Low-carb and keto ground beef recipes

  1. Top recipes
  2. Casseroles
  3. Hamburgers, meatballs, and meatloafs
  4. 20 min or less

Chili, tacos, meatloaf, and burgers … some of our favorite low-carb and keto foods all have one common ingredient — ground beef!

Ground or minced beef is ideal for a keto or low-carb diet. Generally less expensive than other cuts of beef, ground beef can be prepared quickly and is versatile enough to use in a variety of ways so that you never get tired of it.

From a simple burger that can be flavored or topped in dozens of different ways to a filling casserole bursting with flavor, low-carb or keto ground beef recipes are easy to make and easy to enjoy.

Top keto and low-carb ground beef recipes

Take a look at some of our most popular keto recipes that feature ground beef. You'll find tasty casseroles and a variety of hamburger, meatball, and meatloaf recipe ideas.

Keto and low-carb ground beef casseroles

Most grocers or butchers will grind fresh ground beef for you if you ask, but there are also plenty of shelf-ready options available.

Labels such as ground round, ground chuck, or ground sirloin are used to indicate the source of the meat, but it's often easiest to select ground beef using the percent fat to percent lean labels.

While different supermarkets will carry a variety of options, common choices — when it comes to percent fat to lean meat — are 73/27%, 80/20%, 85/15%, and 90/10%. Which is best? It depends on which ground beef recipe you want to make.

As a general rule, use leaner ground beef for casseroles, soups, meatloaf, meatballs, and other dishes. Leaner ground beef has less shrinkage, meaning the volume of meat will reduce less as the recipe cooks.

Use fattier blends like 80/20% or less lean for burgers, making them more tender, juicy, and flavorful.

Recipes for perfect keto or low-carb hamburgers, meatballs, and meatloaf

Overmixing burgers, meatballs, or meatloaf can cause the meat to be tougher. Handle the meat gently and mix only until just combined for best results.

Even if you adore biting into the bright pink center of a juicy burger, remember that ground beef should always be cooked to a safe temperature of 160°F (71°C) before serving to kill harmful bacteria.

Freshly ground beef remains fresh in the refrigerator for only two to three days but can be frozen for up to six months when properly wrapped and stored.

If you like to have quick meals on hand or prefer to batch cook, try cooking ground beef prior to freezing. You can freeze ground beef cooked as burgers, meatballs, or as loosely cooked mince for tacos, chili, or soups.

Ground beef recipes in 30 minutes or less

Another advantage of using ground beef is that it cooks quickly, especially when used as mince or in small bites like meatballs.

We've put together some of our quickest keto and low-carb ground beef recipes to help you get dinner done in a jiffy.