Boiled Meatballs, Scandinavian Style

These Scandinavian-style boiled meatballs are tender, juicy, and easy to make — a simple technique that works with pork, chicken, or beef. Pork is the traditional choice for Danish boller i karry, a comforting dish of meatballs served in curry sauce. They also pair beautifully with a variety of other sauces, but my favorite is a coconut curry sauce: together, they make one of the most delicious and satisfying meals I’ve ever cooked.

Can you boil meatballs?

When we think of cooking meatballs, shallow frying, deep frying, or baking usually come to mind before boiling. I had my doubts when I first learned about this method. For a while, I couldn’t imagine how meatballs cooked in plain water could be so appealing. But once I tried them served the Danish way—with curry sauce, rice, and fresh parsley — I understood why this dish is so loved in Denmark.

So yes, you can boil meatballs. The details vary across cultures, but boiling is a simple way to make tender, juicy meatballs without frying.

In Romania, we cook meatballs directly in soup to make one of our most beloved dishes, ciorbă de perișoare (Romanian sour meatball soup). For that dish, the meat mixture includes a little rice, unlike these Scandinavian-style boiled meatballs.

Once cooked, these meatballs pair beautifully with a variety of sauces and seasonings. My favorite combination is the Danish boller i karry (meatballs in curry sauce), served with Indian basmati rice and fresh parsley. It’s one of the most delicious and satisfying homemade meals I’ve ever had.

If you’ve never tried boiling meatballs in water, I encourage you to give it a go. The process is straightforward, and the tender texture makes this a useful technique to add to your cooking repertoire.

How long to boil meatballs?

The boiling duration for meatballs largely depends on their size. Personally, I like to shape my meatballs using about 1 tablespoon of meat for each, and these require about 10 minutes to be thoroughly cooked.

If you prefer smaller meatballs, roughly half that size, a 5-minute boiling time should be enough.

A common misconception is that meatballs are ready once they float to the surface. While these meatballs might begin to float after just 4 minutes, they are not fully cooked at this point.

Instead of relying solely on the floating indicator, it’s best to follow the suggested boiling times based on size for optimal results.

Ingredients for boiled meatballs

Ground Pork: This recipe is made of ground pasture-raised pork, but grass-fed ground beef, pasture-raised chicken, or turkey can be used.

Aromatics and Spices: I love the simplicity of this recipe; you only need one onion, salt, and pepper.

Flour: For a gluten-free and lectin-free version, I use sorghum flour. You can use all-purpose flour if you are not concerned about gluten or lectins.

Milk: I used full-fat canned coconut milk, which pairs well with pork. You can use any milk you want.

Egg: We use one egg for every 500 grams of meat, as a binder.

How to boil meatballs?

Here are the step-by-step instructions along with photos for making this recipe at home.

In a large bowl, combine ground meat, chopped onion, sorghum flour, coconut milk, egg, salt, and pepper.

Mix well until the mixture reaches a uniform consistency. If preferred, a stand mixer can be used. If the mixture seems too wet, you can add one or two extra tablespoons of flour.

Cover the mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, maintaining a steady simmer.

Shape the meat mixture into balls, using about 1 heaping tablespoon of mixture for each meatball. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the raw meatballs into the simmering water. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to cook them in two batches, approximately 15 meatballs per batch.

The meatballs will begin to float after about 4 minutes, but they will not be fully cooked. Continue simmering for a total of 10 minutes for meatballs of this size. If making smaller meatballs, reduce the cooking time to 5 minutes.

After 10 minutes, remove a meatball and cut it in half to ensure it’s cooked through. Once confirmed, use the slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to a serving dish. Cover to keep warm. If cooking in batches, repeat this step for the second batch.

If you’ve cooked the meatballs in two batches, you can briefly return the first batch to the hot water to reheat them before serving.

How to serve boiled meatballs?

While you can serve these meatballs with any choice of sauce, I recommend you try them first with a Danish-style coconut curry sauce. Serve them over pressure-cooked Indian Basmati rice and sprinkle with fresh parsley and black pepper.

If you don’t like curry, try a tomato sauce, with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. For reheating, place in the oven until warmed through. These meatballs can also be frozen for longer storage.

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