These Paleo Swedish meatballs in a creamy gravy, with dairy-free, Whole30 friendly mashed potatoes are pure comfort food for cold nights. Made with real-food ingredients, gluten-free, dairy-free, family approved!
Sometimes I feel like I could just live on meatballs – seriously one of my favorite things to make and eat!
As much as I love them though, I seem to “forget” to create new meatball recipes – even though I cook them for my family all the time.
Maybe it’s because making meatballs at 9am (when I usually work on blog recipes) seems less than ideal.
Well, I’m getting over it now, because 1.) We’re close to January which means Whole30 for many of us (including me!) and 2.) What’s a Whole30 without a few seriously tasty meatball recipes?! And incomplete one, if you ask me!
In doing some Whole30 brainstorming, there were two recipes I absolutely wanted to share. Swedish meatballs (long overdue!) and Whole30 friendly mashed potatoes.
Of course, combining them just seemed to be the right thing to do, since the creamy gravy goes so well with potatoes, and honestly, mashed potatoes were exactly what I was craving with these meatballs!
The meatballs themselves are super easy to throw together, and the gravy is even easier. I usually get the potatoes started before the meatballs, to avoid “timing mishaps” which usually lead to me burning something. I’m not the best cooking-multitasker, I must admit!
The potatoes also take longer than the meatballs to cook, so getting a head start on them helps get everything on the table faster!
If you haven’t made any of my meatball recipes yet, you’ll see that I use blanched almond flour as a binder. If you have a nut allergy in your family, don’t try to replace the almond with coconut flour 1:1, or you’ll wind up with very dry meatballs!
If you need to use another flour, you can use coconut flour in about 1/2 the amount of what’s listed, or a bit less to be safe – 1 1/2 Tbsp should do it! You can also use 2-3 Tbsp cassava flour, though I haven’t tested this one out.
As for the mashed potatoes, you absolutely won’t be able to tell these are dairy free! They’re creamy, fluffy, and full of classic buttery flavor.
And no, you really can’t taste the coconut in them either – trust me. I often receive questions from coconut haters about this, and I always respond that if my kids eat it without a word, you definitely can’t taste the coconut!
See how creamy?! These are the real deal! Oh, and while we’re on the subject of coconut, you also can’t taste the coconut milk in the gravy or meatballs either.
This is one of those “I’ll believe it when I taste it” situations, but, really, all the other flavors here mask any flavor from the coconut milk, so all you get is the creaminess from it.
Also, if potatoes are too high in carbs for you, these meatballs would pair really well with a cauliflower puree or even roasted spaghetti squash. You can also spiralize pretty much any veggie for “noodles” to go along with these meatballs for a complete meal.
I hope you’re ready to cook (and EAT!) these delicious paleo Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes – let’s go!
Paleo Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes {Whole30}
Paleo Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes {Whole30}
These Paleo Swedish meatballs in a creamy gravy, with dairy-free, Whole30 friendly mashed potatoes is pure comfort food for cold nights. Made with real-food ingredients, gluten-free, dairy-free, family approved!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 lb grass fed ground beef 80-85% lean
- 1 small onion minced
- 1 tbsp ghee, to cook onion
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp coconut milk
- 2 tsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley minced
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
Gravy:
- 3 Tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp arrowroot starch or tapioca flour
- 1 3/4 cup beef or chicken bone broth
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk blended prior to adding
- 1 tsp spicy brown mustard *optional, adds flavor
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos *optional, adds flavor
- salt and pepper to taste
Mashed Potatoes:
- 2 lbs russet potatoes peeled and cut into 2” pieces
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup ghee
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 2-3 Tbsp nutritional yeast optional (for flavor)
Instructions
For Mashed Potatoes:
- Heat a 3 quart pot with water, sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Add 2” potato pieces to the boiling water, and cook until very soft
- Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Set heat to low and add the ghee and coconut milk. Mash with a potato masher over very low heat, once smooth, turn heat off and add salt and pepper, to taste, and nutritional yeast, if using. If you want your potatoes really creamy, you can use an immersion blender at this point (I just put mine right in the pot.)
For Meatballs and Gravy:
- In a large, heavy, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp ghee and cook onions over medium heat until soft - you should have about 1/4 cup cooked minced onions. Remove skillet from heat (you will use this skillet to brown meatballs)
- Add cooked onions to a large bowl, then add all meatballs ingredients and mix well with your hands, until fully combined (try not to overwork the meat, if possible)
- Form meat mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined platter or baking sheet.
- Heat your skillet over medium heat and brown meatballs (using a bit more ghee if necessary) turning just 2 to 3 times carefully so they don’t break.
- Once browned, remove meatballs to a plate and set aside.
- For gravy, turn heat to medium and add 3 tbsp ghee to skillet and whisk in the tapioca or arrowroot until bubbly.
- Add remaining gravy ingredients and stir to combine, raise the heat to bring to a strong simmer.
- Return meatballs to skillet, lower heat a bit and allow them to simmer in gravy until fully cooked through and gravy has thickened - 3-5 minutes. Serve hot with mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Nutrition
What I Used To Make My Paleo Swedish Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes:
Want More Paleo and Whole30 Dinner Recipes? Try One of These!
Creamy Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon {Low Carb}
Salisbury Steak Meatballs {Low Carb}
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes
Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken with Roasted Butternut
Pumpkin Turkey Meatballs with Harvest Tomato Sauce
One Pan Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
Creamy Chicken Mushroom Soup with Kale and Leeks
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Hi, Michele,
I love your paleo muffin recipes! So do my co-workers. 🙂
Question about the Swedish Meatballs and Mashed Potato recipe:
After reading the nutritional facts, I’m wondering what do you consider a serving?
thanks
I would say this serves 5-6 people total. So happy you enjoyed the muffin recipe 🙂
So I previously made this recipe and LOVED every bite. Decided to make it again today but forgot which site I got it from…I used the wrong recipe and now I am kicking myself! 🙁 I’m dreaming of these!
I made these today! Delish!! One question though. I thought white potatoes weren’t paleo? My husband liked this dish too!! Yum. Keeping this recipe!!
The gravy looks delicious and I plan to make these meatballs for my family. Another option for a filler is ground flaxmeal. I use it whenever I make meatloaf.
Flax meal, huh? Great idea! Thanks!
Will you be posting your whole 30 meals throughout January? I hope so! It would be really helpful.
I’ll be posting almost all new Whole30 recipes come January! Also look out for a huge Whole30 roundup the day after Christmas 🙂
This looks delicious! I am concerned about the coconut flavor coming through in the gravy and mashed potatoes. Any substitutions? I was thinking compliant or homemade almond milk.
I don’t think you’ll taste the coconut since the other flavors overpower it. If you want to try it out with almond milk you could, though it wouldn’t be creamy like the coconut milk.
I’m allergic to coconut so the Almond Milk is ok for the coconut milk, but what about the coconut aminos?
Yes, the coconut flavors were too much for us. I plan to try it next time with homemade cashew milk, which is creamier than almond milk. I’ll use the cashew milk in the mashed potatoes, too. We loved the meatballs and I’m sure we’ll like the potatoes and gravy once we switch out the coconut milk.
This was a delicious recipe which I’m sure I’ll make again and again this winter. So good!
I’m so happy you liked it!
This looks yummy!! Do you think I could substitute flax for the egg? I am working on an auto-immune gut cleanse and can’t have eggs for 90 days. Looking for yummy creative meals to eat during that time! Thanks, ~julie
You can definitely try that, let me know how it goes!
We left out the eggs all together, no sub. Just be careful when turning the meatballs. They are delish!
Awesome!
how much flax did you use?
I made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic. My husband loved it and my picky daughter even said it was good. Thank you so much for sharing. Day 3 of our Whole 30 in the books and it was delicious.
