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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!
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.
Watch Them Made
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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.
This is my first time making Swedish meatballs, and the recipe is now printed and in my binder with favorites. I was shocked at how good the gravy was considering I used bouillon for both the broths. We had the leftovers the next day for breakfast over scrambled eggs.
I will make one change in future iterations, though. The raw onions gave my husband heartburn And were even a bit strong for me, so I will sautee them lightly before adding.
I will never even try another recipe for Swedish Meatballs. These are amazing! The first time I tasted the gravy, an involuntary sound of enjoyment escaped my body. I’ve made them on multiple occasions, and always get rave reviews. Thank you!
OMG 5 stars delicious!! Thank you😋
Can someone tell me why my meatball mixture was very sticky and wet? I noticed after I had let the breadcrumb/milk/cream/egg mixture sit for 10 mins it was still very runny unlike the video. Is the recipe correct for breadcrumbs (one-third cup) milk (half-cup) & cream (35 ml). After adding the ground beef & pork (& onion) it was so wet, that I had to add more breadcrumbs to be able to form into meatballs. I did notice that the ground pork from Trader Joes was very mushy. Haven’t tried cooking them yet (keeping in frisge overnight) as I’m hoping someone can point me in the right direction – I’m a novice at this. Thanks
Loved this recipe! Tweaked it some using bear meat for the protein, and creme fraiche instead of heavy cream. Also added mushrooms, cause I add mushrooms to everything. Thanks so much for posting this recipe, the sauce is absolutely delicious!
It was very good but I cheated with the gravy I use the powder gravy the one you buy in the store and you add just water I use that it was awesome
The meatballs were delicious! I served with some spaghetti . Absolutely loved the sauce. I used just half a cup of cream and the consistency was great. There are leftovers that we intent to ravish tomorrow at lunch with mashed potatoes maybe. Thank you so much for this recipe :)🥳🥳🎈🎈🎈🍾🍾🍾
Best homemade Swedish meatballs ever! It was like I went out for dinner. The sauce was absolutely fabulous. Thanks for such a perfect recipe!
Delicious! I made it with the sauce and served over egg noodles. My picky kids loved it too.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever bothered to leave a review on a recipe…. But this was SO DELICIOUS!!!!! It was my son’s 20th bday… He loves meatballs… The last few recipes I tried were not great….. This one is PERFECT. I doubled it… 2lbs beef, 1lb turkey. All beef broth. I have to admit I didn’t know what that spice was… I made it with half allspice, half all-purpose seasoning without salt. Yum!!! New FAVORITE! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Pretty darn good. I used panko instead of breadcrumbs and added some cayenne . I also baked the meatballs except for a few that I pan fried for the gravy because I was lazy. The dijon puts that gravy over the top. We gonna eat good tonight! Thanks for the recipe and everyone be safe!
Do you use BOTH 1 cup of vegetables and 1 cup beef broth? So a total of 2 cups of broth?