Swedish Meatballs Recipe (2024)

Amazing recipe for Swedish Meatballs. Soft and juicy meatballs in a rich and creamy gravy sauce that adds so much flavor to the meatballs.

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Hey, hey! Valentina with Valentina’s Corner sharing our recipe for Homemade Swedish Meatballs.

Swedish Meatballs Recipe

This is a traditional Swedish dish for meatballs with a hint of allspice and nutmeg that give them a distinct and authentic flavor. These meatballs are served over the most delicious creamy sauce that is so good as a gravy over our Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or fluffy White Rice.

Once you give the recipe a try, you’ll agree, they taste so much better than IKEA’s famous Swedish Meatballs recipe.

What goes into Swedish Meatballs?

Panko breadcrumbs- Though you can use bread crumbs for the meatballs, we like the texture of the panko crumbs in this recipe.
Ground meat- We used a combination of ground beef and pork. The flavors are great and pork adds a tenderness to the meatballs.
Spices- For this recipe, all you need is nutmeg, allspice, salt, and pepper.
Onion and garlic- Though not traditional to add these, we love the added flavor they give the meatballs.
Beef gravy- the combination of butter, beef broth, heavy whipping cream, and dijon makes for a creamy gravy.

How to Make Swedish Meatballs:

Here’s a detailed guide on how to make the BEST Swedish Meatballs in cream sauce.

Make the Meatballs:

Add the ground beef and pork to a large mixing bowl. Using the star side of a box grater, grate the onion into the meat. In a small bowl mix the panko crumbs and milk, add to the bowl.
Add remaining meatball ingredients, mix well, and shape into 1″ balls.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat with oil and cook meatballs in 2 batches for 6-7 minutes, turning halfway. Cook until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from skillet and cover to keep warm.

Make the Gravy Sauce:

In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden brown.
Stir in the broth, cream, Dijon, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until it thickens, stirring as needed.
Add the meatballs back and toss in the sauce until reheated.

TIPS and Commonly Asked Questions:

What to serve meatballs with? Serve the meatballs with gravy over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or your favorite pasta.
Can the meatballs be baked? Yes. Line the baking sheet with foil. Bake the meatballs at 400°F, 12-15 minutes or until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer registers at 165°F.
Can I freeze the meatballs? Yes. One the meatballs are cooked and cooled, arrange them on a baking sheet and freeze. Then transfer frozen meatballs to a freezer bag. Thaw overnight and continue with the recipe.
Uniform in size- You’ll want to be sure to shape the meatballs so they are uniform in size for even cooking.Tip: Use a small ice cream scoop for even meatballs.

More Easy Dinner Ideas:

We always keep ground beef and a variety of ground meat in the freezer to make these family-favorite dinner recipes:

Meatloaf – with the best glaze
Salisbury Steak – in a rich mushroom gravy
Perfect Burgers – how to make a juicy burger every time
Shepherd’s Pie – loaded with veggies
Mini Stuffed Peppers – in the best sauce

Swedish Meatballs Recipe

4.97 from 185 votes

Author: Valentina Ablaev

Recipe for Swedish Meatballs. Juicy and tender meatballs with a rich gravy sauce. Serve the meatballs over mashed potatoes, pure comfort food. This recipe makes 24 meatballs.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 8 servings

For the Swedish Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef , (10%-15% fat)
1 lb ground pork
1 small onion, grated on star side of box grater
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
1/3 cup panko crumbs
1/4 cup whole milk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp olive oil, (cooking oil), or as needed

For the Gravy Sauce:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 cups regular beef broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

How to Make Meatballs:

In a bowl combine the panko crumbs with milk. Add remaining ingredients for the meatballs and mix well. Shape into 24 meatballs.
Add 2 Tbsp oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, cook meatballs in 2 batches until golden brown and cooked through (6-7 minutes), turning as needed. Add more oil as needed. Remove from the skillet and cover to keep warm.

How to Make Gravy Sauce:

In the same skillet, melt the butter. Quickly whisk in the flour and cook until golden.
Stir in the broth, heavy whipping cream, Dijon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook it thickens.
Add back the meatballs and toss in the gravy sauce. Cook until meatballs are heated through.

Nutrition Per Serving

458kcal Calories7g Carbs25g Protein36g Fat17g Saturated Fat153mg Cholesterol595mg Sodium472mg Potassium1g Fiber1g Sugar657IU Vitamin A2mg Vitamin C60mg Calcium2mg Iron

Full Nutrition Label
Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Swedish Meatballs Recipe

Amount per Serving

Calories

458

% Daily Value*

Fat

Saturated Fat

106

Cholesterol

153

Sodium

595

Potassium

472

Valentina Ablaev

I am Valentina, the creator behind the food blog Valentina’s Corner where I share our family’s favorite recipes. When I am not in the kitchen, I enjoy spending quality time with my husband and 5 children. We invite you to join us on our blogging journey!

