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Get ready for the BEST Swedish Meatballs Recipe – an authentic recipe from a Swedish grandmother – with a little twist! They’re better than IKEA, really easy to make and are swimming in the most amazing creamy gravy sauce- I’m just drooling thinking about the last time I made these.
Hi there! My name is Helena! I was born in Sweden and lived there for the first 20 years of my life before I moved to Australia in 2010. Ask any child aged from 5 years and over in Sweden what they like to eat and they will definitely say MEATBALLS! It’s safe to say that meatballs are tied to a lot of childhood memories of family dinners. Another thing Swede’s love is tradition.
Swedish Meatballs are on the table in every household at every special occasion and holiday, guaranteed, and I wanted to bring some of that joy and flavor to your table too, with this recipe.
Why this Recipe Works
This recipe is a fine-tuned, easier version of the authentic Swedish meatballs. You’ll need just about 20 minutes in the kitchen to prep and shape these, and you can store them for later too.
Plus, this comforting classic is such a treat for your taste buds, you’ll find yourself making it again and again.
What Goes into this Recipe
For the meatballs
- Meat: I used a mix of ground beef and pork here.
- Aromatics: Fresh garlic and onion, for that savory flavor.
- Egg: To give the meatballs structure and keep them moist and juicy.
- Milk + cream: For that authentic flavor and texture.
- Breadcrumbs: To help the meatballs hold their shape, make them extra juicy, keeping them moist while cooking.
- Seasonings: I used ground black pepper, white pepper, Grillkrydda (all purpose seasoning) and some salt.
- Butter + olive oil: To fry the meatballs.
- Parsley: For that pop of freshness.
For the gravy sauce
- Flour: All purpose flour, to thicken the gravy.
- Butter: For that rich, glossy shine.
- Broth: I used beef broth as the base for the sauce. You can use beef bouillon and water too.
- Soy sauce: Just a dash, for that umami deliciousness.
- Dijon mustard: For that depth of flavor.
- Heavy cream: For that fatty creaminess.
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper, just a pinch.
Note: please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements
How to Make Swedish Meatballs Recipe
- Prepare meatball mixture: In a mixing bowl, combine milk, cream, egg and garlic with the breadcrumbs and seasonings. Allow this to soak for about 10 minutes, then add the onion, meat and parsley and mix well to combine.
- Shape and fry meatballs: Roll the meat mixture into 16 large or 24 small balls. Heat 1 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the meatballs in batches, until they’re golden brown and crispy. Set them aside and cover them with foil.
- Make cream sauce: To the same pan, add the butter for the gravy along with the flour, and cook on low heat, whisking continuously until it is light brown in color. Gently pour in the broth while stirring the mixture and then add in the cream, soy sauce and Dijon mustard. Bring this to a simmer, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Take it off heat once it has thickened.
- Assemble and serve: Place the meatballs in the gravy and serve. If you’re planning on serving them the authentic Swedish way, you can skip making the gravy entirely.
I usually serve these meatballs plain- teamed up with either boiled potatoes, Mashed Potatoes or a simple pasta (Macaroni if I get to pick!). The absolute classic way to enjoy these is to pair them with some boiled potatoes, that creamy sauce and lingonberry jam! If you can’t find lingonberry jam, Cranberry Sauce is your next closest alternative.
You can also serve the meatballs and gravy over some egg noodles to make it a hearty and filling meal, and use up the leftover meatballs for a homemade sub sandwich or as a protein in a grain bowl.
Recipe FAQ’s
If you don’t want to use a skillet, you can cook the meatballs in the oven too. Simply arrange them on a baking sheet or dish, pop them in the oven preheated at 400 degrees and bake them for about 20-25 minutes.
Yes, absolutely. Simply use almond meal instead of the breadcrumbs and create a cornflour slurry to thicken the gravy instead of using all purpose flour.
Yes. You can make Swedish meatballs using only ground beef too. Choose 80% lean for the best texture.
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The Best Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 35 ml cream
- 1 egg large
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Grillkrydda or all spice or all purpose seasoning
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 1 pound ground beef mince
- 1/2 pound ground pork mince
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Gravy Sauce (OPTIONAL):
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/4 cup plain flour all purpose flour
- 250 ml vegetable broth or stock
- 250 ml beef broth or stock
- 1 cup thickened or heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 pinch salt to season
- 1 pinch pepper to season
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the breadcrumbs together with the milk, cream (If using), egg, garlic, salt, peppers and spice. Allow the milk to soak into the breadcrumbs for at least 10 minutes.
- Once the milk has absorbed some, add in the onion, meat(s) and parsley. Mix well with your hands to combine.
- Roll meat into about 24 small balls, or 16 larger balls.
- Heat 1 tablespoons of butter and 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Fry meatballs in batches of two so they don’t stew or simmer. Transfer to a warm plate and cover with foil.
