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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
It was easy and delicious.
Thank you?
You have made my husband happy!!!
He loves this and now regularly asks me to make it. I make huge batches of the meatballs and keep them in the freezer so it’s ready to go whenever we want and I can just make the sauce quickly. I have to substitute lactose free cream which hasn’t made too much difference (just a little less rich – boo hoo!). Love this with a simple green salad – thanks for sharing.
Have never left a comment, but I had to for this super delicious recipe! Swedish meatballs is my fave and this sauce is amazing. I cheated a little and used premodern meatballs but the sauce over egg noodles was to die for!!! Thanks for the recipe will def use again.
Many things are better the second day after the flavors have been allowed to meld, so I made this today for my three-year-old granddaughter’s birthday tomorrow. I did have to try one meatball with a bit of sauce and OMG! This is really really good. I had some misgivings since I don’t really care for nutmeg or allspice and wasn’t sure if the sauce would be too bland without the sour cream. It was fantastic. I made 20 meatballs, weighing 1 ounce each, and baked them at 350°F for 20 minutes. Then simmer them in the sauce for just a couple minutes. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I just tossed out the other meatball and stroganoff recipes I have because these are my two favorites.
love, Love, LOVE this recipe!! So delicious and WONDERFUL with creamy mashed potatoes. After making this dish several times, I’ve found a few helpful tips…
– Excess meatball mix can be frozen for later use
– Instead of fried, meatballs can instead be broiled while gravy is being made (it’s a lot
cleaner, too ?)
– Delicious while served warm over parsley-lemon mashed potatoes drowned in
gravy
– Always use LOTS of parsley!! (Lemon is great too)
Thanks for sharing!
Hi I’m trying to lose weight on the keto diet and want to try and get used to preparing healthy foods and keto friendly food as I’ve got a lot of weight to lose.thank you take care bye
Oh, a nice recipe. But first let me close down all these ads and popup notices, then scroll past the life story and more ads. Ah, found the recipe! But no, another ad pops up blocking the whole website. Don’t even get me started how bad this is on a mobile device…
There is a spot on top where you can go right to recipe.
Love this dish! Third time making it ♥️
Yummy! I made this, but with a couple of changes. I used sour cream instead of heavy cream (I love the taste). I also added some dill to the cream sauce. Otherwise, my mother and I were licking the bowl (ok, almost).
Good show, Mark M! 🙂
We’ve made this several times, and every time it’s a hit. Total comfort food. Bringing it to a friend’s for dinner tonight because it’s a no brainer. Thanks so much for sharing this! Note: I often sub sour cream for the cream, or at least half cream half sour. I’ll omit the sour this time and I’m sure it will still be great.
Oh. My. GOSH. This is my husband’s new favorite! It was so good, and I’ve tried countless recipes for Swedish meatballs. Thanks for this one!
This was my first time making this recipe and WOW love them.
I’ve,add this a few times and it is so delicious I want to eat it every. Single. Day. I make the recipe exactly as described and sometimes serve it with egg noodles, or with Pioneer Woman’s stovetop mashed potatoes. Either way, I could eat the whole thing by myself. Also, this is the first Swedish meatball recipe I ever ate – and it spoiled me. I had a friend bring her version to a party recently and my bite ended up in a napkin and then the trash. And I sighed longingly for this one instead.
I came in search of those because I have noticed that SMB can be bland sometimes and tho I had a recipe saved, upon further reading decided I didn’t want to risk it, this one sounds like it’s really gonna pack some flavor so I’m excited to try it this weekend ?
So delicious!! I’m an avid cook and this recipe was awesome!! The family loved it!!
Loved the recipe and the sauce is great!! Served mine the true traditional way with mashed potatoes, lingonnberry sauce and pickled cucumbers!! From this Scandinavian girl your sauce was a perfect match to what I grew up with.
But to be “authentic Swedish” meatballs, aren’t they suppose to include coffee grounds,also?! And, yes, she should have included sour cream.
I love this recipe. Can I freeze some for later with the sauce?
Yes, that is great!
There is no way there would be any left over to freeze.