Flavor-packed tender meatballs with a crispy crust and a light, bright lemon sauce – I’m talking about Greek meatballs (keftedes)! This recipe can serve a crowd as an appetizer, but also makes tasty dinner bowls or pita sandwiches.
These juicy Greek meatballs are called Keftedes or Keftethes (pronounced keh-FTEH-dhes). They are for people who LOVE flavor! I dress up ground beef and lamb with fresh mint, garlic, lemon, and warming spices to create a well-seasoned meatball that is crispy on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside. I finish the whole dish off with a light, lemony sauce made from the meatball’s delicious drippings. YUM!
You’ll usually find Greek meatballs served as an appetizer or as part of a large mezze platter with pita bread, olives, and tzatziki. They also make a delicious main meal, meatball sandwich, or a quick snack.
Serve a few meatballs alongside a simple Greek salad for a low-carb dinner or for something a bit heftier, try them over rice or pasta. However you serve them, this simple recipe is an easy-to-make dinner your family will request again and again!
Ingredients and Substitutions
The seasoning, type of meat, and sauce for keftedes depends on the region and the person making them. For the most part, though, they are an irresistible mixture of ground beef or pork infused with herbs and spices then lightly fried in olive oil. Here’s what you need:
- Ground meat: I use a combination of lean ground beef and ground lamb or pork.
- Whole milk: Keeps the meatball mixture from drying. Use water for a dairy-free option.
- Bread: Day old or toasted bread or pita soaks up the milk, keeping the meatballs tender as they bake.
- Yellow onion and garlic: Swap with green onion, white onion, or shallot.
- Olive oil: To keep the Greek vibes going, I used our Private Reserve Greek EVOO, a medium-intensity oil with hints of fresh herbs and pepper.
- Egg: 1 egg goes into the meatball mixture, and we use an egg yolk to thicken the lemon sauce at the end.
- Mint: Swap with fresh parsley, dill, or a combination.
- Seasoning: Coriander, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper give the meatballs cozy Greek flavor. (Head over to our spice shop if your pantry needs a refresh!)
- Lemons: Opt for untreated if possible, as we use both the zest and the juice.
- Flour: Gives the meatballs their irresistible crispy exterior.
- Broth: I used store bought chicken broth. Homemade chicken stock or vegetable broth would work as well. I don’t recommend beef broth, though, as it has quite a strong taste that might be overpowering.
How to Make Keftedes
Keftedes aren’t difficult to make, you just need to budget enough time to roll the meatballs in flour. Here are the steps:
Make the Meatball Mixture
- Get ready. Grate 1 yellow onion. Mince 3 garlic cloves. Prepare 1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint. Zest and juice 3 lemons.
- Soak the bread. Cube 1 slice of day old or toasted bread and add to a small bowl. Cover with 1/3 cup whole milk and set aside for 5 minutes or so.
- Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium. Add the onions and garlic and cook until golden and translucent, stirring regularly. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool. Set the skillet aside for later.
- Make the meatball mixture. Squeeze out the excess milk out of the soaked bread and add to the bowl with the onions and garlic. Add 1 pound lean ground beef and 1/2 pound ground lamb or pork. Add 1 whole egg, the fresh mint, 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest. Season with 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and a good pinch or two of salt and pepper. Mix by hand until mixture is fully incorporated.
Shape and Fry the Greek Meatballs
- Shape the meatballs. Form the meat mixture into balls (each the size of a heaping tablespoon.) Roll meatballs into flour to lightly coat and place them on a large tray for now.
- Fry the Greek meatballs. In the large skillet you used earlier, heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high. When the oil shimmers, turn the heat to medium and add the meatballs. Cook, turning occasionally, until fully cooked and well-crusted on all sides, about 10 minutes. (Do this in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding.)
- Make the lemony sauce. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to paper towels to drain. Whisk one egg yolk with 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, the lemon juice, and remaining lemon zest. Carefully discard most of the cooking fat and return the skillet to medium heat. Add the lemon mixture to the skillet, then add the meatballs back in. Cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes until the lemon sauce thickens. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Greek Meatballs
You can turn Greek meatballs into a lunch bowl with a grain, or a meatball sandwich situation–you really can use them just like you would chicken breast. But here’s my absolute favorite way to make this a meal:
- Greek salad as the base.
- Tzatziki sauce for drizzling over everything.
- A few slices of pita on the side. Perfection!
Ingredients
- 1 slice day-old or toasted bread, cubed
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup for frying the meatballs
- 1 yellow onion, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground lamb or pork
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 lemons, zested and juiced
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- All purpose flour, for dredging
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
To Serve (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the bread. Add the bread to a small bowl and cover with the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes or so.
- Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium. Add the onions and garlic and cook until golden and translucent, stirring regularly. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool. Set the skillet aside for later.
- Make the meatball mixture. Squeeze out the excess milk out of the soaked bread and add to the bowl with the onions and garlic. Add the ground beef and lamb (or pork), whole egg, fresh mint, spices, 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest, and a good pinch or two of salt and pepper. Mix by hand until mixture is fully incorporated.
