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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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Was supposed to make chili, but didn’t really want chili. I found this recipe and decided to give it a go. I have half pork and half beef thawed for aforementioned chili, but the seasonings did the trick!!! Super delicious!
Awesome recipe!!! This is my second time making this recipe and each time has been a hit! Thank you!!
I just made these, and they were soooooo good!!! Thank you for the recipe!
This recipe is excellent!
I really can’t believe people are so harsh! All the ingredients and step by step directions are listed. Instead of finding fault and commenting, just say nothing, that would be nice!
Love these! A few changes I made for our family was onion powder instead or chopped onion and I like to make double the meatballs (2 pounds) and still had plenty of sauce. We served over no yoke noodles. Thanks!
Terribly not unique – may as well have made stroganoff
1/4 teaspoon of allspice is nothing – and where is the cream of mushroom.
Trust me, authentic/classic Swedish meatballs are baked not pan fried and laid on top of noodles.
May as well be stroganoff – no need for meatballs if I’m just going to break them up into my noodles.
I was disappointed – should have called mom.
@Eric Ewing: Absolute BS! I lived in Sweden, and I can attest that this is an excellent and quite authentic recipe. The ratio of allspice is correct, unless you have an allspice fetish! While Swedish meatballs are traditionally served on mashed potatoes, they should not be baked in the oven, since they never come out as moist, and you lose the drippings after searing, which are instrumental here. Personally, I prefer a mixture of breadcrumbs and pre-soaked bread in order to accomplish the meatball fluffiness, and I also use ground pork and ground lamb together with beef. Else, TOPS!
My family loves these Swedish Meatballs! So yummy and easy to make, I’ve made them many times. Only thing I do differently is bake the meatballs.
Not sure why others are complaining about there being no measurement amounts, they are clearly posted on the recipe card.
These were amazing!! I will add for a few of the comments I read through if you are critical of the ingredients and making corrections, why are you looking for a recipe? And the measurements are there.. Basically you passed them and jumped to leaving a comment. Anyways, amazing recipe!! Thank you
You list the ingredients, but no quantities. Not helpful!
Hello! All of the ingredients and quantities are are the bottom of the post on the recipe card! Let me know if you need anything else!
Made this a few times and always SO delicious! My husband requests all the time. We use ground turkey in ours and do not miss the beef!
I see no quantities on this recipe. Nothing. And you expect someone to make that?
Hello! The recipe card is at the bottom of the post and lists all of the ingredients, measurements and instructions!
Absolutely delicious! Made twice the meatballs and froze them for another day.
This recipe is awesome! Love these recipes but oh my goodness to many advertisements….my phone jumps around constantly….
Excellent and easy recipe! For those who say they used store bought frozen to save time the mixing of the meat takes 10 minutes max and forming them less than 5 minutes. Try it next time! I used 93% ground beef with just sour cream because I didn’t have heavy cream and they were very good. So good I will make them again using 50/50 beef and pork. I served over Amish egg noodles with a salad for 2 of us and have leftovers for 3 tomorrow for work.
This sauce is rich and delicious. It’s also easy to make. I served the Swedish meatballs over papardelli egg noodles. My family loved the dish and even asked me to think of other dishes to serve the sauce with. I’m hoping to add this to our regular fall/winter meal rotations.
I’ve always wanted to make homemade swedish meatballs.. found your recipe last night, ensured I had all the ingredients (didn’t have panko, but substituted with panade), made them tonight and they were WIFE APPROVED! These turned out so good!
Honestly, for Swedish meatballs this is so easy and tastes delicious! I used ground turkey and had to sub sour cream instead of the heavy cream because I didn’t have any. The meatballs had great flavor and the sauce did as well! I was worried about the mustard flavor, which is kind of strong, but when served with the meatballs and on mashed potatoes it was a perfect balance! Thank you!