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Slow cooker Swedish meatballs braised in a rich and flavorful cream sauce. A combination of ground beef, pork, and warm spices make for a comforting and satisfying dish. Serve as an easy appetizer or hearty meal paired with mashed potatoes or egg noodles!
Complete your Swedish meatballs with these mashed potatoes and a side of roasted asparagus! It’s a hearty meal that everyone in the family will enjoy.
Crockpot Swedish Meatballs
I’m so excited to share this comforting slow cooker Swedish meatballs recipe with you. Let’s break it down- there are a couple key secrets to making meatballs that are extra juicy and tender. You’ve got to throw in a panade (fancy word for a starchy paste that makes them extra delicious), and then let them simmer gently, cooking low and slow. (The slow cooker does all the work here!) I’ve done tons of testing, so you’ll get that perfect texture and flavor every time you whip this up.
Using an electric slow cooker is the perfect vessel for braising meat over a long period of time. Compared to a stove top, the heating is more consistent and never gets above the boiling point. In other words, your meatballs won’t get overcooked! They’ll be nice and tender, not tough and dry. The spiced meatballs simmer in a lightly thickened beef broth, then cream is added at the end of cooking for some extra richness. I love this recipe because it’s virtually hands-off and a hit with the family every time. Let’s get started!
Ingredients Needed for Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
Swedish meatballs are all about the perfect combination of ingredients! From juicy meatballs to a rich, flavorful sauce, each ingredient below plays a crucial role in making this dish so tasty. Check out the recipe card at the end of the post for measurements.
- Frozen Meatballs, Precooked: Frozen meatballs make preparing this dish so simple!
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the sauce.
- Flour: Used to make the panade and thicken the sauce.
- Beef Broth: Provides a savory base for the sauce. Mushroom or vegetable broth will also work, but it will change the overall flavor of the dish slightly.
- Heavy Cream: Adds creaminess and richness to the sauce. You can also use half and half for something a little lighter.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Enhances the flavor of these slow cooker Swedish meatballs with a tangy and savory taste.
- Dijon Mustard: So the sauce has a little extra tanginess and zing.
- Spices: I used a dash of allspice and nutmegs to give the meatballs a warm flavor.
- Salt and Pepper: Make the slow cooker Swedish meatballs taste better overall.
- Noodles: Serve as a base for the Swedish meatballs, soaking up all that delicious sauce.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs in a Slow Cooker
This recipe takes a little bit of prep work initially, but then it’s off to the slow cooker to let it work its magic! While these Swedish meatballs cook low and slow, you can go about your day and then come home to a hearty and delicious meal.
- Add Meatballs to Slow Cooker: Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray then place the frozen meatballs in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Butter and Flour Mixture: For the sauce, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk to create a paste.
- Add Liquids: Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream.
- Mix in Spices and Seasonings: Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, allspice, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour Into Slow Cooker: Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
- Cook: Cover and cook the meatballs for 2 hours on high, or low for 4 to 5 hours.
- Serve: Garnish the Swedish meatballs with parsley, and serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Keep Your Meatballs Warm
You can keep the meatballs in the pot on the warm setting until ready to serve. This slow cooker method of Swedish meatballs is super convenient for making ahead of time for dinner, parties, or potlucks.
Tips and Variations for Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
Customize your slow cooker Swedish meatballs just the way you like them with these extra tips and tricks!
- Customize Sauce Thickness: Adjust the flour amount to control the thickness of the sauce. For a thicker sauce, add a bit more flour; for a lighter one, use less.
- Make it More Creamy: If you love a creamier sauce, increase the amount of heavy cream or even add a dollop of sour cream for an extra creamy finish.
- Serve With Lingonberry Sauce: If you’ve ever had the meatballs from Ikea, you’re probably familiar with this, but lingonberry jam or sauce is a traditional condiment served with this dish. It adds a little tangy sweetness that balances out the richness of Swedish meatballs.
Storing Leftovers
To save your leftover Swedish meatballs, let them cool down and pop them in a sealed container in the fridge. They’ll stay good for 3-4 days. When you’re ready to dig in again, you can warm them up in the microwave with a splash of water or toss them in a pan on the stove. Just keep stirring and heating until they’re nice and hot. Enjoy your tasty leftovers, but remember to gobble them up within a few days!
