Easy Swedish Meatballs - House of Nash Eats (2024)

This recipe for easy, homemade Swedish Meatballs in a rich, creamy sauce is one of our favorite comfort foods! These really are the best Swedish meatballs in a simple gravy sauce that is made from scratch that I've ever had!

If you love these Swedish meatballs, I'll bet you will also like my Baked Greek Feta Meatballs,Meatloaf Hamburger Patties andSlow Cooker Beef and Noodles!

At our house, we definitely love good meatballs. But Swedish meatballs have a unique flavor profile that comes from the addition of spices like allspice and nutmeg. They differ significantly from Italian meatballs which are typically served in a tomato-based sauce and seasoned with basil, oregano, and other Italian spices.

My mom used to make Swedish meatballs for us often when I was growing up so they are total comfort food, but it was one of those dishes that sort of just fell out of the rotation at some point. A rare recent trip to Ikea reminded me how good these are, especially when they are homemade from scratch!

The Best Swedish Meatball Recipe

If I'm being honest, I find the Ikea Swedish meatballs only so-so. For me, they are a little on the spongy side and a tad bit too greasy. Having grown up eating my mom's Swedish meatballs, I knew I could do better at home. Also, our Ikea isn't super convenient for when I want a meatball fix!

So I picked up some lingonberry jam (because I love the contrast of the rich, creamy gravy and savory flavors of the Swedish meatballs with the contrast of the sweet, tart jam) and went home and made my own!

The lingonberry jam (affiliate link) is totally optional, but if you happen to be at Ikea, I really recommend picking up a jar (or you can order from Amazon)! The leftover jam is awesome added to muffins or used in Linzer Cookies!

Another option would be to serve these with cranberry sauce for a similar flavor profile.

Best Swedish Meatballs Ingredients

• White bread: Any kind of white bread will work. You will need three slices.
• Milk: This will add moisture to the meatballs.
• Olive Oil
• Onion: You will grate the onion so they will cook better.
• Ground Beef
• Ground Pork
• Egg: Helps bind the meatballs and help keep its shape.
• Spices: We need salt, black pepper, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, and garlic powder
• Salted butter

Swedish Meatball Sauce Ingredients

• Salted Butter
• All-purpose flour
• Beef Broth
• Heavy cream
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh Parsley: This is mainly used for garnish

How to make Swedish Meatball Sauce for Homemade Swedish Meatballs

The easy, savory gravy that coats each one of the tender Swedish meatballs is so simple to throw together in the same pan that you use to cook the meatballs.

Some Swedish meatball recipes call for a combination of beef broth and sour cream to make the cream sauce, much like my Ground Beef Stroganoff Recipe, but I think that using a little cream makes for a silkier finish.

How do you make Homemade Swedish Meatballs?

1. Add the cubed bread and milk to a large bowl. Let the bread soak for 10 minutes.
2. While the bread is soaking, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Add the ground beef, ground pork, egg, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and garlic powder to the bowl of bread and milk, along with the cooled onions. Mix well with your hands until combined.
4. Form 30 small meatballs (each about 1" in diameter) from the meat mixture and set aside on a baking sheet or plate.
5. Heat the remaining oil and butter over medium-high heat in the same skillet used for the onions. Working in batches, fry the meatballs for about 4-5 minutes, rotating to brown on all sides. They don't need to be completely cooked through yet unless you plan to eat them plain since they will simmer in the Swedish meatball sauce in just a few minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. If you don't plan on making the sauce, you will need to cook the meatballs slightly longer, around 6-8 minutes in total, until they are cooked through.
6. Once all of the meatballs are browned, make the sauce in the same pan by heating the butter until melted. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until light brown and bubbly.
7. Whisk in broth, cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.
8. Return the meatballs to the pan with the sauce, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
9. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.

Easy Swedish Meatball Recipe FAQs

Easy Swedish Meatballs Tips

• Traditionally, these juicy meatballs are made with a combination of ground beef and ground pork. But you can use all beef, if you prefer, or even swap out part of the ground beef or ground pork for ground turkey.
• Don't overmix the meatball mixture when combining everything. I always just squish it together with my hands until everything is evenly combined, which is messy, but results in more tender meatballs than if you decided to add everything to a mixer and blend it that way.
• This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd or to have extras for freezing!

Can you freeze Swedish Meatballs?

Swedish meatballs are great to make ahead and freeze for busy nights. And leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in and airtight container the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop (although you may need to add a little water or broth to thin out the sauce a bit).

To Freeze Uncooked Swedish Meatballs: One option is to shape and freeze the meatballs without cooking them first. Then just thaw them in the fridge overnight, and brown them and make the sauce the next day for dinner. Since most of the time spent making Swedish meatballs is in the prep of combining the ingredients and shaping the meatballs, this is a really great solution.

To Freeze Cooked Swedish Meatballs: Another option though, is to shape and brown the meatballs, then freeze them before making the sauce. This is a little more prep work up front, but the frozen cooked meatballs can be added to the sauce from frozen and just simmered a little longer until they are hot and cooked all the way through, making for a really easy weeknight meal.

What to eat with Swedish Meatballs

We love to serve Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam (affiliate link), and green beans, just like at Ikea.

But they are also delicious with the Swedish meatballs and sauce served over rice, egg noodles, or even spaetzle with roasted broccoli on the side.

More Easy Dinner Ideas Like This

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• Easy Creamy Chicken Marsala
• Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Casserole
• Georgian Chicken Stew with Tomatoes and Herbs [Chakhokhbili]