Lihapullat (Finnish Meatballs)

  • Prep Time - 20 minutes
  • Cooking Time - 25 minutes
  • Servings: 4
  • Country: Finland
Finnish meatballs Lihapullat topped with a creamy brown sauce, served with boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam.

Finnish lihapullat are often softer and less dense than other Nordic variants, thanks to the use of soaked breadcrumbs (or stale bread) and milk. Traditionally, allspice and white pepper are used, giving them a characteristic, delicate aroma.

The foundation of the Finnish serving is hearty mashed or boiled potatoes, a generous creamy sauce, and sweet-and-sour forest fruit jam, which provides a great contrast to the fatty meat.

Ingredients

I. Meatballs (Lihapullat)

  • 250 g Ground Beef
  • 250 g Ground Pork (or 500g beef)
  • 1 pc Onion, finely chopped
  • 2 slices Stale Bread (or breadcrumbs)
  • 100 ml Milk
  • 1 pc Egg
  • 1 to taste Salt, White Pepper, Allspice (ground)

II. Cream Sauce

  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tbsp Plain Flour
  • 200 ml Broth (beef or chicken)
  • 100 ml Cooking/Whipping Cream

III. For Serving

  • 1 as needed Boiled Potatoes or Mashed Potatoes
  • 1 to taste Lingonberry Jam (Puolukkahillo)

Instructions

Step 1: Preparing the Meatball Base

Soak the bread (crusts removed) or breadcrumbs in milk. Let it soak and then squeeze out any excess milk.

Finely chop the onion and sauté it in butter until soft and translucent. Let it cool.

Step 2: Shaping the Meatballs

In a bowl, mix both types of ground meat, the sautéed onion, egg, soaked and squeezed bread, salt, white pepper, and ground allspice.

Mix the mixture thoroughly by hand. Use moistened hands to shape small, uniform meatballs (about 3 cm in diameter).

Step 3: Frying

Heat butter and oil in a pan. Fry the meatballs on all sides until they are golden brown and almost cooked through. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set them aside.

Step 4: Preparing the Sauce (Ruskea Kastike)

Add a tablespoon of butter to the drippings in the pan. Dust with flour and stir for 1 minute until a light roux forms.

Gradually pour in the broth, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Let the sauce thicken slightly.

Stir in the cream. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and optionally a little more allspice. Strain for a smoother texture.

Step 5: Finishing and Serving

Return the meatballs to the sauce and heat them through to finish cooking and absorb the flavor.

Serve Lihapullat hot, topped with sauce, alongside boiled or mashed potatoes and a spoon of lingonberry jam.