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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.
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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.
Can I use the frozen italian meatballs? I have a great sauce recipe which eveyone raves about but can no longer find the frozen sweedih meatballs. Makes it a lot easier with the frozen meatballs.
Hi Patricia, yes you can use frozen meatballs. The Italian seasoning in them might add extra flavor. You could use just all beef meatballs as well. I do have a slow cooker Swedish meatball recipe you could try as well!
Can this be cooked a day in advance and reheated for a party?
Darcy, yes I think they would reheat nicely!
By far, this is my favorite Swedish meatball recipe ever. I struggled for years to find one that hit all the right notes in my mind, since I really, really dislike sour cream cooked into sauces and gravy. This is now my “go-to” recipe for cold and dreary days, I cannot get enough of them and everyone always raves when I make them.
I love this recipe… and so do my girls. I make a little extra sauce because it’s so tasty.
Wonderful flavor. I followed the recipe exactly. The meatballs tended to fall apart but were still very tasty in the sauce. I had purchased “large”- rather than “extra-large” eggs. These are relatively small, so I should have added one more egg to the mixture. Interesting – allspice was also my Grandmother’s key ingredient for her meatballs, so as soon as I saw that ingredient, I was sold!
For some reason, I don’t see the video no matter what browser I try… To bad…
Hi Rem, that is very strange, here is the link. Let me know if that works?
TERRIBLE recipe! Followed it to the tee no deviations and half the meatballs fell apart in the pan, and the “sauce” was liquid like milk! Had to scramble and find something else. Never trying this site again!
Hi Elizabeth, I’m sorry you didn’t have success with this recipe. It is one of my top recipes and most people seem to love it. That’s super frustrating to have put time and effort into something and it doesn’t turn out. Again I’m sorry.
Alyssa – it was probably something they did wrong. I have this recipe saved as my only meatball recipe. Been making it many times. Love, love this recipe!
Really love this recipe, this time I used yogurt in place of the cream, for a lower calorie version. It was very good, and it’s our favorite Swedish meatball dinner. Served it over egg noodles with a side of steamed carrots, delicious ?
Thank you
Can I substitute sour cream for the heavy cream?
Hi Valinda, thank you for your comment. Yes you can, but since the sour cream is thicker add a little milk to thin the sauce, unless thick is what you are going for. Let me know how it turns out!
My husband and I love this recipe. I cook many of your recipes. As I find our taste in spices run very close to each other. This is by far one of my comfort meals now.
These were delicious (I used ground turkey). I wish I had realized my broth was so salty – the sauce was salty but not too salty. Luckily I think I forgot to put salt in the water for the noodles! I had to use whole milk because my mother can’t have cream. But it was still so tasty!!
Hi Alyssa, I love your recipes and have made many of them and they are all spot on.
However, I have a sugestion on this recipe. (My mother and aunt were from Sweden so we had these meatballs alot when I was growing up.) Garlic is never used in Swedish Meatballs. Allspice and nutmeg are the traditional spices used. I am a lover of garlic and use it most recipes but not in this one. Your recipe still deserves 5 stars just no garlic in this one for me. Thanks!
I’ve lived in Sweden the last 23 years and haven’t seen meatballs mixed in any sauce. I mean, they don’t put the meatballs inside the sauce. They steak the meatballs and the sauce is done separated. They eat the meatballs beside potatoes and the “brown sauce” as they call it, on the potatoes. They also eat this dish with smashed berries called “lingon”.
So delicious and so easy. Quick weeknight meal
Thank you for sharing
Delicious recipes!!
Silly Question but can I just use Pork Mince cause that’s all I’ve got
Yes, you can use pork instead of beef!
Any kind of minced meat work but gives a bit different taste, my favorite is elk(moose) meatballs
Elk is not moose, but elk is delicious. I’ve never tried moose.