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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Oh my gosh these were AMAZINGLY TASTY! The spices were perfectly apportioned and even though I didn’t have coriander, these were the most flavorful and delicious meatballs!
We really enjoyed the herb/spice blend in these meatballs, which I made from beef and some finely chopped bacon to sub for the pork. Made them to accompany Mediterranean roast veg and black olives over rocket leaves. The only change I would make next time is to use one fewer lemon in the sauce… was a little dominant and I wanted to taste those amazing herbs!
Can’t find a print button
Hi, George! It’s right under the recipe’s title at the top of the post, next to the “Jump to Video” button.
The meatballs were good but the prep and cook times are grossly understated. I am an experienced cook and it took me considerably longer than 35 minutes to put this together and thoroughly cook the meatballs. Please be realistic about the time required for your recipes.
YUM! Thank you, Suzy for sharing this recipe. Was scrumptious. Definitely will be a keeper for my family.
Awesome! Thanks, Anne!
With this many spices to ground meat ratio, salt is crucial and you don’t give a measurement so it’s a guessing game. I’ve made this 4 times and only got the salt ratio right once, so the other 3 times it came out bland. This is also a recipe that has a very high chance of coming out way to tart based on how ripe your lemons are.
Caleb,
Totally appreciate your salt inquiry. I didn’t add any at all as I wanted the other spices, onions, garlic and olive oil to carry the day. With respect to lemon juice, I halved the recipe, used only one lemon and the entire amount of chicken stock recommended for the original recipe. The tzatziki sauce provided the amount of salt and additional flavor I felt this dish may need. Cooked the meatballs in the chicken stock prior to serving and topped it with the tzatziki sauce.
Caleb, a good way to ensure proper salting of meatballs is to fry a bit before forming into balls, taste and add more salt if needed. Use Diamond Crysyal kosher salt as you are less likely to oversalt with that brand.
This was a very tasty meal!! I used ground turkey instead.. and I baked the meatballs, cooking the sauce separately, and put them all together in the end. I can’t wait to make them again!! Thanks!
Hello! I am very new to the gluten free food. Will gluten free bread slices do the same job, and gluten free flour for drenching the meatballs?
Caleb, a good way to ensure proper salting of meatballs is to fry a bit before forming into balls, taste and add more salt if needed. Use Diamond Crysyal kosher salt as you are less likely to oversalt with that brand.
If I want to make this low carb, can I omit the bread crumbs?
Hi, Saima. We’ve never tested that before, but it might work. The breadcrumbs are used as a binder, here, so the only big risk is that they may not hold together as well.
Hi, are the bread cubes supposed to be dried before you put them in?
Hi, Josiah. No need to dry the bread here before using.
This recipe is easy to follow and though it does take time to make the meat balls the end result was absolutely worth every minute. This was delicious! I will be making this recipe again. I did thicken the sauce with about a half of a teaspoon flour and found that my family liked it with a thicker sauce. But the flavor was amazing.
The keftedes were delicious. I cooked half the batch, freezing the rest of the meat mixture flat in a freezer bag. After a month, I took it out of my freezer and after defrosting, made up the rest of the meatballs. This is a great recipe and were a hit with company. I would have to agree with some of the reviewers that the sauce came out a bit short, however. The second time I made the keftedes, I improvised and made my own sauce. We served the meatballs with a cucumber, tomato, feta and olive salad and crusty French bread to sop up the sauce. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe. I also think these keftedes would be fantastic stuffed in pita bread with tzatziki sauce and assorted vegetables. YUM!
Thanks so much, Gloria!
Loved this recipe for a what-do-I-make-for-dinner-tonight night. The meatballs can be airfried to minimize the mess (I make) of frying. I went with the suggested greek salad as a side which made it a perfect meal. I would double the lemon sauce just because it’s so good!!
Excellent! And this works exceptionally well with Impossible ground “beef”.
Good to know! Thanks, Kat!
The meatballs were delicious. The lemon zest added to them really gave it an interesting flavor, very good. I do not eat bread or use milk, did not miss it at all. The only thing I disliked, as well as my whole family, was the lemon sauce. It needed something, just not sure what or even if it could have been saved. We did not like it at all, luckily we did not put it on the meatballs or our dinner would have been ruined. Would still make this again,very good with the tzatziki.
Thanks for the feedback on the sauce, Cian. Glad you all enjoyed the meatballs, though!
Can the meatball mix be made in batches then frozen for use for another day?
Absolutely! See the section title “Can you Freeze Greek Meatballs” for all of our tips!
This recipe looks delish. I am going to make the meatballs for a family event. Can I bake them instead of frying and is the flour necessary to the recipe?
Hi, Beth. You can definitely bake them. Other readers have had success with this. You can scroll through the comments here to see some of their tips. Enjoy!
Thank you for your prompt reply. I did scroll through the comments but must have missed the part about the flour
Is it necessary to dredge the meatballs in flour?
No, you can just omit that if you prefer 🙂