🧆 Keftedes
Keftedes are Greek and Cypriot meatballs of minced beef mixed with grated onion, soaked bread, egg and a generous amount of fresh mint. They are shaped into small flattened balls and fried until crisp and deeply browned outside while staying soft within. Keftedes are a favourite meze, served warm with lemon, salad and dips.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g minced beef
- 2 slices stale bread, soaked in water and squeezed
- 1 egg
- 1 onion, grated
- A handful of fresh mint, chopped
- Salt, pepper, ½ tsp ground cumin
- Oil for frying
Method
- Combine the beef, squeezed bread, egg, onion, mint and spices and knead until smooth.
- Rest the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Shape into small flattened balls.
- Fry in a little oil over medium heat for 3–4 minutes per side until crisp and cooked through. Serve warm.
How to make it lighter
- Oven-bake or air-fry the keftedes and brush with just a little oil.
- Use lean minced beef.
- Serve with a big salad and lemon rather than bread and fries.
History
The name comes from the Turkish köfte and ultimately the Persian kofta, and meatballs of this kind are shared across the eastern Mediterranean. Mint is especially characteristic of the Cypriot version. Today keftedes appear on almost every meze spread in Cyprus and Greece.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →