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A recent IKEA trip had me thinking about Swedish meatballs again. The meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes, and lingonberry jam are such a simple combination, but it always works.
This Swedish meatballs recipe is one of those easy dinner ideas that I can easily make when I’m craving that same meal. It has the familiar flavors, but the meatballs are softer, the Swedish Meatball Sauce is creamier, and you can make the whole plate exactly how you like it.
Table of Contents
The IKEA Meatballs That Started It
I actually enjoy IKEA meatballs, and this recipe came from wanting that same kind of dinner at home after a recent visit.
The biggest difference for me is that homemade meatballs give you more control. I can use the beef and pork ratio I like, season them properly, and make enough gravy to really coat everything instead of just spooning a little over the top.
I also like serving them with plenty of mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam. It still feels like the IKEA plate, just more like something I’d make for dinner at home. It’s so good, everyone will want a second helping!
Choosing the Beef and Pork
For the beef, I like 80/20 (that’s means 80% lean meat and 20% fat) ground chuck. That gives you enough fat to keep the meatballs from drying out without making them greasy. I wouldn’t go for extra-lean beef here unless that’s all you have.
For the pork, 85/15 (that’s 85% lean meat and 15% fat) ground pork is a good choice if your store gives you the ratio. Regular ground pork works fine too. You can usually find both at major supermarkets.
If your store only carries standard ground beef and pork, use them. You don’t need a specialty blend for this recipe.
Five Ingredients Worth Knowing
- Ground beef: Use 80/20 ground chuck if you can. The fat helps keep the meatballs soft as they cook.
- Ground pork: Around 85/15 works well. The pork keeps the texture from becoming too firm and gives you a better balance with the beef.
- Grillkrydda: This is a Swedish grill seasoning. Santa Maria is one of the common brands, and the blend includes ingredients such as salt, paprika, onion, black pepper, garlic, chili, cumin, nutmeg and herbs. In the U.S., you’ll usually find it through Scandinavian grocery stores or online. If you can’t get it, use a grill seasoning with paprika, onion, garlic, and black pepper. I like to use an alternative all purpose blend like Red Robin’s Original seasoning.
- Breadcrumbs: I soak these in the milk and cream before adding the meat. It helps keep the mixture soft and stops the breadcrumbs from pulling too much moisture from the meat. Traditionally the Swedish will use breadcrumbs made from ground rusks or zwieback (which is a sweetened bread that is baked twice to give it a hard dry and crunchy texture) called ströbröd. But regular plain unseasoned bread crumbs will work here.
- Soy sauce: There’s only a small amount in the gravy. You won’t taste soy sauce on its own, but it helps the sauce taste more balanced.
Note: please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
These come together pretty quickly once you have everything measured out. The main thing is to keep the meat mixture gentle and give the meatballs enough room in the pan to brown properly.
- Combine the milk, cream, egg, garlic, breadcrumbs, and seasonings and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes. This ensures that the breadcrumbs will swell up and be ready to bind to the meat.
- Add the beef, pork, onion, and parsley, then mix just until everything comes together. Shape into 24 smaller meatballs or around 16 larger ones. The best way to do this is to portion them uniformly using a tablespoon of meat. Wet your hands to ensure the meat will not stick, or use a bit of oil, then squish them tight between your palms so they hold there shape when rolling in your palms. Don’t be afraid to compact them as they are not as delicate as italian meatballs.
- Heat the butter and oil in a skillet over at least medium heat and cook the meatballs in batches until browned and cooked through. Transfer them to a plate and keep the pan for the sauce.
Make the Swedish Meatball Sauce
While these meatballs are great on their own, they are much better paired with this sauce. It’s easy to whip up and worth the few additional steps.
- Add the butter and flour to the same skillet in the drippings and cook for a minute or two.
- Slowly whisk in the beef broth while scraping up anything left on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cream, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard and let the sauce simmer until it thickens.
- Taste before adding extra salt, then return the meatballs to the pan and let them warm through in the sauce.
What I Serve With Them
Mashed Potatoes are still my first choice because they go perfectly with the gravy. Crispy Smashed Potatoes are a good option if you want something different.
For vegetables, keep it simple with Buttery Sautéed Green Beans, Crispy Parmesan Asparagus, or Parmesan Roasted Carrots.
For the IKEA-style plate, add lingonberry jam and peas. Pickled cucumber is another good option if you want to serve them more traditionally.
My Tips for Better Swedish Meatballs
A few small things make a noticeable difference with meatballs. These are the ones I pay attention to every time I make them.
- Don’t overmix the meat. Once the beef and pork go in, mix only until everything is evenly combined. Working the mixture too much can make the meatballs firm instead of soft.
- Keep them the same size. Use about one and half tablespoons of meat as a guide. This helps them cook at the same rate. If the mixture feels too soft to shape, refrigerate it for 10 to 15 minutes rather than adding more breadcrumbs. This will help them to keep there shape.
- Give them room in the pan. Cook in batches and let each side brown before turning. If the pan is crowded, the meatballs release moisture and start steaming instead.
- Keep the heat gentle once the cream goes in. The Swedish Meatball Sauce only needs a light simmer to thicken. Boiling it hard can cause the cream to separate.
- Taste before adding more salt. Grillkrydda, soy sauce, and beef broth all contain salt, so I always finish the sauce first and adjust the seasoning at the end.
Recipe FAQ’s
Use a grill or all-purpose seasoning with paprika, onion, garlic, and black pepper. I’d avoid anything very smoky or sweet because that changes the flavor too much. Check the salt level before adding any extra seasoning, since Grillkrydda and most substitutes already contain salt.
Yes. Use 80/20 ground beef for the full amount if you don’t want to use pork. The meatballs will be a little firmer, but they’ll still work well. I’d keep the higher fat percentage rather than switching to lean beef.
Yes, you can cook them in an oven instead. Bake them at 400°F until cooked through. Baking is useful if you’re making a large batch, but I still prefer using a skillet for this recipe because you get better browning and can use the same pan for the gravy.
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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, combine the breadcrumbs, milk, cream (if using), egg, garlic, salt, black pepper, white pepper, and Grillkrydda. Let it sit for about 10 minutes so the breadcrumbs can absorb the liquid.
- Add the onion, beef, pork, and parsley. Mix gently with your hands just until everything is combined. Try not to overwork the meat.
- Shape the mixture into about 24 small meatballs or 16 larger ones. Lightly wet your hands if the mixture starts sticking.
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs in batches, leaving space between them. Turn as needed until browned all over and cooked through, then transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil.
- Keep the same skillet on the heat and add the 1/3 cup butter to the pan juices. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Slowly whisk in the broth, then add the cream, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard. Bring to a gentle simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the sauce thickens.
- Taste the sauce before adding extra salt, then return the meatballs to the skillet. Spoon the sauce over them and let everything warm together for a couple of minutes before serving.
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)
Video
Notes
Make Ahead
You can get a lot of the work done ahead with these. Shape the meatballs the day before, cover them, and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook. The sauce can also be made ahead and kept separately if that’s easier.Storage & Freezing
For leftovers, I like storing the meatballs in the gravy so they stay softer in the fridge. Keep everything in an airtight container and use within 3 to 4 days. They freeze well too. Cooked meatballs will keep for around 2 to 3 months, although I prefer freezing the sauce separately because cream sauces can change texture a little after thawing. Let everything thaw overnight in the refrigerator.Reheating
When reheating, keep the heat low and add a splash of broth or cream if the sauce has thickened too much. Heat the meatballs through to 165°F (74°C) before serving.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a keeper! I want to rate it five stars but for some reason am having trouble getting it to work. Anyhow, made this gluten free by toasting a few heels of gluten free bread, then grinding them in a spice grinder to get 1/3 cup breadcrumbs. For the spices, I used 1/4 tsp allspice and about 1/8 tsp nutmeg in mine, but kept everything else the same. To the person concerned about cooking times and pork, get a meat thermometer and make sure it reads 160 degrees F and you’ll be okay. This took a bit longer to cook than I expected and I will admit to putting more than two at a time in the frying pan (I made 24 meatballs). But so worth it. To make the sauce gluten free, I used King Arthur All Purpose Gluten Free Flour mix and it was perfect as a sub for regular flour, making a nice roux. Also subbed GF tamari for the regular soy sauce (tastes the same). Tangy, thick gravy. Served with boiled new potatoes tossed with butter, dill and salt (you can find super simple traditional recipes online), and lingonberry jam. Haven’t had this since i visited Sweden 20 years ago and it brought a smile to my face. Husband and kid loved it! Thank you!
These are amazing! The BEST swedish meatball recipe and gravy ever! Thank you so much! The only thing I did different was added another tsp of dijon mustard because I like that flavor & prepared my meatballs in the airfryer.
Cook the meatballs in 2 batches, not just two at a time.
That’s what the instructions stated. 2 batches.
This looks so good. Do you have any suggestions for a dairy free alternative for the milk and egg? My youngest is allergic to dairy. I know he would love something like this.
Thank you
Hi, Jackie! If it were me, since egg is just a binder here, I’d probably look up a recipe online for a flax or chia “egg” substitute. For the milk, I’d be inclined to use plain, unsweetened cashew milk or oatmilk, as these will have some body without giving too much flavor (like coconut milk would). 🙂
Looks delicious! Made this but tweaked it because I was out of heavy cream…I used cream of mushroom soup instead (I know, I know. Please don’t hate me.) Also I added Worcestershire sauce and reduced stock and left out soy sauce. Came out great! Thanks for the inspiration!!!
Making this for a large gathering and would like to prepare meatballs in advance and then freeze them. I see this same question has been asked several times but never answered so I will try again: if preparing in advance, should the meatballs be frozen before they are pan-fried or after? I plan to make the gravy on the day they are served so just need advance freezing instructions for the meatballs themselves. Please respond…others are inquiring too!
Yes you can freeze these meatballs in a freezer bag ! Not a problem. Just be sure to make sure that they are room temp and the air has been completely removed from the bag before sealing.
I hate to confess this, but my son requested that I make swedish meatballs for his office staff party. We were at his home visiting from out of town. Unfortunately, he told me the DAY of the party, and just 7 hours before the party. I did not have all the ingredients for the meatballs and no vehicle to go to the store, so I used a family size bag of homestyle, bite sized meatballs instead of making the meatballs myself. I browned them in the oven and then put them in a crock pot. I made the sauce according to the directions and poured it over the meatballs and heated them for 5 hours on low in the Crock-Pot. They turned out ok in a pinch, but making the balls yourself are much better.
Sorry – quick question! How long do the meatballs take to cook through (in the pan assuming no sauce)? I’ve had pork related food poisoning once and – whilst I really don’t want to overcook them- I’d want to be sure they were. Poked through!
Thanks!
I’m rating them based on how reading the recipe makes me feel!!
great recipe but i used sour cream and add 1/2 onion and can of mushroom mmm tweech saskatoon self
All I have to say is that these meatballs and gravy are absolutely delicious!! I make them with your mashed potatoes recipe and a side of asparagus. My family loves it!! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!!!
The meatballs came together nicely and now I am debating whether to freeze them before cooking or put them in the freezer after cooking. What do you suggest?
WOW WOW WOW! I’m blown away by how good this turned out. My entire family loved it. I want to say ive made swedish meatballs 3 other times in my lifetime(one of which being a vegan version) and this recipe is by far the best batch i’ve ever prepared. All the times i made swedish meatballs the recipe didnt called for dijon mustard and that was the missing factor for that sour kick(i added extra dijon to my servings). Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Next time i’ll sub the pork for turkey as i ought to be eating kosher.
FYI, you will need to sub all the dairy (milk, butter and cream) if you actually want to make this recipe kosher – not just replacing the pork (no mixing of dairy and meat in kashrut).