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These Swedish Meatballs are smothered in the most amazing rich and creamy gravy and packed with such delicious flavor. You will quickly agree these are the BEST you have ever had!
Serve these scrumptious meatballs over buttered noodles or rice with a Caesar Salad, and these Perfectly Soft Buttery Rolls for a dinner the whole family will love!
Reasons This Recipe is the BEST!
- 300+ 5 Star Reviews: This recipe, trusted by millions, boasts over 300 five-star reviews. I am confident you’ll love it too!!
- Creamy Sauce: The secret lies in the sauce. These meatballs are crafted with a perfect blend of traditional Swedish spices and complemented by a rich, creamy gravy
- Better than IKEA: Ever had IKEA Swedish Meatballs? These ones are so easy and WAY better!
A Reader’s Review
I already have a favorite Swedish meatball recipe that I’ve been making for years. So I wasn’t sure the family would like this version and if I’d regret not sticking to my usual. Well, I can say, this is now the family Swedish meatball recipe! So perfect! The sauce was silky and delicious, and the meatballs were juicy and had a lovely flavor. Highly recommend!
-Anna
Swedish Meatball Ingredients
These meatballs have so much flavor and are easy to make! Don’t let this long list intimidate you. I bet you already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact measurements.
What’s in Swedish Meatballs?
- Ground beef: The main protein base for the meatballs, providing flavor and texture.
- Panko bread crumbs: Adds lightness and helps bind the meatballs together.
- Parsley: I use fresh parsley to enhance the taste.
- Ground allspice: Introduces a warm, slightly sweet flavor.
- Ground nutmeg: Adds a subtle nutty, warm flavor that complements the beef.
- Onion: This surprisingly adds a slight sweetness to the meatballs.
- Garlic powder: You can’t go wrong with garlic!
- Pepper: This adds in some mild heat.
- Salt: The salt enhances all of the flavors of the ingredients in the Swedish meatballs.
- Egg: Acts as a binder to hold the meatball mixture together.
- Olive oil: Used for cooking the meatballs, adding flavor and helps the meatballs to brown.
- Butter: Adds richness and helps in browning the meatballs.
What is Swedish Meatball Sauce Made of?
- Butter: Forms the base of the sauce, providing richness.
- Flour: Combined with butter to create a roux, the flours helps thicken the sauce.
- Beef broth: Adds depth of flavor and forms the liquid base of the sauce.
- Heavy cream: Provides a creamy texture and rich flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds a tangy, savory depth to the sauce.
- Dijon mustard: Introduces a slight tang to the sauce without being overwhelming.
- Salt and pepper: Essential for seasoning and balancing the flavors of the sauce.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
These will come together quick and cook in about 30 min total, so dinner is fast and easy!
- Combine beef, egg and seasonings: In a medium sized bowl combine ground beef, panko, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, pepper, salt and egg. Mix until combined.
- Roll and cook: Roll into 12 large meatballs or 20 small meatballs. In a large skillet heat olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter. Add the meatballs and cook turning continuously until brown on each side and cooked throughout. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
- Make the sauce: Add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour to skillet and whisk until it turns brown. Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Add worchestershire sauce and dijon mustard and bring to a simmer until sauce starts to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add meatballs and simmer: Add the meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or rice.
Tips and Variations
- Meat: I love using a mix of beef and pork for these Swedish meatballs. The pork adds extra fat, making them incredibly moist and tender. If you prefer, ground turkey, chicken, or a combination can work beautifully too.
- Spices: Trust me, the nutmeg and allspice are what make these Swedish meatballs special. Don’t skip them if you want that authentic, divine flavor.
- Overmixing: Take it from me, be gentle when mixing your meat. Overmixing can make your meatballs tough, and we want them to stay tender.
- No Bread Crumbs? No Problem: If you’re out of bread crumbs, make a panade by blending two pieces of bread into crumbs and mixing with 1/4 cup milk to form a paste. Add an egg, mix it all up, and you’ll get the same great texture in your meatballs.
- Sauté for Sweetness: Sauté your onions first. It gives them a softer, sweeter flavor that really enhances the meatballs.
- Cream: Stick with heavy cream for the sauce to keep it smooth and rich. If you want to add a bit of tang, swap out some of the cream for sour cream—it’s a delicious twist.
Different Cooking Methods
- Baked: For a foolproof method, brown your Swedish meatballs in a skillet with oil and butter, then finish them in a 350°F oven. This ensures they’re cooked through without any pink.
- Slow Cooker: Try out this recipe in a slow cooker in a pinch! You an even use frozen meatballs Check out that recipe here: Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs Recipe.
Can You Freeze Swedish Meatballs?
Yes! One of the best parts about this recipe is that it’s perfect for doubling up and freezing some for later. These tips will help you enjoy delicious meatballs anytime, without sacrificing flavor or texture.
- Freeze: After cooking the meatballs, place them on a cookie sheet, ensuring they don’t touch to prevent sticking. Freeze for 2-4 hours, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. When ready to use, you can thaw them in the microwave or oven. I prefer partially cooking them in the microwave and finishing them in the sauce.
- Don’t Freeze the Sauce: Dairy-based sauces, especially those with heavy cream, can separate and turn grainy when thawed. For best results, make the rich gravy fresh when you’re ready to serve.
