I got tired of tomato sauce and meatballs a long time ago. Keto Greek meatballs go a different direction entirely, ground chicken mixed with feta, spinach, and lemon zest instead of another marinara.
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These are nut-free, with no breadcrumbs, crackers, or ground nuts holding them together. The mixture will feel wetter than a typical meatball, and that is normal, they firm up fine in the oven. I make a double batch often and freeze half, raw or cooked.
Skip raw spinach here. It releases too much liquid as the meatballs bake and the mixture will not hold together the way it should.
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Chef Jenn’s Take on Greek Meatballs
The biggest reason keto meatballs fall apart is spinach that has not been squeezed dry enough. Cooked or thawed frozen spinach holds a surprising amount of water, and if that water goes into the mixture, the meatballs lose structure as they bake.
I use frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed by hand until almost no liquid comes out. One reader substituted finely chopped zucchini, microwaved and wrung dry, when she was out of spinach, and reported the meatballs held together just as well. That tracks, since the issue is really about excess moisture, not the vegetable itself.
The other thing worth knowing is that this mixture is supposed to feel wetter than a typical meatball. Ground chicken dries out fast, and a wetter mix with less binding is part of what keeps these tender instead of dense. Do not overwork it, trying to make it feel more like a beef meatball mixture, which firms it up in the wrong way.
What You’ll Love About Greek Meatballs
- Tastes like something from a Greek restaurant; feta and lemon zest do a lot of the work here.
- Nut-free and breadcrumb-free, so no worrying about a binder ingredient that doesn’t fit your kitchen.
- Freezes well both raw and cooked, so a double batch stretches across more than one meal.
Ingredients
- Ground chicken – Ground pork, beef, turkey, or lamb all work in its place if you’d rather switch it up.
- Frozen spinach – Thawed and squeezed very dry by hand. This step matters more than any other for keeping the meatballs together.
- Feta cheese – Crumbled. Look for a block you crumble yourself over a pre-crumbled bag for better flavor.
- Greek yogurt – Plain flavor only. Flavored varieties add sugar you don’t need here.
- Red bell pepper – Diced small so it distributes evenly through the mixture.
- Shallot – Diced. A small amount of yellow or sweet onion works if you don’t have shallot.
- Lemon zest – Fresh, not bottled. This is where a lot of the Greek flavor comes from.
- Dried thyme and dried oregano – Standard dried herbs, nothing specialty needed.
- Garlic powder – Fresh minced garlic works too, in a slightly smaller amount.
- Tzatziki sauce – Optional but these keto Greek Meatballs and Tzatziki Sauce go so well together!
How to Make Greek Meatballs
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Chop the thawed spinach and squeeze it by hand until almost no liquid remains. Combine the ground chicken, squeezed spinach, feta, Greek yogurt, red bell pepper, shallot, lemon zest, and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix just enough to combine, don’t overwork it.
Form the mixture into meatballs using about 2 tablespoons each, and line them up on a baking sheet with raised sides.
Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer. Bake time varies with meatball size, so check a few minutes early.
Serve warm, with tzatziki sauce alongside.
Make It A Meal
Tzatziki Sauce is close to a requirement with this dish, the cool, tangy flavor is what ties the whole plate together. For a bigger Greek-themed spread, Lemon Oregano Chicken Kabobs round things out well.
On the side, Low-Carb Sauteed Zucchini keeps the whole meal in the same Mediterranean direction.
Storage
Store cooked meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 325°F oven or in the microwave until warmed through. These freeze well for up to 3 months, either raw or fully cooked. Thaw completely before reheating for the best texture.
Frequently ASked Questions
This recipe runs about 3 net carbs per generous serving. The number in the recipe card below will recalculate once this post is republished, so use it as an estimate until then.
This isn’t recommended. Raw spinach releases a lot of liquid as the meatballs bake, and without pre-cooking or squeezing it dry first, the mixture is likely to fall apart.
