Lihapullat - Baked Finnish meatballs

Lihapullat in a serving bowl along with a plate of meatballs and potato salad.

5 from 88 votes

Lihapullat - Baked Finnish meatballs

Have you ever heard of Lihapullat? It's a fancy way of saying Finnish meatballs! These meatballs have been a hit in Finland for ages and are a go-to comfort food for dinner. They are super easy to make, just throw all the ingredients into a big bowl, mix, roll and bake.

They are traditionally served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, but they're also delicious served with potato salad, or on their own as an appetiser. Even though people all around the world are starting to enjoy Lihapullat, it's still a super important part of Finnish culture and a beloved comfort food among the locals. Give it a try, you won't regret it!

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Prep Time:10

Cook Time:25

Total Time:35

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: Finnish

Keyword: Lihapullat, finnish meatballs, easy meatballs, allspice, scandinavian meatballs

Servings: meatballs at 50g each

Calories: 114kcal

Equipment

1 large baking tray

Ingredients

100 grams onions very finely chopped
500 grams beef mince aka ground beef
70 grams breadcrumbs
1 egg
4 tablespoons cream 60ml
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon Allspice
1½ teaspoon salt
few good grinds black pepper
2 tablespoons oil for brushing

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200℃/390℉/gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Chop the onion very finely. Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan and fry the onions over medium heat until soft and translucent, but not overly browned.
100 grams onions
In a large bowl, add the fried onions, beef mince, breadcrumbs, one egg, cream, minced garlic, allspice, salt and pepper.
500 grams beef mince, 70 grams breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 4 tablespoons cream, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon Allspice, 1½ teaspoon salt, few good grinds black pepper
Combine all the ingredients thoroughly. A fork works well to break up the mince in the process.
Pinch off pieces from the meatball mixture and roll into balls. If you want to be precise and need equally sized meatballs, you can weigh each portion.
We use 50g per meatball which will give you about 18 meatballs from this recipe. If you're not weighing, aim for golf ball sized portions.
Space the meatballs out on the baking tray, leaving enough space between each meatball for even baking.
Add the two tablespoons of oil to a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides of each meatball with the oil.
2 tablespoons oil for brushing
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and golden brown in colour.
Serve warm with potatoes and Lingonberry jam.

Nutrition