- Add the 1/3 cup butter to the juices in the pan to melt. Whisk in the flour until it dissolves and turns brown in colour. Pour in the broth (or stock), cream, soy sauce and dijon. Bring to a to simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix the sauce through well to combine all of the flavours together.
- Continue to simmer until thickened.
To serve:
- Non Swedish way: Place meatballs into the gravy in the pan and serve
- Traditional Swedish way: Do not make the cream sauce at all. Serve meatballs over plain or stewed macaroni, plain or mashed potatoes, and lingenberry jam (optional)
Notes
1) I use a mixture of ground beef and pork (mince) in may recipe, but you can use all beef is you don’t have or like pork
2) To make the meatballs lower in carbs, use almond meal to replace the breadcrumbs. Also, use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water to replace the flour in the gravy sauce. Just add the cornstarch mixture at the end, while continuously stirring, over low heat until sauce has thickened.
3) I like to grate my garlic clove with the small part of a grater. You can use minced garlic if you prefer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these tonight, the meatballs were delicious! Thickened the gravy a little more and didn’t add the cream. Also added mushrooms and onions to the gravy. Sort of a Salisbury steak play on it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Made for my wife and I . Loved them . Will definitely do again .
I made this for my bible study group here in the Swedish American hotbed of the southwestern burbs of Minneapolis. My husband is 100% Swedish ancestry so I’ve eaten my fair share of meatballs. I’ve made his Swedish grandmother’s recipe, and also have used a recipe by Marcus Samuelson. But THESE…these were delicious. In fact, I just came back from a 2-week heritage tour in Sweden where I did have the meatballs in a restaurant and those were not as tasty as these. The only thing I might do different next time as a personal preference is to use half and half instead of that glorious heavy cream for the sauce. Trust me, I love cream but it made the sauce very thick. I used 90% lean beef and made my own Grillkrydda. Also because we had a no-pork person dining with us, I substituted ground veal. In the traditional “Minnesota style”, we served with mashed potatoes, lingonberries and peas. Because it is summer, we also had a cucumber side salad in the Swedish style. We were carrying out a theme so we had Wasa crackers and Havarti cheese with smoked white fish for appetizer. We washed it down with sparkling white wine and sparkling fruit drink. Mmmmmm. I was in fear of there being no leftovers! This is my new go-to recipe for or New Year’s meal (our family tradition). Tack!
Hello Karina! I’m a new fan from the Philippines. I have tried some of your recipes and they all turned out delicious, my family & relatives love them. I would like to try Helena’s Swedish meatballs but I cannot find dijon mustard in my local grocery store, can I use any other mustard? Thanks so much for sharing your talent in cooking & baking.
That is great to hear! Thanks so much for following along with me! I am so glad that you found me! For the mustard you are welcome to use any other mustard except a regular mustard if you can avoid it. Hope you enjoy these meatballs!
Wow. Made these the other night and they taste amazing. Super easy to make, only look around 30 minutes. The flavors were so good!!! Highly recommend making this.
Hi! These are amazing!
But I do have a question- you say it’s 8 servings. Is that right? I I made about 16 meatballs with it and need about 4 Per serving, making it more like 4-5 servings total. Are you saying just 2 of big meatballs or 3 of smaller per serving? And does the nutrition info include the gravy? Thanks:)
Ps loving all your recipes so far! Tried this and your creamy chicken noodle. Mmmmm
I have found the best way to get nutritional info on all of the recipes is through MyFitnessPal.com. You just type in the recipe and it tells you! Skinnytaste.com is also a great resource for healthy and delicious meals and provides nutritional info. Hope this helps!
This sounds so yummy! I had gotten a recipe from a Swede streamer I follow and his was more simpler but very delicious! The thing I found most surprising was he didn’t give me a recipe for gravy. I’m used to having it with gravy thanks to IKEA (which he says tastes disgusting compared to the real deal. Lol). I was going to make gravy, but after reading this I’m going to serve it the traditional way with plain meatballs, homemade mashed potatoes, and some lingonberry sauce. 😀
I was looking for some directions to add to my Swedish grandmother’s list of ingredients and love the look of these. Hers calls for 1/4 t. nutmeg and 1/2 t. ground allspice, maybe that’s similar to the grillkrydda? Thanks for helping me get Christmas Eve dinner on the table!
We love these meatballs! I’ve made them four times and they turn out beautifully! Served on mashed potatoes! They are even better warmed up day two!!!
Amazing! I made these for dinner for myself and my husband and he raved and told me to add this recipe to my list for Sunday Dinners. I made them with the creme sauce and paired them with Egg noodles. There was hardly any talking at the dining room table because the both of us were too busy enjoying our swedish meatballs. Thank you for this excellent recipe. Oh, and I found you on pinterest by the way.
Good old Pinterest! I’m so happy to hear that Rashima! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback!