Think of them as Germany’s answer to the burger—juicy, pan-fried meat patties packed with flavor. Made with a mix of ground beef and pork, softened breadcrumbs, sautéed onions, mustard, and savory spices, German Frikadellen are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and deeply satisfying. Traditionally served with mustard, potato salad, or on a crusty roll, they’re a beloved staple of German home cooking and beer garden fare alike.
My entire family loved this meal and my college aged kids were eating the leftovers within an hour of dinner. 🙂 I chose to serve the frikadellen with this super tasty potato recipe (will be posting that tomorrow as it has already been requested again), bread with butter and chives, and seasoned radishes and cucumbers.
The seasoning for frikadellen is simple, but extremely tasty. The addition of mustard to the meat mix is something I may take away to use with other meatloaf/meatball recipes because it adds a ton of extra punch. German food is the best! Check out some of my other tasty German favorites here.
German Frikadellen
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 lb ground beef I used 80/20
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 1 tbsp oil for frying onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp mustard I used Dijon, if not Dijon, use a German mustard – I wouldn't recommend using regular yellow mustard here
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp salt to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- oil for pan frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, break up the meat into large chunks. Heat the tbsp of oil in a skillet and fry the onion over medium heat until translucent and lightly browned.
- Cool onion, then add to the bowl along with the rest of the ingredients, making sure to distribute the spices, salt and pepper evenly across the meat. Tossing the meat around a little while adding the spices helps. Mix the meat well, but gently so it is evenly spiced but not compacted.
- I always check my ground meat seasoning by frying up a small tsp of the meat to taste before cooking the larger batch. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Heat a few tbsp of oil in a skillet and shape the meat into patties. These are sometimes served as meatballs, so I made patties about half the size of a burger patty. Fry until crispy and then flip and fry the other side. Continue flipping and frying until the meat is fully cooked through. You can put a lid on the pan to help them evenly cook once you've browned them well if they aren't done in the middle.
- Serve with potatoes, bread, mustard on the side, or vegetables.
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