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Frikadeller, or Danish Meatballs, are savory meatballs served in a rich, creamy sauce that is comfort food at its finest. Plus, they’re super easy to make!
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This Frikadeller meatball recipe is a favorite that my husband brought back from when he lived in Denmark. Danish meatballs are considered a national dish due to being so popular there. My husband always talks about how decadent the food was in Denmark and how he’s dying to go back just so he can eat the food again, and I can’t wait to go with him! These days, we pull out all of his treasured recipes around the holidays and we have a full Danish meal. These dishes are so delicious, you will be absolutely blown away.
Ingredients in Danish Frikadeller
Frikadeller, loosely translated, means “meatballs”. These are usually made with pork or a mixture of ground pork and beef with the most delicious sauce!
For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine:
- 3/4 pound ground beef – you could also substitute ground veal which is what is traditionally used.
- 1 pound ground pork – ask your butcher for freshly ground pork or buy it frozen. For super savory meatballs, use all pork and omit the ground beef. You could sub for ground chicken or ground turkey but the flavor will not be the same.
- Onion – one large, yellow onion works great for this recipe. Grate it, or dice finely.
- Breadcrumbs – use any bread crumbs kind you like, Italian style, panko or regular.
- All Purpose Flour – about 4 tbsp.
- Eggs – two large eggs or three medium
- Salt – about half a tsp or more for taste
- Black Pepper – a quarter teaspoon
- Nutmeg – quarter teaspoon. You can substitute allspice if you have that on hand.
- Garlic – 2-3 cloves, diced
- Sage leaves
- Half & half or milk for consistency – about a quarter to half cup
- Butter
For the Gravy, in a separate bowl, combine:
- ¾ – 2 Tablespoons drippings from Frickadeller
- Butter if needed
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup heavy cream – whole milk works too
- A tablespoon beef bouillon
- salt & pepper – to taste
Frikadeller Reviews
Frikadeller was one of the earliest posts on our website. Since then, many wonderful people have shared their memories, traditions, and their family recipes for Frikadeller. Here are just a few, but if you are interested in hearing more, please peruse the comments below. If you have a special way of making Frikadeller, or want to share a memory, please comment below. We would love to hear it!
“My mother made these all the time when I was a kid. I recently decided to cook again and do the food she made. I chose your recipe for the Danish Meatballs.
They turned out great! The first bite I took reminded me of childhood. My mom would serve these with rice or sometimes with egg noodles.”
-Kirk
“The Danish name is: frikadeller (plural). The traditional recipe is without the sage, garlic and maybe the nutmeg. When I make them, I use my moms way: put the meat in a bowl so that the meat fills the bottom of the bowl. Then cut out a fourth and lift on top of the rest of the meat. Fill the empty fourth with either 1. wheat flour or 2. oatmeal or a mix of the two. I prefer the oatmeal. Then add the rest of the recipe without the milk. Mix with a kitchen spoon and add slowly milk until it feels right. The mix should be quite wet but still be able to stick together. Cover the bowl and let it sit in the fridge for half an hour to settle. Form a ball with a spoon and your hand and fry in butter (or margarine) on medium heat for 3-5 min on each side until brown. Cut one to check if the middle is cooked. Serve with potatoes and gravy and something sour on the side. It is a very common daily dish in Denmark, my home turf. Bon apetit.
-Peter
“I love to see all the variations of this recipe! I too grew up enjoying frikadellar (great-great grandfather brought the recipe over from Denmark), but I know there have been some changes to it. We actually use a little worchestershire sauce and thyme in our recipe – I’m guessing some of the English in my family added that! But we also shape them to have three sides and serve with ketchup (originally homemade but now just store bought). My mom used to love making frikadellar sandwiches for leftover 🙂.”
-Laura
“Being half-Danish and having spent many years living between the states and the US, I must say that I agree with another commenter that the addition of spices for flavor is not traditional in our house, but I did make have a batch your way, half like Mor (Mom), (Mor Mor (Grandma), and even my Danish step-father’s family’s recipe), and all of my American friends at a party yesterday were very happy with your version, as well as my family’s–you won, hands down :).
