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!
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
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 to make Greek Meatballs. My Grandmother and my mom made them as well. You can never get enough of them. Delicious!!!
These meatballs are great! I have made Gyro meat in the form of a meatloaf which is
somewhat messy . I like this better! It also helps to make up your own Greek seasoning ahead of time. Delicious! This gets 6 stars . Thank you for your cookbook
and I saw you on GMA-your a star!
Thank you so much, Grace!
Hello I like your recipes very much, I’m actually preparing two of them today!! But unfortunately I can not buy any of your products because I live in 🇨🇦 CANADA and you don’t ship to Canada that’s to bad?
Looking forward to making these! I have a ? about the lemon zest, the video shows all the zest goes into the meatball mixture and no zest in the sauce, however, the recipe description says only a tablespoon in the meat and the rest in the sauce. Which one should I do?? Thanks so much!
Hi, Rosanne. You’ll want to put the zest both in the meatballs and in the sauce.
You didn’t write what to do with the sautéed onion & garlic! Do they go in the meatball or the sauce??
They go in the meatballs. After they are sauteed, add them to the mixing bowl and allow to cool a bit before adding the other meatball ingredients.
I also threw in shallots, preserved lemon + used whole oats instead of bread – baked the meatballs instead of frying. Made a sauce of cherry tomatoes, olive oil + feta
SOOO YUMMY! Thx
Thanks for sharing your adaptations, Leisa!
Hi Suzy,
Can this be made without the pita bread in the mixture?
Hi, Leslie. I really recommend the pita or toasted bread here. It helps keep the meatballs tender.
You have made a totally different recipe Leisa
These look fantastic but I don’t eat 4 legged animals. What do you think about using turkey and/or chicken?
Hi, Karen! I recently tried this with ground turkey. The flavor was different than the original recipe, but still quite delicious! If you give it a go, please stop back and let me know your thoughts!
Best Keftedes ever, Better than I have had in Greece, Greek restaurants or homemade. I used 50/50 lamb and beef. I agree with a previous review. I think the soaked bread was the key. I looked up recipes because mine were always dry. I definitely picked the right one .
Awesome!! Thanks, Steve!
Hi – I’m anxious to try this recipe for a dinner party. Is it possible to reheat the sauce? Not sure because of the egg yolk. I think it would work to reheat the meatballs in the oven? Thank you!
Hi, Lisa. I would reheat the meatballs/sauce in a skillet over medium heat. You could also just make the meatballs in advance, and then make the sauce right before serving.
I made this for my family and we loved the texture but the lemon sauce was overpowering! Did I do something wrong or should I reduce the amount of lemon juice next time?
Hi, Erik! I doubt you did anything wrong. You can just reduce the amount next time to suit your taste.
Hey Suzy! I’m looking to make these ahead of time and cook them throughout the week for my husband and me. Have you tried freezing the raw meatballs? How well do they keep in the freezer?
Hi, Mikayla! I have not tried freezing these meatballs, but I think it would work just fine!
I think this would be great made into hamburgers! ❤
Great idea! 🙂
Super legit tasting. I loved putting the meatballs on your Greek Lemon Rice and the lemony sauce atop all of it. It was fantastic and very different from the normal things I usually cook.
Great serving suggestion, Barbara! YUM!
Can I substitute parsley for mint?
Sure, Joy
Just made the meatballs last night and they are delicious…the only thing I changed was less coriander as I was a bit nervous about the quantity! I’ll be braver when I make them again.. Also looking forward to having them with the sauce another time…so bored of tomato sauces!
Wonderful, Mel! So glad these worked out well for you.
I loved this dish so much I made it two weeks in a row! I loved the texture and the spice profile was delicious. We served it with the lemony sauce over rice. I will be making this again!
Awesome! Go glad it’s a hit :).
Delicious meatballs although the lemony sauce didn’t thicken at all for me. I combined ground turkey and lamb and the fresh mint from my garden was heavenly…I served with a Greek salad and bulgher with mint and peas .
Sounds like a great meal, Tami! Thank you for sharing!