Old-fashioned Recipe for Frikadeller
This recipe for Danish meatballs also known as Frikadeller is properly one of the most, if not the most, popular national dish in Denmark. For most of the Danes this is a dish they have on a regular basis and a dish that they have had their entire life.
See also: Recipe for Danish Remoulade (perfect dipping for Frikadeller)
Frikadeller is super easy to make and they have a great taste. You simply just mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, mix well and fry the meatballs on a frying pan with oil – it is that simple.
The Secret Ingredient in Frikadeller
There are many different variants of Frikadeller, however the basic ingredients are always ground pork, onions, milk, eggs, flour and salt and pepper. I have always learned that the onions are the ‘secret ingredient’ in Frikadeller and that it is the onions that gives the characteristic taste to the meat. There are different opinions whether the onions should be chopped coarsely or finely, cut in large pieces or just blended.
Read also: How to make a Danish Hotdog
Personally I prefer the onions finely chopped or blended – this way I believe you get the most taste out of the onions. Another personal variation of Frikadeller is whether you want the meatballs large or small in size.
Time-wise it is faster to make few but large meatballs, however, we always makes many small meatballs this way we get more of the delicious crisp crust when frying them. The second very important ingredient in the meatballs is the salt. The salt is important because it enhances the taste which makes the Frikadeller even better.
What to serve with Frikadeller
This recipe for Frikadeller is the one my parents used when I was a kid and it is the one I uses the day today. We can recommend serving these meatballs with some homemade freshly bread with sunflower seeds or some boiled potatoes. The meatballs are also perfect as topping on a slice of some healthy homemade bread or simply just as a snack in the afternoon.
Ingredients
- 1 kg ground pork
- 1 dl milk
- 1 dl oats
- 1 dl all-purpose flour (or breadcrumbs)
- 2 eggs
- 2 large onions (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp salt
- Pepper according to taste
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl using a spoon or hand mixer.
- Heat up a frying pan with butter or oil.
- Use a spoon to form the meatballs. If you dip the spoon in a glass of water before you form a meatball it will be easier and the meat will not stick to the spoon. Fry the meatballs for about 5-10 minutes depending on the amount of heat you give them. It is best to flip over the meatball often - this will give then an even crust.
Notes
Lennart Holbrok says
October 3, 2016 at 3:41 amHello
Jeg har lige fundet din side. Jeg har boet i Australien i over 53 år. I de første 25 år kunne jeg ikke forstå, hvorfor mine Frikadeller ikke havde den rigtige smag. En dag stod jeg hos slagteren og en kunde bad om et havl kilo Snine fars, også blev lunten tændt. Jeg havde brugt Okse fars, Derfor !!!
Jeg har ikke prøvet din opskrift endnu, men den lyder godt.
Tusind tak for alle opskrifterne.
KH
Len Holbrok
Kim Nielsen says
October 3, 2016 at 7:15 amHej Len
Tak for din kommentar. Ja så kan jeg sagtens forstå at du ikke har kunne finde den rigtige smag i dine frikadeller. Det bedste far at bruge er en blanding af kalve kød og svinekød – dog er rent svinekød også acceptabelt. vh Kim
Robyn Petersen Wollman says
November 12, 2016 at 5:05 amI am of Danish and Icelandic decent. This picture looks just like what I had growing up. This family recipe has been passed down for many generations.. I am going to make it for dinner tomorrow with my niece’s. 4 generations!!it’s that good.
Kim Nielsen says
November 12, 2016 at 5:50 amHi Robyn. Thanks for your comment. That sounds great – I hope that you still like they :-)
Donna Spowart says
November 30, 2016 at 6:47 pmI am British but lived in Denmark in the mid 1990s and miss alot of things about it. I tried your frikadeller recipe tonight for dinner with some neighbours who are wheat and dairy intolerant so I left out the milk and used cornflour instead of breadcrumbs/plain flour and as I dont/wont own a frying pan, I baked them in the oven at 200C for 30 mins, turning halfway. Your recipe didnt specify which pepper to use so I used white rather than black and I also sneaked a clove of garlic in. They were super tasty and I will have no hesitation to recommend your website ::) Really well done, I am a fan :)
Kim Nielsen says
November 30, 2016 at 9:13 pmHi Donna. Thanks a lot for your comment. It’s comments like yours that wanna make me continue sharing recipes on my blog.
Baking these meatballs in the oven is actually a good idea – this way you also reduce the amount of oil/fat which comes from the frying pan. I’ll try this the next time :-)
Janice says
December 19, 2016 at 1:42 pmHej. I used this recipe last night. They tasted amazing, and I don’t usually like meatballs. I’m going to Denmark next December, and I’m excited to see if I came close to making the real thing. :) Tak!
Kim Nielsen says
December 19, 2016 at 2:12 pmHi Janice. I’m happy to hear that you like these meatballs. If you are coming to Denmark you should definitely try these meatballs at a restaurant and then compare to your own :-)
Craig says
December 24, 2016 at 9:21 pmBorn in Canada from Danish parents. Making these a second time because they taste exactly like Mom used to make. Simple and authentic, love them.
Kim Nielsen says
December 26, 2016 at 7:39 amHi. I’m happy that you like this recipe :-) regards Kim
Sabrina says
January 14, 2017 at 10:03 pmSo my husband and I just made these meatballs and they are as good as it can get to the real ones. It was so delicious thank you for a great recipe. He is Danish and he loved it. I didn’t put the oats and i used breadcrumbs in the mixture, this will be my weekly recipe from now on.
