Homemade Norwegian meatballs – classic recipe

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Norwegian meatballs are traditional Norwegian comfort food at its best – an everyday classic that has been served in Norwegian homes for generations. Made with minced beef, onion, nutmeg and just a few other ingredients, these homemade meatballs are juicy, flavourful and easy to make from scratch.

Here is chef Nils Flatmark's recipe for classic Norwegian meatballs. Serve them with brown gravy, boiled potatoes, vegetables and lingonberry jam – or read on to discover how the meatballs can be preserved in Norgesglass jars with stock.

Homemade Norwegian meatball recipe

Makes 8–10 meatballs, approximately 50 g each. Recipe by chef Nils Flatmark.

  • 400 g minced beef
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2–3 good grinds of black pepper
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp potato starch
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 200 ml milk or water
  • A little butter for frying

How to make Norwegian meatballs

  1. Place the minced beef and salt in a bowl. Mix well until the meat becomes firm and sticky. This helps the meatballs hold together and stay juicy.
  2. Finely chop the onion. Add the egg, pepper, nutmeg, potato starch and finely chopped onion to the meat. Mix well.
  3. Gradually add the milk, a little at a time, mixing well between each addition until the liquid has been fully incorporated into the mixture.
  4. Shape the mixture into evenly sized, round meatballs using a spoon and the palm of a damp hand.
  5. Melt a little butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs for a couple of minutes on each side until nicely browned. Continue cooking until cooked through, or finish cooking them gently in brown gravy or stock.

A Norwegian food tradition

Meatballs are a classic of traditional Norwegian cooking. The accompaniments vary from one home to another, but brown gravy, boiled potatoes, vegetables and lingonberry jam are all traditional favourites.

If you have lingonberries available, you can make the jam yourself too.

Make lingonberry jam in Norgesglass jars

Want to preserve the meatballs in jars?

The meatballs can also be placed in Norgesglass jars with stock and preserved for later. Nils Flatmark's method uses meatballs weighing approximately 50 g each and hot stock.

How to:

Cook the meatballs according to the recipe above. Bring the stock to the boil and place the meatballs in hot, prepared Norgesglass jars. Pour over the hot stock and process the jars according to our step-by-step preservation guide.

How to preserve food in jars How to make homemade stock

Adjust the recipe to your jar

The quantities are based on chef Nils Flatmark's recipe.

Norgesglasset jar

0,4 L
  • Stock: approx. 200 ml
  • Meatballs: 6 pcs
Recipe stock

Norgesglasset jar

0,7 L
  • Stock: approx. 350 ml
  • Meatballs: 8 pcs
Recipe stock

Norgesglasset jar

1,0 L
  • Stock: approx. 500 ml
  • Meatballs: 12 pcs
Recipe stock

Norgesglasset jar

2,0 L
  • Stock: approx. 1 l
  • Meatballs: 20 pcs
Recipe stock

Important before eating

Follow this for preserved food

Keep cool

Store the finished jars of meatballs in a cool place. Always check that the jar is properly sealed and that the contents appear normal before use.

Boil before serving

Before serving or using the meatballs in another dish, the contents must be boiled for at least 10 minutes. This is an additional food safety measure that helps reduce the risk of botulism by destroying any botulinum toxin that may be present.

Check content

Do not taste food from jars that are leaking, have a poor seal, foam when opened or show other signs that the food may be spoiled. If in doubt, discard the contents.

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From jar to dinner

When you're ready to serve the meatballs, boil the contents as described above. The stock in the jar can be used as a base for gravy, and the meatballs can be served with classic accompaniments such as boiled potatoes, vegetables and lingonberry jam.

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