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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Leave a comment below or head to our Facebook page for tips, our Instagram page for inspiration, our Pinterest for saving recipes, and Flipboard to get all the new ones!
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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There are a lot of your recipes that I enjoy and would try more but I was wondering if you have more recipes that are coconut flour or some other flour and not so many eggs? My husband has a sensitivity to almonds and eggs so making some of your recipes does not work for me.
You can filter the recipe on the blog using the vegan filter will eliminate all recipe with eggs. You can always replace almond flour by same amount of sesame seed flour, both are keto approved. Enjoy! XOXO Carine
Looks great! What would you recommend as a substitute for cheese? I only like cream cheese.
Unfortunately it won’t work without the cheese, it will be flat and won’t form a ball.
Loved them. Helps make this diet great.
I made according to re I’ve with the exception on the panko/almond flour/pshiliam. I used Cajun seasoned, pre crushed pork rinds.. I subbed equal amount of panko and woohoo. It was spectacular. Just right consistency and of course a little kick from the Cajun seasoned. Loved it.
Psyllium husks bother me in greatly in medications, can I leave it out of this recipe, or replace it with something else?
YES! I checked on line and you can substitute the psyllium with CORNSTARCH.
I’ve seen this before in other recipes that
call for psyllium. I don’t have it in my kitchen & was not going to run to store just for that. CHECK on internet for substitutions. It’s helped a great deal.
Have FUN cooking…
Yes but cornstarch is pure carbs and not keto. Here I am only sharing keto recipes without starch so cornstarch is never an option, but if you don’t watch your carbs go for it! Enjoy
Unfortunately, the recipe won’t work without it. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
This recipe looks delicious, but I’m wondering if you can substitute coconut flour for those with nut allergies? If so how much should I add?
Unfortunately you can’t replace almond flour by coconut flour. Coconut flour contains 4 times more fibers, it means its extremely liquid absorbent and it will dry the balls. If you can’t have nuts, use same amount of sesame flour or sunflower seed flour. Enjoy the recipe, XOXO Carine
Huge hit! I’m so happy to present something so tantalizing to the fam. Tzatziki was the dip of choice.
Omg…. I loved them.. So did everyone else I let try them. I used frozen spinach without any problems.. Thank you for the recipe
I make this spread out in a pan & use it for bread. Really works for me!
How big was your pan? That sounds like a great idea – and saves time forming them into balls too.
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing. XOXO Carine
These look fantastic. I may add sausage and make them dinner
Sounds delicious ! Enjoy, XOXO Carine
this recipe sounds great. can i substitute xanthin or arrowroot for the husk?
when substituting xanthan for the husk you use 1/3 of the amount it lists for the husk. Which in this recipe would be 2 teaspoons. Mine are cooking in the oven right now 🙂
I guess arrowroot flour could work but I didn’t try so I am not sure how much you will need. The texture will be chewier and the batter will be more sticky too.
I was so excited to try these Spinach Balls. I patiently waited for my Psylium husk to arrive during quarantine. What a disappointment! I followed every step exactly! What I ended up with was an epic fail! They are not cheesy & delicious they are dense and chewy with almost no flavor. Clearly the pic is of the non Keto version. I was so looking Fwd to this being my go to appetizer! Not if they taste like this! Yuck!
I am very sorry it didn’t turn out well for you but I can guarantee that the picture and video are the one using the keto recipe. If your are so dense and not cheesy it is probably because you added too much husk. Husk is 100% fiber, if you ad a tiny too much even a teaspoon it dry out food very quickly. I hope it gets better next time as we are many to achieve this with success all the time. You will get there. It takes time to learn how to bake with husk, be precise and I guarantee it will work perfectly. XOXO Carine
Im unable to form balls with the paste. Only sticking to the fingers.
