These juicy Greek Meatballs will be a hit at your next party and can be on the table in 30 minutes! Ground beef and lamb with Mediterranean spices pair perfectly with a cooling cucumber yogurt dipping sauce. These meatballs will disappear in a hurry!
I can't think of an appetizer more perfect than meatballs! Who's with me? It's always a crowd-pleaser, and there are endless flavor combinations.
When developing this lamb meatball recipe, I was looking for something different. I really wanted to wow my friends with a flavor-packed bite-size treat and these Greek Meatballs delivered!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Tender, juicy lamb meatballs are the perfect combo for a classic tzatziki sauce. They are a great hot appetizer alongside a veggie tray with hummus and pita.
- This recipe is easy to prepare comes together in about 30 minutes.
- Not having company? This Greek meatball recipe is a great topping to salads, bowls, or even served with rice for a complete meal.
Ingredients
A few ingredient notes:
- A combination of ground beef and lamb is what makes these meatballs unique. It's a classic combination found in many Greek gyros recipes.
- The flavor comes from the Greek spices, including oregano, garlic and red pepper flakes for just a hint of heat.
- Milk and eggs are essential to help the bread crumbs bind the meat together and help create a moist and tender meatball.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine beef and lamb with salt, pepper, and remaining ingredients and gently mix to combine.
- Do not overmix, or your meatballs may come out tough.
- Using a small scoop or spoon, form the mixture into 30 balls and space them evenly on your baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
FAQS
Ground lamb definitely gives it that classic Greek gyro flavor, but if it's hard to find or you don't like the flavor of lamb, you can make this recipe with just ground beef. But try it, I think you will love it.
Store meatballs in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Cooked meatballs can be frozen for up to one month.
We love double batching these Greek meatballs and keeping them in the freezer for later use! Allow your meatballs to partially freeze on a baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Don't forget to label your bag with the date!
How to turn your appetizer into a meal
Any appetizer that I can turn into a meal is a WIN for me! These little meatballs are the perfect app that can be a legitimate meal.
Simply have all of your traditional gyro toppings on hand and let people build their own meatball gyro sandwich.
- pitas
- hummus
- chopped tomato
- cucumber
- sliced red onion
- tzatziki sauce
- feta cheese
Expert Tips for the best meatballs
- Use a mini cookie scooper to make meatballs that are the same size easily. Having them similar in size helps them cook evenly and look gorgeous on the serving tray.
- Make sure you don't overwork the meat mixture. You will get the best results if you get dirty and use your hands with a light touch. No spoon required.
- Want to make a meal out of it? Simply serve the meatballs with pita, hummus, tzatziki, cucumber, tomato and some feta cheese. Taco night just got a new look.
- Looking for something a little more traditional? Grandma's Famous Italian Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food and perfect for Sunday dinners.
More Meatball Recipes
Check out all of our easy appetizer recipes!
Recipe
Greek Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ pound ground lamb
- ¾ pound ground beef
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons milk plus additional if necessary
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic minced
- 1 large egg
Instructions
Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet for roasting the meatballs.
- Pour the olive oil into a medium bowl, then add the meat and season with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of milk and mix to combine. (Add additional milk, tablespoon by tablespoon, if needed to moisten meat mixture.) Add the red pepper flakes, oregano, minced garlic, egg and mix to combine.
- Using a small cookie scoop, form the meat mixture into about 30 balls and place on prepared pan. Roast until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
Notes
VIDEO
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
Need to know is sauce hot or cold. Picture it looks like it’s more yellow, like it’s been mixed with the meat dripping
Hi Judy, When I serve these Greek Meatballs, I serve the sauce cold or room temperature. Hope that helps!
Those meatballs sound incredible! Tzatziki sauce is one of my favorite things ever, but for some reason I have never actually made it from scratch... it sounds so easy! And I love the little individual portions. Sadly, I don't think it would stop me from eating, like, ten of them... but I love it anyway! 🙂
I saw this on G+ and had to come over for a look. What a great idea. Pinning this one, I've never made Tzatzike sauce, but that's going to change soon. Thanks for this post.
Thanks Lea Ann! It's really easy to make and Oh, so good! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I'm back. I was just looking at the recipe because I want to take these to a party tomorrow. In the ingredients, you have 2 Tablespoons (plus additional if necessary). I went down to the instructions to find it was milk. You may want to change add the word milk in the ingredients.