Greek recipe

Keftedes

Name: Keftedes
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Greek cuisine
Ingredients: 700 g mixed beef and pork mince; 100 g day-old bread, crust removed; 120 ml whole milk; 150 g onion, finely grated; 10 g garlic, minced; 1 large egg; 15 g fresh mint, chopped; 15 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 2 g dried oregano; 15 ml red-wine vinegar; 12 g fine salt; 3 g black pepper; 80 g plain flour, for dusting; 300 ml neutral oil, for shallow frying

Greek keftedes are small herb-heavy meatballs with a browned, lightly crisp exterior and juicy centre. Mint, parsley, oregano and a little vinegar keep the flavour bright enough for a meze table.

Greek meze and home cooking

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 1 hr 10 min
Servings: 6

Deep-golden Greek keftedes meatballs with mint and parsley — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Biser TodorovSource page · Original file · CC BY 4.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

700 g
mixed beef and pork mince
100 g
day-old bread, crust removed
120 ml
whole milk
150 g
onion, finely grated
10 g
garlic, minced
1
large egg
15 g
fresh mint, chopped
15 g
flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 g
dried oregano
15 ml
red-wine vinegar
12 g
fine salt
3 g
black pepper
80 g
plain flour, for dusting
300 ml
neutral oil, for shallow frying

Method

01
Soak and squeeze the bread
Soak the bread in the milk for 10 minutes, then squeeze firmly until moist but no longer dripping. Tear it into small pieces.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Drain the grated onion
Put the grated onion in a fine sieve for 10 minutes, then press out excess liquid. Mix it with garlic, mint, parsley, oregano and vinegar.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Mix the meat gently
Combine the mince, squeezed bread, onion-herb mixture, egg, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork or fingertips only until evenly distributed; do not knead into a paste.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Chill the mixture
Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes so the bread hydrates fully and the fat firms enough for clean shaping.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Shape and dust the keftedes
Shape into 24 meatballs of about 35 g each. Roll them very lightly in the flour and shake off all loose excess so the coating stays thin.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Shallow-fry in batches
Heat 20 mm of the oil in a wide pan to 175°C. Fry the meatballs in 3 batches for 5–6 minutes, turning several times, until deep golden and the centres reach 71°C.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Drain briefly and serve
Drain on a rack or absorbent paper for 3 minutes, then rest another 5 minutes before serving. The crust should stay lightly crisp while the centre remains juicy.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Cut meat into even pieces and leave small gaps on skewers so every face can brown instead of steaming.
Rest grilled meat briefly before serving so its juices redistribute while the surface stays hot and aromatic.

Common mistakes

Crowding a pan or grill drops the surface temperature and gives pale meat with little char.
Over-marinating small pieces in strong acid can make their outer texture soft and mealy.

Substitutions

Boneless pork shoulder or neck can replace tenderloin when a juicier, richer skewer is preferred.
A ridged cast-iron pan can reproduce much of the browning when an outdoor grill is unavailable.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

Keftedes appear across Greece with regional changes in herbs, meat mixtures and shape. Mint is a particularly recognizable note in many Greek versions, and the small meatballs are common as both meze and a family main.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Fried homemade meatballs — Photograph by Biser Todorov; CC BY 4.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Greek recipes

Keftedes

Ingredients

Method

Soak and squeeze the bread

Drain the grated onion

Mix the meat gently

Chill the mixture

Shape and dust the keftedes

Shallow-fry in batches

Drain briefly and serve

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

More Greek recipes

Moussaka

Pastitsio

Pork Souvlaki