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The Best Swedish Meatballs are smothered in the most amazing rich and creamy gravy. The meatballs are packed with such delicious flavor. Savory, comforting and smothered with a sauce that melts in your mouth. You will quickly agree these are the BEST you have ever had!
Serve these scrumptious vittles over buttered noodles or rice with a Caesar Salad, Fruit Salad and Rolls for a dinner to satisfy!
The Best Swedish Meatballs
Swedish meatballs have always been super delectable, and Ikea has made them popular. With this recipe you can make them in the comfort of your own home without the making an adventure to the store. And I dare say they are even better! Super easy to make you’ll be surprised you haven’t made them sooner. So what are you waiting for?!
The secret to these heavenly swedish delights is the unique spices of allspice and nutmeg. And then in the sauce you add worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard for tantalizing flavor. The combination is irresistibly the best meatballs ever!
Swedish Meatball Ingredients
There’s a list of ingredients here, but don’t stress, it’s super simple and totally worth it.
- Ground Beef: Regular ground beef
- Bread Crumbs:Â I used Panko
- Parsley: Freshly chopped
- Allspice and Nutmeg: Trust me, these spices are what make it uniquely delicious.
- Onion: Finely chopped
- Garlic Powder: Gives flavor without the bulk.
- Salt and Pepper To taste.
- Egg: The binder for the meatballs
- Olive Oil: To brown the meatballs in.
- Butter: Creates the perfect flavor while helping the beef brown, you’ll add more for the sauce.
- Flour: The thickener.
- Beef Broth: Creates the base for the sauce
- Heavy Cream: This creates the creamy velvety sauce.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Secret ingredient that creates a rich flavor.
- Dijon Mustard: Spice
Constructing these Swedish Vittles
These will come together quick and cook in about 30 min total, so dinner is quick.
- Mix: In medium sized bowl combine ground beef, panko, parsley, all spicee, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper and egg. Mix till combined.
- Roll: Roll into 12 large meatballs or 20 small meatballs. In a large skillet heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.
- Brown: Add the meatballs and cook turning continuously until brown on each side and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
- Sauce: In the same skillet add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour and whisk till it turns brown. Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Add the worcestershire sauce and mustard and bring to a simmer till it starts to thicken.
- Simmer: Add the meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Tips and Variations
A few ideas to keep in mind for a dinner that’ll tickle the taste buds.
- Meat: You can use a combination of beef and pork for this recipe. Using pork add extra fat which will give a moist tender meatball. You can also use ground turkey, chicken or combination of meats.
- Spices:Â The nutmeg and allspice are unique to this swedish dish. Don’t leave them out if you want truly divine fare.
- Overmixing:Â Be Careful to not overmix the meat mixture or it can become tough.
- No Bread crumbs:Â You can get the same result by making a panade (bread and milk mixture) Use two pieces of bread and process till crumbs, add in 1/4 cup milk to create a paste. Add the egg and mix. Add to your meat mixture.
- Saute:Â For softer sweeter flavor to your onions saute them first.
- Bake:Â Brown the meatballs in the skillet in oil and butter. Then remove to a baking tray and finish cooking in the oven at 350 degrees F. till done. There shouldn’t be any pink.
- Cream:Â Do not substitute out the heavy cream for half and half, it could separate. You can also cut some of the cream for sour cream for a nice tang to the sauce.
Freezing and Storing
One of the best things about this recipe is I can double it and freeze some for another meal.
- Freeze:Â After cooking the meatballs transfer to a cookie sheet. Make sure they are not touching or they will freeze together. Freeze for 2-4 hours on the cookie sheet, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. These will keep for up to 3 months. To thaw you can cook in the microwave,or oven. I like to partially cook them in the microwave and then finish heating them in the sauce.
- Don’t freeze the Sauce:Â Dairy, especially a sauce with heavy cream can sometimes separate when thawing and turn grainy. I don’t recommend it. Make the rich gravy fresh when ready to serve.
- Freezer to Pan: As long as you cook them through you can also freeze these raw and cook them in the pan the same way. They will take longer to cook through however. This is a great way for your meatballs to keep their shape. Frozen will hold up better than fresh. Just be sure to cook till no longer pink.
More Meatball Loving Recipes
Meatballs are just fun to eat and the flavors in these recipes are spot on!
