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
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About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, 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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I made these are they were a hit with my family and my 6.5 month son. I will say I think I added too much breadcrumbs because they turned out a little dry. for our laste. Next time I will reduce breadcrumb amount. I put in more than 1 cup cause the dough seemed soggy.
Hi Angie, The dough may looks soggy but you should not add more breadcrumb or the recipe turns out dry as you said. Next time simply follow the recipe and you will see it is even ore delicious 🙂 I am so glad your little one loves it too ! It is always a one of my favorite birthday food for my girls. Thanks for reading me and testing the recipe on the blog. xoxo Carine.
Hi. I’m,going to make it tonight, but I have a question. What is the serving size for those carbs?
Thank you
Hi Cynthia! Good choice, you’ll love them. The nutrition fact card below is for one spinach ball. The recipe makes about 30 balls. So per balls there is 1.7 g carbs including 0.2 g fibre. I hope it answers your question ! Enjoy the spinach balls and thank you SO much for reading the blog and testing my recipes. I hope you find lots of others recipes to try as well. Love. Carine.
Hello! Thank you for the recipe, These are great. I added about 1/4 cup more cheese and 2 Tbsp. Parmesan. I used Italian seasoned Panko breadcrumbs and did not need to add any other herbs. Baked 15 minutes, flipped over, and baked an additional 5 minutes (just because we like things brown). DELICIOUS plain or dipped in ketchup. I’m eating them cold out of the fridge for a clean snack with lots of flavor and no guilt. Thanks again!
Hi Diane, I love all the little changes you made to this simple spinach balls recipe. As you said herbs are very optional – I simply love the taste they add to the balls. Any cheese should work well but parmesan is always one of my favorite too. I will try the panko breadcrumb next time. It sounds delicious. Thanks again for this beautiful comment – very helpful to adapt the recipe. AND huge thank you for reading the blog and testing my recipes ! I hope you’ll find other delicious and simple recipes to try on my blog. xoxo Carine.
Tripled this for a gathering I was attending and they came out tasty! I added some finely chopped chorizo that was already cooked and it gave it a little kick! Thanks for posting!
Hi Debi,
Thanks for your lovely comment. I love the addition of chorizo in those spinach balls. I never thought about it. Another great recipe adaptation for my next batch – I also do lots of those balls and freeze for later. Always a big winner with friends and family. I hope you will find even more delicious recipes on the blog. See you around ! Carine.
Hi, I made these for me and my one year old and we loved them. I like to do a lot of meal prep, so I was wondering could you freeze these after they have been cooked? Or only the raw batter?
Hi Kirsty, Sure you can but I prefer to froze them before baking and to bake them frozen – it took 5-8 minutes longer to bake as the spinach balls are frozen but at least you don’t lose the texture. I found them a bit more dry when frozen baked and rewarm in the oven – still good though :). I am so glad you find my blog an that your little one loves the recipe! It always great to see them eating greens! Have a great day and see you soon on the blog. Carine.
I just made this and it came out delicious!! 😀 Thank you!
Hi Henali, Thank you SO much for taking some time to share your positive experience in the kitchen with those spinach balls! It makes me so happy to read comments like yours! I love when recipe works easily for people coming on the blog. I hope I see soon around here! xoxo Carine.
I made these late last night because I was bored, froze them overnight, and today I baked them off and they are incredible! I used feta instead of cheddar since it was what I had in the refrigerator, and they are AMAZING! They a tiny veggie balls of goodness. I will absolutely make them again and experiment with different cheeses and herbs. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Christie! You look like me, cooking when you are bored is such a nice way to relax and have fun! I love this recipe so much too. I tried many cheese and it always works very well. Even my toddler ask those spinach balls in her lunchbox ! Thanks for taking some time to write this lovely comment. This is so nice to know that my recipe bring some happiness in someone else house too. See you soon on the blog! xoxo Carine.
Hello Carina!! Thanks for your recipes!! I like all them. I don´t speak English very well because I live in Argentina and I speak spanish! but I think that you understand me! Regards!! Inés
Hi Ines, It is great to have readers from around the world! I would love to reply in Spanish but I don’t know much … I hope you enjoy the recipes and you are able to translate them easily to make them in Argentina! Love from NZ. Carine!
Any idea how I can make these dairy free???
Hi Ems, I never tried the recipe dairy free but I am pretty sure it will work well if you substitute the quantity of cheese by another egg. Let me know if you give it a try ! See you soon on the blog. Carine.
Ever pit I’m crockpot after cooking to keep warm?
