Keftedes – Greek Meatballs Recipe
, Published Jan 06, 2026
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Keftedes – Greek Meatballs – are crispy on the outside and super juicy within! Made with lean turkey mince, red onion, feta, wholemeal breadcrumbs, mint and oregano. Serve as appetiser or mezze spread with tzatziki and Greek salad or turn into a meal.
You will also love my Swedish Meatballs!
What are Keftedes?
Keftedes or keftethes (κεφτέδες) are a staple of my childhood. My mum used to make these meatballs at least once a week and serve them plain or add them to tomato sauce. One bite and I am ten again!
Whether you’re cooking for a weeknight dinner, doubling the batch for guests, or serving alongside tzatziki and warm pita, these Greek meatballs are quick, flavorful and endlessly adaptable. They’re perfect with a simple salad, roasted veggies or as part of a Mediterranean mezze spread. They are also very popular with children, because, hello!, bite-sized food yumminess.
Lucy’s Pro Tip
How to Pronounce Keftedes
If you want to sound extra confident when ordering or serving keftedes (κεφτέδες), it is pronounced “kef-TEH-des” — with the emphasis on the middle syllable. Greek Meatballs are usually the size of a ping pong ball but you can also roll them smaller if you want to serve as part of a mezze platter. In that version they are called keftedakia = mini meatballs 🙂
Here’s What You’ll Need
You can make keftedes with any type of ground meat (mince). Traditionally in Greece they are made with beef, pork or lamb mince. I have used turkey mince as it is lean and generally inexpensive and tastes great with all the Greek seasonings in this meatball recipe.
- Ground turkey – you can substitute with lean ground beef, pork or lamb if preferred.
- Wholemeal breadcrumbs – choose high fibre bread (gluten free if preferred) and blitz to breadcrumbs in a food processor. You can also use Panko breadcrumbs.
- Minced red onion – you can either grate this or use a food processor
- Egg to bind everything together
- A little finely crumbled feta cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley and mint
- Lemon zest to brighten everything up
- Dried oregano
- Garlic powder and salt
How to make Greek Meatballs
- Put your the ground turkey into a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients (breadcrumbs, onion, egg, crumbled feta cheese, herbs, lemon zest, garlic powder and salt).
- Use a wooden spoon to roughly combine everything together then use your hands to mix well for a few minutes. If you have time cover the bowl and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes. It will make it easier to roll the meatballs.
- Roll the meatballs with slightly damp hands – they should be about the size of a ping pong ball (1.57” | 4cm). This recipe makes 35 meatballs.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan and fry in batches over medium heat. The meatballs will need 5-7 minutes until they are nicely browned on all sides and cooked all the way through.
- Do not crowd the pan as the temperature will drop and they will take longer to cook. Place the cooked meatballs on a plate lined with paper towel as you cook the batches.
Oven-Baked Keftedes
These meatballs are already pretty healthy, but they can be made even healthier by baking them in the oven. I usually use this option if I am pressed for time.
Spread the meatballs on a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper and spray with a little cooking oil. Bake in a 350°F (180°C) preheated oven for about 20 minutes, flipping over half way through.
Serving Suggestions
These meatballs are incredibly easy going! You can serve them with rice, with potatoes, or add them to tomato sauce and serve with pasta. Here’s some pairings that work:
- Serve with my healthy Potato Salad, Traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki Salata) and Greek Bread (Horiatiko Psomi).
- Delicious with Greek Spinach Rice (Spanakorizo) or pesto orzo.
- As a shared mezze with tzatziki and pita bread – so yummy!
- With tabbouleh salad – perfect for office lunches or picnics
Storing and Freezing
Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the oven or air fryer to retain texture. You can also freeze them:
- Freezing raw meatballs: Place on a tray lined with greaseproof paper, spaced slightly apart. Put the tray in the freezer for a few hours until the meatballs are solid. Pop the frozen meatballs in an airtight container or freezer bags and use within a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge (in a single layer) then cook.
- Freezing cooked meatballs: Cool the cooked meatballs then pop them in freezer bags labeled with the date. Use within three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then heat until completely hot all the way through, or add them to pasta sauce.
If you make my Keftedes recipe, I’d love to hear how they turned out! Please leave a review, save the recipe on Pinterest for more easy recipes and follow along on @Instagram or TikTok for more easy, foolproof recipes.
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb (675g) ground turkey or ground beef and pork
- 1 cup (90g) fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 red onion , minced
- ⅔ cup (100g) feta cheese , finely crumbled
- 2 tbsp mint leaves , chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
To pan fry
- Put your ground turkey into a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs, onion, egg, crumbled feta cheese, herbs, lemon zest. garlic powder and salt.1 ½ lb (675g) ground turkey, 1 cup (90g) fresh breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, 1 red onion, ⅔ cup (100g) feta cheese, 2 tbsp mint leaves, 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp lemon zest
- Use a wooden spoon to roughly combine everything together then use your hands to mix well for a few minutes. If you have time cover the bowl and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes. It will make it easier to roll the meatballs.
- Roll the meatballs with slightly damp hands – they should be about the size of a ping pong ball (1.57” | 4cm). This recipe makes 35 meatballs.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan and fry in batches over medium heat. The meatballs will need 5-6 minutes per side until they are nicely browned on all sides and cooked all the way through.2 tbsp olive oil
Bake in the oven
- Spread the meatballs on a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper and spray with a little cooking oi.
- Bake in a 350°F (180°C) preheated oven for about 20 minutes, flipping over half way through.
Notes
- Freezing raw meatballs: Place on a tray lined with greaseproof paper, spaced slightly apart. Put the tray in the freezer for a few hours until the meatballs are solid. Pop the frozen meatballs in an airtight container or freezer bags and use within a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge (in a single layer) then cook.
- Freezing cooked meatballs: Cool the cooked meatballs then pop them in freezer bags labeled with the date. Use within three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then heat until completely hot all the way through, or add them to pasta sauce.
- Slimming World: Feta cheese is part of your Healthy Extras (a) and wholemeal bread is a Healthy Extra (b). All other ingredients are free so I think we can call these SYN FREE if fried using low calorie cooking spray or baked in the oven.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
They were delicious! The flavor was awesome!!
I love the look of this recipe. I’m going to try this. We’re big fans of greek cooking so this would go down a real treat. Yum!
Hope you like it Sally!
Could these be done without the breadcrumbs? On a strict Keto regime at the moment, which is killing my diabetes so don’t want to add unnecesary carbs.
I think you could replace the breadcrumbs with something that’s Keto approved. Can you use some grated vegetables? Maybe courgette (zucchini) finely grated and then squeeze the moisture out before mixing in. Let me know if you try it.
These look like the perfect meatball! Crispy on the outside and warm and delicious on the inside!
These greek meatballs look delicious and have me craving this for dinner. I love how this recipe is light and full of fresh ingredients perfect for summer.
I love Greek flavors, and these meatballs look incredible! I can’t wait to try them!
Let me know when you do!
This was such a savory dish; it has quickly become a family favorite recipe! Delicious!
It looks so mouth-watering. Will try it out!