- Freezer to Pan: You can also freeze the meatballs raw and cook them directly from frozen. They’ll take longer to cook through but will maintain their shape better than fresh ones. Just ensure they’re fully cooked with no pink remaining.
More Yummy Meatball Recipes
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The Best Swedish Meatballs
The Best Swedish Meatballs are smothered in the most amazing rich and creamy gravy. The meatballs are packed with such delicious flavor you will agree these are the BEST you have ever had!
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 ground beef, panko, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, pepper, salt and egg. Mix until combined.
- Roll into 12 large meatballs or 20 small meatballs. In a large skillet heat olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter. Add the meatballs and cook turning continuously until brown on each side and cooked throughout. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
- Add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour to skillet and whisk until it turns brown. Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Add worchestershire 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 rice.
Video
Notes
Originally Posted on August 18, 2016
Photos Updated on May 16, 2024
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!
For everyone stating their opinion that these are NOT your grandmother’s famous swedish meatballs…PLEASE. It’s a recipe. Not the bible. There will be as many variations as there are for fried chicken. Read the recipe, appreciate the time the blogger took to do the post, and either like it, pin it, or move on. Use mustard, or not. Use spices…or not. Rant over. 🙂
Good rant! With all the problems in the world, oh why, must we fuss over the name of a meatball?! Either enjoy them or not, call them what you want! Just be nice and say thank you for the delicious recipe!
We are following a low carb diet, so I adjusted this recipe by adding a ¼ cup almond flour to the meat and a tsp of Konjac powder in place of the flour in the sauce. It came out perfect! I browned the meatballs first, and finished them off in the oven at 350 for 20 mins. I also added mushrooms to the sauce, because we’re not eating rice, noodles or potatoes right now.
Thanks for the tip about the almond flour. I am eating low-carb as well, so I will use psyllium husk to thicken the sauce and serve this with riced or mashed cauliflower for myself, and noodles for my family.
Looks good….So far so good….But….DAMN!!!!! I Could have used 2 lbs. Of GR.beef (or at least another 1/2 lb.)there’s SOOO much sauce!!… Just waiting for Hubster to try it…..Still waiting….”Holy…OMG!!” HE said…So… It’s GREAT!!! THANKS ?
Outstanding recipe ?? but I made too much can I freeze it ??
This recipe is a keeper! So delicious. My occasionally picky 6-year old son even loved it. I will make it a routine option for sure!
What’s with everyone getting all huffy about these being called Swedish meatballs? The recipe DOES include nutmeg and allspice, which seem to be the necessary spices most people are so concerned about. The whole point of sharing recipes is that we’re actually providing something new or a little different. Otherwise we would all just be making the exact same dish over and over. I doubt that Swedish people are so boring that they never want to add anything new to their recipes.
Does think make enough sauce for a package of egg noodles or should I double the sauce?
Now this stuff is g o o d!
Definitely a keeper recipe for us.
Food.com has an Ikea recipe which includes 2 Yukon riced potatoes. Definitely allspice and no garlic or Worchestershire. My Scandinavian cookbook includes 1/4 tsp nutmeg.
I haven’t made this yet, but they do look tasty. Pinned to my meatball board. People need to learn how to read a recipe[and read it at least twice] before commenting or cooking it and realize that there is more than one way to make an ethnic dish which totally depends upon where your family lives. I normally bake my meatballs, but for this dish they need to be pan fried so there are nice crispy flavorful bits for the gravy. Thanks for all you do to share wonderful FREE recipes with us.
These were great! I don’t care what you call them, but if someone is offended by using the “swedish” you can call them the melting pot meatballs or the mixing pot meatballs! If the gravy was too thin, you could thicken it, if it was too thin, possibly add more beef broth…. Just saying, how about using a little common sense and not blaming the recipe for your inept at cooking.
Amazing sauce/gravy! I made everything as listed, with the exception of leaving out the allspice since I didn’t have any, and baking the meatballs instead of sautéing in a skillet to reduce calories. The meatballs had a lot of great flavor and were moist, and the sauce flavor was so yummy and rich, and had a very pretty velvety texture. Saving this page, and can’t wait to make it again! Thank you for sharing your recipe. 🙂
We use ground wild game meat & these turn out fabulous! Thank you!
One more observation. Obviously the ingredients have been altered due to the overwhelming response from readers who suggest that allspice is the commonly used ingredient in Swedish Meatballs and not oregano. I’ve had this recipe imported into Pepperplate for awhile now, and it says oregano. There’s no allspice or nutmeg the way it is written now. I just wanted to help solve the confusion for those wondering why people are seeing the recipe differently. I think those who are seeing/using oregano did it prior to when the recipe was updated. 🙂
Can I make this in the crockpot after I make the meatballs?
Made these and they were the best meatballs ever. I used just half of the cream and the sauce turned out good and rich. Spices were perfect! Thanks Alyssa
Wondering if anyone has made these ahead and frozen them. Trying to simplify the Christmas Eve Banquet by cooking ahead. Thought about maybe leaving out the cream, making the sauce extra thick and then adding in the cream after all is thawed? Looks yummy!