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Serbian · Balkan

Pljeskavica

Non-vegetarian

Пљескавица · Pljeskavica

A wide, thin grilled patty of mixed minced meat and onion, served in flatbread with chopped onion and kajmak. Serbia's favourite grill-house order.

Pljeskavica is a Serbian grilled dish, ready in about 1 hour 25 minutes and made with ground beef and ground pork. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 25 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
429

Ingredients

4 servings

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the beef, pork, grated onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), sparkling water (opens in a new tab), salt, pepper (opens in a new tab) and paprika (opens in a new tab) and knead for 3–4 minutes until sticky. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

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

  2. Step 2

    With wet hands, flatten each quarter into a thin patty about 1 cm thick and as wide as a side plate.

    • 5 min

  3. Step 3

    Grill over high heat for 4–5 minutes per side until charred at the edges and cooked through.

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

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Warm the flatbread on the grill for about 30 seconds a side until soft and lightly marked, tuck in the patty with chopped onion (opens in a new tab), kajmak (opens in a new tab) and ajvar, and serve.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

About this dish

Origin
Leskovac, southern Serbia, Serbia · Commonly attributedLeskovac is famous for its grill; pljeskavica is eaten across the former Yugoslavia.Also popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North MacedoniaMore food from Serbia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Grills & kebabs · Burgers · Street food
Cooking method
Grilled
Taste
savoury, smoky, mild
Diet
No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, No gluten ingredients, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Everyday
Cook more with
Ground beef · Ground pork · Onion · Garlic · Sparkling water · Paprika
Techniques
Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom kajmak
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom pita bread
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom pita bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom pita bread

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

429 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 223 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 30%
  • Carbohydrate 4%
  • Fat 66%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy429 kcal193 kcal
Protein31.8 g14.3 g
Carbohydrate3.9 g1.8 g
Net carbohydrate3.1 g1.4 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.9 g0.4 g
Fat31 g13.9 g
Saturated fat11.7 g5.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol122 mg55 mg
Sodium987 mg443 mg
Salt equivalent2.5 g1.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
580 mg
Calcium
41 mg
Iron
3 mg
Magnesium
38 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
20 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
2.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
15 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: pita bread, onion, kajmak, roasted red peppers (jarred).
  • “—” 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

  • A griddle pan works if you have no barbecue.

Common mistakes

  • Making the patties thick — pljeskavica is wide and thin, so it chars outside while staying juicy.
  • Using very lean mince, which makes a dry patty.

Serve with

  • Serve with shopska salad or a pile of fries.

Storage

  • Raw patties freeze well between sheets of baking paper.

Variations

  • Gurmanska pljeskavica (Serbia): Stuffed with cheese and ham before grilling.
  • Leskovačka pljeskavica (Serbia): Spiced with plenty of hot pepper in the mince.

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

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. 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, 4

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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