FAQs

What is the sauce for Swedish meatballs made from? ›

The sauce for Swedish Meatballs is a creamy gravy that is made with butter, beef broth/stock, thickened with flour and made creamy with cream. But the most important flavour for the a really good creamy gravy is the pan drippings after searing the meatballs.

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How do you keep Swedish meatballs from falling apart? ›

Add a lightly beaten egg, but not too much. Egg acts as a binder for the ingredients, but you only need a small amount. One small egg will do for one pound of minced meat. Alternatively, if you're following an egg-free diet, you could soak fresh bread in milk, squeezing out any excess milk, to use as a binder.

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How many meatballs is enough? ›

If you're planning to buy ready made, I'd go with at least 3 per person. Maybe 4 if you have a lot of big eaters. Plus the longer meatballs simmer in sauce the better they taste. And they can be frozen,sauce and all.

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What makes Swedish meatballs special? ›

The Seasoning

While both varieties include ingredients such as grated onion and panade (milk-soaked bread) or bread crumbs, plus the usual salt and pepper, Swedish meatballs traditionally use spices like allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, and sometimes ground ginger as flavoring.

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Why is my Swedish meatball sauce not thickening? ›

How to Thicken Swedish Meatball Sauce. The all-purpose flour in this recipe should do the trick to thicken your Swedish meatball sauce to the right consistency. But if it doesn't, you can add a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of water) to thicken it up.

What do you serve with Swedish meatballs? ›

Mashed Potatoes - The creamy gravy on Swedish Meatballs is perfect with potatoes! Egg Noodles - Spaghetti isn't a bad idea either. Green veggies - I love to serve green peas with Swedish meatballs. Roasted Vegetables - Skip the starch and serve the meatballs with a combination of roasted vegetables.

What not to do when making meatballs? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Meatballs

Not seasoning the meat.
Not adding any moisture to the meat.
Over-mixing the meat.
Not shaping the meatballs correctly.
Not forming evenly-sized meatballs.

May 1, 2019

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What happens if you put too much breadcrumbs in meatballs? ›

Using the wrong amount of bread crumbs (or flour)

Bread crumbs are another popular binder for meatballs that can become problematic if used incorrectly. Adding too many bread crumbs to the mix will cause your meatballs to become loose and fall apart. The same applies to flour.

Should I put egg in my meatballs? ›

You only need a small amount of egg – it's there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn't detract from the meat's flavour or texture. Filler ingredients like breadcrumbs or flour are important too because they stop the meatballs becoming dry.

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Is it better to bake meatballs at 350 or 400? ›

For 1-2 inches of beef, pork, or turkey meatballs without any pre-cooking, use these guidelines for your wall oven:

350°F wall oven:
8–14 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
14–18 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
400°F wall oven:
6–10 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
10–14 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
425°F wall oven:

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Aug 16, 2023

How many meatballs for 4 people? ›

If you are making 1-ounce meatballs for a main course you should make 6 meatballs per person. If you have some big eaters at the party I suggest making 6-10 bite sized meatballs per person. As you can see, the number of meatballs you need depends on their size.

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Do meatballs taste better the next day? ›

As hard as it may be, exercising a little patience and letting your meaty spheres sit overnight is a great hack for better homemade meatballs. First, there's the flavor boost.

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Why are my Swedish meatballs falling apart? ›

ANSWER: Usually when meatballs fall apart, it's the binder that is the problem. Most meatball recipes call for using bread crumbs and eggs. But too much bread crumbs make them too loose, and not enough bread crumbs won't help them hold together either.

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Why do Swedish meatballs taste different? ›

As for the seasoning, one big difference is the omission of grated cheese in Swedish meatballs, as is common in Italian recipes. Nor do you include herbs like basil and oregano. Instead, what I think makes the flavor profile so different is the inclusion of allspice and nutmeg.

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Are homestyle meatballs the same as Swedish meatballs? ›

While Italian meatballs can be made from a blend of meats, Swedish meatballs are usually made with ground pork or an equal amount of blended pork and beef and are mixed together with breadcrumbs and bound with eggs. Once they're shaped into the desired diameter, they're browned in a skillet.

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What is Ikea meatball sauce made of? ›

Iconic Swedish cream sauce: Melt 40g of butter in a pan. Whisk in 40g of plain flour and stir for 2 mins. Add 300ml of bouillon (or consommé) and continue to stir. Add 150ml double cream, 2 tsp of soy sauce and 1 tsp of (Dijon) mustard.

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Do Swedish meatballs contain sour cream? ›

It's All About the Sauce

Flavored with nutmeg and cardamom, these little beef-and-pork meatballs are best served with a Swedish meatball sauce—a rich roux-based and beef stock gravy, spiked with sour cream and a little lingonberry jelly.

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Where did the recipe for Swedish meatballs come from? ›

Last week, Sweden's official Twitter account tweeted out a brief but momentous statement: “Swedish meatballs are actually based on a recipe King Charles XII brought home from Turkey in the early 18th century.

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