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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
My first attempt at Swedish Meatballs. This is an excellent recipe. I really love the taste and even a non cook like me can make it. Thank you for sharing!
Could these be baked with the same outcome?
These are absolutely delicious ?! Highly recommended!
Sounds delicious! Going to make it and take it for our winter camping, along with a green salad and apple-cider vinaigrette. Thank you for sharing.
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I followed the recipe except for using half and half instead of heavy cream because that’s what I had. Such great comfort food and easy to make!
I made tonight great added a little sour cream to the sauce and sauté mushrooms and onions great over mashed potato served with green beans
are the panko bread crumbs seasoned or plain?
Just plain panko bread crumbs in this recipe!
I used Italian seasoned panko and I really couldn’t taste the different. It’s an really good recipe!
Your photos are amazing!! Going to try your recipe this weekend!!! Love that you used all beef 🙂
I haven’t made this yet but wonder if I used a beef gravy mix instead of making this particular recipe, if it would still be a tasty dish. I work for a non-profit agency that prepares 70 meals a day. If I follow the recipe exactly, that would require 11 cups of cream! Not in our budget. I can manage all the other ingredients, but it would be so much cheaper for us to prepare a beef gravy. Has anyone attempted to do this? Thanks for any input.
It wouldn’t be quite the same, but if you could, in lieu of the cream, afford to add a quart of half & half along with a “slurry” of corn starch and water to help thicken it, I believe that would help quite a bit.
I use a can of cream of mushroom soup and the beef broth instead of cream. Delicious
I haven’t tried gravy mix, but you could maybe try evaporated milk instead of half and half or heavy cream. It’s thick already and creamy and unsweetened. Maybe try a small batch at home to taste test first?
Good idea about the evaporated milk. My mother used it in so many recipes growing it up. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, I think she even said she fed it to us as babies, instead of formula. That was back in the late 50’s (I’m 69 not) Thanks!
Judy, the meatballs were good, but I found the sauce to be quite tasteless and thin. I had to doctor it up soooo much by adding beef bullion, some spices and even a can of cream of mushroom soup.and it still was not thick even after an hour of simmering..(I may have poured an extra cup of beef broth in, but still! I won’t used the recipe again. Next time I make the meatballs, I’m just going to use, like you said – I’m going to make a couple of packaged beef gravy mix packets, probably a can of cream of mushroom soup, and maybe some half and half (whipping cream is way to fattening and seemed like a waste). I was very disappointed considering all the work and expense. Follow your instincts and budget. Improvise, and it will still be just as good.
I use milk with no beef broth at all, just use the drippings in the pan and it’s outstanding
Made tonight and really enjoyed! I used turkey instead and added a little kitchen bouquet to darken the sauce and add a little extra flavor. Thanks for a good recipe!
Absolutely amazing sauce! I would definitely plan on doubling the sauce when you make this.
Very delicious! The gravy is outstanding.
Don’t bother trying any other recipes. This one id the best!
Agree totally!
Turned out perfect! I tweaked my Swedish grandmother’s recipe a bit and she called it Lumberjack stew, using potatoes as an accompaniment rather than noodles.
We put it over mashed potatoes. Not a big fan of noodles.
Definitely the best Swedish meatball recipe I have tried. Rich, creamy and super easy to make! I added some paprika for a little extra flavor and coloring. Only had whole all spice so I used my molcajete to grind it up, lol. Thanks for a great recipe Alyssa. I used to buy the packaged seasoning at Walmart, but they don’t sell it anymore. This is way better and just as easy to make! 30 minutes and that was taking my time! ❤️❤️❤️
Delicious!!! I was looking for something new and I took a chance. I’m so glad I did. The meatballs are tasty and the sauce cooked up so easily and quickly. Served it on rice with a salad. Yummy! Thank you for this great recipe!!!
We love this recipe definitely delicious