Yes, one reader used finely chopped zucchini instead, microwaved briefly and wrung dry, with good results. Any low-moisture vegetable prepared the same way, cooked and squeezed thoroughly dry, should work similarly.
Yes, one reader used finely chopped zucchini instead, microwaved briefly and wrung dry, with good results. Any low-moisture vegetable prepared the same way, cooked and squeezed thoroughly dry, should work similarly.
Add Preferred SourceGreek Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 cup cooked spinach squeezed dry and chopped
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt PLAIN flavor
- 1/ cup red bell pepper diced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup shallot diced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pepper
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Chop and squeeze excess water from the spinach.
- Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
- Form meatballs from the mixture with your hands, and line them up on a baking sheet with raised sides.
- Cook at 375-F for about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the meatball, or until the internal temperature reaches 165-F. Serve with colorful veggies and tzatziki – enjoy!
Video
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Squeeze the spinach very dry. This single step matters more than any other for whether the meatballs hold together.
- Don’t worry if the mixture feels wetter than a typical meatball. That’s normal for this recipe and helps keep the ground chicken from drying out.
- Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer rather than relying on time alone. Meatball size varies enough to change the bake time by several minutes.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Want even more keto deliciousness? Check out these amazing keto soups & chowders, or go for something meaty like sausage Parmigiana. Is corned beef hash keto? You bet, and you can also make other favorites like king ranch chicken.
Could you add raw spinach instead of cooking it?
Well, I don’t think so. Cooking spinach gives off a lot of liquid, and that could cause the meatballs to fall apart if they had raw spinach in them. And, unless you chopped it up really finely, I’m not sure how you’d get the meatballs to form with the raw spinach in it.
You could use frozen, thawed, and squeezed spinach in its place. Can you buy the bag with the little frozen spinach pucks in it? Then you can just use what you need instead of thawing a whole block of it.
Great question – thanks for asking!
Your red pepper …the amount is what exactly as it appears as 1/…….
Oops, my apologies. That should have been 1/4 cup. I’ve fixed the recipe card. Thanks for pointing that out!
This still appears as 1/ But this recipe is delicious. I just made it for the first time and it will for sure go on my repeat list. I forgot to put in the yogurt, but they still turned out delicious.
That is such a delicious take on meatballs. Love the Greek flavors in there and making them keto is excellent.
Those are yummy looking meat balls. Thanks for sharing the detailed recipe.
Love all the healthy ingredients in these, they sound so delicious and flavorful! Can’t wait to try!
I love the Mediterranean flavor in these meatballs! The feta and oregano taste so good in this!
These meatballs look so flavorful and delicious. I will soon try this recipe
These meatballs are so flavorful! I love cooking with ground chicken, so these are perfect.
These look epic. Anything with feta gets a big thumbs up from me.
I’ve got two pounds of ground turkey, so these are happening today! I’m glad to hear they are low carb.
I love the Greek twist on these delicious meatballs. It would be hard to not eat these as my entire meal. They would be amazing in a gyro though for lunch soon.
This recipe is fabulous! It was really pretty easy and so delicious! I will definitely be making again!
Hi ,
I just made these for the first time and had to make some substitutions as I didn’t have any spinach in the house
I cut up a zucchini very finely and cooked it in the microwave and wrung out the juice and added it and I also added some fresh parsley and used a little more oregano and a little less thyme .
It turned out perfectly. what a great versatile recipe
I will definitely try it with spinach next time.
Thank you for taking the time to post such a delicious recipe
What a great substitution idea to use zucchini! So glad you loved the recipe, and thanks for stopping by to comment!
I made these the other day and they were delicious! I used fresh spinach. Cut it up pretty good and only used about 3/4 of a cup. They held together just fine. I may have overcooked them a bit, but they were definitely edible. I may put more fresh spinach in next time and not cook them for as long. I made golf ball sized balls so maybe that is why they cooked faster.
Thanks for dropping by to comment! Yes, ground chicken can dry out pretty quickly if overcooked – I’d recommend using a meat thermometer and pull those meatballs out when they hit 165-F. I hope you’ll try them again!