How to Make Finnish Meatballs Recipe {Lihapullat}

Name: How to Make Finnish Meatballs Recipe {Lihapullat}
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp Butter; 1 Onion (finely diced); 165 g Philadeplia cream cheese ((1 tub = 6oz tub)); 90 g Breadcrumbs (2/3 cup); 1.5 tsp Paprika powder; 1/2 tsp All spice; 1 Egg; 1 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Black pepper; 454 g Minced beef (1 pound); 1 tbsp Oil (to coat your hands while rolling meatball); 1 Onion (finely diced); 1 tbsp Butter; 2 tbsp Plain flour ((all purpose)); 200 ml Boiling water (3/4 cup); 1/2 Beef stock cube; 225 g Double cream (1 cup); 2 tsp Honey; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 2 tbsp Soy sauce; 3/4 tbsp Tomato ketchup; 1 pinch Black pepper

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What's not to love about these easy Finnish meatballs in the oven recipe? Lihapullat (pronounced lee-a-pull-at), are juicy and tender meatballs made with ground meat, cream, egg, breadcrumbs, and spices.

Then served in a luscious honey mustard sauce with creamy mashed potatoes, also known lihapullat ja muusi (meatballs and mash).

Stack of golden brown Finnish meatballs in a white bowl surrounded by mashed potatoes and honey mustard sauce

Get ready to take your tastebuds on an adventure to Finland with this authentic Finnish meatballs recipe! These juicy and tender balls of meat are a popular recipe that has been enjoyed for centuries.

Using ground pork or beef, they are mixed with a warming blend of spices, breadcrumbs, egg, and cream before rolling and baking into juicy meatballs.

You can eat alone as an easy snack, or family dinner with an indulgent honey mustard Finnish meatball gravy, mashed potatoes, and lingonberry jam. Or simply serve as a meatball sub sandwich filler.

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✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
🛒 Ingredient Notes
📋 Instructions
👩‍🍳 Substitutions
⚖️ Variations
🔪 Equipment
❄️ Storage
💡Pro Tips
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
❓ FAQ
🍽️Pairing
➕ Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe

Here are a handful of reasons why we think this lihapullat recipe is the best of Finnish cooking for the whole family!

No skills required
Full of delicious flavors
It's comforting on a cold winter night
Made with easily accessible ingredients
Can be eaten in a variety of different ways
Prep is quick and easy - perfect for busy weeknights
You can swap my Finnish meatball sauce for tomato sauce
You can serve more people by rolling smaller meatballs, making a great starter, main or party food
Easy to customise with your favourite flavours, meats or dietary needs

🛒 Ingredient Notes

Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.

labelled ingredients for homemade Finland meatballs with cream cheese, spices, etc

Butter - to gently fry the onions until soft and translucent

White onion - this is finely diced, but you can swap for 1 tablespoon of onion powder if preferred

Cream cheese - I use 1 tub of Original Philadelphia cream cheese. In the UK, they come in 165g (6oz). Use ¾ of an 8oz block of Philly cream cheese if in the US. See substitutes for swaps you can use

Breadcrumbs - I use golden breadcrumbs for quickness, but you can grate hard stale bread or crackers, or blend them into crumbs in a food processor. They help bind the meatballs

Spices - this is plain paprika powder and allspice, or you could use hot smoked paprika, mixed spice, or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves

Egg - this is a large egg to help bind the ingredients, otherwise they may be crumbly and not hold their shape

Oil or water - to coat your hands so that the meat is easier to roll into balls without sticking

Seasoning - this is sea salt and ground black pepper, or you can use white pepper

Minced beef - this is ground beef, but you can use pork, turkey, chicken, etc. You can use lean ground meat for lower fat

Meatball Sauce

Onion - finely diced exactly the same as for the meatball ingredients

Butter - to soften the onions while sautéing

Stock - made with boiling water and ½ a beef stock cube

Plain flour (All Purpose) - to thicken the sauce

Double cream - for a rich creamy sauce, or use whole milk or single cream (half and half)

Soy sauce - to balance the flavours and add colour, or replace with gravy browning

Honey and Dijon mustard - for a classic sweet and sour taste

Tomato ketchup - for a sweet tang and also adds some colour to the sauce

Black pepper - for a more complex taste, or you can use a pinch of cayenne pepper

Optional - lingonberry jam, which is traditionally served with Finnish meatballs. It is a tart berry that is native to Finland and used to balance the flavours

📋 Instructions

First, preheat your oven to 200 c fan, 220 c conventional, gas mark 7 or 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Then line a large baking dish with parchment paper.

person sauteing diced onions in large pan with butter

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the diced onion.

Then stir while frying over low to medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.

Then set aside to cool.

breadcrumbs, soft cream cheese, herbs, spices, egg and seasoning being mixed in a large stainless steel mixing bowl

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, egg, spices, seasoning, and cream cheese until you have a paste.

person squishing ground beef and cooked onions with breadcrumbs, herbs and spices into a large ball of meat

3. Add the beef mince and cooked onions, then squish with your hands until smooth and well combined.

24 golf ball sized meatballs on a lined baking tray

4. Now coat your hands with oil and water and roll the meat into small golf ball size meatballs.

This should create 24 meatballs, or make them smaller to serve more people.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked through and golden, turning or basting halfway.

person making a roux with butter, onions and flour in a large frying pan while stirring in beef stock

5. To prepare the sauce (which is optional), repeat step 1: soften the onions in butter.

Then add the flour and stir while cooking for 2 minutes.

