With this easy recipe for Dutch meatballs you get juicy, flavorful beef meatballs which are a great accompaniment to almost every dish. Made in the same way my grandma used to braise them. The meatballs are a bit crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Serve them with a mash or baked potatoes and some veggies.
Meatballs can accompany almost every meal: Hotchpot, stews, potatoes, veggies and meat dish (really Dutch), but it will combine easily with an Italian meal if you make the meatballs in a tomato sauce or if you add some spices it becomes delicious with rice.
A delicious Dutch meatballs recipe
A homemade meatball is juicy, with lots of flavors, you can use good quality meat and contains a really nice gravy. It's easy to make and you don't need a lot of special ingredients.
You've probably got them in your own cabinets. And to be honest: when you have eaten homemade meatballs you won't want any others! This recipe was also used by my granny. I remember when eating them, it was one of my favorite meals. She made them the same way I do right now and I love to share this recipe with you.
We combined these meatballs with a great potato carrot stew (a traditional hotchpot called Hutspot).
- Minced beef - I use in this recipe minced beef because I like the flavor. But you can also substitute half of the minced beef with minced pork. It makes the Dutch meatballs even juicier because minced pork contains fatter.
- Breadcrumbs - Add breadcrumbs to absorb all the flavors and to make the balls firm, so they won't fall apart. If you don't have breadcrumbs, you could also crumble a biscuit or a slice of bread (without the crust).
- Egg - The egg, together with the breadcrumbs makes sure the meatballs don't fall apart. An egg size M is enough (you don't want an egg-flavored meatball).
- Salt, pepper, and nutmeg - The spices that give flavor to this meatball. And if you want to prepare them in the Dutch style, you don't need anything else. But if you want to give a personal touch, you could add extra herbs (like thyme, rosemary, or soy sauce). I think these recipes for meatballs with sage and Parmesan cheese and meatballs with thyme and bacon are really delicious.
- Butter and oil - I use a mixture of butter and oil. The butter will give that creamy flavor to the gravy. The oil makes sure that the fat gets really hot, without burning the butter. An ideal mixture I use often when braising meat. After browning the Dutch meatballs, I add one cup of hot water (then you don't get a lot of splashes) for a delicious gravy to serve with the meatballs.
Delicious to eat with
- Meatballs are great as an appetizer at a buffet or party, you can, in that case, make small meatballs and add chopped onion and some soy sauce to make it even more special.
- a great stew like this creamy endive stew or Brussels sprouts mash
Braising or bake in the oven?
These Dutch meatballs can be prepared in both ways. The fastest way is to braise them like described in this recipe (and it's the traditional way). An advantage of braising is the gravy that's made, which you can serve with these meatballs. In the oven, you don't add extra fat and with this method, the balls won't burn. I'll tell you how to prepare them that way:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Cover your baking plate with aluminum foil and brush that with some oil. Prepare the meatballs (about 1 ½ inch (4 cm) diameter and put them on the baking plate. Bake for 30 minutes in the oven. Turn halfway so they bake more evenly.
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📖 Recipe
VIDEO
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 1 egg , size M
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Put the minced meat in a large bowl.
- Break the egg above the meat.
- Add the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Knead the ground meat thoroughly and make 5 balls.
- Make sure the balls are compact and haven't got cracks. That way they don't fall apart while baking.
- Put the butter and oil in a frying pan and put it above medium heat.
- When the butter is melted add the balls and lay them in the pan.
- Bake on all sides until they are brown and lower the heat.
- Add one glass of hot water to the pan, so you also get great gravy.
- Put a lid (or aluminum foil) on the pan and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Breadcrumbs can be substituted with crumbled biscuits or slices of bread (without the crust)
- Minced beef: Minced beef got a delicious flavor. But you can substitute half of the meat with minced pork. That's a bit fatter and makes the Dutch meatballs juicier. If you want to prepare a budget-friendly meatball, substitute ⅓ of the meat with oatmeal. You almost can't taste the difference.
- Herbs: If you want to vary this basic recipe you can do it by adding some fresh herbs and spices and create your own family recipe. Try chives, rosemary, or thyme to get a different flavor.
