Swedish Meatballs
Updated
Updated
Homemade Swedish Meatballs coated in a simple, but rich gravy that is completely luscious and creamy. This from-scratch recipe is so easy and even better than the meatballs you get at IKEA! It’s a classic comfort food that my entire family asks me for again and again.
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Swedish Meatball Recipe Better Than IKEA
Most people think of IKEA when Swedish Meatballs are mentioned. Naturally, because IKEA’s recipe is iconic and what a lot of people go to their stores for—maybe even more so than the furniture! They recently published their highly coveted recipe, and the world flocked to it like soy sauce on rice. HA. But dare I say, my Swedish Meatballs recipe is better? They are really similar, but mine has more flavor and takes less time to make.
My meatball recipe isn’t truly authentic, as real Swedish meatballs are made with day-old bread soaked with milk. I’ve used milk and breadcrumbs, and I’ve added garlic and a few spices, which true Swedish meatballs don’t have.
Note that Native Swedes tend to enjoy their meatballs with just a bit of lingonberry jam—they don’t typically use the rich brown gravy that is commonly associated with IKEA. But my recipe I’m sharing resembles IKEA’s.
Helpful Tips and Variations
- Chill meatballs before pan frying. If you have time, I recommend forming the meatballs and then chilling them for about 30 minutes before cooking in the fry pan—this helps them hold their round shape. If you don’t care, then cook right away.
- Bake instead of pan frying. You can bake the meatballs instead of pan-frying, if you prefer. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400°F. Note that you will miss out on the skillet drippings, which lend a lot of flavor to the sauce.
- Heavy cream or sour cream. Sour cream can be used instead of the heavy cream, but the flavor will be more tangy and the sauce will be thicker. You could also use a combination of heavy cream and sour cream.
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- ½ lb. ground pork
- 1 small sweet onion, very finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ⅛ tsp allspice
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 2 tbsps olive oil, for frying pan
For the Cream Sauce
- 5 tbsps unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups beef broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper, to taste
For Serving
- sprinkle of finely chopped fresh parsley
- cooked egg noodles
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine ground beef and pork; mix with your hands, breaking up any lumps. Mix in all the other meatball ingredients (except the olive oil) until combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or your hands, shape the mixture into 1½-inch balls, kneading a few times to ensure they don't crumble. (Place on a clean platter, cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, if possible—this helps them retain their round shape when cooking.)
- In a large nonstick skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add the meatballs and cook turning continuously until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Repeat with the remaining meatballs. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
- Add the butter to the skillet and once melted, whisk in the flour; stir to combine and cook stirring constantly for about 1 minute until no white patches of flour remain and just begins to brown.
- Slowly whisk in the beef broth and then the heavy cream, stirring the entire time until lump-free. Whisk in the soy sauce and mustard; turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and let the sauce thicken, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the cooked meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 3 minutes to finish cooking and warm through.
- Serve over cooked egg noodles with a sprinkle of parsley.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Swedish Meatballs Step by Step
Prepare the meatballs: Combine 1 lb. lean ground beef and ½ lb. ground pork in a large bowl and break up any lumps. Stir in 1 small finely diced sweet onion, 1 clove minced garlic, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 large beaten egg, ⅓ cup whole milk, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp pepper, ⅛ tsp allspice, and ⅛ tsp nutmeg. Mix well until combined.
Shape the mixture into 1½ inch balls using a cookie scoop or your hands. Gently knead them a few times to ensure they stay together. Place the meatballs on a clean platter, cover, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, if possible. This will help them retain their round shape when cooking.
Cook the meatballs: In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Work in batches to avoid over-crowding, add the meatballs and cook, turning them continuously until browned on all sides and cooked through. This usually takes me about 6 minutes. Repeat until all the meatballs are cooked. Transfer them to a plate and cover them with foil.
Make the sauce: Add 5 tbsp butter to the skillet and once melted, slowly whisk in ¼ cup flour; stir to combine and cook, stirring constantly until no white patches remain.
Slowly whisk in 1¼ cups beef broth and then ¾ cup heavy cream, stirring the entire time until all the lumps are gone. Then, whisk in 3 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Turn down the heat and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer so the sauce thickens, stirring constantly. This takes me about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the meatballs: Add the cooked meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 3 minutes to finish cooking and warm through.
Serve: Serve over cooked egg noodles with a sprinkle of parsley.
Make It In A Crockpot
Making this recipe in the crockpot is not my favorite as the sauce doesn’t thicken the way it does on the stove top, but it can be made in the crockpot:
Coat a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the meatballs (they can be pre-cooked frozen or right after pan frying, but don’t use raw ones.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until combined; pour over the meatballs. Cook until heated through and sauce has thickened, 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
How to Store
- Fridge. Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and will keep up to 3 days. Reheat over low on the stove with the sauce until warmed through.
