This recipe for Frikadeller is my new favorite for a fall appetizer or main meal. These Danish meatballs come smothered in a creamy gravy that will make you fall in love.
Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!
Frikadeller, or Danish meatballs, are considered the national dish of Denmark. Savory, creamy, warm, and filling, they are the perfect dish for really any time of day and any occasion. In fact, many Danish people consume them daily.
This is the perfect meal for anyone who loves a hearty meat and potatoes kind of dish.
Simple, yet perfectly pan-fried meatballs are served with boiled potatoes and covered in a brown gravy that holds the whole dish together.
Don’t be intimidated by the number of steps to this recipe. Yes, you start with meatballs, then potatoes, then the gravy… but truly, each portion is simple and the result is a meal you can enjoy for lunch, dinner, or an appetizer at your next dinner party.
Recipe Origins
The exact origin of Danish frikadeller or Swedish meatballs is unknown, but most cultures have some sort of variation on meatballs (like this Italian Soft Meatball Recipe or this Kanda from the Central African Republic).
These Danish meatballs were likely invented in Northern Europe in Denmark or Germany and may also have Italian influence. There are written records of a similar dish as far back as the early 18th century.
Of course, with any traditional dish, there are variations from one chef to the next. This Frikadeller recipe may be made with pork, beef, veal, or even chicken. The spices too may vary, but the dish is ultimately the same.
Frikadeller are incredibly popular in Denmark where families make them in large portions around the holidays and eat leftovers in a sandwich the next day. It’s one of those dishes that everyone can love and should never go to waste!
This recipe specifically comes from the Pedersen Family from Denmark with the help of Megan from Cherish Tours, a women-only group travel company. Thank you Pedersen Family and Megan!
Why Make This Recipe?
- “Travel” to Denmark: Denmark is known for its delicious meat-based recipes, and these frikadeller are no exception. If you want to “visit” Denmark, make these meatballs and you’ll be experiencing Danish culture from your kitchen in no time!
- Cozy Dinner Recipe: The umami goodness of this dish brings about that hygge feel that the Danish are famous for. You’ll love this dish in fall and winter!
- Crowd Pleasing: This dish is so simple with core ingredients that are easy to find in the United States. Even the pickiest eater can fall in love with this Danish cuisine of meat and potatoes covered in gravy!
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Frikadeller Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Pork: Do not use sausage. If you are not a fan of pork you could use ground beef or another ground meat instead or try mixing the two types of meat.
- Yellow Onion: You want this very, very finely minced. You could even use a food processor to shred it up. Mincing your onions fine enough is the difference between delicious overall flavor and strange texture. This step is very important! I continued mincing my onions for about 5 minutes before I got them as small as I wanted them.
- Milk: I used 2% milk but feel free to use what you have on hand. A dairy-free milk would work fine as well.
- Olive Oil + Butter: The combination makes for a delicious cooking method for the meatballs. If you don’t have one or the other, though, you can just use purely olive oil or butter.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: You can also use fingerling potatoes if you have those and want them
How to Make This Recipe
Step One: Form the Danish Meatballs
Mix the pork, yellow onion, flour, salt, and black pepper together. You can mix using a spoon or your hand. Add the milk and mix again until fully combined.
Place 2 tbsp of the mixture in the palm of your hand. Use a large spoon to scoop and drop the mixture until it forms into an oblong ball. The resulting frikadeller should be about the size of your palm.
Step Two: Cook the Meatballs
Put the butter and oil into a cold pan. Turn the heat on low, just until the butter melts.
Add the meatballs into the pan and fry on low to medium heat until they brown on the outside, making sure to rotate the meatballs until they are browned on all sides and cooked through (approximately 6-8 minutes per side).
You will need to cook your frikadeller in batches. Make sure to add butter to the pan between each batch of meatballs.
The frikadeller are done when they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Step Three: Boil the Potatoes
Put the potatoes in the pot, then fill it with enough water to cover the potatoes. Salt the water generously.
Put the pot on the stove, cover it, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Rest the potatoes in the water off of the heat for 5 more minutes.
Then drain the potatoes, taking care to reserve 1 cup of the water for the gravy.
Step Four: Make the Gravy
In a medium pot, add the margarine until it melts. Then add the flour and whisk to combine.
Add the beef broth, potato water, and frikadeller drippings into the pot and cook over medium heat, whisking thoroughly the whole time, until the gravy thickens (about 6-10 minutes). Salt to taste.
Set aside.
Step 5: Assemble the Frikadeller Recipe
To assemble, lay the boiled potatoes out on your plate, then lay the frikadeller on top. Drizzle the gravy over the entire plate. Enjoy!
How to Cook the Danish Meatballs in the Oven
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your raw meatballs on the parchment paper.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the Frikadeller are cooked through (when the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit).
