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These Swedish Meatballs are a top favorite recipe on the site for a reason—juicy meatballs, rich creamy gravy, and have SO MUCH FLAVOR. They’re easy to make and way better than IKEA’s (yes, really!).
Reasons This Recipe is the BEST!
- Fan Favorite: With 400+ five-star reviews, these meatballs are actually the best.
- Creamy Sauce: The secret lies in the sauce. It’s rich, creamy, and full of flavor thanks to classic spices. You will be licking the spoon, I promise.
- Better than IKEA: Ever had IKEA Swedish Meatballs? These ones are so easy and WAY better!
A Reader’s Review
This is my absolute favorite Swedish meatball recipe. The flavor is mouthwatering. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Ingredients in Swedish Meatballs
- Use lean ground beef: It helps keep the meatballs tender without making them greasy.
- Spices: Trust me, nutmeg and allspice are what make these Swedish meatballs special. Don’t skip them if you want that authentic flavor.
- No Panko Breadcrumbs? No Problem: If you’re out of breadcrumbs, make a panade by blending two pieces of bread into crumbs and mixing with 1/4 cup of milk to form a paste. Add an egg, mix it all up, and you’ll get the same great texture in your meatballs.
- Go for low-sodium beef broth: This keeps the creay gravy from turning too salty and gives you more control over the final flavor.
Skip the Pork- Here’s Why
Some people like to use a mix of beef and pork for Swedish meatballs, and while the pork can add a little extra tenderness, I’ve found that it’s not enough of a difference to justify the extra cost of buying 2 kinds of meat. The rich, creamy sauce and yummy flavors in the meat make these meatballs turn out perfectly tender and delicious with just ground beef!
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
These will come together quickly and cook in about 30 minutes total, so dinner is fast and easy!
- Combine: In a medium-sized bowl, combine ground beef, panko, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, pepper, salt, and egg. Mix until combined.
- Roll Meatballs: Roll into 12 large meatballs or 20 small meatballs.
- Cook: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the meatballs and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning continuously until brown on each side and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
- Make the sauce: Add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour to the skillet and whisk until it turns brown.
- Whisk: Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream and whisk to combine.
- Add meatballs and simmer: Add Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard and bring to a simmer until sauce starts to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Variations to Try
Since Swedish Meatballs are one of YOUR favorite recipes on the site, I thought you might want to see other ways I have cooked them up!
- Casserole: My Swedish Meatball Casserole is a simple way to serve everything in one dish, and it’s great for feeding a crowd.
- Soup: Want the same great flavor in a different form? Swedish Meatball Soup is an easy twist that’s perfect for cooler days.
- Slow Cooker: Short on time? My Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs Recipe is a great hands-off option, and you can even use frozen meatballs!
Can You Freeze Swedish Meatballs?
Yes! This recipe is perfect for doubling and freezing for later. Here’s how to do it without losing flavor or texture:
- Cooked Meatballs: Let them cool, then freeze them on a baking sheet until solid (2–4 hours). Transfer to a freezer bag or an airtight container. They’ll keep up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or warm them up in the sauce.
- Skip Freezing the Sauce: Creamy sauces don’t freeze well—they can separate. For best results, make the gravy fresh when you’re ready to serve.
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The Best Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 pound ground beef, 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon parsley, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ cup onion, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 egg. Mix until combined.
- Roll into 12 large meatballs or 20 small meatballs. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the meatballs and cook for 7-8 minutes, turning continuously until brown on each side and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
- Add 4 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons flour to the skillet and whisk until it turns brown. Slowly stir in 2 cups beef broth and 1 cup heavy cream. Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet and reduce to a simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a family favourite, the recipe is bold and flavourful. I reduce the nutmeg ever so slightly to make it a bit more palatable to my small kids. But these are a winter favourite for everyone. Great recipe.
Yeet
My daughter can’t eat egg noodles. Would this work with rice noodles?
Yes, that will work great!
I am anxious to try this recipe!
What would an appropriate egg substitute be?
The egg is a great way to bind the meat together as well as helps it cook and have a nice crisp inside and outside texture. If you can leave the egg in that would be best.
These are sooooooo good! I don’t put all spice or Dijon mustard, the meatballs still came out delicious.
Made this exactly as the recipe says, it was absolutely tremendous !
Best recipe ever!!! I have made this probably 8 times since discovering the recipe 2 months ago. It has a permanent spot in our dinner rotations. I’m in LOVE. I will say though, it makes a TON of sauce, so I double the meatball recipe and leave the sauce the same and its perfect to me.
This was awesome, I made the meat balls a couple days before, and my teenager ate half of them before I made the dish! I did make the dish and it was great, served it over egg noodles. The sauce is amazing! Thank you for this recipe I was in a dinner idea slump.
I’d like to serve 6 a good size plate should I double this recipe?? I’m so excited to try this for my husband that is a sweetish meatball counseair!! Thank you for sharing!!?
Hi Dawn!
Yes, I would suggest that you double it. The great think is that you can always freeze them or refrigerate for anther day! Please let me know how it goes! Thanks for following along with me!
Delicious. My family loved them. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you.
Can you bake the meatballs rather than cooking in frying pan
Yes, that will work great too. Enjoy!
Amazing Meatballs! I doubled the recipe so it could be savored for days to come. This goes in my keeper file. Thank you for sharing.
XLNT and easy!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it now few times… it’s a hit thank you for sharing!!!
I do have question- what’s best to serve it with Mash or Pasta? I have few guests arriving for dinner and wanted your opinion please ?
I love mashed potatoes but pasta does make it more Italian and complete.
Rice would be nice too
I added some port and lemon juice after tasting the gravy, which I made with the pan juices, wish I had some sour cream after reading the comments.
I used pork mince and added a pinch of oregano and some ground fennel seeds…
a little white wine ‘n sour cream added= perfection. I too now use frozen meatballs as it is that gravy sauce everyone crave so they don’t even know! Years before I’d make meatballs with dry onion soup mix, hamburger and sweet sausage, eggs, nutmeg, onion, etc—but why bother?! soooo yum. We only have ’em on Christmas Eve but this post is making me change my thinking! 🙂
Patti!
Great idea! I love these and I’m so glad that you did as well! Thanks for the comment and for following along with me!!