Kim Nielsen says
January 17, 2017 at 5:32 pmHi Sabrina. You are very welcome :-) I’m happy that you like the recipe.
Kim says
July 8, 2017 at 12:19 amHi,
I just found your site and want to thank you so very much! So many of the recipes my Danish grandma made were never written down and while most I can make some I just can’t get quite right so you are a Godsend! This is one that I have made many, many times for my children. They now refer to it as that ‘friggie stuff’ and quite often beg for it lol
Thank you,
Kim
Kim Nielsen says
July 8, 2017 at 9:30 amHi Kim. You are very welcome. I really happy to receive a message like this. I hope that you will follow my blog. Regards Kim
Gillian Mitchell says
August 29, 2017 at 7:25 pmAfter visiting friends in DK and eating frikadeller, I made them using your recipe. Delicious! Super easy to follow with fabulous results. Thanks
Kim Nielsen says
August 30, 2017 at 8:41 pmHI. I’m happy that you like the recipe :-)
Carole says
September 19, 2017 at 7:37 pmLovely recipe, but different from the meatballs my Danish in-laws made each Christmas. Theirs combined beef and pork, added allspice, and used only a small amount of grated onion. Probably closer to the Swedish kottbullar. Aunt Anna said that her mother sometimes put a peppercorn or an allspice kernel inside of the meatball. I make a version of hers, and have found that baking them for a short time in a very hot oven gets good results in less time..
Nicholas says
December 15, 2017 at 6:28 pmThis is the most amazing food blog! I thank you for producing all of these fabulous recipes. I came here to look for a “good” recipe for Frikadeller (we are having them for Christmas) and you produced the goods. And then I looked at all of your other recipes; so much to cook and eat and so little time left to do so. What a brilliant web site. On behalf of my partner (who is going to get VERY fat) and I, a very happy Christmas to you and tak for mad!
Kim Nielsen says
December 17, 2017 at 5:00 pmHi Nicholas. Thanks a lot for your nice comment. I’m really happy that you like my work. Merry Christmas to you too. :-)
Elisabeth says
December 17, 2017 at 7:52 amThank you for the great recipe. My father made this all the time as he was Danish, and we lived there as well. I never wrote down the recipe. But I remember we used pork and beef mixed together along with the rest. my question is what’s the best kind of onion to use. The pepper can make it too spicy. Going to try the allspice sometime. I can’t find any ableskiver pans here. Gotta try that for desert soon.
Kim Nielsen says
December 17, 2017 at 4:52 pmHi. The best onions that you can use are the regular white onions. If have also sometimes used red onions. However, the best is the normal white onions. Regards Kim
Gus Johnson says
January 9, 2019 at 4:04 pmHej Kim –
I am an American of Danish + Swedish descent. My mother (93 yrs and still going) is Helen Johnson nee Larsen. Her mother was Astrid Jensen whose family was from Aarhus and her father was Hans Gustav Larsen who was from Møn.
I mention these antecedents only so you may see that I have some Danish Cred!
This is our family recipe for Frikadeller which I presume came from my mother’s grandmother Jensen who lived with her family when my mother was young.
INGREDIENTS: 1 # ground beef, 1/2 # ground pork, ¼ cup flour, 1 Tsp salt, 1 Tsp Pepper, 1 onion – Grated, 2 eggs,
½ – 1 cup Milk, ¼ Tsp nutmeg, ¼ Tsp Cloves, ½ Tsp Ginger.
PREPARATION: Mix, form Patties, fry in 4 Tbsp butter, remove from pan and make a pan sauce with flour and beef stock. Return meatballs to pan and reheat with the sauce. Serve with boiled potatoes and beets.
Enjoy!
Tak
Gus Johnson
Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA
Kim Nielsen says
January 9, 2019 at 4:08 pmHi Gus. Thanks for your recipe. It looks great. I see a few ingredients (nutmeg, cloves, ginger) that I have not tried before in Frikadeller. The next time I make some I will try your family recipe :-) It sounds delicious.
Gus Johnson says
January 9, 2019 at 4:18 pmI think you will enjoy the recipe!
BTW, I also have made these into small 1.5 inch meatballs and served them as an appetizer at a party! There are never any left over!
Tak for your website!
Sheryl Hoy says
April 25, 2019 at 2:48 amMy husband was from Denmark and one visit, I followed my sister in law to her kitchen to watch her make her frikadeller. I was surprised that the first thing she did was take out her food processor.. She pulverized the onion and then added pretty much your recipe, except all flour, no oats.. the flavor of the onion is there, of course, but the chunks aren’t plus you don’t shed tears chopping them.
Kim Nielsen says
April 25, 2019 at 6:16 amI normally also use my blender/ food processor to chop the onions. It’s way faster than manual work. And as you say, you still get the flavor. That’s a cleaver trick.
Ramsey Johansson says
June 13, 2019 at 10:27 pmMy husband is Danish and grew up on frikadellar that his farmor always had in the refrigerator or freezer. Farmor and my mother in law didn’t really get along, so my mother in law had to learn to make frikadellar for her husband on her own. When I married my husband, Farmor gave me her recipe book and I discovered why her frikadellar were so much better than my mother in law’s. The secret ingredient in her recipe was to use club soda and a combination of veal and pork. Guess who is always asked to bring the frikadellar to Christmas Day smorgasbord? :)
I was just introduced to your blog by a cousin in Denmark. Very much looking forward to trying your recipes. Tak!