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Croquettes and bitterballen, the basic recipe

Croquettes and bitterballen, the basic recipe

Appetizers

The Dutch-based foundation for croquettes and bitterballen: a very thick stew made with roux and broth, containing meat, fish, vegetables, or cheese, whic…

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Recipe from JopkeB, Walter wissink, Pjetter and 10 other contributors, adapted by Recette de cuisine · · updated on

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With just this one recipe, you can prepare a variety of croquettes, bitterballen, and stews: the only things that change are the filling and the type of liquid. The stew should be very thick and well chilled before shaping.

Ingredients and directions

  • Prep time45 min
  • Cook time20 min
  • Resting4 hr
  • Total5 hr 5 min
  • DifficultyEasy
  • CostBudget
  • Cooking methodfrying
  • Estimated cost$5.36 $0.67 / serving Estimated price; varies by store. Converted from euros at the ECB rate of October 15, 2026.

Ingredients

8 people

Stew

  • $0.46
  • $0.10
  • $0.10
  • $2.78
  • $0.18
  • $0.06
  • $0.53
  • $0.12

Coating and cooking

  • $0.40
  • $0.29
  • $0.34

Prices from US supermarkets for 9 of 11 ingredients; Belgian prices for the rest.

Directions

  1. Heat the liquid with the bouillon cube until it simmers, and keep it warm.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the onion in it, but do not brown it.
  3. Add the flour and stir until it forms a thick paste that begins to bubble, but do not let it brown. Then, let it cool slightly.
  4. Pour a good amount of hot liquid and whisk until smooth. ≈ 4 min
  5. Return the mixture to the heat and add, stirring constantly, just enough liquid to create a very thick sauce; simmer gently for a few minutes.
  6. Salt, pepper, add the herbs, and, if desired, the gelatin that has been softened in cold water and drained. ≈ 2 min
  7. Add the filling and cream, and bring back to a simmer.
  8. Pour the stew into a shallow dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it chill completely in the refrigerator.
  9. Shape elongated croquettes or balls (bitterballen) using wet hands. ≈ 10 min
  10. Place them in the beaten egg, then in the breadcrumbs. ≈ 3 min
  11. Fry them at 180 °C until they are golden brown, then drain them.

The bill

Croquettes and bitterballen, the basic recipe

  • 50 g of butter$0.46
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped$0.10
  • 60 g of flour$0.10
  • approximately 300 ml of broth, milk, or vegetable juice, depending on the filling$2.78
  • 1 bouillon cube suitable for the filling$0.18
  • 1 tablespoon of heavy cream$0.06
  • salt, pepper$0.53
  • 1 sheet of gelatin (optional)$0.12
  • 1 egg$0.40
  • 100 g of breadcrumbs$0.29
  • oil for deep frying$0.34

Total$5.36

that's $0.67 per person

Estimated price; varies by store.

Equipment

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Before you start

Ingredients

  • 50 g of butter
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
  • 60 g of flour
  • approximately 300 ml of broth, milk, or vegetable juice, depending on the filling
  • 1 bouillon cube suitable for the filling
  • approximately 250g of cooked and chopped filling (meat, fish, vegetables, or cheese)
  • 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
  • salt, pepper
  • herbs, according to the filling
  • 1 sheet of gelatin (optional)
  • 1 egg
  • 100 g of breadcrumbs
  • oil for deep frying

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