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?!
An 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 Easiest Healthy Swedish 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!
Ingredient Subs for Swedish Meatballs
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 can’t have almond flour, rather than sub in a different flour I would recommend omitting it entirely. You can also use GF breadcrumbs if you aren’t strictly paleo.
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!
What To Serve with Paleo Swedish Meatballs
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 it provides.
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.
Or just serve with any of your favorite veggies or potatoes!
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:
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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
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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:
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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)
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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)
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Form meat mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined platter or baking sheet.
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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.
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Once browned, remove meatballs to a plate and set aside.
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For gravy, turn heat to medium and add 3 tbsp ghee to skillet and whisk in the tapioca or arrowroot until bubbly.
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Add remaining gravy ingredients and stir to combine, raise the heat to bring to a strong simmer.
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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 🙂
Mashed potatoes are always a hit. I love restaurant-style Mashed potatoes. This looks like the best copycat recipe I’ve seen. Heading to Red Lobster Mashed Potatoes Recipe – Damn Delicious Recipes (https://ddrecipes.com/red-lobster-mashed-potatoes-recipe/) to get all the details.
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!