Hi Crystal, I do not have a crockpot so I am not sure you can keep the spinach balls warm into it. When baked in the oven the outside of those balls is slightly crispy with a moist centre. I am worried that if you store them in a crockpot the texture will be different, adding moisture to the spinach balls and loosing their crispy texture. However it bake very quickly and you can easily prepare them ahead few hours before. Simply store them in the fridge up to 6 hours and bake when ready to eat! I hope it answer your question! Enjoy this lovely snack. Carine.
Excit d to try these! Just wondering though, do I have to go to the work of cooking the spinach prior. Can’t I just use the fresh spinach chopped since it will be cooking in the oven after I ball it anyways?
Thanks,
Heidi
Hi Heidi, It is a lovely recipe ! If you do not cook the spinach leaves, the batter will not come together very well. Cooking spinach make them soft, easily to blend. It is very quick to cook them though. I simply plunged them into boiling water 🙂 enjoy! Carine.
I made these tonight some as frozen for appys later. Some baked up and added to tomatoe sauce for a vegetarian spaghetti, so yummy.
Thanks for the recipe.
I used basil, garlic and green onion
Oh basil is a great idea! I made those balls for Christmas and everyone loves them. I will definetely try your basil addition sounds lovely ! Enjoy and see you on the blog soon. Carine!
Hey Carine
This is a wonderful recipe! I am organising my daughters 1st birthday party and really want to include these. Could you suggest an alternative to the egg because we do not eat it.
Thank you very much!
Mandy
Hi Mandy, This is amazing! My daugther love them and she is 2 1/2 years old. So I am sure your little one will love them too. I never tested this recipe egg free. Eggs really helps the batter to hold together. What I do use as egg substitute is usually tapioca flour. To replace one egg, I mix 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour in 2 tablespoon of lukewarm water in a bowl. Set aside 10 minutes, stir every so often to avoid the flour to stick at the bottom. It will become sticky and make a egg like mixture. It may work in this recipe but again I did not try it yet so you will have to tell me ?! 🙂 Another option would be to use sticky soft cheese like goat cheese! But again, I am not very sure how much you should use to replace a egg. If your batter is too moist simply add more panko crumb until you are able to form balls. Let me know if you try an egg free option. I am sorry I can not help you more. Merry Christmas! Carine.
Hi Mandy and Carine
I’ve tried this recipe with a bit of twist and it turned very delicious. I also have a toddler and it always comes to my mind that in which I provide her the best nutritious food. She gets bored with the. Same form of vegetables and breads 🙁 thanks for inspiring young mums like me 🙂 ??.
As we are 100% vegetarian , I chose to substitute egg with mashed potato. Still tastes the best ?. I added ready mashed potato flakes, just mix it in a boiled water and Added fresh spinach,garlic, coriander, green chilli, shredded cheese and fresh corn and my all time fav basil pesto … The only thing I didnt expect was, my spinach balls turned into patties during baking in oven… Anyway, shape didn’t bother us. (Wish I had taken the picture of it)
As it was looking cute lil same size patties ????. Thanks Carine for a wonderful recipe… Please
Hi Riddhi, What a lovely comment! I never thought about using mashed potato in those spinach balls! What a lovely idea. I am sure you just inspired lots of people around here always wondering what to do with leftover of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving !!! 🙂 It may explain why the shape was a bit different and flatten. Eggs really helps gathering all the ingredients together. But like you I do not really care about shape as soon as it taste good so I will defo try your variation.
Thanks again for sharing here Riddhi!
Talk to you soon on the blog!
Carine.
What a lovely blog! I happened upon this recipe on pinterest today and am excited to experiment with them! Trying to get more greens in for my little family and also think these would be a great savory appetizer for upcoming holiday parties. Love the idea of adding garlic and trying different options for the crumb texture – curious if you’ve tried any other cheeses or have ideas about other options. My wee one is sensative to cheese but seems to handle fresh mozzerella, feta and goat cheese better than harder cheeses like cheddar. Thoughts?
Hi Beth, I am so happy when I read comments like yours! It is always great to know that people are trying the recipes I experiment in my kitchen. I tested the spinach balls with hard cheese only like edam, mozarella, cheddar and parmesan. Yes, I make those very often because it simple, freeze well and my toddler love spinach this way 🙂 I like the idea of goat cheese with spinach! It should work too. You may have to add a bit more crumb to get things together to form balls – soft cheese is a bit more moist than hard cheese so I am just guessing! Always add extra panko crumb 1 tablespoon at a time, combine with a spoon (or hands, I do use my hands in this recipe). Then when you are able to shape balls like on the pictures above it means you have enough crumb. Now I also add 1 crushed garlic clove in this recipe as it taste amazing! I hope you enjoy them! See you soon on the blog. Carine.