- Freezer. You can freeze the meatballs, but I don’t recommend freezing the sauce . Cream sauces tend to “break” once defrosted and end up grainy and unpleasant. Allow cooked meatballs to cool to the touch; then place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and flash freeze uncovered about 1 hour or until firm (this prevents them from sticking together once completely frozen.) Place partially frozen meatballs in a heavy plastic freezer bag or freezer container. Seal, label, and freeze for no longer than 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
What to Serve With Swedish Meatballs
I always serve Swedish meatballs over cooked egg noodles, but some creamy mashed potatoes or rice works great, too. For sides, I like to make sauteed Brussels sprouts with molasses or roasted broccoli so we get our veggies in, and this meal also pairs well with a refreshing cucumber tomato salad to balance some of the richness.
More Meatball Recipes
- Italian Beef Meatballs
- Porcupine Meatballs
- Crockpot Salisbury Steak Meatballs
- Turkey Meatballs
- Grape Jelly Meatballs
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
I’ve made many of your recipes, so it’s no surprise that this one is just as great! The meat I used had a high fat content so I needed to drain the grease from the pan before starting the gravy. And perhaps I didn’t drain enough of it , because I needed to use a little extra beef broth and cream to make the sauce a little thinner. But oh man, was it ever good!!! This is one I will definitely make again! Thank you for the great dinner idea! 🤩
I made this recipe yesterday for dinner guests…doubled the recipe and only had one substitution-I didn’t have allspice so I used 5 spice powder instead. It turned out great and everyone loved it.
Amazing! I made this for dinner it was absolutely delicious! Definitely going to make this again!
I made this recipe and it is beyond delicious!!! It’s a family favorite now!
Yes, and to my surprise, and joy, they turned out to be fabulous! I was hoping that they would equal my mother’s recipe and your’s was certainly that!
I made this last night, and the sauce was very good. Next time, I will drain the oil out because the sauce, although tasty, was oily. Also, I do not think I would put the half pound of sausage in the meat mixture the next time. I would just do one and one half pounds of lean ground beef. All in all though it was very good and I would definitely make it again
This is the best! I used frozen ready made meatballs, cooked according to the package, sour cream, and since I didn’t have dijon mustard, spicy brown is great! Will definitely keep this recipe!
Your Swedish Meatballs recipe was a hit with my whole family, it was simply delicious 😋!
Went to Ikea the other day, so of course I had to make Swedish Meatballs today. I bought a gravy mix at the store. This gravy was much, much better. I really enjoyed the meatballs.
We had family over for dinner yesterday and I made your Swedish Meatballs recipe and everyone LOVED ? it! It was so delicious! It will become a staple in my home.
I made your Swedish Meatball recipe for my family last night and they absolutely loved them. They were delicious. This recipe will become a staple in my house. Thank you!
This recipe is so easy. My family raved about the taste, definitely a keeper. Thank you!!!!
I’ve made this recipe many times my family loves it with noodles
WOW. Kids gave it a 10. Invite it a 100. Positively delicious!
We loved this recipe!! So easy to make.
I just made the meatballs and are resting for 30 min. Can I freeze them to be fried or baked in 2 weeks, or should I cook and then freeze?, thankyou
Hi Judy – all of this information is included in the article under “proper storage”
My family loved this recipe – best version of Swedish meatballs we’ve tried. The gravy was wonderful!
Incredible. Better than IKEA
Officially on my menu rotation
Great recipe and very easy to make.
This is absolutely DELICIOUS. I am making this again and this time doubling it as we were all scrambling for the leftovers. Husband won, darn it.
This was easy and delicious!
This recipe was fantastic! I cheated and got store bought meatballs because it was cheaper and took less time, but the sauce I followed the recipe and was blown away. Definitely going into my rotation.
These are so delicious! I crave them.
I’ve never eaten these at IKEA so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but this recipe is absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it.
Loved this recipe. It’s a keeper.
This dish is absolutely fantastic! It is the best Swedish Meatballs recipe that I’ve ever made. It makes me look like a pro!
this recipe is AMAZING! my 15 month old tore it up and my husband and I loved it. the flavor is perfect
We absolutely LOVED this recipe and will make again!!!
I jus made this for dinner tonight let me tell you I can’t keep my hands n mouth away from it so so good thank you for this recipe it’s a keeper
These are THE best things I have ever tasted in my life. That sauce!!!
This was DELISH! Will definitely make again.
This was awesome – whole family loved it!
Having loved IKEA meatballs for years, I was so excited to try this recipe. It was FANTASTIC! Even better! I will definitely make again!