That’s great! So happy you guys liked it 🙂
I made this tonight for the first time. Perfect comfort food for a cold icy day. The kids loved it too and had no idea the mashed potatoes and gravy had coconut milk. Thank you for these delicious and healthy recipes!
This is absolutely delicious! Total comfort food and tastes just like the original version. Can’t taste the coconut — seriously. And the nutritional yeast delivers on the cheesy flavor I miss so much while on Whole30. My three-year-old devoured this. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe — it was a hit!
So happy you liked it! Agree you really can’t taste any coconut. And when the kids like it, you know it’s GOOD! Yay!
Hi!! I’ve followed your blog and insta for a while and Joe and I just decided to give Whole30 a try this month. This was delicious 🙂 Joey said “Are we actually allowed to eat this??” lol Hope all is well with you and your family!
These look so good! Can you make them with turkey instead of beef? Also, do you know if they freeze well? I often freeze meatballs but I’ve never frozen them with gravy. Should I freeze them together or separately?
Hi! I’d probably freeze them separately to avoid things getting too watery when thawing. I think you can use turkey, however I wouldn’t use a very lean turkey since you need a bit of fat to help bind them.
By far my new favorite whole30 recipe!! Best comfort food! Thank you!!!
That’s awesome! So thrilled you liked it 🙂
These are for sure getting added to my regular meal planning. Better than any non-paleo/W30 Swedish meatballs I’ve ever made! I was considering figuring out a paleo friendly fruit jam to add on the side next time too! Such a fantastic recipe, I’ve never been disappointed by any of yours!
Your website is making my Whole 30 enjoyable. I made the Swedish meatballs and my family raved. This is definitely a keeper. Thanks!!!!
Sounds great! So happy you guys enjoyed 🙂
Can I sub coconut flour for almond flour?
No, if you need to sub I’d use tapioca or arrowroot
your recipe says if allergic to nuts use coconut flour? Is tapioca better?
These look amazing
My daughter and I made this last week and we absolutely loved it! It was so delicious! We ate it for dinner and then happily ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. We love many of your recipes, Michele, but this was definitely one of our favorites! Perfect for a cold winter night. There was a fair amount of coconut milk in it but we didn’t taste it anywhere at all (we don’t care for the flavor of coconut, but have never tasted it in any of your recipes). Thank you!!!!
So happy to hear that! And agree that the coconut flavor really gets covered up – magic!
O
M
G
This was the best meal I had on my Whole30….. and it’s Day 33!!!
These are amazing! I made them for the Superbowl today. My husband who isn’t W30 loved them to!
I want to try and make the Swedish Meatballs recipe. I have a son that is allergic to nuts. What would you recommend to use in lieu of the almond flour?
Hi, you can use tapioca or arrowroot and it should be fine!
I made this last night and it was really good. The only thing was I couldn’t figure out at what point I accidentally made the gravy too salty, but it was incredibly salty. Luckily the potatoes took away a little bit of the saltiness but it was still a struggle to finish my dinner. I tried to thin out the gravy with a cup of hot water and another teaspoon of arrowroot, but it was still really strong. I’m definitely going to make this again, but do better with tasting throughout!
I sometimes over salt things, it’s good to salt at each step but then you also risk overdoing it. Also, overcooking sauces can sometimes make them too salty. In any case, if you make again you’ll know what to avoid this time!
These were fabulous!! I made cauliflower mashed potatoes for extra veggies, it was perfect!
That sounds great!
Made the meatballs and gravy today, and they were delicious! Definitely will be a repeat in our house. I subbed dried parsley (1tsp per Tbsp of fresh) and omitted nutmeg because we didn’t have any. They’re still great! I doubled the amount of meatballs so we could have leftovers, and my non-paleo husband is excited for lunch tomorrow! You can’t tasfe the coconut in the gravy at all. My kids didn’t like them, but they also don’t like any meatballs, and i don’t know why. So I’ll still make this again and encourage them to have a bite and just have a back up protein if needed. I’m not missing out on this deliciousness just because they’re picky! I skipped the mashed potatoes due to lack of time but can’t wait to make them next time. It would have been a perfect pairing.
