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This Swedish meatball recipe is a top favorite recipe on the site for a reason! Juicy meatballs, rich creamy gravy, and SO MUCH FLAVOR! They’re easy to make and, in my opinion, way better than IKEA’s.
Reasons This Recipe is the BEST!
- Fan Favorite: With 400+ five-star reviews, these meatballs are actually the best.
- Creamy Sauce: The secret lies in the sauce. It’s rich, creamy, and full of flavor thanks to classic spices. You will be licking the spoon, I promise.
- Better than IKEA: Ever had IKEA Swedish Meatballs? These ones are so easy and WAY better!
A Reader’s Review
This is my absolute favorite Swedish meatball recipe. The flavor is mouthwatering. Thank you for sharing this with us!
-Renee
Ingredients in Swedish Meatballs
- Use lean ground beef: It helps keep the meatballs tender without making them greasy.
- Spices: Trust me, nutmeg and allspice are what make these Swedish meatballs special. Don’t skip them if you want that authentic flavor.
- No Panko Breadcrumbs? No Problem: If you’re out of breadcrumbs, make a panade by blending two pieces of bread into crumbs and mixing with 1/4 cup of milk to form a paste. Add an egg, mix it all up, and you’ll get the same great texture in your meatballs.
- Go for low-sodium beef broth: This keeps the creamy gravy from turning too salty and gives you more control over the final flavor.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
These will come together quickly and cook in about 30 minutes total, so dinner is fast and easy! I have a few variations of this recipe you have to try! Swedish meatball casserole, soup, and slow cooker method!
- Combine: In a medium-sized bowl, combine ground beef, panko, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, pepper, salt, and egg. Mix until combined.
- Roll Meatballs: Roll into 12 large meatballs or 20 small meatballs.
- Cook: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the meatballs and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning continuously until brown on each side and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
- Make the sauce: Add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour to the skillet and whisk until it turns brown.
- Whisk: Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream, and whisk to combine.
- Add meatballs and simmer: Add Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard, and bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
All Things Swedish Meatballs
I know how much you love my Swedish meatballs! I’ve rounded up every version of a Swedish meatball recipe that I have on my site, from quick and easy to homemade favorites! You can find them all in one place!
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Swedish Meatballs
Tender, flavorful Swedish meatballs that simmer in a rich, creamy sauce are pure comfort food! They're easy to make and impossible to resist.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 pound ground beef, 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon parsley, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ cup onion, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 egg. Mix until combined.
- Roll into 12 large meatballs or 20 small meatballs. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the meatballs and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning continuously until brown on each side and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
- Add 4 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons flour to the skillet and whisk until it turns brown. Slowly stir in 2 cups beef broth and 1 cup heavy cream. Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Video
Notes
Can You Freeze Swedish Meatballs?
- Freezing Cooked Meatballs: Let them cool, then freeze them on a baking sheet until solid (2–4 hours). Transfer to a freezer bag or an airtight container. They’ll keep up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or warm them up in the sauce.
- Skip Freezing the Sauce: Creamy sauces don’t freeze well—they can separate. For best results, make the gravy fresh when you’re ready to serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 499kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 17gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 712mgPotassium: 327mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 987IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
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This review is from a non-cook, the instructions were clear and concise. I think I read don’t use half n half, but I did because that’s all I had. I mixed Swedish meatballs with my olive oiled hands! (Like my Italian girlfriend taught me)
The recipe turned out delicious!!! If I can do this anyone can!
This was easy and tasty. I followed as written and we felt the Dijon was a bit heavy and it needed more flour to get to a desirable consistency. Overall, very tasty.
I made them with some ground turkey we needed to use, and aside from having to add a fair bit more bread crumbs so they’d stick together, these were delicious!
These are the best!! So glad you loved them too!
Do u clean out the skillet after meatballs or use that leftover oil and seasoning to make the gravy
I don’t clean the skillet in between!
Just amazing! I had never made meatballs before. The instructions were great and the meatballs were wonderful over the rice
I’m glad you loved them! This is one of my all-time favorite recipes!
I love this recipe. I also tweak a little. We use Pabst Worcestershire. It ads a ton of flavor. My husband also treagers the meatballs. Amazing
Overall good cooking instructions! The meatballs taste great but I agree with other reviews that the sauce ends up very bland. I tasted as I cooked and for the sauce I just added a couple punches of garlic and onion sauce and extra Dijon and it made a huge difference, tastes amazing.I also recommend using Italian Pablo bread crumbs for the extra flavor!
I am so glad I wasn’t the only one who felt the sauce was a bit bland! I kept adjusting added seasoning salt, beef bullion powder, more Worcester and more Dijon. What clinched it was adding about 1 TBS soy sauce to the sauce. It enhanced the flavor and then became delicious! Lol KarenB
Agree and I put in Xtra Worcestershire sauce .
I don’t understand the people saying this recipe is flavorless. I think it’s delicious! I don’t think they were imagining their experience; I just don’t understand the variations in how it tasted for people. Anyway this recipe ROCKS but the sauce is like water. I would not hesitate to double the flour.
Followed the recipe exactly, but thought it was incredibly bland and flavorless. I will try again but double the spices and mustard.
One of the things that sets Swedish meatballs apart from others, besides the allspice and nutmeg, is blending the meat mixture with a hand mixer. I followed your recipe, but then tried it with a little more work (so this is “if you have the time”). First, I cooked the onions with some garlic, allowed them to cool and then blended in the bread crumbs. Then, once all the rest was combined, I ran the meat through with the hand mixer, first on slow and then on high speed. Form into balls and cook.
that would just make the meatballs tough and dry because the ground meat would be overworked. Meatballs always need a light hand when mixing. Very bad advice.
Flavorless and followed the recipe to a tee.
This is by far one of the easiest and delicious renditions to a timeless recipe. I served over extra wide egg noodles and top off the dinner with salad and home made garlic bread… All under 40$ to serve 6 people!! Thanks Again!
Yep! Easy, delicious, and versatile. I was feeling lazy so used some ground Turkey that was already thawed, as well as dried onion and parsley instead of fresh. It was still a keeper the lazy way! Will try subbing in some sour cream for heavy cream next time. Thanks for the great recipe!
This recipe was easy and delicious.?
Tried this recipe tonight and it was awesome! The meatballs have some sweet notes from the allspice and nutmeg, and is wonderfully complimented with the savory gravy. Definately a repeat for us!
Not Swedish meatballs, but it looks delicious.
We don’t use nutmeg, garlic and parsley in our meatballs. The minced meat is pork or mix of pork and beef.
The “swedish allspice” is sort of a bbq seasoning, Grillkrydda as we say in Sweden, Google: Santa Maria Grillkrydda and you will see what I mean.
The sauce is madecwith milk or milk and double cream, no mustard, no olive oil.
We only use butter.
IKEA meatballs are not typical swedish meatballs
I will rate this a 5 because I do think these taste lot better then IKEA’s, never liked them
I made this recipe and it was yum! I didn’t have time to make the meatballs, so I used prepared meatballs from the store and it worked out perfectly. The sauce is amazing!!
Thank you for sharing.
Sherry