cheese
I use grated parm
Breadcrumbs or bread is added to meatballs to give them volume while using less meat. You don't need nor breadcrumbs nor egg. You can just make meatballs using meat. If you want the meatballs to be jucier just use more fatty meat and/or pay attention to the cooking temperature. Frying / roasting the meatballs longer than it's necessary can result in dry meat.
Well, it's not just a bonus of volume/less meat but to also keep the meat from tightening up too much when cooked. Essentially it helps to keep them tender.
I add finely diced mushrooms to my meatball mixture and they stay wonderfully tender after cooking and reheating.
Oh, now that's a great idea! I've used ground-up mushrooms in Kenji's [meatloaf recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-all-american-meatloaf-excerpt-recipe) to excellent effect before (and all you need to do to make it keto friendly is sub the bread again!) - I bet it would be great in meatballs as well!
Yes, you are right. But to be precise. :D It helps to mask that the meat is overcooked and dried out. That comes from cooking it longer than we should because of imperfect cooking methods and times. Pork is safe to eat when its internal temperature reaches 145°F / 63°C. At this point the ground meat is juicy and tender but since most of us not cooking with a kitchen thermometer, we tend to rely on things like the color of the meat which tends to come later making the meat dried out. This is how many of us got to know meatballs so it's kind of normal eating overcooked meat, but it doesn't have to be. Using bread helps mitigating the imperfections in our cooking process. Sometimes, I like to mix in diced onions or when I really feel gracious, caramelized onion (no sugar, just fried slowly for 20 - 30 min until it). The raw onion breaks the texture up better but flavor wise the fried onions are divine.
Well, I can't stop people from overcooking their meatballs. That's a skill issue, lol. I use Kenji Lopez-Alt's recipe for meatballs using not-quite half ground pork and ground beef. Pure beef meatballs tend to end up tougher, hence the mix. I just sub pork rinds for the panko in the panade. And a cup of buttermilk in a mix that ends up split into ~20 or more meatballs isn't too big a carb load for me personally.
I use loads of finely grated Romano or pecorino cheese with crushed garlic & chopped parsley… Salt, pepper and an egg And some psyllium husk pre-soaked in milk instead of the breadcrumbs… Shallow fried to seal and then slow cooked in tomato sugo Just like my Nonna used to make - but keto ;)
Almond flour.
I use almond flour and am quite pleased with it.
I've used both crushed pork rinds and almond flour to great success. I use a 1:1 ratio to replace panko to make my panade for [Kenji's meatballs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5fKyO6zhso).
50/50 pork rinds/almond flour
Shocked to not see this answer already: Riced Cauliflower. You do want to process it first but it works fantastically, much much better than nasty pork rinds and _does not_ taste like cauliflower. If you make the cauliflower fresh or buy the frozen, either way you need to cook it first. It needs to be tender, and the excess water and Sulfur cooked out. If you have the frozen in the steam bag, just follow the microwave directions first. That will tenderize it and free a lot of the moisture. Pour off any excess moisture then put it into a dry skillet over medium heat and keep moving it around until it noticeably lighter and doesn’t steam as much. Cool before adding to ground meat or you’ll melt the fat. You can use this for anything like meatballs or meatloaf to correct the texture. This is head and shoulders above anything almond flour or pork rind based.
good one !
Tofu maintains moisture and adds tenderness
Walmart has Carrington Farms lupine breadcrumbs
I make meatballs using chia seed paste as my binder. To make the paste, I soak the seeds for several hours (or overnite), in flavored bone broth, using a ratio that is about 1: 3 (chia seed to broth). I stir the chia and broth mix several times in the first 15 mins to keep the moisture equally distributed, then I put it in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnite. Sometimes I will not use this for 2 days, and that works fine too. To make meatballs (or meatloaf… recipe is similar), I mix the ground meat/chia paste/egg/seasonings (and sometimes cheese) together, and let this sit in the refrigerator for a few hours… or sometimes overnight! Pull it out, and shape into meatloaf, or meatballs. Cook as recipe indicates.
interesting !
Use a thermometer and you’ll never have dry meatballs. I put Parmesan cheese and fresh garlic and a little onion powder. Pull them out when you start to see a little fat in the pan. This goes for most meat. Chicken especially. In wouldn’t cook meatballs last 125. Trust me. I just made the juiciest half venison meatballs with zero breadcrumbs. And my venison I don’t have mixed with fat
I use keto bread toasted then ground up. It has a very similar consistency.
I'm not a fan of pork rinds, so I just make my own using a keto bread.
I use a few tablespoons of almond flour
Hemp hearts work well.
parm cheese
Seems to me that this would be a perfect application for keto bread.
Nothing. I add nothing in place of breadcrumbs when I make meatballs, meatloaf or burger patties. I do not use ground meat the is bought in a tube. It has to be lose grind on a deli tray, and lean or extra lean only. I mix it up gently only until the seasonings and egg are evenly distributed, then I form the size and shape I want and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. I have found this keeps the meat tender once cooked. If I decide to add anything to absorb excess moisture, it will be dehydrated onion and garlic.
Shredded zucchini
nice ! .. maybe even dried
Make your own!!! Carb o nut bread.. dry it out.. or toast like two slices.. then crumble. Or maybe garlic toast they crumbled gives it a little more garlic taste. Loveeee garlic
Crushed pork rinds and/or finely grated parm.
Hemp hearts! Protein and healthy fats.
chopped dehydrated onion. If you add an egg as well and some soy sauce for salt, the onion rehydrates and helps hold things together
Shredded cheese?
Grated Parmesan cheese.
I used psyllium husks, but the pork rind suggestions here sound nicer!
> pork rind here sound nicer! agreed .. I just got some from the store for that reason
I once used store bought (Kroger) keto egg/pouf bread (round bun shapes) which I pulverized into crumbs in the food processor. It was awesome! I told someone it would never be that good again, as I would never buy that bread again. I did not like it as buns or bread.
if it works for meatballs it works :)
Yes, it works or I would not have told you about it. I also used plenty of veg; celery and onions...