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Greek · Mediterranean

Keftedes (Greek meatballs)

Non-vegetarian

Κεφτέδες · Keftedes

Crisp-edged fried meatballs of minced beef with grated onion, soaked bread, mint and oregano. A taverna meze and family favourite.

Keftedes (Greek meatballs) is a Greek starter from Greece, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with ground beef and mint. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
453

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Knead the beef with the soaked bread, onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), egg (opens in a new tab), herbs, oregano (opens in a new tab), vinegar, salt and pepper (opens in a new tab) until smooth. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

    • 8 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    With wet hands roll into walnut-sized balls, flatten slightly and dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.

    • 10 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat 1 cm of oil in a frying pan and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes per side until deep brown and cooked through. Drain on paper.

    Food safety: Minced beef should reach 71 °C in the centre.

  4. Step 4

    Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Greece · Well documentedPart of the wider family of köfte and kofta meatballs.Also popular in CyprusMore food from Greece
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Appetizers & starters · Main courses · Finger food
Cooking method
Shallow-fried
Taste
savoury, herby, mild
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Ground beef · Mint · White bread · Onion · Garlic · Egg
Techniques
Shallow-frying · Kneading

Allergens

  • May contain: Milkfrom white bread
  • Contains: Eggsfrom white bread, egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom white bread, all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom white bread, all-purpose flour
  • May contain: Soyfrom white bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom white bread
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom wine vinegar

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

453 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 210 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 25%
  • Carbohydrate 18%
  • Fat 57%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy453 kcal216 kcal
Protein27.9 g13.3 g
Carbohydrate20.3 g9.7 g
Net carbohydrate18.8 g9 g
Sugars2.1 g1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.5 g0.7 g
Fat28.1 g13.4 g
Saturated fat8.7 g4.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol132 mg63 mg
Sodium901 mg429 mg
Salt equivalent2.3 g1.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
488 mg
Calcium
68 mg
Iron
4.4 mg
Magnesium
36 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
35 µg
Vitamin C
5 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
2.8 µg
Folate (DFE)
83 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lemon.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Wet your hands when rolling so the mixture doesn't stick.

Common mistakes

  • Overcrowding the pan drops the oil temperature and the keftedes absorb oil instead of crisping.

Serve with

  • Serve with tzatziki, chips and a horiatiki salad.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days; freeze fried keftedes up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat in a 180 °C oven for 10 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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