German Frikadellen (German Hamburgers) – These famous German meat patties remained moist and tender for several days. You can enjoy them with a simple German potato salad or between bread rolls. In addition, they can be enjoyed hot or cold.
German Frikadellen is another famous German food. While these meat patties are often called Frikadellen in stores, it has many other names. In my area, it is called Fleischküchle. In other parts of Germany, it is also known as Fleischpflanzerl or Buletten.
Frikadellen are basically German Hamburgers or meat patties. They are probably the original inspiration for the famous hamburgers. These popular meat patties are not restricted to Germany and are typically associated with Denmark or Poland.
If you have old bread rolls or old bread slices, one great way to get rid of them is definitely mixing them into minced meat and make Frikadellen or meat balls out of them. I do that all the time. We love to eat these meat patties for lunch. However, they can be enjoyed cold as well. I make this recipe at least twice a month, especially if I run out of ideas, I will make something with minced meat. My children love their meat patties.
Ingredients/ Tips on making German Frikadellen
Onions: You can either add raw or cooked diced onions into the meat mixture. I usually like to sauté onion dices in butter because it gives a nice aroma and sweetness to my Frikadellen.
White bread roll: The white bread roll should be several days old. You can also use dry bread slices in this recipe. Fresh bread rolls can be used as well. However, it takes less time to soak than an old bread roll. From my personal experience, it is easier to work with soaked old bread roll (panade) because it does not crumble as much as fresh bread roll in water. Panade (a mixture of starch and liquid) makes the Fleischküchle moist and tender.
Egg: Egg is the binding agent in this case. It is important to note to squeeze out as much water as you can from the soaked bread bun and not to use too much butter for the diced onions. This is because we do not want too much liquid in the meat mixture, as the patties will break apart while cooking.
Seasoning and herbs: Any seasoning or herbs of your choice can be used in this case.
Shaping: By moistening your hands with some water, prevents the Frikadellen from sticking to your hands. This would ease the shaping process. In German stores, commercial meat patties are usually thick and large. I typically make them smaller because it takes shorter to cook, and it is for children to eat. You can make it either way you prefer.
How to make German Frikadellen
- Pour warm water into a bowl and add in the white bread roll. Soak the bread roll in warm water for about 10 minutes or until the bread roll turns soft.
- While waiting, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat and add in diced onions. Cook onions until translucent. Turn off the heat and allow the onion dices to cool down. No cleaning is required because we will need this pan for later.
- In a separate suitable bowl, add in minced meat. Thereafter, remove excess water from the bread roll. Simply squeeze out as much water as you can. Thereafter, add the bread roll into the bowl with minced meat.
- Add in egg, seasoning/herbs (salt, ground pepper, dried thyme leaves and paprika powder) and diced onions.
- Mix all ingredients by hand or with a tablespoon and adjust seasoning according to taste. Make sure that the soaked bread roll is all blended.
- Use a tablespoon and take out a portion of the meat mixture. It should be about the size of a walnut. Roll the mixture into a meatball shape. Hold the meatball on one palm and press the middle of the meatball gently with the fingers of the hand until you get a meat patty (about 1 cm thick).
- Coat all the patties with dry breadcrumbs and place them on a suitable plate.
- Using the same pan from step 2, add in cooking oil and turn on the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot enough (test it with a bit of breadcrumbs), place the German Frikadellen side by side in the frying pan. Turn the meat patties over to the other after about 5 minutes or when one side turns brown. Remove the hamburgers from the pan, when both sides turn brown.
How to serve German Frikadellen
These German meat patties can be served hot or cold. Both versions taste amazing in their own ways. If you are eating these German Frikadellen hot for lunch or dinner, serve them with your favourite side dish such as this German potato salad. This German Red Cabbage recipe, a German Lamb’s Lettuce salad or a crunchy carrot salad complements your Fleischküchle as well. If you prefer something for on-the-go, then serve these German hamburgers between bread rolls.
How to store German Frikadellen
These meat patties can be prepared one day beforehand. In my case, we usually have some leftovers for the next day. In an airtight container, store these hamburgers in refrigerator up to 2-3 days. You can either reheat your meat patties or simply warm them up in a frying pan or in a baking oven. Frikadellen freeze well up to a few months. Thaw it overnight and warm them up before serving.
Have you tried this recipe? I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as my family does. Show me and tag me #chenguins on social media, so that I can see your recreation as well.
How do you like to get rid of your old bread? Tell me in the comment section below!
Until next time & guten Appetit!
Greetings from the Black Forest,
Pia
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German Frikadellen (German Hamburgers)
Ingredients you need
- 1 Dry white bread roll
- Warm water
- 10 g Butter
- 2 Small onions diced
- 400 g Minced meat Beef and pork
- 1 Egg
- 2 tsp Salt
- 0.5 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp Paprika powder
- 60 g Dry breadcrumbs
- 10 g Cooking oil
Directions
- Pour warm water into a bowl and add in the white bread roll. Soak the bread roll in warm water for about 10 minutes until the bread roll turns soft.
- While waiting, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat and add in diced onions. Cook onions until translucent. Turn off the heat and allow the onion dices to cool down. We will need this pan for later.
- In a separate suitable bowl, add in minced meat. Thereafter, remove excess water from the bread roll. Simply squeeze out as much water as you can. Thereafter, add the bread roll into the bowl with minced meat.
- Add in egg, seasoning (salt, ground pepper, dried thyme leaves and paprika powder) and diced onions.
- Mix all ingredients by hand or with a tablespoon and adjust seasoning according to taste. Make sure that the soaked bread roll is all blended.
- Use a tablespoon and take out a portion of the meat mixture. It should be about the size of a walnut. Roll the mixture into a meatball shape. Hold the meatball on one palm and press the middle of the meatball gently with the fingers of the hand until you get a meat patty (about 1 cm thick).
- Coat all the patties with dry breadcrumbs and place them on a suitable plate.
- Using the same pan from step 2, add in cooking oil and turn on the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot enough (test it with a bit of breadcrumbs), place the German Frikadellen side by side in the frying pan. Turn the meat patties over to the other after about 5 minutes or when one side turns brown.
- Serve the German Frikadellen hot with your favourite side dish, such as this German potato salad. You can also serve these German hamburgers between bread rolls. They taste delicious cold as well.
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