My gravy was still very watery and never got thick. Is that just how it is using arrowroot, or is there a way to add more arrowroot after a bit if it’s not thick? I also have tapioca on hand, so should I have used that instead?
I just found your blog from the Whole30 takeover and have a long list of recipes to try. Everything looks amazing.
Hey Michelle,
Do you keep the coconut canned milk in the refrigerator before using so it’s solid form or do you just put it in room temp?
Thanks! Going to make these tonight 🙂
Made these according to the original recipe (coconut milk and chicken broth); meatballs and mashed potatoes were good but the gravy had very strong coconut flavor that we didn’t like. I would change next time to homemade cashew milk and beef broth to have a more savory flavor and less coconut. The gravy would also benefit from some sautéed mushrooms!
This was AMAZING! Couldn’t taste any coconut flavors at all for anyone concerned. Can’t believe how delicious this was. My husband and 3 kids all LOVED it! I tripled the batch thankfully 🙂 Thank you!
That’s awesome to hear!
I’ve made this twice now and each time it turned out delicious, however the gravy was slightly different the second time and I’m trying to figure out what was different. Do you make the gravy in the same skillet that you browned the meatballs in? Wondering if you leave the fat in the pan when mixing the gravy. I think I might’ve used a different brand of coconut milk too and perhaps that changed the gravy a bit. Do you notice a big difference between coconut milk brands? Thanks for the recipe – it’s so tasty!
Yes, I typically make it in the same skillet and don’t drain the fat…that said coconut milk brands vary a lot in consistency, some thicker some thinner and more likely to separate, so that might be the issue 🙂
Yum! These are definitely going on my must try list! They look perfect!!
My family is on our 4th month of eating whole 30. We loved the Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. Thank you for the receipe
Happy you liked it!
This was fantastic! I made these for myself and my husband, who is a very picky eater. He has also professed his love for cheese many, many times. I did not tell him that there was zero dairy in this recipe, and he had NO idea. Raved about it! You also really can’t taste the coconut at all. We will be making this again!
That makes me so happy to hear! Thrilled you loved it!
How do you reccomend freezing the meatballs?
This is delicious! Perfect for a rainy, gloomy day. Ultimate comfort food 🙂
How many does this serve ?
Hi Michelle. Just tried this recipe. It was great! Very tasty. I wish I had started earlier (it was totally my plan to do so) I ended up having to throw frozen pizza in the oven to calm my hangry kids until I was done making the meatballs. They hardly ate the pizza, but ate all the meatballs! Oh yeah, also wanted to mention I haven’t eaten red meat in over 20 years! I did tonight! Great recipe.
How any servings is the recipe? I cant find it. Looks amazing!
I made these for the Superbowl and everyone loved them!
If you use ghee, these mashed potatoes are not dairy free. Ghee is clarified butter.
True, but the majority of the dairy proteins are removed during the clarification process. You can sub with coconut oil or butter flavored coconut oil.
A new family favorite. All the ratios were spot on.
I recently started the whole 30/paleo, which has been amazing for me. I tried this recipe tonight and was really impressed. It’s delicious! I used cilantro instead of parsley (it’s what I had handy), and added crushed garlic instead of garlic poweder, along with pinch of cumin. I will be making this again and again. Thank yo for such a terrific recipe, easy to make too! :))
So easy and delicious! I added mushrooms and put in 1.5 onions for more flavor + freshly pressed garlic.
Recommended 🙂
Do you use blanched or unblanced almond flour? Or does it not make a big difference?
I made these last night and my family loved it!! They were so good. I added spinach and mushrooms to the meatballs since my toddlers won’t eat veggies. They were delicious. Thanks!
Hi Michelle, this recipe sounds delicious! The only problem is I am allergic to coconut. Is there something I can substitute for the coconut products? Thanks.
We are not dairy free so I used milk and butter in this recipe. But, yum! This is an amazing recipe. Thank you!
Finger-lickin’ good!!
