Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)

Name: Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 400g ground pork (15% fat percentage); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 7g fresh mint (finely chopped); 7g fresh parsley (finely chopped); 1 egg; 100g breadcrumbs (I used panko); 100g feta cheese (crumbled); Salt and pepper; 1 garlic clove (minced); 100g cucumber (grated and drained); 200g Greek yoghurt; 100g feta (crumbled); 1 tsp chilli flakes; Salt and pepper; 100g cucumber (diced); Dill (roughly chopped); Mint leaves; Lemon (sliced into wedges)

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These are my Greek Meatballs aka Keftedes and they are such a great dish to make on a summer's day. They come together in less than 30 minutes and are a combination of ground meat, feta, mint, parsley, garlic, and a handful of other ingredients. The Greek meatballs are then placed on top of homemade feta tzatziki and drizzled with lemon, dill, and fresh mint.

Plate of Greek meatballs also known as keftedes.

I love these Greek-inspired meatballs because they're really simple to make and are such a crowd-pleaser. They're super refreshing and perfect for a bbq or as a filling for a sandwich! I've used ground pork but you could use chicken, beef, or turkey! I also love serving them with pita.

If you're a fan of Greek food, then you'll love my Greek yoghurt chicken in the air fryer, a great way to cook and marinade chicken. My tiropitakia aka Greek feta pies are also such a great one for when you have friends coming round or my tiropita recipe which is the bigger sister! And last but not least, my homemade gyros recipe that is so comforting and delicious.

If you're a fan of meatballs, then you'll adore my buffalo air fryer chicken meatballs with a blue cheese sauce, perfect for a summer side dish!

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
What to do with leftovers
FAQs
Other recipes you might enjoy!
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Summer vibes: These Greek Meatballs are great for summer. They're really fresh because you've got the mint and feta inside the meatball itself. It's then served on a cool tzatziki topped with dill, lemon, and more mint. Perfect as a side dish for a bbq or a garden party. My Vietnamese-inspired noodle salad is another great one for summer, as is my banh mi sandwich recipe!

Simple: You only need a handful of accessible ingredients for this recipe and the meatballs are cooked in a skillet/frying pan. These keftedes take around 30 minutes to make and they're pretty low maintenance. If you're looking for more easy meatball recipes, check out my air fryer turkey meatballs that take less than 20 minutes to make!

Great for dinner parties: This is a great dish to serve for loads of people. You can easily up the quantities to make it for a greater number. Just place the plate of food onto the table, serve it up with some pita, bread, or pasta, and enjoy! For a seafood-y style side dish for a dinner party, my shrimp scampi recipe without wine is always a crowd favourite!

Ingredients

A whole plate of Greek meatballs with lemon, dill, and mint.

For the meatballs:

Ground pork: I used a high fat percentage pork mince around 15%. This results in a juicy meatball. You can also use ground chicken, beef, or turkey.

Garlic: I've used fresh garlic cloves. You could also use garlic granules, just add small quantities at a time.

Mint: Fresh mint leaves add a lovely freshness to the meatball. I'd highly recommend using fresh mint rather than dried mint leaves, I prefer their taste. If you don't like mint, you could go for coriander too.

Parsley: Another fresh leaf that adds greenery and flavour to the meatball is parsley. Once again, I used fresh finely chopped parsley.

Egg: To help bind the meatballs together, we've used an egg.

Breadcrumbs: Another binder is breadcrumbs. I've used panko for this recipe as they absorb the moisture from the meatballs and help them bind together. Feel free to blend any leftover bread you might have and use that as well!

Feta: This is optional, but I think it adds a really lovely punch of flavour to the meatballs as well as a creaminess.

For the tzatziki:

Cucumber: Grated cucumber is essential for a tzatziki. Make sure to squeeze all the water out before combining it with the rest of the ingredients.

Garlic: Fresh garlic clove, very finely minced. If you don't like adding raw garlic to things, feel free to use garlic granules.

Greek yoghurt: I love using Greek yoghurt for this recipe. If you can't find it, then a plain yoghurt will do.

Feta: This is not a traditional tzatziki, I thought it would be fun to add crumbled feta into the mix for extra flavour. You can omit this if you'd rather just keep a normal tzatziki flavour.

Chilli flakes: For a bit of spice, I've added in some chilli flakes. Once again, you can remove these if you'd prefer to keep the tzatziki more traditional.

For the toppings:

Dill: Sprigs of dill adds a lovely freshness to this.

Mint: We've got mint in the meatballs, but it's really pretty add some leaves on the top as well.

Lemon: I added a few wedges of lemon onto the dish. You can squeeze over the lemon juice just before you eat it as a lovely bit of acidity.

See the recipe card below for more details on ingredients.

Step by Step Instructions with Photos

Combining meatball ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 1: In a large bowl, combine your ground pork, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped mint, chopped parsley, egg, breadcrumbs, crumbled feta, salt and pepper. Give everything a really good mix until well combined.

Step 2: Form the mixture into 14-16 equal sized balls. When forming them, squeeze gently between the two palms of your hands. Don't squidge or squeeze too hard as this will make the meatballs dense. Set them aside ready to be fried.

Cooking meatballs in a frying pan or skillet until golden brown.

Step 3: Place a non-stick frying pan or skillet onto medium heat and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in your meatballs and fry on each side for 3 minutes. Rotate and fry until the meatballs are golden brown.

Step 4: Time to make the tzatziki. In a medium sized bowl, combine minced garlic, grated and drained cucumber, Greek yoghurt, crumbled feta, salt, pepper, and chilli flakes. Taste and season accordingly.

Plating up Greek meatballs aka keftedes on a white plate.

Step 5: Once your meatballs are cooked, set them aside. Get your serving plate and add a base layer of tzatziki. Top with the meatballs, some optional chopped bits of cucumber, dill, mint, and lemon wedges. Enjoy!

What to do with leftovers

Storage: Store the tzatziki in an airtight container and consume within 3 days. Store the meatballs in another air tight container and consume within 3 days.

Freeze: I wouldn't recommend freezing tzatziki, just make it fresh on the day. However, you can freeze the cooked meatballs in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Reheating: From the fridge, simply place the meatballs in the microwave until piping hot. From frozen, leave to thaw in the fridge overnight, then either place them in the microwave until piping hot or you can gently re-fry them on the hob until piping hot.

FAQs

What is a Greek meatball made of?

The recipe can vary, but this take on keftedes includes some kind of ground meat, garlic, mint, parsley, feta, breadcrumbs, and egg.

What if my meatballs are falling apart?

Make sure to massage the meat gently, if the meatballs are falling apart. Use the palms of your hands to form the mixture into meatballs.

Can I air fry the meatballs?

Absolutely! Air fry them for 15 minutes at 180C/360F until golden.

Can I double the quantities?

For sure! Just adjust the ingredient quantities by doubling them!

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