- Shape the meatballs. Form the meat mixture into balls (each the size of a heaping tablespoon.) Roll meatballs into the flour to lightly coat and place them on a large tray for now.
- Fry the Greek meatballs. In the large skillet you used earlier, heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high. When the oil shimmers, turn the heat to medium and add the meatballs. Cook, turning occasionally, until fully cooked and well-crusted on all sides, about 10 minutes. (Do this in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding.)
- Make the lemony sauce. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to paper towels to drain. Whisk the egg yolk with chicken broth, lemon juice, and remaining lemon zest. Carefully discard most of the cooking fat and return the skillet to medium heat. Add the lemon mixture to the skillet, then add the meatballs back in. Cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes until the lemon sauce thickens.
- Finish and serve. Serve hot in bowls with pita bread, Greek salad and Tzatziki sauce. Or serve in pita pockets as sandwiches, or over rice, if you prefer.
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- How to store and reheat leftovers: Leftover meatballs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet with some EVOO over medium heat until warmed through.
Nutrition
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I love your site! I grew up on Mediterranean food, but moved from home, and now I have to make it myself. I’m just wondering if you’ve ever tried this recipe using ground chicken or turkey. If yes, please let me know if you made any adjustments to the recipe.
Hi Leilani! Thanks for stopping in! Glad to have you here. I haven’t tried it with ground chicken or turkey, but I know it’ll work great with either option. You may like to mix ground chicken or ground turkey with a bit of beef for texture and consistency.
I know I’ve reviewed this before, but I just had to drop another note. Ran short on time this evening (busy working on a term paper!), so mixed up the meat mix and put it in an oiled 9″x13″ pan and baked it at 375 for about half an hour. Made the lemon sauce in a separate pot, on the stove; it was an AWESOME meatloaf!!! Not a traditional presentation, but made a busy night’s prep SO fast; and that lemon sauce on your Lebanese rice is just so doggone good!
Chrissie, thank you for sharing! I love to hear how you’ve adapted this recipe to fit your needs!
My son has a life threatening allergy to cow’s milk. Would using an almond or cashew milk work with this recipe?
Hi Judy. YES! you can use unsweetened nut milk of your choice. The milk here is not an essential ingredient.
Wow! For some reason all the steps caught me off guard but this is a fantastic meal…lots of flavor and worth the effort to make this all fresh from scratch! Will certainly make it again
Awesome, Kristy! So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this recipe last night for my family and it was delish! I used left over pita bread for the meatballs and it worked out great. They were very flavorful and tender. Thanks so much for sharing! I am very excited to try more recipes. I have been looking for healthy, flavorful recipes and your website is wonderful.
Tia, welcome to The Mediterranean Dish! I am so excited to hear you tried the Keftedes! And I look forward to hearing more from you when you try other recipes!!!
These were *wonderful!* So tender, and so full of flavor. I forgot to add the fresh mint to the meat mixture, so I added it to the lemony sauce; absolutely paired brilliantly! I doubled the sauce and served these over your Lebanese rice. Both my husband and my father-in-law are debating whether or not they now prefer these to Italian meatballs! I think they’re leaning towards these! 🙂 Keep those great recipes coming, Suzy!
Awesome! Thanks for trying it, Chrissie!
Thank you, Suzy! Prepping now! Can’t wati to post what I know will be a stellar review! Making your Greeks salad, too, and look forward to trying your other recipes as well. Have a lovely day!
Making these today! Have been making the Lebanese version of these (kofta) for years, such flavor, but love the lemony/saucy twist this Greek version brings! Just a question. If using pita bread, should I use a whole slice? Whenever a recipe requires 1-2 slices day old bread soaked in milk, they rarely mention the type of bread to use (sandwich, artisan?), how thick a slice, etc. Afraid a whole slice of pita might be too much, volume wise! Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait for dinner!
Hi Sandra. Middle Eastern kofta is certainly a favorite, lots of flavor! I hope you’ll enjoy this one as well. The day-old bread we use is just a slice of toast. You can use about 1/4 loaf of pita bread. Enjoy
I don’t like frying so I baked the meatballs in 425 oven.
Drained the pan part of the way and let them crisp up.
Very tasty!
Rita, thanks for sharing! Love your take on this recipe.
I haven’t had breakfast yet and am totally craving these! They look fantastic!
Lol! These are good! I’d eat them any time of the day 🙂
Mmmhhh…looks so GOOD! I love Greek food! 🙂
Yay! I hope you give these a try!
I really wish I wasn’t so hungry when I saw this post…these look so good.
Haha! These are so tasty and simple to make. Hope you’ll give them a try!
Great tips for making meatballs! I love anything Greek inspired!
Sounds so flavorful – love the spice combo. And that sauce sounds incredible. Gorgeous photos too!
The spices make such a difference! Thanks for stopping in, Jenn!
These look and sound tasty! I wish these were in front of me!
Wow, these sound amazing! I love Greek food, but I don’t make it often. These are on my list to try now! Especially loving that lemony sauce!
If you love Greek food, then I hope you’ll try these meatballs!