Bitterballen (Dutch Fried Meatballs) (2024)

Bitterballen, or Dutch Fried Meatballs, are a popular Dutch bar snack similar to croquettes and served with mustard for dipping. Serve them with ice cold beer and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to Amsterdam!

In general terms, croquettes are deep-fried snacks made with a thick roux-based mixture which is shaped and then breaded before frying. They are usually shaped into cylinders, and are popular through many cuisines. Though croquettes are originally French, there are variations throughout the world.

In Holland, you’ll not only find kroketten, which are Dutch oblong croquettes, but you’ll also find these über-popular bitterballen, which are spherical/ball-shaped croquettes made with a thick meat-based stew as its core.

Bitterballen get their name from a generic word for certain types of herb-flavored alcoholic beverages, called bitter in Dutch. Thus, they happen to be served as part of a bittergarnituur, which is a selection of savory snacks to go with drinks, at pubs or gatherings in the Netherlands.

They’re not only a great snack or appetizer to enjoy before a night on the town, but they reheat beautifully in an air-fryer in particular, resulting in a great make-ahead option for parties as well.

Ingredient notes

• Beef: Bitterballen can be made with either ground beef or braised and shredded beef. I used 1 pound of raw, ground beef here but you can substitute with about 12 ounces of cooked, shredded beef instead. This would be a great way to use up leftover pot roast or other slow-cooked beef.
• Butter: Butter is half of the magical combination to make roux, which is used to thicken these Dutch fried meatballs. It's also what you would use to make béchamel, cheese sauce for mac and cheese, gravy, and so many other things.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is the other half of the combination to make roux. If you want to make these gluten-free, you could substitute gluten-free flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs, but the thickness of the roux may not be quite the same (I haven’t tested it myself this way).
• Beef Broth: Beef broth or beef stock will give you the best flavor here.
• Breadcrumbs: You could use plain dry breadcrumbs, or use panko which you have pulsed several times in a food processor to make slightly finer/smaller pieces. I recommend the panko if you have it.

How to make it

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. To make the roux, whisk in the flour, a little at a time, until you have a smooth, thick paste.

Slowly whisk in the beef broth until the mixture is smooth and still quite thick. Simmer for a couple minutes, add seasonings and taste. Adjust seasoning as needed. Note that beef broth will vary in saltiness so the amount of seasoning needed will vary.

Stir in ground beef, onion, and parsley.

Cook the mixture until the beef is mostly cooked through.

Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a shallow container. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight if possible to allow the mixture to fully solidify.

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Prepare your breading station by placing the flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs into 3 wide bowls or other shallow containers.

Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out the meat evenly. Shape into small balls with your hands and arrange the balls on one of the sheet pans.

After shaping all the balls, bread them one by one by rolling each first through the flour, then through the egg, and then through the breadcrumbs.

Arrange the breaded balls on the other sheet pan. Repeat with all the meatballs. At this point you can refrigerate the pan until you’re ready to fry them.

Heat 1 to 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or deep-fryer to a temperature of 375°F/190°C. Fry the meatballs in small batches for about 2 ½ minutes until crisp and golden.

Remove the fried bitterballen to a paper towel-lined tray to soak up excess oil. Repeat with the remaining Dutch meatballs in batches.

Serve hot with your favorite mustard (or a variety of mustards!) for dipping.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips

When scooping and shaping the balls of chilled beef mixture, it’s helpful if you have another person who can roll the balls while you scoop/portion them. Otherwise, I recommend scooping out all the portions onto your sheet pan, then going through and rolling them all one-by-one. Otherwise your hands will be dirty and slippery when using the scooper if you roll after each scoop.

Allowing the filling mixture to chill overnight would be ideal to ensure it firms up as much as possible before shaping.

To make vegetarian bitterballen, try replacing the ground beef with finely chopped mushrooms, and use vegetable broth in place of the beef broth. I would suggest cooking the mushrooms first in the butter and then proceeding with the recipe as directed.

Breading Tips

• Set up your dredging station with shallow bowls of flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs from left to right.
• Don’t add all the breadcrumbs at once because the bowl might overflow. Have extra on hand to replenish as needed.
• You may not use all the flour or breadcrumbs but you want extra in the bowl so you can evenly coat the Dutch meatballs.
• Use one hand for the dry ingredients and one for the wet. For example use your left hand to roll each ball in the flour, then your right for the egg, and your left again for the breadcrumbs.
• Make sure to gently shake off excess breading after each step. I usually rest the ball over my slightly separated fingers and then give my hand a gentle shake to let any loose flour/egg/breadcrumbs fall or drip off.

Frying Tips

You may fry using adeep fry thermometerto track the oil's temperature. The downside to this is you may have to fiddle with your stovetop controls to adjust the heat in order to maintain the right temperature if it drops or rises significantly.

Instead, I recommend using anelectric deep-fryer(I have an old version of this one passed down from my grandmother!). It does a great job of maintaining the oil temperature without any stress.

Storage Tips

Refrigerate leftover Dutch fried meatballs for about 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or air-fryer (preferable) to re-crisp before serving.

To freeze breaded but uncooked Dutch meatballs: Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer frozen balls to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. No need to thaw before frying, but just add another minute or 2 as needed to the cook time.

To freeze already cooked Dutch meatballs: Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven or air fryer to heat and re-crisp them before serving.

Other recipes you may like

• Uitsmijter (Dutch Ham, Gouda and Egg Sandwich)
• Saucijzenbroodjes (Dutch Sausage Rolls)
• Köttbullar (Swedish Meatballs)
• Frikadellen / Buletten (German Hamburgers)
• Steamed Pearl Balls (Zhēnzhū Wánzi)

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