Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs (Video)

Make these low-carb and Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs on an outdoor grill or a stove-top grill pan; these meatballs have all the comfort food appeal of bacon cheeseburgers, without the carbs! 

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Like many Americans, I grew up thinking there was nothing else with quite the comfort food potential as bacon cheeseburgers, so when the idea for these Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs with all the ingredients people love in actual bacon cheeseburgers popped into my mind, I had to try it, even if this isn’t quite the kind of healthy food I try to focus on!

When I shared the idea with Kara and Jake, they both liked the sound of it, and I had to make it with both of them to get a version I wanted to share with you. The keeper recipe in this post has all the flavors I love in bacon cheeseburgers, and that includes dill pickles and burger sauce in addition to the beef, bacon, and cheese!

I will confess that these are a little tricky to make, with the hardest part being tucking the bits of cheese inside the meatballs before you put them on the grill. And some cheese will still ooze out, so you want to cook them on a grilling pan (affiliate link) like the one I used to help cut down on the mess.

But the Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs are so delicious! And it’s prime grilling season, so I thought these meatballs would be the perfect recipe to feature for Friday Favorites this week. If you’re someone who likes these flavors, please give them a try! 

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• lean ground beef
• steak seasoning, preferably Szeged Steak Rub (affiliate link)
• fresh-ground black pepper
• egg
• bacon, crumbled
• chopped dill pickle
• Swiss cheese (Or use other cheese of your choice.)
• Olive Oil (affiliate link) for brushing meatballs

What gives the Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs great flavor?

In this recipe we used all the flavors people love in bacon cheeseburgers, including seasoned ground beef, bacon, chopped dill pickle, and Swiss cheese.

What sauce did we serve with the Bacon Cheeseburger meatballs?

We loved these meatballs dipped into fry sauce, which in Utah is often served on burgers. And the sauce is definitely not optional for me, and I used Hires Fry Sauce (affiliate link), which I’m happy I can buy at my local store. At my house it rarely gets used on fries, but it’s a favorite topping for burger patties!

Can you cook Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs without an outdoor grill?

For anyone without an outdoor grill, the Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs can definitely be cooked on a stove-top grill pan with ridges (affiliate link) or a George Foreman Grill (affiliate link) as well. Use Grilling Recipes to find more ideas for grilling.

How to Make Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Season the ground beef with steak seasoning and black pepper.
2. Cook bacon and crumble it and dice up dill pickles and cheese.
3. Then mix the bacon, dill pickles, and cheese into the beef.
4. Now for the just-slightly tricky part! Form into 1/4 cup meatballs, tucking the cubes of cheese into the center of the meatballs as you make them. (If you don’t do that, cheese will ooze out on the grill even more!)
5. Put formed meatballs into the fridge to chill for about 30-40 minutes to help them keep their shape on the grill.
6. When you’re ready to cook, heat the grilling pan (affiliate link) or Stovetop Grill Pan (affiliate link) for a few minutes before you put the meatballs on, then brush meatballs with olive oil as you put them on the pan.
7. Cook meatballs over medium-high heat, turning them with tongs about every 2 minutes so they get a little browned on all sides.
8. Start checking with an instant-read meat thermometer (affiliate link) after about 15 minutes and cook until the meatballs reach a temperature of at least 160F/102C. (Or cut one open if you don’t have a meat thermometer.
9. Serve hot, with burger sauce on the side for dipping if desired!

More Meatball Recipes You Might Like:

• Sriracha Turkey Meatballs
• Amazing Slow Cooker Meatballs 
• Baked Swedish Meatballs 
• The Best Instant Pot Meatballs 
• Baked Greek Meatballs with Feta

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week and I’d love to have some of these meatballs to warm up as leftovers!

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Yield: 9 meatballs

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

These low-carb Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs have all the comfort food appeal of grilled bacon cheeseburgers, without the carbs!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 2 tsp. steak seasoning (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• 6 slices bacon, crumbled (see notes)
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickle (see notes)
• 4 oz. Swiss cheese, cut into very small cubes (Or use other cheese of your choice.)
• olive oil for brushing meatballs

Instructions

1. Crumble the beef into a plastic bowl and sprinkle with the steak seasoning and black pepper; add the egg.
2. Crisp the bacon and crumble, dice dill pickles, and cut the cheese into small cubes.
3. Add the crumbled bacon, diced pickles, and cubes of cheese to the ground beef and use your hands to gently combine ingredients. (Don’t over-mix; that will make the meatballs tough.)
4. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out the beef mixture and then form it into a meatball, tucking the cheese cubes inside as you make the meatballs.
5. Put formed meatballs on a small baking sheet and put them in the fridge to chill for 30-40 minutes. This will help the meatballs keep their shape on the hot grill.
6. When you’re ready to cook, put the grilling pan (affiliate link) on top of the grill grates to heat while you preheat grill to medium-high heat. (You can also cook on a Stovetop Grill Pan (affiliate link), which should also be preheated.)
7. Remove meatballs from the fridge and brush on both sides with a little olive oil to help prevent sticking.
8. Put meatballs on the grilling pan to cook, turning them about every 2 minutes so they’re getting browned on all sides.
9. Start checking for doneness after about 15 minutes. (We used an instant-read meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of at least 160F/102C. If you don’t have a thermometer like that and don’t want to buy one, you can cut open a meatball and make sure the inside is cooked through.)
10. Serve hot, with dipping sauce for dipping meatballs if desired.
11. These meatballs reheat well, so you may want to double the recipe to be sure you’ll have plenty left over to re-heat for another meal!

Notes

You can make my homemade steak seasoning, but any brand will work. For a sauce I used Hires Fry Sauce (affiliate link), a Utah favorite! We used pre-cooked bacon and crisped it in the microwave, then blotted off the extra fat. Don’t use pickle relish; that will make the meatballs too moist.

I recommend using a grilling pan or a Stovetop Grill Pan to cook meatballs on the grill and an instant-read meat thermometer to check for doneness. (affiliate links)

Nutritional information does not include dipping sauce.

Recipe created by Kalyn with recipe testing help from Kara and Jake.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

9

Serving Size:

1 meatball
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 261Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 429mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 23g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Everything in the Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs is a low-carb ingredient and these meatballs should be great for low-carb eating plans and perfect for Keto. Definitely these meatballs are higher in fat than what is recommended for the original South Beach Diet, but personally I think having something like this for a treat once in a while is fine, especially if it helps prevent you from eating actual bacon cheeseburgers! 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs were first posted July 2016. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.

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