To get the brown top, turn the oven to a broil and broil for 2-3 minutes until browned on top. Watch carefully so they do not burn! Serve as usual and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- If you find that the centers of your Danish meatballs are taking a while to cook, you can always finish them off in the microwave 😉 You will always get better results from cooking the meatballs in their entirety on the stove in your frying pan, but I always keep this tip in the back of my mind for when I’m in a hurry. Simply put your meatballs on a microwave-safe dish and heat for about 1-2 minutes.
- Feel free to play around with pork or beef in this frikadeller recipe or you could also use ground chicken for a healthier version. Whatever meat you use, be sure and choose one that has a good portion of fat. The fat helps hold the meatballs together and ensures they do not dry out.
- It’s a great idea to mix up the meat mixture a day early and save it in the refrigerator until ready to cook. This gives the flavors in your meatball mixture a chance to deepen.
Recipe FAQs
Frikadeller is an incredibly common meal in Denmark, so it is eaten very frequently. It is normally eaten as a main course at dinner, as an appetizer (my favorite), or even on smørrebrød during lunch with some potato salad.
If eaten on smørrebrød, the Frikadeller would be served as an open faced sandwich on a slice of toasted rye bread and a side of pickled cucumbers or sour cabbage.
You can eat frikadeller either warm or cold.
Frikadeller are delicious meatballs served in Denmark. This Frikadeller recipe comes with a rich, brown gravy that adds delicious flavor to the meatballs and boiled potatoes which are a common side dish for the meal along with Danish cucumber salad. It is Danish comfort food!
Did you enjoy this recipe for Frikadeller from Denmark? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
Frikadeller
Equipment
- Wooden Spoon
- Tongs
- Mixing Bowl(s)
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
Frikadeller Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork, not sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, very finely minced (you can use a nut chopper, food processor, or a cheese grater, or chop by hand)
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 ½ – 2 tsp black pepper
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Potatoes Ingredients
- 2 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut in half (or quarters, depending on size)
- Water to cover the potatoes by at least an inch
- 1 tbsp salt
Brown Gravy Ingredients
- ¼ cup margarine
- 5 tbsp flour
- 1 ¼ cup beef broth
- 1 cup potato water
- 1 tbsp juice from frikadeller pan
Instructions
Frikadeller Instructions
- Mix 1 lb ground pork, a minced yellow onion, 3 tbsp flour, 2 tsp salt and 1 ½ tsp black pepper together. You can mix using a spoon or your hand.
- Add the ½ cup milk and mix again until fully combined.
- Place 2 tbsp of the mixture in the palm of your hand. Use a large spoon to scoop and drop the mixture until it forms into an oblong ball. The resulting frikadeller should be about the size of your palm.
- Put the 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil into a cold pan. Turn the heat on low, just until the butter melts.
- Add the meatballs into the pan and fry on a low to medium heat until they brown on the outside, making sure to rotate the meatballs until they are browned on all sides and cooked through (approximately 6-8 minutes per side) – makes 14 to 18 meatballs
- You will need to cook your frikadeller in batches. Make sure to add butter to the pan between each batch of meatballs.
- The frikadeller are done when they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Traditional Boiled Potatoes Instructions
- Put the full 2 lb potatoes in the pot, then fill it with enough water to cover the potatoes
- Salt the water generously.
- Put the pot on the stove, cover it, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat down to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Rest the potatoes in the water off of the heat for 5 more minutes.
- Then drain the potatoes, taking care to reserve 1 cup of the water for the gravy.
Brown Gravy Instructions
- In a medium pot, add ¼ cup margarine until it melts. Then add the 5 tbsp flour and whisk to combine.
- Add the 1 ¼ cup beef broth, 1 cup potato water, and 1 tbsp frikadeller drippings into the pot and cook over medium heat, whisking thoroughly the whole time, until the gravy thickens (about 6-10 minutes). Salt to taste.
- Set aside.
Assembly Instructions
- To assemble, lay the boiled potatoes out on your plate, then lay the frikadeller on top. Drizzle the gravy over the entire plate. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ground Pork: Do not use sausage. If you are not a fan of pork you could use ground beef or another ground meat instead or try mixing the two types of meat.
- Yellow Onion: You want this very, very finely minced. You could even use a food processor to shred it up. Mincing your onions fine enough is the difference between delicious overall flavor and strange texture. This step is very important! I continued mincing my onions for about 5 minutes before I got them as small as I wanted them.
- Milk: I used 2% milk but feel free to use what you have on hand. A dairy-free milk would work fine as well.
- Olive Oil + Butter: The combination makes for a delicious cooking method for the meatballs. If you don’t have one or the other, though, you can just use purely olive oil or butter.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: You can also use fingerling potatoes if you have those and want them
- If you find that the centers of your meatballs are taking a while to cook, you can always finish them off in the microwave 😉 You will always get better results from cooking the meatballs in their entirety on the stove in your frying pan, but I always keep this tip in the back of my mind for when I’m in a hurry. Simply put your meatballs on a microwave-safe dish and heat for about 1-2 minutes.
