Greek Meatballs – Keftedes

Greek meatballs or keftedes are often called the national Greek food and are really easy to make. So fragrant, with lots fresh mint and parsley they can be a quick snack, a delicious appetizer or the star of the table.

What are keftedes made of?

Keftedes are made with ground beef or pork or a combination of the two. The ground meat is mixed with lots of fresh herbs, like mint, basil and parsley, an egg, grated red onion, moist stale bread and seasonings. A little red wine vinegar can be added in the mix as well as a shot of Ouzo, the Greek alcoholic drink that tastes like licorice. Garlic is almost never used in traditional keftedes. They are usually pan fried and can be enjoyed hot or in room temperature.

What to serve with Greek meatballs

In Greece we usually pair them with with homemade fries, steamed greens or a tomato salad. Are you wondering how many meatballs per person? I use a small ice-cream scooper, about two tbsp size to shape one meatball so 3 or 4 keftedes are enough for one person. Add some feta cheese, tzatziki sauce and a couple of pieces of bread and you have a traditional Greek meal.

As an alternative try is these Greek meatballs in tomato sauce, we call them Soutzoukakia. They are another classic recipe with a middle eastern influence.

Keftedes are great as an appetizer

They taste great in room temperature. Create a Mediterranean style charcuterie board surrounding them with:

• Lots of pita bread cut up in pieces for easy dipping
• Cut up veggies like cucumbers, peppers, carrots
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cured meats, like salami and procchuitto
• Dried or fresh figs a(depending on the season)
• Dips like hummus and tzatziki
• Olives
• Roasted giant beans
• Soft cheese like feta
• Hard cheese like Cretan graviera or gruyere

Most traditional cooks have their own secrets to achieve a nice crust and a tender, juicy meatball. This Greek meatball recipe is my version of the perfect keftedes 🙂

1. Soak the bread in the milk. 2. Carefully squish the bread so all the milk is out. I usually press it on a stainer to get as much milk out as possible.

3. In a large bowl, add the bread and all the other ingredients. 4. Add the ouzo shot, my favorite part! It is optional but I love the flavor it gives to the meatballs. If not available, substitute with 1-2 tsp of ground anise seed or ground star anise. If none are available omit all together.

5. Mix everything together and knead very well until the mixture is moist and fluffy. You can cover with a towel and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to incorporate together well.​ 6. I use a small ice-cream scooper, about two tbsp size to take some of the mixture and shape it into a ball. You can use a spoon or your hands.

7. Spread some flour on a plate. Run the meatballs in the flour. 8. Shake of the excess and place them on a clean plate until all your meatballs are ready for frying.​

9. In a deep frying pan add enough oil to cover 2/3 of the pan. Turn the heat on to high. When oil is hot fry meatballs in small doses, about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. 10. Remove from heat with a slotted spoon and arrange them on absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.​

Can I make these meatballs in the oven?

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 and it also makes clean up really easy. Brush them generously with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned. The frying method is the traditional way and the meatballs are a little juicier.

Tips & tricks

• They freeze really well. I like to shape them, arrange them in a baking sheet then into freezer until they are hard for about one hour. I transfer the frozen meatballs into a large sized freezer safe bag, seal it removing as much air as possible and place back in in freezer. They are freezer-safe for up to three to four months.
• I love to eat keftedes the next day. The use of olive oil allows them to hold well and taste really good in room temperature. I usually grab one (or two :-)) with some pita chips as a snack. 

You may also try

• For a low carb option check these turkey meatballs & gravy.
• A vegetarian version are these kolokythokeftedes– zucchini & feta fritters.

Check all the pantry items a Greek kitchen wouldn’t go without.

If you’ve tried this recipe or any other on The Greek Foodie, then don’t forget to rate it and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it.

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Greek Meatballs – Keftedes

Delicious Greek meatballs with lots of herbs and olive oil.

Print Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: 35 meatballs (approximately)

Calories: 103kcal

Author: by Jenny Skrapaliori Graves

Equipment

• ▢
  Deep frying pan

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ 1 lb ground pork
• ▢ 4-5 slices bread Stale bread with crust cut off.
• ▢ 2 cups whole milk
• ▢ 1 onion minced. I usually go for red onions.
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced.
• ▢ 1 cup fresh mint finely chopped.
• ▢ 1 cup fresh parsley finely chopped.
• ▢ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp dry oregano
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 shot ouzo or 1-2 tsp ground aniseed. Optional.
• ▢ sea salt
• ▢ freshly ground pepper

For frying

• ▢ 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ olive oil Extra light olive oil for frying.

For serving

• ▢ finelly chopped fresh mint or parsley optional

Instructions

• Soak the bread in the milk. Carefully squish the bread so all the milk is out. I usually press it on a stainer to get as much milk out as possible.​
• 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. Season with salt and pepper. Mix everything together and knead very well until the mixture is moist and fluffy. The more you knead the fluffier your meatballs will be.​
• 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 of 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 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 to mince the onion pretty well. I use my food processor because my knife skills are not perfect when it comes to dicing veggies really small. You can also grate it on the large holes of a coarse grater if you don’t cry with onions. I cry so much!
• If you don’t have ouzo, substitute with 1-2 tsp ground anise seeds or ground star anise. If none are available omit all together.
• You can use canola or corn oil if you prefer, I personally love the flavor the olive oil gives to the meatballs. I get the extra light olive oil for frying.
• I like to do a seasoning test before I shape all my meatballs. I crate just one ball, roll it in the flour and fry it. I taste it to check if I need to add more salt in my mix. Under-seasoning can be an easy miss. One more benefit to this test is really knowing how long I need to fry the meatballs in order to achieve the perfect crispy outside and juicy inside.
• You can use breadcrumbs if you don’t have bread, just add about 1/2 cup of milk to increase the moisture in the meatball mix. 
• You can substitute ground pork with ground sausage, like a sweet Italian. I sometimes go for hot Italian ground sausage to give a kick to my meatballs.
• If you have ground turkey use exactly 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 cumin and 1 tbsp ground coriander in the mixture.

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 228IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

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