Out of Bread crumbs, one case

Bread crumb substitute for meatballs

6 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 6 options

Use Panko

1 cup for every cup of bread crumbs

In meatballs, replace bread crumbs with the same volume of panko or finely crushed crackers. Fresh bread also works and makes a softer meatball: use 1 slice, torn up and soaked in milk, for each ¼ cup of dried crumbs. Rolled oats work at the same volume with 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra milk per cup. For low-carb meatballs, use almond flour and keep the egg.

Verdict —: Works
The tweak —: Crush the flakes in your hand before measuring so a cup holds as much as fine crumbs. Add 1 tsp Italian seasoning per cup if the recipe wanted seasoned crumbs.
Best for —: Italian-style meatballs in sauce
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full bread crumbs card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Bread crumbs substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup bread crumbs	Verdict
1	PankoItalian-style meatballs in sauce	1 cupWorks	Works
2	Crushed crackersbeef and pork meatballs	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
3	Fresh bread soaked in milkItalian-style meatballs	1 slice per ¼ cupTweak it	Tweak it
4	Rolled oatsbeef and turkey meatballs	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
5	Almond flourlow-carb and keto meatballs	1 cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
6	Grated Parmesanlow-carb meatballs, with almond flour	½ cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option6 options

Panko

no change

Panko is bread crumbs in a coarser, lighter flake. In a meatball it soaks up milk and juices the same way and keeps the texture tender.

Best for: Italian-style meatballs in sauce, Swedish meatballs, turkey and chicken meatballs
Prep: Crush the flakes in your hand before measuring so a cup holds as much as fine crumbs. Add 1 tsp Italian seasoning per cup if the recipe wanted seasoned crumbs.
Contains: gluten
Where it fails: Measured whole and loosely, panko under-fills the cup and the meatballs can be loose.

Crushed crackers

slightly saltier and richer

Saltines or butter crackers crushed to fine crumbs. They bind as well as bread crumbs and add a little richness.

Best for: beef and pork meatballs, cocktail meatballs, meatballs for soup
Prep: Crush fine in a bag with a rolling pin, and cut the recipe's salt by about half.
Contains: gluten
Where it fails: Recipes that are already salty from Parmesan or cured meat, unless you leave the added salt out altogether.

Fresh bread soaked in milk

no change; softer and juicier

Bread mashed with milk is the traditional binder for tender meatballs. The paste holds moisture in the meat as it cooks.

Best for: Italian-style meatballs, lean beef, turkey and chicken meatballs, meatballs simmered a long time in sauce
Prep: Tear 1 slice of sandwich bread into small pieces, pour over 2 tbsp of milk, wait 5 minutes and mash it to a paste before adding the meat. Leave out any milk the recipe adds with the crumbs.
Contains: gluten, dairy
Where it fails: A mix that is already wet, with a lot of onion or egg: the meatballs slump. Add the soaked bread a little at a time.

Rolled oats

mild; a slightly firmer, chewier meatball

Quick or old-fashioned oats. They take up more liquid than bread crumbs and are hard to detect once the meatballs are cooked.

Best for: beef and turkey meatballs, meatballs baked in the oven, when there is no bread or crackers in the house
Prep: Add 1 to 2 tbsp of milk per cup of oats and rest the mix 10 minutes before rolling. Pulse old-fashioned oats a few times first.
Where it fails: Steel-cut oats stay hard. Whole oats rolled and cooked straight away can show in the finished meatball.

Almond flour

faintly nutty; softer

The usual low-carb and gluten-free binder. It holds with the help of the egg but does not absorb liquid as crumbs do.

Best for: low-carb and keto meatballs, gluten-free meatballs
Prep: Keep the egg, leave out any milk, and chill the rolled meatballs 15 to 20 minutes so they hold their shape.
Suits: gluten-free, low-carb
Contains: tree nuts
Where it fails: Long simmering in a thin sauce, where soft meatballs can break up. Brown or bake them first. Not for anyone with a tree-nut allergy.

Grated Parmesan

saltier and sharper

Finely grated dry Parmesan firms up the mix and seasons it. It is a partial stand-in: use it for up to half the crumbs and make up the rest with another binder, or with nothing in a fatty mix.

Best for: low-carb meatballs, with almond flour, Italian-style meatballs
Prep: Leave out the recipe's salt and taste a small cooked piece before rolling the batch.
Suits: gluten-free, low-carb
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: As the only binder in lean turkey or chicken meatballs: cheese does not hold moisture, so they cook up dense.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeBread crumbs

Bread crumbs in a meatball are not filler. Mixed with milk or egg they form a soft paste that sits between the bits of meat, holds on to juices and stops the meat from tightening into a hard ball. A good substitute has to absorb liquid, which is why panko, crackers, bread and oats work better than flour.

Tips for substituting bread crumbs

5 tips

A usual amount is about ½ cup of dried bread crumbs per pound of meat. Use the same volume of crushed panko, crackers or oats.
Fresh bread: 2 slices soaked in ¼ cup of milk replace ½ cup of dried crumbs for a pound of meat.
Mix the binder with the egg, milk and seasoning first, then add the meat and mix only until combined. Overmixing makes meatballs tough.
Fry or microwave a teaspoon of the mix and taste it before you roll the batch. Crackers and Parmesan both add salt.
Cook beef and pork meatballs to 160°F in the center, and turkey or chicken meatballs to 165°F.

Questions

5 questions

Can I substitute panko for bread crumbs in meatballs?

Yes, at the same volume. Crush the panko in your hand before measuring so the cup is not half air, and add your own seasoning if the recipe called for Italian-style crumbs, because panko is plain.

What is a low-carb substitute for bread crumbs in meatballs?

Almond flour at the same volume, with the egg kept in and any milk left out. Half almond flour and half grated Parmesan adds flavor. Finely crushed pork rinds also work at the same volume and have no carbohydrate.

Can I make meatballs without bread crumbs or any substitute?

Yes, with meat that has enough fat, such as 80% lean beef or a beef and pork mix. Keep the egg and handle the mix gently. The meatballs are firmer and denser. Lean turkey or chicken meatballs made with no binder tend to be dry.

Can I use flour in place of bread crumbs in meatballs?

Only a little. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour per pound of meat to tighten a loose mix. Flour does not hold moisture the way crumbs do, and swapped cup for cup it makes meatballs pasty and heavy.

How much fresh bread replaces ½ cup of bread crumbs?

About 2 slices of sandwich bread. Tear them up, soak them in about ¼ cup of milk for 5 minutes and mash to a paste. Leave out any other milk the recipe adds.