Homemade Swedish Meatballs are a cozy weeknight dinner with tender homemade meatballs simmered in a rich, savory gravy. This from-scratch version is inspired by Ikea meatballs we love, but made at home with simple ingredients. Serve it over egg noodles or mashed potatoes for a perfect family dinner.

a skillet of cooked Swedish meatballs in sauce

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Why This Swedish Meatball Recipe Is SO Good!

These are the best Swedish meatballs we’ve ever had! Making them at home means you can use fresh ingredients, adjust the seasonings and salt to your liking, and create a new family favorite dinner.

This sauce is both flavorful and rich, without being too heavy, while the meatballs are tender and fresh. This whole recipe comes together in just one pan for easy cleanup.

Swedish meatballs are quick enough for a weeknight, but cozy enough to serve to guests over mashed potatoes.

ingredients for a Swedish meatball recipe on the counter

Ingredient Tips

  • Meat: I love a combination of ground beef and pork for flavor but you can use all ground beef if you prefer. A little bit of fat adds flavor so use lean beef, not extra lean.
  • Breadcrumbs & Egg: These bind the meatballs together. Any type of bread crumbs work.
  • Spices: A pinch of warm spice in this recipe give the meatballs a traditional flavor.
  • Beef stock: Beef stock is a bit richer in flavor than broth. If you use broth, add a beef bouillon cube.

Shortcuts & Substitutions

  • Use 24 ounces of frozen, fully cooked meatballs instead of homemade.
  • A small onion or some mushrooms can be finely diced and softened in the butter before making the sauce.
  • Prep large batches of homemade meatballs to store in the freezer for quick weeknight meals. Then just prepare the Swedish meatball sauce found in this recipe.
  • Heavy cream can be replaced with sour cream or Greek yogurt to lighten the recipe. This will change the flavor to be more similar to stroganoff. Add the sour cream or Greek yogurt at the end of cooking; do not allow it to boil or simmer.
ingredients for a Swedish meatball recipe in a bowl
raw Swedish meatballs rolled and in a skillet
butter in a skillet
making Swedish meatball sauce in a skillet

How to Make Swedish Meatballs (overview)

  1. Mix & shape meatballs according to the recipe below.
  2. Brown the meatballs for flavor and to help them hold their shape.
  3. Make the sauce by whisking butter and flour. Stir in broth and seasonings.
  4. Simmer the meatballs until cooked through.

Tip: Swedish meatballs are often served with lingonberry jam, which has a flavor similar to cranberry sauce.

Swedish meatballs with egg noodles on a plate

Serving Suggestions

Homemade Swedish meatballs are great with a starchy side like egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.

Did you enjoy this Swedish Meatball recipe? If so, leave a rating and a comment below!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
A skillet of Swedish meatballs in sauce
5 from 21 votes
Author Holly Nilsson

Swedish Meatballs

Author Holly Nilsson
Servings 6 servings
These Swedish meatballs are cooked in a creamy, mouthwatering gravy.
Save Rate Print
Servings 6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Email this recipe!
Enter your email and we’ll send it directly to you, plus get even more tips & recipes!

Equipment

Ingredients  

For the Meatballs

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • ½ pound ground pork or additional ground beef
  • ½ cup bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • pinch ground cloves

For the Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper or finely ground black pepper
  • 2 cups beef stock *
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional

Instructions 

  • To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine beef, pork, bread crumbs, egg, milk, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and clove. Mix well and roll into 1-inch meatballs (About 45–48 meatballs).
  • Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Transfer the meatballs to a plate.
  • To make the sauce, add the butter to the drippings in the skillet. Stir in the flour and pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
  • Gradually whisk in the broth and cream, stirring until smooth after each addition. Add the soy sauce.
  • Add the meatballs to the sauce and bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer for 5-10 minutes more or until thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
  • Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Notes

*If you replace the beef stock with beef broth, you may need to add extra seasoning or a bit of bouillon.
Heavy cream can be replaced with spreadable cream cheese or sour cream if desired. This will change the flavor of the sauce.
If using prepared frozen meatballs, they do not need to be browned first. They can be simmered from frozen. Homemade frozen meatballs should be thawed first and cooked as directed in the recipe. Meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 160°F.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
5 from 21 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 397 | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 666mg | Potassium: 593mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 529IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Beef, Main Course
Cuisine Swedish

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

Recipe inspired by

FAQs

How to prepare Swedish meatballs ahead of time

The meatballs can be assembled up to 48 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator or frozen until they’re ready to use.

How to store leftover Swedish meatballs

Store leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a little water if needed.

Can I make this recipe with frozen meatballs?

To make Swedish meatballs with frozen meatballs, use 24 ounces of frozen, fully cooked meatballs. Simmer them in the sauce as directed. There is no need to brown frozen meatballs.

More Cozy Dinner Recipes You’ll Love

plated Swedish Meatballs with a title
Swedish Meatballs on a plate with noodles and writing
pan of Swedish Meatballs with writing
pan of Swedish Meatballs and plated dish with a title

share:

PinYummly

Categories:

, , ,

Recipes You’ll Love

About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

5 from 21 votes (6 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  2. Wanted to try this before preparing it as a dish for a friend’s meal train. Wow! Super easy to prepare, and family gave it a thumbs up!
    I might substitute Dale’s steak seasoning for the soy sauce next time. Thanks for the recipe!5 stars

    Reply

  3. As a quick weeknight meal this is very good. I have to say I will stick with the traditional Swedish meatball recipes out there – soy sauce doesn’t belong in this dish.

    Reply

  6. This is a quick, easy, versatile, delicious, and forgiving recipe! I didn’t measure anything. I used half and half, and made extra gravy. I sent this recipe to people I know.5 stars

    Reply

  8. Easy to make and a crowd pleaser. I just saw a link for your air fryer meatballs, I’ll try that route next time I make this meal!5 stars

    Reply

  9. Tried to print this recipie, was not going to print 8 pages of nonsense!!! Put a printable button somewhere to print out on 1 page. Why does everything have to be so difficult?

    Reply

    1. Hi Ann, you can use the print button right above the recipe—you can get to the recipe quickly by clicking jump to recipe. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  14. I plan on trying this tonight and eager to see if it’s as good as my old recipe. I’ll come back and let you know :-)

    One question though: In the notes it says, “if you replace beef broth with beef stock….”. Since the recipe says to use beef stock shouldn’t the note read…”if you replace beef stock with beef broth….”?

    Thanks for providing wonderful recipes!!

    Reply

  15. Surprisingly neither my husband or I had ever had Swedish meatballs so it was a fun delicious dinner. I love cooking new things. I made it as written. It was a fairly fast dinner aside from peeling potatoes for it to go on.5 stars

    Reply

  16. Made these tonight using frozen home style meatballs. They were so yummy and easy to make. Definitely going into the rotation!!5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Gina, this recipe makes about 45-48 meatballs. So a bag with roughly that many should work well with this amount of gravy.

      Reply