- Meatballs are great as an appetizer at a buffet or party, you can, in that case, make small meatballs and add chopped onion and some soy sauce to make it even more special.
- A great stew like this creamy endive stew or Brussels sprouts mash
- A spoonful of mustard
- The Dutch meatballs can be rolled the night before and covered with some plastic foil, stored in the refrigerator. That way you can start baking them right away.
- You can freeze the meatballs when they're not baked. You can store them for 3 months in an airtight container. Take them out of the fridge a day before and let them thaw in the refrigerator.
- When braised cool the meatballs fast and store them in an airtight container (in some gravy) in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Delicious to reheat them and serve them for lunch.
- Put the cooled meatballs in an airtight container (with some gravy) and store them for up to two months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Pauline Mellegers says
Because I'm Dutch, I know that when this recipe says "bake," it's the (inaccurate) translation of the Dutch word "gebakken." "Bake" in English means to cook food by dry heat in the oven. These meatballs do not go anywhere near the oven. They are BRAISED - fried first, then cooked completely in the closed pan. So "make sure you bake the meatballs brown" might have people puttimg the meatballs in the oven! Don't donit! Braising is easy, delicious, and about as Dutch as you can get!
Tyanne says
Love a good meatball recipe using easy to find ingredients! Nutmeg is such a unique ingredient to add to meatballs. I like in the notes you said I could use half pork. I think I will try that!
Sondra says
Mm the meatball looks amazing. I will have to try this recipe out, thank you for sharing it!
Faith Still says
These meatballs look delicious! I like to mix pork with beef too when making meatballs or meatloaf. We raised pigs last summer and we have one in the freezer so I always like to use pork when I can.
Jessica Formicola says
Grandma always has the best recipes! These meatballs look amazing and I can't wait to try them for dinner one night this week!
Elizabeth says
These meatballs are insanely good! The whole family loved them!
Hetty says
Heerlijk die Hollandse gehakt ballen. Maar vandaag is het Chipolata pudding
Hetty
Andréa says
O lekker, die heb ik ook klaar staan om te bloggen. Komt binnenkort online. Zo lekker!
Marylou DeBacker says
My Mother was Dutch,we had Dutch MeTballs often,she would cook them in butter,then make a mushroom gravy with sour cream and warm the meatballs for just a few min. Before serving on a bed of her mashed potatoes.
Andréa says
That sounds really delicious with mushroom gravy. Thank you for sharing your memory!
Nic says
Can't be Dutch. Not nearly enough nutmeg you need at least half a tablespoon per pound of meat.
Andréa says
Hi Nic, It's a Dutch recipe for sure. We eat it all the time around here in the Netherlands. And half a tablespoon nutmeg per pound is quite much. If you use so much Nutmeg in your ground beef it would become soapy or bitter. Most recipes vary in the Netherlands from a pinch to 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg per pound. If you think it needs a bit more, feel free to add some more. We love it with this amount of freshly grated nutmeg. Kind regards, Andréa
Jan Davidse says
Hi
I am of Dutch descent and now at 74 I am trying to recapture the food of my childhood. Meatballs with mash potato is a strong memory. I usually mess up the meatball so I will try your recipe.
Andréa says
Thank you for your comment. I'm sure you're going to love these meatballs (this recipe is how my granny used to make them too, I've got so much sweet memories of it).
Nora says
Great idea to add nutmeg! I've never tried that before. Sounds delicious!
Alexandra says
This is such a special and delicious recipe, and it produces wonderful meatballs. They are so tender and juicy. We served them with creamy mashed potatoes, and there were no leftovers.
Kim Beaulieu says
We loved these meatballs so much. They're so easy to make and taste amazing.
Andréa says
They really are!
Andréa says
Great to hear!
Padma says
I have a bunch of recipes from my grandmother that I love to make on special occasions or on days I miss her badly. This recipe sounds so special!
Gina says
I have my grandmother's Magriet Kookboek with this recipe packed away as it's falling apart. Theses taste exactly like I remember. And people always ask me the secret ingredient... nutmeg. Thank you for sharing.
Andréa says
What a great story! Indeed the nutmeg is the secret ingredient which makes them that good!