-Kelly
A lot of posters felt the need to comment on the name. Here’s the true spelling and meaning for future readers, as some butchered the spelling: en frikadel = one meatball, frikadellen = the meatball, frikadeller = meatballs. Danes (and Danish Americans) eat frikadeller at least weekly, if not more frequently, as you can buy them pre-made/packaged at the grocery store, at the butcher’s, at the many open-faced sandwich (smorrebrod) shops along city streets that you can just buy and take with you, or eat there. There’s still nothing like a mother’s recipe.
I found yours when looking for a more “Swedish” version for an upcoming party and really enjoyed them. Thank you so much for sharing!
Frequently Asked Questions about Frikadeller
Serve these scrumptious, savory meatballs along with Brunede Kartofler (Caramelized/Browned Potatoes) and/or Rødkål (Red Cabbage). For leftovers, if you really want to do it like the Danes, slap a few of these bad boys onto some rye bread with some mayo for a delicious sandwich. Serve with potato salad.
Just use milk! Use just enough to give the meat mixture a slightly sticky consistency which will help the meatballs maintain their shape.
It’s faster to make a few larger meatballs, but I like to make several small meatballs because I love the delicious crisp crust that comes from the frying pan.
READ NEXT: Easy Ground Beef Recipes
More Danish Recipes
- Danish Red Cabbage – This Rødkål (Danish Red Cabbage) is a Danish recipe we love. It is a side dish similar to sauerkraut but a little sweeter.
- Brunede Kartofler – or Caramelized Browned Potatoes, are a great side dish to any meal! They are a small boiled potatoes with a sweet caramelized coating.
- Beef Goulash – a hearty family favorite, full of tender beef chunks in rich, dark gravy. Cozy comfort food never tasted so divine!
- Aebleskiver – a delicious Danish treat that my husband introduced to me when we got married. It’s like a doughnut hole and a pancake rolled into one perfect pastry.
- Risalamande – a Danish rice pudding that is served around Christmastime. This creamy, sweet pudding is a delicious dessert that everyone will love.
More Scrumptious Meatball Dishes
Meatball recipes are fun to make and delicious to eat. Try a few of our favorites:
- Easiest Instant Pot Meatballs
- Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs
- Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Aunt Bessie’s Meatballs with Vegetables
How to Make Frikadeller
Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
Video
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
Frikadeller:
- 3/4 pound ground beef (or ground veal is even more authentic)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 onion large, grated
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon sage leaves
- half & half or milk for consistency (¼ to ½ cup)
- butter
Gravy:
- ¾ – 2 tablespoons drippings from Frickadeller
- butter if needed
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup heavy cream milk works too
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon
- salt & pepper
Instructions
Frikadeller:
- Combine beef, pork and onion. Add breadcrumbs, flour, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic, and sage leaves. It works best if you mix it with your hands.
- Slowly add half & half for consistency. You want the mixture to be slightly sticky, you shouldn't be able to form them into a perfect ball. Coat large skillet well with butter. Drop clumps of mixture (a heaping tablespoon-size) onto the skillet.
- Fry on medium to medium-low heat until browned. Press the meat down a lightly with a fork so it flattens out a little. It should look like a small, but fat hamburger, Flip and brown on the other side, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add more butter with each batch.
- Serve with gravy and Rødkål (Danish Red Cabbage).
For the gravy:
- Remove meatballs from the skillet, and use the same skillet to make the gravy using the brown bits and drippings from the meatballs. Add the flour to the drippings to form a roux. Add butter if needed.
- Slowly add cream or milk until mixture reaches gravy consistency. Add beef bouillon, salt & pepper to taste.
Notes
- For extra savory meatballs, use entirely pork and leave out the ground beef.
- Don’t wash the frying pan – you can use the browned bits for delicious gravy.
- If you don’t have half-and-half, use whole milk or 2%.
The Danish name is: frikadeller (plural). The traditional receipe is without the sage, garlic and maybe the nutmeg. When I make them, I use my moms way: put the meat in a bowl so that the meat fills the bottom of the bowl. Then cut out a fourth and lift on top of the rest of the meat. Fill the empty fourth with either 1.wheat flour or 2. outmeal or a mix of the two. I prefer the outmeal. Then add the rest of the receipe without the milk. Mix with a kitchen spoon and add slowly milk until it feels right. The mix should be quite wet but still be able to stick together. Cover the bowl and let it sit in the fridge for half an hour to settle. Form a ball with a spoon and your hand and fry in butter (or margerine) on medium heat for 3-5 min on each side until brown. Cut one to check if the middle is cooked. Serve with potatoes and gravy and something sour on the side. It is a very common daily dish in Denmark, my home turf. Bon apetit.