It could be because you are missing some husk, simply add more 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter is less wet. This happens if you used husk powder supplement that is not made for baking. It doesn’t absorb the moisture well or the spinach release too much water in the water. You also must squeeze out all the spinach water before adding in them into the batter. I hope it taste good, Enjoy, XOXO Carine
Hi I was just wondering how long these keep for in the fridge? Unused fresh basil as my herb of choice I also upped the garlic powder and added some dried onion flakes and oh my god they are sooo delicicious
Thanks for the lovely feedback, I love what you added in those sinach balls ! Sounds delicious. I keep them up to 3 ays in the fridge in an airtight box and rewarm in the oven around 120 C for 5-8 minutes. Otherwise, you can freeze them too! Enjoy the keto recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.
Made these yesterday and they are very good! For those who had issues with using frozen chopped spinach and dryness, I also used frozen spinach. I microwaved the bag for the required time, then pressed all spinach into a mesh strainer to get the excess water out. I ended up using a full cup of spinach instead of 2/3. Also, I did not use psyllium husk because I didn’t have any on hand. I figured if it was too wet, I could’ve added more almond flour. Of course, I did throw in a few seasonings of my own.
Thanks for the tips on using frozen spinach ! It is very helpful. I can’t to see which recipe recipe you are going to make next on the blog! Enjoy. XOXO Carine.
made tbem last night..they were yummyy… thanx god now i can munch on a snack
Thanks for trying my recipe! I am so happy you find my blog and enjoy the spinach balls, XOXO Carine
Thank you!
I added some flaxseed and seeds
Sounds lovely !
Thank you for sharing! This looks really helpful snack for some of my clients. 🙂
FOLLIOWED THE RECIPE TO THE LETTER.
DRY!! BLAND
I WILL TRY THEM ONE MORE TIME.
BUT THIS FIRST TIME ….. VERY DISPAPOINTED, ESP AFTER ALL THE GREAT REVIEWS.
Made these just as the recipe states and used frozen spinach. They were great! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Same. they looked oozy moist yummy, followed recipe but mine were dry and bland,
added herbs, even added an extra egg as it looked so dry.
disappointed.
Thankfully as i was kitchening ( yes i know, not an approved word) i cooked mussels in a fab sauce , served with black bean fettucini. Saved the day.
The dry balls will get served in a tomato type sauce, or maybe a creamy one…so the wont go to waste.
I’ll schooz the recipe though . I love the idea of it!
I am sorry to hear that. Which recipe options did you used? The keto options or regular option? the recipe never come out dry on my side so I guess you are having issue with the amount of breadcrumb or psyllium hsk that might have absorbed all the liquid.
I used frozen chopped spinach. Mine is pretty dry too. I squeezed the liquid out of the spinach, maybe too much. I test baked 4 balls. Mostly spinach. I tried adding cream cheese, to some of the mix, not bad but then bland. I did another trial with cream cheese and pecarino romano to boost the flavor. MUCH bettr. Hubs says it needs more salt (with the addition of the cream cheese, I think it is just right!)
I think 2 T of the psyllium husk was too much for the dry, dry spinach.
I am sorry to hear that, it may not be a flvor you like. There is garlic and fresh herb in the recipe this adds lots of flavor including the cheese, try a flavorsome hardcheese like old mature cheeddar, emmental, beaufort instead of mozzarella if you want stronger flavor. Enjoy, Carine
I turn really good but I want to make without egg is there any suggestion
Aradhana, perhaps you could research this on the internet and post any results you find.
I am glad you love the spinach balls ! Unfortunately I have no solution to make this recipe keto egg free I am sorry. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.
How about using egg substitute in place of the real eggs? I don’t know how the substitute is made.
I am sorry but there is too many eggs in this recipe and without them or with a replacement the balls will be flat
Thanks for the delicious recipe… have you ever tried to mix in walnuts? They usually work very well with spinach and cheese ;o)
I’m going to make this dairy-free ( and vegan with flax eggs) with a walnut-based parmesan which is easy to make and delicious! 1 cup walnuts, 1/3 cup nutritional yeast, 3/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp sea salt blended in Vitamix or other blender.
that sounds interesting, hopefully it turn out successful too. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
I didn’t try this yet but I will! Great idea, thanks for sharing with me. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.