- Feel free to play around with pork or beef in this frikadeller recipe or you could also use ground chicken for a healthier version. Whatever meat you use, be sure and choose one that has a good portion of fat. The fat helps hold the meatballs together and ensures they do not dry out.
- It’s a great idea to mix up the meat mixture a day early and save it in the refrigerator until ready to cook. This gives the flavors in your meatball mixture a chance to deepen.
This recipe was updated as of 11/21/23 to more accurately reflect authentic Danish frikadeller. Below you will find the originally posted recipe in its entirety.
Meatball Ingredients:
½ lb ground pork ½ lb ground beef ¼ cup breadcrumbs ⅓ cup yellow onion grated ½ tsp Nutmeg 2 tbsp milk 1 egg 2 tbsp seltzer water Salt and pepper 2 tbsp butter for pan-fryingGravy Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp flour 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 Beef bouillon cube 5 sage leaves or more to tasteInstructions
-
In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except for the seltzer water and butter and mix together with a wooden spoon or your hands.
-
Form a well in the center of the meat mixture and pour the seltzer water into it. Combine again.
-
Use your hands to form the meat into about 18 meatballs.
-
Add 2 tbsp of butter into a cast iron skillet or thick-bottomed pan. Add the meatballs to the pan and turn to medium-high heat, using tongs to flip occasionally until they are cooked through. Cover with a lid between turns to keep the heat in.
-
When the meatballs are cooked through, use tongs to remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate.
-
Melt 1 tbsp of butter in the pan and then add the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon to form a paste.
-
Add the heavy cream to the pan and the beef bouillon cube, stirring over medium heat to dissolve the cube. Add sage leaves to the pan. Continue stirring until the gravy thickens.
-
Put the meatballs back into the pan with the gravy, cover, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Brooke says
The original recipe was 5 stars… I saved that recipe so I could remake it. I just spent all evening making meatballs and didn’t realize it had been changed… the meatballs were inedible 🙁 way too salty
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Hey Brooke,
Sorry you didn’t like the authentic frikadeller recipe 🙁 I knew the old recipe (not authentic, but delicious) was a favorite for some people, so I had made a note in the recipe card that the recipe was changed AND posted the old recipe at the bottom of the recipe card. You must not have seen it, but the original recipe was there for you to make! Feel free to make that one any time and it will turn out just like your old favorite!
Aly says
My Mom was Danish and she made these all the time. Our recipe used flour and milk instead of breadcrumbs. I don’t use alot of nutmeg as it does not like me.
Here is another idea for you: Meatballs and Curry
I make my farce using all pork (Personal preference) We would make a double batch of meat and half would be made in Frikadellar and the other half would be made into meatballs and curry. Bring homemade chicken stock up to a simmer and drop meatball size balls into the broth and cook until firm and cooked through. Remove meatballs into a separate bowl. Pour the stock into a measuring cup and for 1 lb. farce put approx. 1/4 c. butter and melt. Stir in 1-2 tab. curry powder and allow to bloom. Stir in 1/4 c. flour to make a roux then slowly whisk in the broth. Bring to simmer and taste. I may add more curry if needed. Take a small granny smith apple and peel skin. Grate into the curry sauce and simmer until apple is tender (just a couple minutes) Add back in meatballs and heat thoroughly. Serve over white rice.
Jimmy says
Very impressive 👍👍👍
Bryan Christensen says
This worked great! I made a large (6x) batch for a family gathering, so I pre-cooked the meatballs on cookie sheets – some in the oven and some on the Traeger. Then seared them in butter to re-warm – they were excellent! !
The Foreign Fork says
That sounds delicious, Brian. I’m so glad the recipe worked out for you! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
Ben van Noort says
I sometimes mix dried currents into the meat mixture and it really kicks up the gravy a notch.
The Foreign Fork says
Sounds like a great addition Ben! Thank you!
Charlotte says
It looks great! But as a Dane, I wouldn’t call them Frikadeller. Those are more like Swedish meatballs. Usually we form the frikadeller with a spoon, which gives them a slightly longer and flat form. The sauce we make after the frikadeller is done, using whatever juices are left on the pan. But again, looks like delicious meatballs.
The Foreign Fork says
I agree Charlotte! I have since learned from a Dane how to make real frikadeller, and this recipe is on my list to redo 🙂 Thank you for the constructive criticism and the kindness that came with it. Have a great day!
Denise Warden says
I just recently discovered I am Celt & Danish Viking. For this recipe for Frikadeller…if in a super time crunch, can frozen fully cooked meatballs be used to save time ?
The Foreign Fork says
So cool Denise! Yes you can use frozen meatballs for sure. The sauce is my favorite part anyways, so as long as you have that, you’ll be golden 😉 Enjoy!