Slowly add a little beef broth at a time while stirring and cooking until thickened.

double cream, ketchup black pepper, cream, soy sauce, honey and mustard being stirred into a sauce for a meatball gravy

6. Stir in the double cream and the remaining gravy ingredients and stir while simmering for 1-2 minutes.

Then serve the meatballs on the mashed potatoes, pour over the gravy, and some lingonberry jam, which is a traditional accompaniment.

creamy meatball gravy poured on top of beef meatballs and garnish of fresh parsley on blue tea towel

👩‍🍳 Substitutions

Depending on your dietary needs, here are a few simple swaps you can make and still create delicious Finnish meatballs:

Cream cheese - you can swap for water, milk, double, single or sour cream. Note if using a watery texture, I recommend leaving it to soak into the breadcrumbs for 30 mins to 1 hour until absorbed so that they are workable
Stock and soy sauce - check for Gluten Free if needed
Breadcrumbs - you can swap for other binders in the meatballs such as cous cous, quinoa, buckwheat grain, dried stuffing mix or ground almonds for a low carb keto version. For slimming clubs, wholemeal bread for higher fibre is a great alternative and GF bread if required
Meat - any ground meat will work such as lamb, turkey, chicken, pork, etc. For a vegan lihapullat recipe, you can use a mix of cooked grains and blacked beans and swap the egg for a chia egg, etc
Honey and mustard - swap for apple sauce with mustard such as wholegrain, English mustard, etc
Low fat - swap for low fat cheese spread, cream, extra lean meats, etc

close up of 3 Finnish meatballs on creamy mashed potatoes with a creamy beef sauce on top and cranberrry sauce

⚖️ Variations

Here are some different ways you can enhance this traditional Finnish recipe:

Finnish meatballs in tomato sauce - make a low-fat tomato sauce to pair instead of a creamy sauce
Italian meatballs - swap the warming spices for Italian herbs such as oregano, basil, sage, etc. Or make Spanish meatballs (Albondigas)
Add different vegetables - You can hid and pack extra veggies for more nutrition by mixing in grated courgettes (zucchini) and carrots, etc
Make a different gravy - other than a classic Finnish gravy of beef broth and milk, you could make a caramelised onion gravy and add red or white wine

overhead photo of meatballs served with potatoes, parsley and cranberry sauce on white plate

🔪 Equipment

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Sharp knife and chopping board - this is only for finely dicing a white onion. Or you can use a grater if preferred before sauteing, or omit if swapping for 1 tablespoon of onion powder

Small saucepan - which is used twice for caramelising diced onions before adding to the meat, then for the honey and mustard sauce recipe if making

Measuring cups, or jug and weighing scales - either is fine as I have carefully measured my lihapullat in cups and grams so you can enjoy wherever you are in the world

Measuring spoons - this is to measure out the herbs, spices, butter, oil, flour and sauces

Large mixing bowl and spatula - this is stainless steel for easy cleaning after handling raw meat to combine with the remaining meatball ingredients. Or you can use a food processor with a paddle

Baking tray - I recommend a lipped tray as opposed to a cookie sheet to catch any fat that oozes from the meatballs

Baking paper - to prevent the meat mixture from sticking to the tray, or use a reusable silicone mat to cut down waste

❄️ Storage

Storing - we prefer eating this Finnish cuisine freshly cooked, but thy can be stored in an airtight container together and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Freezing - cool to room temperature and again, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Reheating - If you want to eat the next day, defrost in the fridge if required and microwave until piping hot, place them all in a pan and reheat on the stove, or cover and bake in the oven.

💡Pro Tips

To speed up the cooking time, you can sear the meatballs in a frying pan, then work on finishing meatballs in oven
If using milk or sour cream instead of cream cheese, leave this to rest for 30 mins to 1 hour until the crumbs have absorbed any excess moisture
If you can't find lingonberry jam in the UK, try picking it up in IKEA or Amazon, or you can swap it for cranberry sauce
For more flavour, I recommend not opting for an extra lean mincemeat
Try to roll the meatballs into even sizes so they cook evenly
Baste the meatballs halfway, or rotate them so they all get a coating of fat and crisp up while baking

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Here are a few ideas of what to eat with Finnish meatballs:

Mashed potatoes - similar to the UK's love of bangers and mash, mashed potatoes are the classic Finnish way to serve meatballs with gravy

Rice - try enjoying it with a flavourful side such as Mexican rice, egg fried rice, etc

Pasta - bake a meatball pasta bake instead of sausages or alongside hidden carrot mac and cheese

Vegetables - enjoy with steamed or stir fried vegetables. You might like garden peas, carrots, broccoli, or green beans. We use whatever we have in the fridge or freezer

Soup - you can roll into smaller meatballs and add to any of these soup recipes, stews, etc

Salad - toss into this tasty pasta fredda (cold pasta salad), or a simple leafy green salad

Party food - meatballs can also be served as an appetizer with diced cheese on cocktail sticks. They are a great finger food and can be served dipping sauces, such as baked camembert with honey, marinara sauce, ketchup or BBQ sauce

Bread - serve as a meatball subs or in a wrap for a quick and easy family feast. Or bake into a cheese bread and butter pudding

❓ FAQ

What are Finnish meatballs made of?

Finnish meatballs are usually made with ground beef, pork, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, salt, pepper, and warming spices like allspice. You can also add Worcestershire sauce, chilli, etc

What are Finnish meatballs called?

Finnish meatballs are called lihapullat in Finnish. Often you will find the combination of lihapullat ja muusi which are meatballs and mash.

What is the best way to cook Finnish meatballs?

Finnish meatballs can be partially pan fried first before finishing in the oven. You can also air fry them, deep fat fry, grilling or bake in the oven, which is the most traditional way.

🍽️Pairing

Here are some great sides with these oven baked meatballs:

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

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