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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!
More Yummy Meatball Recipes
I’ve been using this recipe for a year or two- not sure how long but it is my go-to every single time I want a comforting dish of Swedish meatballs. If you find your gravy to be bland, try some salt. Garlic powder. Pepper. Jazz it up to your liking. Amazing recipe thank you so much for sharing!
This is a regular at our house. One of the few meals my whole family enjoys. My daughter loves it so much she asked me to make it for her birthday dinner. I find the recipe flavorful, but not so much so that my 1 yo won’t like it. The directions are clear and easy to follow. I’ve almost memorized the recipe. The only change I have made is I bake the meatballs for 20min at 400 instead of fry in the pan. My meatballs weren’t getting done all the way and it made the process time consuming. Now I start the water for the egg noodles roll the meatballs and pop them in the oven, then make the sauce. It may not be authentic Swedish meatballs, but it definitely a winner for my family.
This was awful. Followed the recipe to the letter. Bland was an understatement. Oily and greasy. Tried sour cream like others suggested. The entire batch went into the garbage. Total waste of money!
Absolutely delicious!!!!
Crazy good!! Made it *exactly* as the recipe reads. So delicious.
Awful recipe. The taste is bland at best & it’s written awkwardly so it’s hard to follow the directions. Clearly just to sell ads
Hi,
I’m wondering if I’m making these for a future party, should i freeze the meatballs raw or bake them first?
I would bake them and then freeze them WITHOUT the sauce. After cooking the meatballs transfer to a cookie sheet. Make sure they are not touching or they will freeze together. Freeze for 2-4 hours on the cookie sheet, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. These will keep for up to 3 months. To thaw you can cook in the microwave,or oven. I like to partially cook them in the microwave and then finish heating them in the sauce.(Make the sauce fresh and then add the meatballs to it to warm up).
Is there a particular reason why you do not recommend thawing overnight in the fridge – versus microwave or oven? Thanks!!
You can do that as well!
Raises a very Swedish eyebrow at this decidedly non-Swedish recipe
They may be good but definitely not Swedish…my little Swedish mom in law made such delicious meatballs and always had the lingonberry jam with them..p
Mikkel, I agree with you! This is not a very Swedish recipe. ?
This recipe was very good did not change a thing , I found the taste and consistency perfect.
Great recipe. I used a tbsp of Dijon mustard instead of a tsp and about a third cup of sour cream and 2/3 heavy whipping cream and salted to taste. The sauce was yummy and had a little more zest. The meatballs are good with plenty of sauce.
Crazy delicious! I’ve made this several times and it’s always a hit. The only change I made was using half ground sausage and add a dollop of sour cream at the end. Fantastic! Thank you❤
Yum! That sounds delicious!
These are good but the meat was a little tough. Add more panko and maybe a little milk. Also add heavy doses of dill weed. Yum!
Just made this for dinner! I think the flavor was great and tangy! Followed the recipe exactly and I agree that the sauce is watery! Make sure when you mix the butter and flour that it becomes clumpy first before adding beef broth and heavy cream. I doubled the flour after my mistake and let it simmer for 5-7 min and it was delicious! Never made a dish like this and my boyfriend was raving over it. Excited to have leftovers for lunch!
Has the makings of a good recipe, however you don’t need half as much flower as the recipe calls for to thicken it 3tbsp is way too much! Spent ages trying to get the gravy to the correct consistency and because of that the cream split. So as a contingency if I made this again I absolutely wouldn’t add the cream at the same time as the beef broth, wait until it’s just slightly thicker than you’d like so it’s easier to get the perfect consistency. Nice flavour but overall disappointing
I loved these and my family did too. I made the recipe exactly as written. This is what I expect Swedish meatballs and sauce to taste like. I have never added Dijon to Swedish meatball sauce before but it was delicious. Will definitely make this again! Thank you for the delicious dinner. 🙂
Thank you for trying it! This is one of my family’s all-time favorites!
This was delicious… not understanding the “bland” comments? I did use 1/2c sour cream in place of 1/2c of the cream (as #therecipecritic suggested as an option in her notes. Also, I used 1/2 ground pork and half ground beef (also an option in the notes). The one deviation from the instructions was that I drained the fat out of the skillet after browning the meatballs and before adding the butter and flour to make the roux. Can’t imagine not doing that – the sauce would’ve been way too thin and greasy otherwise (roux should be equal ratio of fat to flour, so 3T each of butter and flour). Maybe just an oversight in the instructions? I didn’t scrape the onions or browned bits out (that gives sauce flavor!) – just drained off the fat from the meat. This is the only reason I took one star off. I did add extra pepper and a bit of salt before serving. Excellent!
As other have said, very bland. The gravy I can adjust as I cook, but the meatballs themselves are bland. I’ve never had Swedish meatballs to compare them to, but the flavor these plain, reminded me of the horrid store bought frozen ones. Texture was nice. I would definitely try with pork and double the salt and garlic and add a dash of Worcestershire to the meatmix.
I think they lots of flavor and the texture makes for a great comfort food. Yum