Greek meatballs, or keftedes, are often called the national Greek food. These crunchy but fluffy meatballs are delicious with lots of fresh herbs and aromatics. They are perfect for a quick snack, a tasty appetizer, or the star of the table.
If you love this meatball recipe, try our Traditional Soutzoukakia, Low-Carb Turkey Meatballs, or the Best Lamb Meatballs.
Why this recipe sings
Here is what you need
- Ground beef & pork— Each cut gives a perfect balance of flavor.
- White bread with crust cut off—You can also use brioche bread, it is lovely with this meatball recipe.
- Whole milk—To soak the bread.
- Onions and garlic—Grated onions add flavor and make juicy meatballs.
- Fresh spearmint, parsley, and oregano—Herbs give such a lovely summery note. You can use all fresh herbs or just one. If fresh is not available, use their dried versions. Substitute the spearmint with mint.
- Extra virgin olive oil—Just a tablespoon or two in the mixture.
- Eggs—They are the binding agent that keeps the mixture together when formed into meatballs.
- A little vinegar and a shot of ouzo (optional)—The popular alcoholic drink that tastes like licorice perfectly complements Greek meatballs. You can replace the ouzo with a teaspoon of ground aniseed or omit it from the recipe.
- Dried oregano, mint, chili flakes, and ground cumin. Dried herbs have a more intense flavor than fresh. I like to use both versions.
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
- All-purpose flour—To lightly dust the meatballs. It creates a light crust when fried.
Step by step
- Soak the bread in the milk.
- Carefully squish the bread with your hands so most of the milk is out. It’s ok if the bread feels like it still has some milk left over. The goal is to have a moist, fluffy meatball mixture.
- In a large bowl, add the bread and all the other ingredients.
- Add the ouzo shot. Using it is optional. You can substitute with ground anise seed or ground star anise. See recipe notes.
- Using clean hands, mix everything and knead until moist and fluffy. Cover the mixture with a towel and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Take some of the mixture (about two tablespoons) with a large spoon and shape it into a ball. You can also use an ice cream scooper or your hands.
- Spread some flour on a plate. Run the meatballs in the flour.
- Shake off the excess and place them on a clean plate until all your meatballs are ready for frying.
- Add enough oil to cover 2/3 of a deep frying pan and turn the heat to high. When the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in small doses, about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Remove from heat with a slotted spoon and arrange them on absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.
- Add enough oil to cover 2/3 of a deep frying pan and turn the heat to high. When the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in small doses, about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Remove from heat with a slotted spoon and arrange them on absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.
- Greek meatballs can be served immediately or later. Warm them in a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.
What to serve with keftedes
- For a real taverna experience, serve keftedes family-style with homemade fries, boiled wild greens, or a horiatiki tomato salad. Add some saganaki cheese, tzatziki sauce, and a couple of pieces of bread, and you have a traditional Greek meal.
- Grab one (or two) keftedes with some toasted pita as a snack.
- Our meatballs make a great addition to a Mediterranean meze platter board.
Tips & helpful Q& A
I use a small ice cream scooper, about two tablespoons, to shape one meatball, so four or five keftedes are enough for one person.
Always use your hands to mix them. With a light touch, your hands will incorporate all the ingredients without crushing the meat. You don’t want to over-mix.
When it is time to roll the meatballs, lightly oil your hands. The oil will make it easier to roll and prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands. You can also lightly wet your hands. Alternatively, wear food-safe plastic gloves to mix.
Yes, you can!
Preheat the oven to 350° F/180°C. Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper ensures that the meatballs do not stick to the baking sheet, making cleanup easy. Brush them generously with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned. The frying method is traditional, and the meatballs are a little juicier.
Do a seasoning test before shaping the meatballs. Create one ball, roll it in the flour, and fry it. Taste it to check if I need to add more salt to my mix. Under-seasoning can be an easy miss. Another benefit to this test is knowing how long is required to fry the meatballs to achieve the perfect crisp outside and juicy inside.
Because I love the flavor olive oil gives to meatballs, I use extra light olive oil for frying. But it is not necessary and can be costly. You can use sunflower oil or the vegetable oil of your choice.
Storage and reheating
- Greek meatballs can be kept in the fridge for 3–4 days. Reheat in a frying pan over medium-low heat or in the microwave in a glass container
- You can uncooked freeze meatballs for extra speedy dinner weeknights. Shape them, arrange them on a baking sheet, and then put them in the freezer until they are hard for about one hour. Transfer the frozen meatballs into a large freezer-safe bag, seal it, remove as much air as possible, and place it back in the freezer. They are freezer-safe for up to three to four months.
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Greek Meatballs – Keftedes
Equipment
- Deep frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 8 slices white bread with the crust cut off.
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 large onion grated. Keep the juices. I usually go for red onions.
- 2 cloves garlic minced.
- 1 cup fresh spearmint leaves finely chopped.
- 1 cup fresh parsley finely chopped.
- ½ cup fresh oregano leaves roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried spearmint or mint
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
- 1 shot ouzo or 1-2 tsp ground aniseed. Optional.
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Soak the bread in the milk. Carefully squish the bread so most of the milk is out.
- In a large bowl, add the bread and all the other ingredients—season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the ouzo shot or 1-2 tsp ground aniseed. Mix everything and knead well until the mixture is moist and fluffy.
- Cover with a towel and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to incorporate together well.
- Spread some flour on a plate. Use a small ice-cream scooper or a spoon or your hand and take about 2 tbsp of the mixture and shape it into a ball. Run ball in the flour, shake off the excess, and place on a clean surface until all your meatballs are ready for frying.
- In a deep frying pan, add enough oil to cover 2/3 of the pan. Turn the heat on to medium-high. When the oil is hot, fry the meatballs (in small doses), about 2-3 minutes tops on each side, until golden brown. Remove from heat and arrange them on absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.
Notes
- I suggest mincing the onion pretty well. I use my food processor because my knife skills are not perfect for dicing veggies really small. You can also grate it on the large holes of a coarse grater.
- If you don’t have ouzo, substitute with 1-2 tsp ground anise seeds or ground star anise. If none are available, omit them altogether.
- You can use breadcrumbs if you don’t have bread; add about 1/2 cup of milk to increase the mix’s moisture. You can substitute ground pork with ground sausage, like a sweet Italian or hot Italian ground sausage to give a nice kick to the meatballs.
- If you have ground turkey, use the same ingredients apart from the bread. Substitute with 1/2 to 1 cup breadcrumbs (depending on how wet the ground turkey is) and add 1 tbsp ground coriander to the mixture.
Nutrition