Hi CarineI
This recipe sounds delicious and i can’t wait to try for a Christmas party! Just wondering though, is there an alternative to using Panko Crumbs? A few of my friends are watching their carbs and though a cup doesn’t sound like much, im not sure they would eat them still. Im wondering about any type of nut or coconut flour? Any suggestions?
Thanks and Merry Christmas!!
Hi Karlie, Sounds great!I will make those for Christmas too 🙂 I did not try to use something else than panko crumb in this recipe so it is always difficult to provide alternatives that works. Spinach are a bit moist when you make this recipe and panko crumb help holding things together while not completely drying out the mixture. I think coconut flour will absorb all the moisture and simply makes a crumble. Maybe a trio mix of almond meal for texture, tapioca flour to bring things together and coconut flour to balance the carbs ?!! Also I found a low carb bread crub on Amazon maybe it is another option! They are using wheat bran and corn starch in their mix it looks like a great low carb option too. Enjoy and merry Christmas Karlie! Carine.
Great!! Thanks for the helpful tip! Merry Christmas to you also :))
Merry Christmas Karlie !!!
Hello,
You said to cover the spinach balls in the oven with baking paper. Is that aluminum foil? Not sure what baking paper is.
Thanks,
Donna
Hi Donna, I said ‘place the spinach balls on a cookie sheet covered with baking paper’ it means that you have to cover the cookie sheet or oven tray with baking paper. Baking paper in New Zealand is what you probably know as non stick parchment paper or wax paper in USA. It is not foil paper. It will avoid the spinach balls to stick to the tray. It is a white thin paper. Have a look here on amazon to see how it looks like. Enjoy Donna. Happy New Year. Carine.
I just came across your Spinach Balls and can’t wait to try this! I always have guests at home and am sure they will love this! My son, who is now married and in his thirties, has always loved spinach as a child and up to now, continues to love my spinach omelet. I can almost see his reaction to this new spinach dish…probably another addition to his list of favorite spinach dishes. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Hi Lui, I really enjoyed reading your story! It is also why I love sharing my experience in the kitchen on this blog. It makes me so happy to know that a recipe will makes people smile. I really hope your son will love those spinach balls. It is one of my favourite appetizer! It is breakfast here in New Zealand and you just gave me an idea for breakfast, spinach omelette on it is way 🙂 thanks again for this lovely message Lui! Carine.
fIRST i WANT TO SEND MY SYMPATHIES TO YOUR HOMELAND AFTER THOSE HORRIFIC TERRORIST ATTACKS.. WE NEED SOME JUICING UP, AND i THINK THESE BALLS WILL BE DELICIOUSLY ADDED TO MY cHRISTMAS PARTY BUFFET THIS YEAR.. GOD BLESS..
Hi Steve, Thank you for your sympathies to my friends and family back in France. It has been a rough time for them and hopefully the Christmas magic will bring some smile and happiness to the country again. I am sure you will love those simple spinach balls. It is such a great appetizer for Christmas. I love making them ahead too and froze them. I always have a batch in the freezer for those night when some family or friends comes around. So easy! Enjoy and merry Christmas to you and your family. God bless. xoxo Carine.
Hi Carine, I made the spinach balls this evening and they were great. I will have to play around with the ingredients a little, but thank you for sharing a tasty, versatile, and easy to make recipe.
Hi Kate, Thanks for your lovely comment. It is so great to hear you love them! I did those spinach balls this week end for my house warming party and I added some fresh garlic. It taste amazing! Give it a try next time 🙂 I hope you will come back on the blog soon ! Carine.
These sound easy and delicious! I am going to make these ahead of time and freeze them for Christmas Eve!
Thank you for this recipe!
no problem Denise! I love sharing my recipes here and I am glad you love those simple spinach balls. Such a delicious make-ahead appetizer recipe! See you soon on the blog. Carine.
Thank you for the recipe — I’m going to make these for my son’s Hslloween party at school this morning. I was wondering … If I use garlic, could I sub Italian seasoning or basil for coriander? Or which herb, and how much, would you suggest? Thank you!
Hi Erin, I wish I could have reply earlier but I was away for the week end. I hope it is not too late. Anyway I am sure coriander will works perfectly. I recommend to finely chop the fresh leaves and use 1/4 cup of chopped coriander. I will not use more than 2 garlic cloves finely crushed to keep a balance of flavour, specially with kids they tend to do not like a too strong garlic flavour. I hope your son loves them. My little girl is a big fan of those 🙂 Enjoy! Carine.