Traditional German Hamburgers | Frikadellen
These traditional German hamburgers, known as Frikadellen, are perfectly seasoned, tender and juicy. One bite and you will be in love! Whether you serve them hot or cold, they are the perfect comfort food that you can make and enjoy any time of day.
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Germans love ground beef recipes! Dishes like meatballs in white sauce (aka Königsberger Klopse), cabbage rolls, and these juicy hamburgers aren’t just delicious – they are budget-friendly, too!
In its plural form, the patties are known as Frikadellen, while a single German hamburger is a Frikadelle.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
The ingredients
These are the basic ingredients:
- Ground meat: This is the key ingredient, and Germans traditionally use half ground beef and half ground pork. For the juiciest hamburgers, it’s best to use a mixture with about 15% fat.
- Egg: This helps bind the mixture together
- Stale bread: I use a stale sourdough roll to add lightness to the meatballs
- Chopped onion: The classic pairing with any meat dish
- Seasoning: Salt and black pepper are enough to season while letting the frikadellen shine
- Oil: I like a neutral-flavored oil for frying, such as avocado oil.
Useful tools and equipment
You don’t need much, but this is helpful:
- large mixing bowl: You want to be able to mix all the meatball ingredients well
- large skillet: I like using a 12-inch cast-iron skillet for frying
- heat-proof spatula: You’ll need this to flip the patties over.
Substitutions and variations
Are you curious about how to customize this basic recipe?
- meat: While a mixture of ground beef and pork traditional, you can make the frikadellen with any ground meat you like. Good substitutes are ground turkey, ground veal, ground bison, or ground chicken.
- stale bread: If you don’t have a stale bread roll, you can use day-old bread or breadcrumbs. Just soak them in a bit of water before adding them to the meat mixture.
- onion: I like to keep things simple and add raw diced onion to the meat mixture. For a softer texture and milder flavor, you can sauté the diced onion in butter or oil before adding it.
- Other ingredients: You can add chopped capers, anchovy paste, or chopped fresh parsley
How to make frikadellen
- Soak the bread in a small bowl with cold water and let it soak until very soft. Then use your hands to squeeze out any excess water.
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Gently mix the ingredients. It’s important to combine everything, but if you work the mixture too much, your burgers will be dry.
- Portion the mixture into equal sized patties. For quarter-pound German hamburgers, make 4 patties. I made smaller frikadellen.
Wet your hands to prevent the mixture from sticking to your skin.
- Sear the burgers for 3-4 minutes per side.
Let them rest for 5 minutes. When the meat is cooked through to 163°F. (71°C), transfer the patties to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess grease.
Helpful recipe tips and notes
- This recipe yields 4 quarter-pound burgers, 8 small burgers, or 16 frikadellen appetizers.
- I like to keep things simple by using raw diced onion in the meat mixture. For a softer texture and milder flavor, you can sauté the diced onion in butter or oil before adding it.
- Use a gentle touch when combining the ingredients and forming the patties. If you work the mixture too much, your hamburgers will be dry and tough.
FAQ
They differ quite a bit since they have onion and more seasoning in them. Germans often enjoy them without anything condiments.
To test for doneness, insert a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should be 165˚F (73˚C) for any combination of ground meat.
Although they won’t be quite as juicy as pan-fried, you can definitely grill the patties.
Absolutely! The uncooked meat mixture will stay good in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Storing Leftovers
You can store leftover cooked burgers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you’d like to keep them longer, I recommend keeping them in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Frikadellen | German Hamburgers
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground meat 85% lean ground beef, pork, or chicken, turkey, or a combination.
- 1 slice stale bread
- ½ medium onion
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 6 TBSP oil
Instructions
- Soak the stale bread roll in water until very soft (about 10 mins). When very soft, use your hands to squeeze out any excess water.
- In a large bowl, combine ground meat, soaked and squeezed bread roll, egg, chopped onion, and spices. Mix well.
- Portion the mixture into 8 evenly sized small burgers, or 4 quarter pound hamburgers.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry the patties on the first side until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip them over and brown the other side. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the frikadellen are cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 160℉. (71℃). As the meat rests, it will continue to cook to a safe internal temperature of 165℉ (73℃)
- Transfer cooked burgers to a platter and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- use any combination of ground meat you prefer, but for the juiciest burgers, use a blend that has about 15% fat
- you can use 1/4 cup breadcrumbs instead of the bread, but soak them in a bit of water first.
- these meatballs are delicious hot or cold
Nutrition
Serving suggestions
Here are some popular ways to enjoy German hamburgers:
- Served hot with a side of mashed potatoes, German potato salad, fried potatoes, crispy potato cakes, or Spätzle. For vegetable sides, include some green beans, Rotkohl, or a salad with homemade German salad dressing.
- Serve cold as a snack, in a lunch box, or as finger food
- They are particularly good topped with pickles and/or German stone-ground mustard
- You can also cut open a bread roll or sourdough roll and place them inside (like an American hamburger)
Pin for later
Thanks Anja! This is basically my recipe as well. Only changes are I use a little milk to soak the stale bread, which I do not remove, and I do not add any oil to my seasoned pan. Oh, and I sauté the chopped onion.
Then I will make gravy with drippings, and serve with noodles and string beans. Or mashed potatoes with corn and peas.
Thank you for sharing! What do you like to serve with these?
It’s really up to you but you could serve them in a bread roll, with potato salad, with a green salad, or any of your favorite sides ~ Anja