30 Minute Meals
Greek Meatball Recipe (Keftedes)
I love a good Greek meatball recipe. Meatballs are called keftedes in Greece and they are a staple in my house for a quick, easy, and healthy dinner. Greek meatballs vary by region and family, but this is how I love to make my keftedes which I learned from only the best — my Greek mama and grandmother.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Greek Meatball Recipe
- Quick: Make this Greek meatball recipe in only 25 minutes. Have a hearty, delicious meal on the table the whole family will love
- Healthy: This protein-packed meal is good for you, and you can feel good about feeding it to your family
- Versatile: Serve these meatballs in whatever way you wish, I love them on their own, with rice, with tzatziki drizzled on top, the options are endless
🍲 Ingredients
Ground Beef – Of course, a classic meatball is made with lean ground beef, a good dose of protein that is incredibly versatile. However, if you’re not a red meat person, you can always use other ground meat like turkey or chicken. This recipe is great with ground lamb or pork too.
Mint – What really makes these Greek meatballs unique is the fresh mint. Fresh mint gives a pop of flavor that you’re unexpecting but pairs so well with the other spices and meat.
👩🍳 How to Make This Greek Meatball Recipe
- Mix together ground beef, grated onion, minced garlic, salt, pepper, egg, chopped mint and breadcrumbs. Once combined, form into meatballs using about 1 heaping tablespoon per meatball.
- Coat the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil and turn to medium heat
- Fry the meatballs in batches, stirring everything a few minutes until meatballs are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes
- Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and our best-ever tzatziki
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- If the meatballs are dry: Add a little liquid like some egg white or milk. Be careful though, only add a tiny bit at a time until you have the right consistency
- Don’t overmix: Don’t overmix the meatballs or they’ll become very tough
- Prep: You can totally prep these meatballs up to 24 hours in advance. Just keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook
🗒 Variations
- Meat: Sub the ground beef with ground lamb, pork, turkey, or chicken. My personal next favorite beef is lamb. Pairs so well with the garlic and mint.
- Serving: Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks for easy eating, or serve as a main course with a beautiful side salad, on top of rice, and drizzled with tzatziki
🗒 Best served with
- Maroulosalata aka my Mamas Salad
- Homemade Greek Salad
- Fluffy Greek Pita Bread Recipe
- Greek Cabbage Salad
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
🤔 Common Questions
Wet your hands before shaping the meatballs to avoid the meat sticking to you
You totally can. I suggest a good quality feta to really make these keftedes top notch
You betcha! You can totally freeze cooked meatballs. Freeze them on a baking tray first so they don’t all stick together when you add them to a bag.
Greek Meatball Recipe (Keftedes)
Your Greek mommy that is. 😍 Step into my kitchen to learn how to make yummy Greek food. 🍽️💃
Ingredients
- 450 g (1 lb) lean ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 egg
- 6 tbsp fresh chopped mint
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- olive oil for cooking
- tzatziki for serving (use our tzatziki recipe!)
Variation: serve with whipped feta
- 1 1/2 cups feta cheese
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp brine from the feta (the liquid the feta comes in)
- zest of half a lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix together ground beef, grated onion, minced garlic, salt, pepper, egg, chopped mint and breadcrumbs.
- Once combined, form into meatballs using about 1 heaping tablespoon per meatball.
- Coat the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil and turn to medium heat.
- Fry the meatballs in batches, stirring everything few minutes until meatballs are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
- Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and our best ever tzatziki.
Variation: serve with whipped feta
- Make the whipped feta by adding the feta cheese, feta brine, lemon juice, olive oil and lemon zest to a food processor and pulse until smooth and light. Set aside to make the meatballs.
- After you've made the whipped feta, follow the instructions above to make the Greek meatballs (keftedes). Once the meatballs are cooked, serve on top of the whipped feta with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and fresh mint.
Video
Notes
- Serve this recipe as an appetizer for 4 people, about 6 meatballs per person.
- Or, serve as a main dish with side dishes like:
Hello maria, when you use mint in this recipe, what kind of mint is it?? there is spearmint & peppermint etc. I have never used mint in a recipe before so I would not know what to use.
Fresh mint! Just regular mint from the grocery market!