Spinach Balls – Keto Appetizer 1g Net Carbs
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 09/24/2015 - Last updated on 03/29/2024
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These spinach balls are the best keto appetizer with a delicious cheesy chewy texture and spinach garlic flavor.
Plus, the recipe is gluten-free, so all your friends can enjoy them!
What Are Spinach Balls?
Spinach balls are one of the most popular appetizers, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it works for any occasion! It’s a small cheesy ball filled with grated cheese, eggs, and spinach. It’s the ball version of my Spinach Fritters.
The classic original recipe uses panko breadcrumbs as a binder.
Here I am sharing with you both recipes, the original recipe for the purists and the keto spinach ball recipe using a combo of healthier flour, almond flour, and psyllium husk for a delicious side dish.
How To Make Spinach Balls
Keto spinach balls are a variation of my original recipe using low-carb flours instead of panko breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
Let’s see the ingredients you need to make this healthy appetizer.
- Spinach – fresh or frozen, both will work well. Always measure spinach once cooked, drained, and chopped for precision. Spinach is a perfectly keto-friendly vegetable, with only 0.3 grams of net carbs per 100 grams!
- Eggs
- Grated mozzarella – any hard grated cheese such as cheddar cheese would work, but mozzarella creates the most impressive cheesy effect. Mozzarella made from cow milk, goat milk, or buffalo milk have between 0 and 0.7 grams of net carbs per ounce, so very keto-friendly.
- Almond flour – or almond meal if you prefer. If you’re not sure how to choose the right flour for your keto diet, read my keto flour guide! For the non-keto version, use bread crumbs instead.
- Whole psyllium husk – husk is 100% fiber. It gives a chewy texture to the balls and holds the ingredients together into a lovely round shape. Don’t use Metamucil fiber supplements in my recipes. This is not the same product as whole psyllium husk fiber. Metamucil is a husk powder that is not suitable for baking keto bread. It will turn food dry, purple, or blue.
- Fresh herbs – it’s optional but highly recommended to boost the flavor. The best herbs are parsley or cilantro (aka coriander).
- Garlic salt – or fresh garlic and salt, but I’m lazy sometimes, and both result in a delicious spinach ball. You can also add some onion powder and black pepper.
Instructions
This is a no-fail recipe, really. If you have a large mixing bowl and you are not scared to get your hands a bit dirty, here you go!
You are a few minutes away from making the most delicious appetizer for your next party.
Preparing The Spinach
Prepare the spinach by placing the leaves in boiling water and letting them cook for 3 minutes.
Then rinse them in a colander under cold water. You can even place them in a large bowl with ice to shock them and keep all the nutrients and colors.
Preparing The Spinach Balls
Chop the spinach leaves into small chunks.
Combine the chopped spinach with beaten eggs, grated cheese, fresh herbs, salt, garlic powder, almond flour, and psyllium husk in a mixing bowl.
Combine the spinach ball batter with a spoon or a silicone spatula until it’s well distributed.
Cooking The Spinach Balls
Form about 22 spinach balls with your hands from the mixture and place them on a baking sheet lined with lightly oiled parchment paper.
You can also use a small cookie scoop to make 1-inch balls.
Bake them at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 30 minutes.
You know they are ready when they are golden on the top.
Storage Instructions
You can store the cooked spinach balls in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
They can also be frozen in the freezer for up to 3 months. Place them in small zip-lock bags with a serving per bag.
Rewarm them in the oven or in an air fryer. You don’t have to thaw them before reheating the spinach balls.
Serving Spinach Balls
Spinach Balls are a great appetizer that you can serve with any of the healthy dips below.
I also recommend treating your guests with some other appetizers such as my Broccoli Cheese Balls, my Keto Broccoli Tots, or my Keto Garlic Bread.
It’s also the perfect pairing to my delicious meat recipes:
- Cast-Iron Chicken Breast
- 4-Ingredient Oven Baked Pork Chops
- Blackened Chicken
- Broiled Pork Chops
- Keto Chicken Tenders
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are not on a keto diet and are looking for the original spinach ball recipe, simply replace the combo of almond flour and psyllium husk with 1 cup of panko crumbs and reduce the amount of grated cheese to half a cup.
I recommend looking at the recipe card where both recipes are displayed.
These are perfect appetizers to make ahead for Christmas or any party. Follow the steps below to freeze them with success.
– Lay the balls, uncooked, on a plate covered with parchment paper
– Leave half a thumb of space between each ball to prevent them from sticking together.
– After an hour, transfer into an airtight plastic box.
It’s clearly your best alternative to potato chips for your next party!
You don’t have to defrost these balls in a microwave.
Place the frozen balls onto a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20-30 minutes or until golden.
Yes, these can totally be cooked in an air fryer. Place them in the basket on one single layer (so you might need to make two batches).
Cook them in the air fryer for 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
Best Dips For Spinach Balls
The cheesy spinach bites are way better hot and dipped into the sauce! I recommend the following spinach ball dipping sauce options:
More Keto Appetizers
If you like keto-friendly appetizers, you’ll love the following recipes:
I hope you enjoyed this new recipe. If so, share a picture of your creation on Instagram with me!
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Spinach Balls
Ingredients
KETO SPINACH BALLS RECIPE
- 6 cups Fresh Spinach Leaves trimmed, washed. Makes 2/3 cup packed cooked spinach
- 3 large Eggs beaten
- 1 cup Grated Mozzarella or a combo of parmesan and mozzarella
- ¼ cup Chopped Fresh Parsley or herb of your choice (optional but flavorsome!)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 2 tablespoons Whole Psyllium Husk
ORIGINAL RECIPE
- 6 cups Fresh Spinach Leaves trimmed, washed. Makes 2/3 cup packed cooked spinach
- 3 large Eggs beaten
- ½ cup Grated Mozzarella or a combo of parmesan and mozzarella
- ¼ cup Chopped Parsley or fresh herb of your choice (optional but recommended!)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Gluten-free Panko Crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Trim and wash the fresh spinach leaves.
