Bitterballen are an incredibly tasty beer snack that are here to shake up your snacking game. Because who doesn’t love salty beer snacks? Pretzels, chicken wings, dry ribs, mozza sticks… They’re all fantastic and wonderful and delicious.
But they’re also a little played out.
This bitterballen recipe from the Netherlands is going to change the way you snack.
After all, we’re needy creatures, we want variety.
A few years ago when we were visiting some family and friends in the Netherlands, we were introduced to this delightfully tasty snack. The crispy, deep-fried coating was familiar to us, but everything changed the moment I popped the first one into my mouth. Biting down, the salty crust broke open, revealing a rich, warm, soft and meaty filling. The flavour was simple and not overpowering, yet full of depth – it tasted like nothing I’d ever had before.
What are Bitterballen?
Bitterballen are in their most basic form, Dutch meatballs. It begins with a very thick beef stew, that, when chilled, is just solid enough to form into balls or patties for frying. While its main flavour comes from the garlic and mustard, it’s the toasted roux (essentially a fat and flour mix) and a hint of nutmeg that give it such depth.
This recipe is fairly easy to make, as long as you can make a basic stew you’ll be fine. The trickiest part is getting the thickness just right. If it’s too thick, the mixture may burn before the starch is cooked out, and if too thin, you won’t be able to shape them for breading.
Mustard is a key component here. While we’ll suggest using a good quality Dijon for the actual filling, you can use whatever you want for the dip. My go-to is almost always Colman’s hot mustard. I have a bit of an addiction to the stuff.
Now, crack open a beer and say goodbye to your waistline.
This version doesn’t use any specific cut or method of cooking the beef. You can use anything you want, as long as the final result is shredded and chopped. For example, this is a great way to use leftover roast beef. If you don’t have leftovers, you can take any piece of beef you have and roast, braise or stew it, before shredding it into tiny pieces.
Bitterballen
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours5 minutes
Ingredients
For the Filling
1/2 cup butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 tsp thyme
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 pound cooked beef, shredded and chopped (see note below)
1L beef broth
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp Lemon zest, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
For Breading and Serving
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
Oil, as needed
Instructions
1. Heat butter in a sauce pot to medium heat.
2. Cook onions and carrots until soft and beginning to caramelize, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and stir for another 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the 100 g flour small bits at a time to incorporate the fat, cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly, this should look like flaky pie crust. Continue cooking until the mixture begins to turn light brown.
4. Whisk in 1 cup of beef stock. Mix until there are no clumps of flour, adding stock as needed. Add shredded beef and the rest of the stock. Turn heat to med-low and simmer 30 minutes. Season to taste.
5. Stir in lemon zest and parsley, remove from heat, and cool. Transfer to a large bowl and place in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
6. Set up a breading station by filling three bowls with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs. As well, heat oil (around 2cm deep) in a saucepan or pot.
7. Once the mixture has set and is relatively solid, with a spoon or small ice cream scoop drop the mixture into the flour and form into small balls -- roughly 2-3cm in diameter.
8. Transfer the balls to the egg mixture and then coat in breadcrumbs (If the mixture is too soft, place it in the freezer for a few minutes.
9. Fry the balls in oil until golden brown on all sides.
10. Serve warm with your favourite mustard and a cold beer.
Mark is a multi-passionate creative with a fascination for getting the most out of the human experience. While he isn't chasing adventures around the globe as a travel journalist and photographer, he works as a freelance writer, private chef and web developer.
Bitterballen (plural of bitterbal) are a Dutch meat-based snack, made by making a very thick stew thickened with roux and beef stock and generously loaded with meat, refrigerating the stew until it firms, and then rolling the thick mixture into balls which then get breaded and fried.
Loved by locals and tourists alike, bitterballen is a breaded meatball that's been deep fried - a bit like a croquette but sphere-shaped. The inside of a bitterballen is flavour-packed with a thick creamy roux and a generous amount of beef or veal ragu.
Croquettes are a cylinder shaped snack made from meat or any other fillings dipped in breadcrumbs and deep fried. Bitterballen are similar but are large round balls, served with mustard as well, you will more often see this eaten at parties.
Bitterballen are actually Dutch meatballs, a very popular snack served at bars along with beer. Sometimes they are shaped as logs or sometimes as balls.
Traditional Dutch food is meat and potato or fish based for dinner and bread and cheese based for everything else. Beef stew and stamppot are two of the more common, hearty Dutch meals. Raw herring and other North Sea fishes are commonly consumed as well.
Haring or 'Hollandse Nieuwe' (Dutch new herring) is probably the most famous Dutch food. If you like fish you should at least try it once. The raw herring is served together with chopped raw onions and gherkins. Also the way of eating is a real Dutch tradition.
The first proof of bitterballen dates from the time the Batavians lived in Holland (200 years BC) in the province of Gelderland. They used to eat roasted ox with vegetables and bread.
The 'kroket' (croquette) is a deep fried roll with meat ragout inside, covered in breadcrumbs. The original Dutch croquette is made from beef or veal, but there are many different flavors like chicken satay, shrimps, goulash or even a vegetarian version.
Dutch croquettes, or kroketten as we call them are a very popular snacks in The Netherlands. They are sold in Dutch fast food restaurants, so called 'snackbars'.
Recipes that use a wet batter, including fried chicken, will end up being very messy if cooked in an air fryer. This is because there won't be enough hot oil to set the batter, and it will likely drip everywhere rather than forming a crunchy coating. The puddle of batter may also burn the base of your air fryer basket.
Bitterballen are traditionally made with beef, but can also be made with chicken, veal or even with mushrooms, for those that prefer a vegetarian option. Make a roux with the butter and the flour (slowly melt the butter in a skillet or pan. When melted, add the flour little by little and stir into a thick paste).
The 'kroket' (croquette) is a deep fried roll with meat ragout inside, covered in breadcrumbs. The original Dutch croquette is made from beef or veal, but there are many different flavors like chicken satay, shrimps, goulash or even a vegetarian version.
The name has nothing to do with a bitter taste. A bitterbal is called that because it used to be served with the drink 'bitter'. A bitter here is genever (gin), or another strong alcoholic herbal drink.
Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
