Classic Russian Kotlety (Ukrainian Meat Patties – Kотлети)

Kotlety (classic Slavic meat patties) were my ultimate comfort food growing up. My Mom made the absolute best version—tender, full of flavor, and always made with love. It’s funny how a simple dish can trigger such vivid memories. Once in a while, my Mom’s kotlety came out slightly “over-browned” (or as my Dad called them, “burnt”). He’d grumble and tease her a bit as he scraped off the dark edges, but we all still devoured them.

They were the kind of comfort food that could make any bad day better. In fact, the very first time I tried cooking them myself as a teenager, I was so eager that I rushed, dropped a kotleta into the hot pan, and splashed oil right onto my forearm. Ouch! Despite that early cooking scar, I’ve perfected the craft over the years. Today, I’m sharing my foolproof family recipe—with no major kitchen hazards, just delicious outcomes and very satisfied tasters.

What Are Kotlety (Slavic Meat Patties)?

If you ever eat a burger with a Russian or Ukrainian who might have not eaten a western burger before, (many years back) you might have seen them taking off the bun and eating all the toppings separately, using a fork to eat the “burger.”  That is what I remember seeing at times in my travels and encounters with Russians growing up. Times have changed over the years of course as western culture has infiltrated most Eastern European countries.  You will see people eating Kotlety with ketchup as a topping, sautéed mushrooms, onions or maybe even a creamy white mushroom sauce (my Dad’s and now my husband’s favorite way to eat them, recipe in future post).

Kotlety are also sometimes considered more like large meatballs and served with mashed potatoes or over rice with a vegetable or side salad.

Variations: Chicken, Beef and Pork Kotlety

Kotlety are an Eastern European dish, served mostly in Russia or Ukraine. They can be made with ground beef, pork, chicken or even turkey.  My personal preference is a ground beef and ground pork combination, which is often the way my Mom made them. She is originally from the Ukraine.  Chicken Kotlety are very popular in Russian, though they’re not my personal preference.  My family today loves the beef and pork combination the best.  My kids compliment me through the entire meal when I make these, and I just eat it up; thrilled that they love a Slavic comfort food I grew up loving.

How to Cook Kotlety (Griddle, Skillet, or Panini Press)

Kotlety can be cooked on a standard non stick or cast iron skillet, but be prepared to have multiple skillets going at the same time to get them all cooked in a timely fashion. Also, you can cook them on a panini press as I’ve tried in the past. As of the last couple years now we’ve only cooked them on our Blackstone. The Blackstone is a beautiful addition to any home cook’s “outdoor” kitchen. I can’t imagine our life without the Blackstone now. It’s a game changer. See below how we cook kotlety on the Blackstone Griddle.

Alternative Cooking Method: Blackstone Griddle Kotlety (Time-Saver Update!)

While the traditional skillet method below is how I made these for decades, my cooking routine completely changed after my husband and I received a Blackstone Griddle as a Christmas gift.

If you own an outdoor gas griddle, it is an absolute game-changer for this recipe! Now, whenever I want to make a huge batch to ensure plenty of leftovers, my husband takes them outside to the griddle.

Why the Blackstone works so well for Kotlety:

• Zero Mess: It keeps all the grease splashes completely out of the kitchen.
• Massive Time-Saver: You can cook the entire batch all at the same time instead of working in batches on the stove.
• Perfect Crust: The flat-top creates an incredible, even sear.

How to do it: Prepare the meat mixture exactly the same way as the recipe card states. When cooking on the Blackstone, use a griddle melting dome to cover the kotlety a few at a time. This traps the heat and moisture, ensuring they cook through to the center perfectly without drying out.

If you don’t have a griddle, don’t worry! Grab your trusty cast-iron or non-stick skillet and head to the stovetop—the classic indoor method below yields incredibly juicy results every single time.

The Panini Press Hack (Fastest Indoor Method)

If you want to cook indoors but want to completely skip the mess of stovetop oil splatters, using a panini press is an absolute game-changer. While it’s far from the traditional Slavic method, it cooks the kotlety in just 4 to 5 minutes flat because both sides cook simultaneously.

Because a panini press traps the heat perfectly, thick patties easily reach the safe internal temperature of 165°F in record time while staying incredibly juicy.

How to Do It Successfully:

• Don’t Flatten Them First: Form the meat mixture into balls rather than flat patties.
• Use the Height Adjuster: If your panini press has an adjustable height hinge, set it just above the “toast” level. When you close the lid, it will gently press the meat balls down into the perfect, uniform patty thickness without crushing them.
• Watch the Timer: Cook for 4 minutes to reach temperature, or leave them for 5 minutes if you want a deeper, golden-brown crust.

Pro-Tip: If your press has a flat griddle plate on one side and ridges on the other, you get the best of both worlds—beautiful sear marks on one side and a classic pan-fried look on the other!