Serve Your Swedish Meatballs With These Dishes:
I like to serve slow cooker Swedish Meatballs with homemade mashed potatoes or wide egg noodle pasta. Trust me, you’re going to want to pour the sauce over everything, and the recipe makes a generous amount! Once you make this once, it will be on the weekly dinner menu. Good thing it’s so easy to whip up!
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Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 26 ounces frozen meatballs, precooked
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- dash allspice
- dash nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- noodles for serving
Instructions
- Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray then place the frozen meatballs in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- For the sauce, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk to create a paste.
- Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, allspice, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
- Cover and cook the meatballs for 2 hours on high, or low for 4 to 5 hours.
- Garnish the Swedish meatballs with parsley, and serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this for one of the entrees at my son and daughter-in-law’s baby shower! Perfection!!! The only thing I added was a bit of additional Allspice and Nutmeg to the “rue” before adding broth. Rich, earthy flavors in this recipe! Thank you so much for posting!!
Do you add the lemon juice and heavy cream after the cooking or before you cook in slow cooker
After you cook the meatballs in the slow cooker.
I doubled the recipe. Very good ! My husband loves them.
For sure, I’ll make this recipe again.
Can you freeze this recipe after cooking, without the cream ?
Thanks
Emma 🙂
Hi, what can I substitute pork mince with? Can I use 2x beef or 1x beef and 1x lamb? I want the meatballs to still turn out soft.
Made today. Doubled the recipe because cooking for more than 4 people. I was skeptical but it came out fantastic! As an Italian I refuse to use frozen meatballs which some other recipes called for. The pork and ground beef provided the perfect balance and the sauce was generous and flavourful. This is going into my catalog immediately. Thank you!
These are so delicious. Thank you. If I want to mKe the meatballs ahead of time, should I make the gravy in the pan and then just add both the balls and gravy to slow-cooker next day?
Yes, that is perfect!
Can I make the entire recipe day before then reheat next day in crockpot?
Yes! That will work! Just store the cooked meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge.
Big hit!! Thank you!!
These were really delicious, I doubled the recipe 😋 I would make a few changes next time to adjust to personal taste, I’d double the garlic and pepper. Otherwise, great recipe! Very rich
Made these for my adult son. They were absolutely delicious. 5 stars from each of us. Pure comfort food.
Made last week and tripled recipie, gone in about an hour. Making again so I can have some!!
Making these now. I have unsalted beef stock or regular beef broth. I know it called for unsalted broth. Which would you recommend? Thank you
Either of those are great choices.
I took some ingredients from your other swedish meatball recipe to make this. I bought almost two lbs of frozen swedish meatballs as I was short on time. I doubled the amounts of whole wheat flour, butter, and beef broth. Nixed the parsley and lemon juice but added 2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce and 2 tsp of dijon mustard. I also sauted a can of mushrooms in butter with a dash of garlic powder separately. Mixed the sauce up, threw in the mushrooms and meatballs and cooked for 4.5 hrs on low slow cooker mode in my instant pot. I then took out the meatballs and added two cups of half and half at the end and threw in my egg noodles to cook in the sauce for 30 more minutes. Mixed the meatballs back in and served with crushed dill. Soooo perfect.
I did not mean to opt out! Your recipes are delicious! I hope I resigned up! thank you!
During this time of quarantine I wanted to recreate Ikea’s meatballs at home, and I knew that a slow cooker would work well with meatballs. Among the recipes I found I chose this one because it sounded like the best one. I am glad I did! The meatballs with the sauce are AMAZEBALLZ. I don’t give out compliments like this easily. I added 2 tsp soy sauce to the broth and a dash of mustard mimicking the Ikea recipe. But this one is much better! Don’t skip the lemon juice. From now on I will double the recipe.
I’ve tried both Swedish meatball recipes on the site, and this is my favorite. I like the combination of pork and ground beef. This combination makes the meatballs taste not “gamey.” These meatballs are so delicious my 19 year old always has me double the recipe. Try them. They are a show stopper.