- Place the leaves in a large mixing bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover the bowl with a lid and set aside for 3 minutes.
- Rinse the spinach with cold tap water. Drain and, using your hands, squeeze all the remaining water. You should measure 2/3 cup (160 g) of packed cooked spinach leaves. If you are using frozen spinach, defrost, and measure this quantity.
- Place on a chopping board and finely chop the cooked spinach. Transfer into a mixing bowl.
- Add beaten eggs, grated cheese, fresh herbs, salt, garlic powder, almond flour, and psyllium husk (or panko gluten-free crumbs if you are making the original recipe). You can also add salt and pepper if your cheese is not very salty. I didn't add any salt.
- Combine with a spoon until it forms a batter from which you can form balls.
- If too moist, add slightly more almond flour or crumbs until easy to roll a ball with your hands.
- Place the balls on a non-stick cookie tray covered with baking paper, leaving a half-thumb between each bite. You should be able to make 22 spinach balls. One ball is about 1 tablespoon of batter.
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20-30 minutes or until golden on the top.
- Serve immediately with dips like sugar-free tomato sauce, guacamole, mustard, or tzatziki.
Freeze
- Freeze on a plate covered with parchment paper. After 1 hour, they are frozen enough to be transferred into an airtight container. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- You don't need to defrost the balls before baking. Place them on a tray covered with parchment paper and bake as regular.
Notes
Tools
Getting Started What Is Keto? Macro Calculator Sweetener Converter Intermittent Fasting Keto Fruits Keto Vegetables Keto Flours Fighting Keto Flu Healthy SweetenersWant My Kitchen Equipment?
Nutrition
About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
Disclaimer
The recipes, instructions, and articles on this website should not be taken or used as medical advice. You must consult with your doctor before starting on a keto or low-carb diet. The nutritional data provided on Sweetashoney is to be used as indicative only.
The nutrition data is calculated using WP Recipe Maker. Net Carbs is calculated by removing the fiber and some sweeteners from the total Carbohydrates. As an example, a recipe with 10 grams of Carbs per 100 grams that contains 3 grams of erythritol and 5 grams of fiber will have a net carbs content of 2 grams. Some sweeteners are excluded because they are not metabolized.
You should always calculate the nutritional data yourself instead of relying on Sweetashoney's data. Sweetashoney and its recipes and articles are not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Sweetashoney cannot be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or advice found on the Website.
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can you add a print choice?
There’s a print button on the recipe card!
Thanks for this recipe. I accidentally doubled the cheese. I used a combination of cheddar and mozzarella. I cooked them in the air fryer. They are/were delicious!
Why the Psyllium?
Psyllium husk is pure fiber, it keep the balls bouncy – they won’t flatten.
Great savory snack
Thanks for a wonderful recipe. I just made these for the first time and they are so tasty. I baked them in my silicone mini muffin pan and the recipe made 24. I baked them at 375 for 20 minutes and they were done to perfection. The only thing I changed was I added onion powder and omitted the salt. I made the almond flour version, but I think I will try the panko version using crushed pork rinds in the future.
Made these today & turned out great! Thanks for sharing recipe!
Can another type of flour be substituted for almond flour in spinach balls?
You can use Panko Crumbs, Sunflower Seed Flour, Sesame Seed Flour, or even regular flour.
These are great! I didn’t have psyllium so I substituted 1 tsp. of xanthan gum and it worked perfectly. I also crumbled a couple of pieces of bacon and threw in about 1/2 tsp dried dill and these balls are delicious. I’m dipping these babies in tartar sauce and I might just eat too many,
can I substitute chia seeds for Whole Psyllium Husk?
I didn’t try that option so I can’t recommend. Let me know how it goes.
Haven’t made, but it sounds delicious! I wondered about replacing the psyllium husk with ground flax seed?
I don’t think it will add the same texture but feel free to experiment!
Hi these sounds delicious, but i am vegan and dont eat eggs, could i sub , flax eggs
thanks so much!!
I am sorry the recipe won’t work with flax eggs or egg replacer
This is the second time I’m making these this month. They kept in the fridge for atleast 2 weeks and the flavor and texture was still delicious when reheating. These are the perfect snack to grab when the munchies hit.
I made this last night. Soooooo easy, filling and delicious. Will definately make this again and soon. Excellent.
These sound really good, can’t wait to try them.
I really liked these! I am always looking for new recipes to help me get spinach in my diet, this was great. I dipped them in low carb marinara sauce so yummy and filling.
Will try. Looks delicious. Thanks.
Made it today, for the first time.
Just in oven … I am sure my family will like new healthy snack.
Thank you 😊
I don’t keep psyllium husk in my cupboard so what can I substitute for this?
The recipe won’t work without it I am sorry, the balls will flatten completely, Enjoy! XOXO Carine
I don’t keep the psyllium husk either but replaced husk and almond flour with 1 cup ground pork rinds they held together great!
Poor rating because reader is left to estimate how much of the ingredients to use. For example, how many eggs? How much flour? How much salt and pepper,Etc…..
Otherwise looks very tasty.
The amount of each ingredients and the instructions to make this recipe appears just before the comment section where you wrote this message. I think you scrolled down to far, just scroll up ! Enjoy
These turned out pretty good but I would cut the salt in half next time, they were way too salty my taste.