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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.
It’s always funny when somebody says a recipe is not “traditional” or “authentic.” Researching recipes for pasta alla carbonara, I probably watched 15+ videos on Youtube. Without fail, somebody in the comments for every single video would say “that’s not authentic carbonara!” Of course, nearly every video featured a successful Italian chef, and they each showed how THEY learned to cook carbonara, probably from their Nonna. The reality is that there is no such thing as authentic. Take any recipe from any part of the world, and 10 different cooks will have 10 different versions of that recipe. Helena said that Swedes do not traditionally serve meatballs with gravy. Maybe her family or village did not use gravy, yet there are Swedish cookbooks from the early 18th century describing meatballs with gravy, so the idea has certainly been around for hundreds of years. The venerable Swedish chef Lars Bäckman has been cooking meatballs with gravy for 60+ years, because that is how his mother did it. On the other hand, young Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson does not use gravy, but his mother’s recipe has mashed potatoes mixed into the meat, which I have never seen anywhere else. I think it’s great that people are constantly tweaking recipes and cooking methods. It just gives us that many more options to try, and maybe come up with our own variation. One little twist that I would recommend for all types of meatballs is to cook them on a baking sheet in a hot oven, preferably with convection. This allows you to cook in large batches, and you get a consistent crispy crust on all sides. If you fry round balls on the stovetop, it is impossible to get them evenly browned on all side. Another tip I have learned from Swedish chef Emma Bengtsson of Aquavita in New York, as well as Giada De Laurentiis, is to cook up a small patty of your meatball mixture before you roll your balls. This way you can tweak the seasoning if needed. Once you roll out 100 meatballs, it’s too late!
I only gave 4 of 5 stars because of the salty flavour. This was an amazing meal and easy to make (kiddos loved it) but I’d say use half the amount of the soy sauce in the gravy, otherwise it’s over powering salt esp given the salt that’s in meatballs too and the stock that goes into the gravy. Would definitely recommend and make this again with a bit of tweaking. Thank you for sharing!
Fabulous. I did add some allspice to the gravy to give it a bit more zip because I felt it just needed a little something more. Served over egg noodles with a side of sautéed carrots with dill and some lingonberries. Just delicious.
Made for my family for Sunday lunch – delicious! Will be making this again. Great recipe!
Absolutely delicious. So hearty, savory, and satisfying – perfect on a cold winter night. They may be Swedish meatballs but my Belgian-born husband swears that with the gravy that they could pass for authentic Belgian “boulets” – he can’t get enough of them and keeps asking me to make them again. I served the meatballs and gravy with smashed skin-on yellow potatoes, lingonberry preserves, and a light green salad. They warm up beautifully the next day too.
Recipe was perfect and my family ate everything up. The only thing I did different was quadruple (4x) the entire recipe because my large family are BIG eaters. The entire recipe including the sauce was still amazing although I would recommend adding a bit more of the spices if you quadruple it like I did. The meatballs also froze fantastically and reheated well. Thank you so much for such a lovely recipe!
My partner and I made this for christmas eve and It was fantastic!
We did have a few small changes however- no “all spice mix” around or grill mix so I mixed Nutmeg and Paprika which worked out great!
Then we realized we did not get ground pork but ground turkey so we just did beef!
We also halved the amount of onion and kept out the garlic.
This was the perfect amount of salty, and savory and rich!
Too busy to type. Just eating these amazing Swedish meatballs. Soooo good.
Thank you so much for sharing out the wonderful recipe. I make the Swedish balls over the weekend. Double the portions with minced pork and chicken for our family of 5. It was superb tasty, full of flavour and juicy meatballs. The gravy was fantastically tasty… I love your recipes!
I used almond meal instead of bread crumbs as I don’t eat gluten and it turned out YUMMY.