- Saucy Asian Meatballs
- Easy, Delicious Porcupine Meatballs
- Chipotle Honey Meatballs
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Balsamic Meatballs
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The Best Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 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
- â…› teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 5 tbsp. butter
- 3 tbsp. flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe was delicious however I have 14 people coming on Mother’s Day and need to make more. Can I triple the ingredients for the sauce or will it not come out the same? Thanks
I have not doubled or even tripled the recipe before but I would think that it would still turn out the same as long as you use the right amounts of ingredients and smoother the meatballs as much as possible. I hope that helps and that it turns out well for you all! Happy cooking!
Your Recipe Critic,
Alyssa
My boyfriend and I made this last night. It was very good but I did make alterations to the recipe. For the sauce I added in 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1/2 tablespoon of honey and 1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce than the recipe called for. I thickened up the gravy with flour to our liking also. Overall the best Swedish meatballs we’ve had.
It was absolutely fantastic. I followed the recipe to the letter, and it turned out wonderfully. I found that all of the spices blended quite well together and doubling the sauce recipe was a good idea for my family as they wanted some for the next day! Thank you for this recipe… it really made the night.
Definitely in the “Keeper” file 🙂
Double the sauce, you’re gonna need it.
As a non-mustard fan, I don’t recommend this recipe. The sauce tasted overwhelmingly like mustard. Tried to modify it by adding additional parsley and pepper. Still not great. Maybe reducing the mustard by half. I’m still looking for the perfect Swedish Meatball recipe! I won’t make this one again.
Interesting. I have never received a comment about the mustard being over powering and I couldn’t even tell.
I agree Alyssa. I actually doubled the mustard and used whole grain dijon. It was great!
Just curious, but how much mustard did you put in exactly? Even doubling the recipe, it only amounts to two teaspoons, which is not very much considering the amount the rest of the ingredients ask for. I have a feeling you mismeasured the mustard by mistake, as I doubled the recipe last night and barely tasted the mustard.
We have an egg allergy in our house, is there anything you can use in place of the egg or may I omit it?
You can leave it out. It just helps to hold the meatball together but should still work fine.
I just made this recipe for dinner. Both of us loved it. I’ve made this before but this time I forgot that there weren’t any eggs! Made it anyway and the meatball held together very well. Instead of cream I always use 1% milk.
I made a gluten free dairy free version of this, but followed it closely otherwise. In step 1, I omitted the panko, and added an extra egg, then let it set up in the fridge for about an hour. In step 2, I put the meatballs back in the fridge for another 15 minutes after I shaped them. This helps keep them firm, without breadcrumbs. In step 3, instead of flour, I added a package of mushrooms, and browned them up. Then I added 2 TB of cornstarch to the beef broth, instead of the heavy cream. Did everything else the same – the gravy is divine and the meatballs are very tasty with good texture! Didn’t miss the gluten or the dairy!
Your recipes all look amazing! I’m love this one but maybe it’s becuase I’ll eat any kind of meatballs you give me. I’m looking forward to trying the sauce. Thank you!
This is a great recipe! You will have to let me know how you like it!
Swedish meatball were excellent. I doubled the ingredients for the sauce. We like sauces!
Used my own meatball recipe but added the nutmeg which I don’t usually use.
Will make again.
This looks so delish! I was wondering if I can use coconut milk instead of cream? My system can’t handle dairy..
My extremely picky 7yr old loved this. I made it with the egg noodles because he won’t “do” mash potatoes. My 1.5yr old was literally shoveling it into her mouth. I think next time I’m going to try adding just a little beefy onion dry soup mix just to amp up the sauce. Thank you
Always looking for new recipes for my 17 year son as he is on the ” picky ” side . Both he & my husband absolutely loved it ! Very flavorful dish & definitely comfort food .
The sauce is delicious ! I used both ground turkey & ground beef . As I prefer ground turkey . Both ways are great !
I also double the sauce ingredients as they live to smother the noodles in sauce . As the dish is very filling , I always make a green vegetable or salad for a side & apple sauce .
Although the weather is getting warmer , they still request this recipe almost every week !
First few times I made it it took longer than than 30 minutes to prepare . However , now that I’ve made it more often I can pull it off . Careful not to overlook noodles, especially if your adding sauce to them . Try it out .. you won’t be disappointed . Awesome recipe !
I made this and my family really loved it.
My father’s family were German and Slavic so they always made their Swedish meatball gravy and meat itself with lots of horseradish. They aren’t true Swedish meatballs unless you use zwieback crackers for your crumbs/filler
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!