Peter, thank you so much for sharing your family’s way of making frikadeller! This will be very helpful the next time I make these meatballs – and very helpful to our readers!
This is definetly a more traditional way of making them. Except for the oatmeal (I use regular flour) this is exactly the way my family has been making them for generations.
Hi
The recipe is not for the traditional frikadeller. But it looks and sounds good
Every home even in Europe will tweek recipes. This is how my mother, back to her grandmother made them. Except my mother always used allspice and not the sage. Living in Ausria, we purchased them in the interest of time . They call them Frikadillen. But instead of allspice they used nutmeg. Had a German friend who made them. She used nutmeg. As a side note. We made Hungaian Goluasch, and served it with spaetzle. Our Hungarian friend was surprised because in her family it was served as a soup. Later we served it to a young man from Hungry. They ate it as a sauce with spaezle. Some use nothing paperika and some add a little tomato sauce. Recipes are as authentic as how each house makes it.
Thank you Kathleen! It is interesting how different countries adapt recipes to their tastes.
I add ground cloves to mine, my grandma & my mom r Danish, from Denmark, my mom was born in Aalborg.
Yum, I love cloves. I will try this next time. You are lucky to have Danish heritage (not only because of the good food, but for many reasons)!
My mother was also born in Aalborg in 1935. She moved to California around 1953. We have frikadella often, and now my children ask for it all the time. Love how these family recipes get passed down. What year was your mom born? 🇩🇰
I’m Danish and the most common way to make them in Denmark is on pook and no garlic and other things. Just salt and pepper. egg. Flour and milk….
how many servings is this recipe?
about 4-6 servings
I followed the recipe as directed. The Frikadellers came out perfect but the gravy is a little two salty..I just added the beef bullion nothing else. Any suggestions how to make it less salty?
you can cut back on the bouillon or add more cream/milk…
Thank you for posting. This was my favorite thing for my grandmother to make every year for my special birthday meal. Brings back so many great memories of her.
🙂 Thanks for the comment! How did it compare to your Grandma’s?
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Thanks! I always use my own photos, and will definitely give you the link back. Much appreciated!
My paternal grandmother used to make these for me when we would visit her in Detroit. When she made them back in the 50s, I always thought they were called “frickadillas”. Both of her parents were born in Denmark. Thank you for the recipe!
That is also how my Danish grandmother said it and she came here from Denmark as an indentured servant back in the late 1800’s.
They are called frikadillas, just spelled with an er. We never add egg, use soft white bread pieces instead of crumbs, and only salt and pepper…use cream in gravy, no broth. Fattening but oh, so delicious
Thank you for sharing your way of making Frikadellers. I agree with you… the “fattening” is worth it. 🙂
I’ve been looking for a frikadeller recipe to use on my international food blog, and this looks like the best out of the dozen or so I’ve seen online. Do you mind if I borrow it? I’d be happy to give you a link back (of course)! Thanks!
Sure! You may use it. If you put our recipe on your site we would prefer you to use your own picture and link back as well. If you use our picture, please make a direct link to us for people to find the recipe
We just made this for dinner tonight. It'll go more quickly next time, but I probably will save this recipe for weekends. Wow is it good!! We chose to go with all pork. The gravy is phenomenal. Definitely a keeper.
Really lovely and colorful its recipe . i loved this recipe and nice details shared in the post . easy make tips so i just try make this recipe in my home . thanks Romantic Dinner Bruges
I sent this recipe to my daughter. Her hubby lived in Denmark for 2 years and loves all things Danish. She's making these for him for Valentine's Day- he'll be a very happy camper! Thanks for posting this one!
i totally agree with this!! DENMARK ALL THE WAY !!!! i’m making some fun some for me and MY hubby for his birthday!! his names mark, thank you for relating mama peck !!!