The Tastiest Kroketten (Dutch Beef Croquettes) have a delicious soft beef filling with a crispy breaded exterior. Baked golden brown in the deep fryer. And why should you make them yourself? Because these are the tastiest Kroketten, you’ve ever tasted. The filling is well filled with lots of beef and the flavor is just right. A great recipe for this typical Dutch food!
Make the tastiest beef croquettes yourself
Although the croquette was first described in a French cookbook in the 17th century (and it's, therefore, a French invention), the oldest known Dutch recipe dates from 1830. And at that time it was not a snack, but a chic intermediate dish (source: Wikipedia), in which leftover meat was used as a luxurious appetizer (about the size of an egg).
From earlier times, the Beef croquette is a product that you bought at the Dutch baker or butcher. But after the Second World War, it was picked up by the snack bars (where Eetsalon van Dobben is by far the most famous) and became a Dutch traditional snack. Every year the Dutch consume around 300 million kroketten, which means about 25 croquettes per person annually. It's the second-most-popular snack in the Netherlands (the Frikandel is in the top position).
These days there are different flavors of croquettes available. Filled with chicken, goulash, satay, potato croquettes, and there even is a vegetarian version called the vegetable croquette.
The snack bar croquettes are made from a thick ragout, which contains a little meat (veal or beef). And therefore today we are making croquettes with a delicious, well-filled meat ragout.
What do you need for a real Dutch kroket
For the preparation of these beef croquettes you need the following ingredients (you can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog):
- Beef (soup meat) - For this recipe, you need cooked beef. Add to the meat 4 ½ cups (1 liter) of cold water, with an onion, parsley, bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and cook for 3 to 4 hours, without the lid, when the water will evaporate and there will be about 2 ¼ cups (½ liter) of concentrated stock left. (Note: always start with cold water otherwise the beef will become tough).
- Beef Broth - Use beef stock to make the thick ragout. If it is unsalted, add 1 teaspoon of salt to the stock. You can use the stock that you have leftover when the beef is done. If you have leftover soup meat, you can also make stock from a cube.
- Breadcrumbs - Use breadcrumbs or finely crumbled toasted white bread.
- Spices - Pepper, salt, nutmeg, and thyme. This will flavor the ragout. Taste the ragout before mixing it with the meat. Use a clean spoon for this (otherwise the binding of the ragout will deteriorate and it will become liquid).
- Gelatin - Used to bind the ragout so that it thickens and you can shape it into long bars. You need a thick mixture.
How to make Dutch croquettes
A recipe with extensive steps, the right amount of ingredients, and which you can also easily print can be found at the bottom of the blog.
- Melt butter on medium-high heat and fry the onion until translucent. Add the flour (to create a roux) all at once. Bake for at least 2 minutes (otherwise you will taste the flour).
- Dilute the roux with stock while continuing to stir and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and dissolve the soaked gelatin in it.
- Add the spices and mix everything well. Taste and add additional spices if desired.
- Add the meat to the broth. You can pull the beef poulet apart with two forks for pulled soup meat or you can cut it into very fine cubes.
- Spread the meat mix out on a large plate and cover with plastic wrap (to prevent skin from forming). Leave to cool so that the ragout becomes firm and you can form a croquette filling.
- Take a small ball and shape it into a small roll of 4 inches (10 cm) long and about 1 inch (3 cm) thick (make sure your hands are wet to help shape the croquettes). Dip the croquettes first in the breadcrumbs, then in the flour, the egg white and finally again in the breadcrumbs for a second coating of crumbs. Fry until the croquettes are golden brown in 4 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).
- Drain on paper towels to discard excess oil and serve.
Serving
- Serve it as a side dish with French fries, Dutch cheese soufflé, Frikandel, chicken satay, Dutch mayonaise, ketchup or curry sauce.
- Serve this deep fried snack on soft white buns (or hamburger buns,) topped with some mustard (one of the most delicious lunches I know).
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Equipment
- Deep Fryer
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 1 onion , chopped into small pieces
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 ¼ cup beef stock, see tips
- 1 teaspoon gelatin powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt , to taste. If the stock is already salted add ⅛ teaspoon. If the stock is unsalted, add 1 teaspoon.
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ¼ pound beef, cooked, see tips*, cut into small cubes or pulled apart with two forks
- 2 cups bread crumbs
- 3 egg whites, beaten, egg yolk discarded
- 1 cup flour
Frying
- 1 gallon sunflower oil , or other vegetable oil
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until onion is translucent (about 3 minutes).4 tablespoons Butter, 1 onion
- Add the flour all at once and cook, stirring, for two minutes.4 tablespoons flour
- Dilute with the beef stock while mixing with a whisk. This way you get a nice roux without lumps.2 ¼ cup beef stock
- Turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin in the ragout.1 teaspoon gelatin powder
- Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and thyme.⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, salt, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Add the meat and mix everything well. Spoon the meat onto a plate (or baking sheet) and spread it out in one layer as much as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool in the fridge.1 ¼ pound beef
- Shape the filling into a bar about 4 inches (10 cm) long and 1 inch (3 cm) thick.
- Fill a deep plate with bread crumbs, egg whites, and flour.2 cups bread crumbs, 3 egg whites, 1 cup flour
- Roll it in the bread crumbs, then in the flour.
- Dip through the egg white and again through the breadcrumbs.
- Bake the croquettes for 4 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) in the deep fryer.1 gallon sunflower oil
Notes
- Fridge - Covered for 2 days
- Frozen - Store the croquettes in a freezer box or bag. This way they stay good for up to 2 months. TIP: to easily get the right amount from the storage after freezing, first freeze them separately on a baking tray and then pack them in a box or bag. Let them thaw for 2 hours before frying.
Nutrition
Catering Den Haag says
Super recept! Ik ga het recept toevoegen aan receptenboek. bedankt voor het delen!
Shara says
Hi I would like to make this but I’m not sure what kind of beef/beef cut is best to use? Would gravy beef be good? Thanks
Andréa says
You certainly could use gravy beef and chuck roast is another great option.
Kevin Liu says
Taste like I'm back in Amsterdam, great recipe!
Andréa says
Thank you so much. I love kroketten, they're really one of our greatest snacks!
Cole says
Can I use an air fryer for the kroketten, after they are spayed with some oil of course?
Looking forward making these.
Cecile says
My mom always made beef croquettes. Instead of gelatin she used corn starch to thicken the sauce and then refrigerated the roux for at least 12 hours then after she breaded them she would refrigerate again since the roux warmed up with breading. A number of family members have tried to replicate her recipe but so far no success. I think we’re all too impatient and try to make them quicker. She prepared hers over a 2 day period.
Andréa says
I know I heard my granny saying that she also prepared croquettes in multiple days. That way the filling was stiff enough. She did use gelatin though.
Andréa says
Yes you could. I freeze them upfront and put them in the air fryer, still frozen, for 8-10 minutes at 390 °F (200 °C). The only thing is that they're great to eat, but they won't look as brown as you know them.