Whip up a batch of these savory Kotlety and let me know what you think. Take a photo and Tag us @WholeMadeLiving and share it on one of our social media pages. 

Hopefully you enjoy them as much as my family does!

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Kotlety (Russian/Ukrainian Meat Patties)

Katia

These are some seriously savory  Kotlety (Russian/Ukrainian meat patties) that are like bun-less burgers or large meatballs. This recipe makes about 16 Kotlety so feel free to double if you need them for a larger crowd. They will freeze well also for a future meal. I send them to work with my husband for a lunch protein.

4.90 from 19 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Eastern European, Russian, Ukrainian

Servings 16 Kotlety

Calories 169 kcal

Equipment

Griddle Dome

Panini Press

Blackstone Griddle

Electric Griddle

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
• ▢ 1 lb ground pork
• ▢ 2 slices of whole wheat sandwich bread
• ▢ 1/3 cup milk or water (I prefer milk, but water is fine too)
• ▢ 1 tsp sea salt
• ▢ 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• ▢ 1/3 cup yellow or white onion (grated)
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ Olive oil to grease pan

Instructions

 

• Add beef and pork to a large mixing bowl.
• Place bread in small bowl and pour milk or water on top and let bread soak for 2-3 minutes. After time is up, mash up bread and milk with fingers until it’s all wet and smashed up into a thick paste.
• Mix garlic, paprika, salt and pepper together in a small ramekin. 
• Add bread mixture, grated onion, eggs and spices large mixing bowl with meat.
• Mix meat mixture well (fingers work best) until fully combined.
• Preheat your cooking device: cast iron skillet or griddle to Medium/ Medium low and once warm add enough oil just to coat bottom. (If using panini press preheat it now) I do like to use a cast iron skillet sometimes to make these as well, but you need to watch the heat on the cast iron more closely to not burn the kotlety.
• Form patties with meat mixture, using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, making them about 1" thick (round or oval, your preference)
• Jump to your Cooking Cooking Appliance Instructions Below: Griddle, Skillet or Panini Press.

Gas Griddle Cooking

• Heat up your Gas Griddle for 10-15 minutes to Medium Low.  (I use a Blackstone 36″ griddle)
• Once your griddle is heated up, drizzle some cooking oil on the surface and spread it around (I use Avocado Oil usually for the griddle) and toss the kotlety one by one onto the griddle. You should be able to fit all of your kotlety on the griddle at one time.  I try to put the patties in clusters on the griddle so that I can get my griddle dome over a group of them at a time.
• Cook the kotlety 4-5 mins on the first side **Watch patties closely because everyone’s griddle cooks differently and it’s easy to burn these if not watching closely.  The paprika in the kotlety can cause them to darken quickly.**
• Use a griddle dome to help cook the kotlety all the way through. My griddle dome is smaller so it won’t fit them all under it at one time, I bounce it around for a couple minutes at a time over smaller groups of the kotlety patties.
• Flip patties over and cook about 5 to 8 more minutes or until both sides browned and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.  I usually don’t use the griddle dome after the flip unless the kotlety patties are slow coming up to temp.

Skillet Cooking

• Place patties on greased skillet and cook on Medium to Medium Low, about 4 minutes or browned browned (Cover with lid while cooking) but do not walk away! **Watch patties closely because everyone’s burner and skillets cook differently and it’s easy to burn these if not watching closely.**
• Flip patty and cook about 4 more minutes and browned.
• Check internal temperature of fattest patty with a meat thermometer (165 deg. minimum) You can keep cooked Kotlety in a 170 degree oven while cooking the rest.

Panini Press Cooking

• Place 3-4 1/4 cup pressed balls of meat mixture on press and adjust panini press to level above “toast” (stays open with upper and lower plates 1 ” apart) if you have level adjusts. **If you do not have adjustments on your press, the patties will just turn into flat burgers and then I don’t recommend making them this way.**
• They cook thoroughly with a nice even brown in 4-5 minutes, no flipping of course.
• Check internal temperature of fattest patty with a meat thermometer (165 deg. minimum)

Notes

Kotlety are best served with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, rice and a vegetable or side salad. Good ketchup or a homemade mushroom sauce is great with these also.

Nutrition Disclaimer:

The nutritional information provided is only an estimate based on a third party nutritional plugin. Different online calculators may give different results depending on their own sources. The estimates may also change based on the ingredients you use. If you have dietary restrictions and need to accurately calculate the nutrition of this recipe, Whole Made Living recommends consulting a professional nutritionist.

Nutrition

Serving: 2kotletyCalories: 169kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 11gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 206mgPotassium: 196mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 133IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg

Keyword beef, griddle, Kotleti, Kotlety, meat, pork, Russian Meat Patties, Slavic Burger, Ukrainian Meat Patties

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