These are out-of-this-world delicious!!(I used ground pork instead of beef)
My daughter made these for a potluck where there were going to be some people with issues of food allergies. I helped her make them. They were very easy to make. And they were SO delicious! They are going on my menu for dinner for next week. I am so happy because we used to eat swedish meatballs when I was growing up, and they were one of my favorites. Brought me right back there. Thank you!!
Oh! I forgot to give it five stars the first time. I’d give it 10 if I could! 🙂
Could this meatball recipe be cooked in the crockpot? Just put the meatballs in with the gravy?
I just made this last night and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! Tasted even better than the “regular” stuff (and I’m Swedish so I would know :))
Will have this recipe on repeat every week!
Thank you!!!
I love this recipe! The first time I made it I still did taste the coconut, so I started using original nut pods and that works great! ?
This was unbelievable. We followed the recipe except for subbing elk meat for beef, and it was insanely good. One of those meals where you are moaning through every bite with your dinner-mates start to finish, and leads to musings about opening a restaurant someday. 🙂 We made it with mashed potatoes as suggested, and Brazilian collard greens with garlic and lemon. Might do a celeriac mash next time.
This one will absolutely be a staple in our house now. I look forward to impressing guests with it soon! Thanks for sharing this!
These are fab! I couldn’t taste the coconut milk and pretty sure my husband didn’t either (he would have said lol). I’m not paleo or Whole 30 (yet) just try to watch what we eat. Thanks so much for this recipe. Great flavors!!
So happy you enjoyed them!
Made this tonight. Paired it with cauliflower bacon mash instead of potatoes, and roasted broccolini. Added mushrooms to the gravy. Total comfort food. Thank you!!!
I made this last night for dinner and it was a big hit with the family! They loved it! I’m wondering if I could add in some shredded zucchni or something to make more meatballs out of the 1 lb of beef? Any suggestions on how to do that or if its a bd idea?
This was so good! I served it with homemade cranberry sauce and it was so delicious.
So good! I was a little unsure about the coconut milk in everything giving it a huge coconut flavor… but it didn’t! A hint of sweet but savory flavor all around. SO GOOD! Will make this monthly if not more ?
Really good. Husband loved it. Coconut wasn’t too pronounced. I will definitely make again.
Hi, I was searching for a dairy free recipe for swedish meatballs and looked up several including this one. You are claiming that this recipe is dairy-free but you are using ghee and it is clarified butter, which is a dairy product.
Just curious…. what’s the serving size or how many does this serve?
Great recipe! Probably the best meatballs and gravy I’ve ever made. Thanks so much!
This is officially in my Whole30 favourites list! I ended up using chicken & turkey instead of beef (that was what we had in the freezer) but it was still so good.
I make this all the time for my family and love it. Can you tell me what you consider a serving size for the nutritional info?
Gonna make this with ground moose meat!! (I hope it turns out delicious!) You may be wondering how the heck I found moose meat but I live in Canada so that totally makes sense! Haha! I will also make a cauliflower puree instead of the mashed potatoes. Will keep you updated! I’ve been living off your recipes for months now and my boyfriend and I can’t get enough! Thank you so much Michelle!
This recipe is one of our favorites. I always add some white wine or vermouth to the sauce…ADD THIS! Takes it up a notch. Also I like pork as a nicer texture. Leeks are more delicate than onions if you can get them.
I have used so many of your recipes over the past 3 years, but have never left a comment. I figured now would be a great time! Love this recipe and so did the fam! Thank you!!
Once again, a wonderful recipe! 5 Stars!
I love the meatballs! I used turkey and broiled them instead of frying. Never cooked with tapioca before, but like it. I didn’t have broth that’s whole30, had to use water and spices that I had at home. It turned out so delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
These look amazing. Is there anyway to make the gravy without using arrowroot or any type of starch? Whenever I use it, the next day when I reheat the food, it is all gummy. ? Any hell would be appreciated.
Very tasty!
I think these came out ok! But I think next time I’ll add some mushrooms to the sauce mix-
everyone loved it