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These Swedish Meatballs are a top favorite recipe on the site for a reason—juicy meatballs, rich creamy gravy, and have SO MUCH FLAVOR. They’re easy to make and way better than IKEA’s (yes, really!).
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!
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 creay gravy from turning too salty and gives you more control over the final flavor.
Skip the Pork- Here’s Why
Some people like to use a mix of beef and pork for Swedish meatballs, and while the pork can add a little extra tenderness, I’ve found that it’s not enough of a difference to justify the extra cost of buying 2 kinds of meat. The rich, creamy sauce and yummy flavors in the meat make these meatballs turn out perfectly tender and delicious with just ground beef!
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
These will come together quickly and cook in about 30 minutes total, so dinner is fast and easy!
- 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 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.
Variations to Try
Since Swedish Meatballs are one of YOUR favorite recipes on the site, I thought you might want to see other ways I have cooked them up!
- Casserole: My Swedish Meatball Casserole is a simple way to serve everything in one dish, and it’s great for feeding a crowd.
- Soup: Want the same great flavor in a different form? Swedish Meatball Soup is an easy twist that’s perfect for cooler days.
- Slow Cooker: Short on time? My Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs Recipe is a great hands-off option, and you can even use frozen meatballs!
Can You Freeze Swedish Meatballs?
Yes! This recipe is perfect for doubling and freezing for later. Here’s how to do it without losing flavor or texture:
- 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.
More Yummy Meatball Recipes
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The Best Swedish Meatballs
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 reduce to a simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I suggest to either half the sauce or double the meatballs as the recipe makes way too much sauce to meatball ratio! It’s really delicious though.
Review update. Made the recipe yesterday for dinner and followed the recipe as written. Great flavor, absolutely delicious! My wife loved it, my sister in law loved it, I loved it! Thank you so much Alyssa for the great recipe! Will definitely make again.
Made this the other night and it was fantastic! Doubled the meatball part of the recipe to freeze some and did half beef, half turkey. I’m gunna try making the sauce with milk next time instead of heavy cream.
Fantastic! For Gluten Free I uses crushed GF pretzels and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour.
I normally cook in advance. Made the meatballs and the rue on Sunday then made sauce on Tuesday. My first time making them from scratch, I will never go back to the package. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. Made this recipe as stated. My husband and I enjoyed it very much…..so tasty, as most of your recipes are.
The meatball is good but the sauce was missing something.
Also too much grease
I always add a little bit more of Dijon and Worcestershire sauce
Usually a recipe is as good as it is rated or not bad. This is terrible! Way too much fat and grease. Is this a joke? I feel stupid for making this. I should have known it was a joke recipe when it said to put both butter and olive oil in the pan. That should have been a red flag. So much oil it is disgusting.
Kitchen professionals add olive oil when browning with butter to keep the butter from burning. Sounds like too much fat came from a high fat content ground beef. Not taking sides, just saying.
I agree with your post, I use butter with my oil and it has never made my meals greasy. A lower fat content of beef would have worked out better.
I bake meatballs, turns out so much better and I also do half beef half pork in meatballs
Use this recipe as a basis for a keto swedish meatball. Really good starting point. I suggest adding some cardamom to the spices.
WOW what a hit!
I doubled the recipe and didn’t have the patience to cook them in a pan. I baked them in the oven on a cookie sheet at 350 for 30 minutes. I made the gravy while they baked in the oven. The meatballs were perfectly browned!!! I added the cooked meatballs and their juices from the pan right into the gravy.
Did you use a drip pan on the cookie sheet or put the meatballs directly onto the cookie sheet?
They sound delicious. I think I will try them.
These are not only straight forward and simple, especially browning and tossing in the oven, they taste like a high end restaurant made dinner! I browned mushrooms as well for the sauce which just added in my family the cherry on top! I’m looking forward to trying your other meatball recipes!
MATH!!!!!!!
recipe calls for 3 TBLS flour
instructions call for 4 TBLS flour
4-3 = 1
there is an unaccounted for 1 TBLS of flour!
what is the solution?????????????
Instruction say to add 4 Tablespoon Butter and the Flour .
Recipe list 5 Tablespoon Butter, You use 1 Tablespoon to fry meatballs with the Olive oil .
Your not reading it right .
Add 4 Tablespoon remaining butter and the 3 Tablespoon Flour to skillet .
Swedish meatballs are a classic for a reason; once you know how make them, you need a different excuse to whip around to IKEA. I had several hungry mouths to feed – not just myself, but my big sister with her husband, five kids (albeit one is a baby), and the parents. I needed to go big and up the quantity.
Cooking the meatballs in the oven was a good call, and serving them and the sauce separately. Something about cooking meat, even ground meat, for a longer period of time that truly treats it with respect. This was a hearty meal that was the pick of a small bunch of recipes I had done shortly before writing this message. I know that there will be all sorts of times that these will be dinner in the future, and experimenting with all different sides outside of the standard spaghetti.
Smells like my grandmas kitchen! Can I freeze to take away? I don’t want to make the sauce if I can’t freeze and thaw
Does GF flour work with this recipe? I can use the GF Panko, but I’m wondering about the flour.
Yes, it should be fine!
I used gf panko and rice flours for this and it was amazing!
This is a excellent recipe and I’ve made it several times. Absolutely nothing needs to be changed
Quick and easy recipes.
I made this and love it!!