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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.
More Yummy Meatball Recipes
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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 turned out soooo good.
Can you make ahead and freeze? I’m worried that the cream sauce would separate when warming up. Unless you have some tips on freezing and instructions on reheating? I’m planning on making a bunch of freezer recipes for my In-Laws.
Yes, the cream sauce would separate even if warmed up slowly. I would recommend freezing the meatballs by themselves then reheating with the sauce.
OMG this is good! Husband lost his mind with this recipe and so did I. I made it once before but didn’t have the nutmeg…this time I did, and it truly could not be better! I did add about 1/4 cup sour cream. This is the first meal they serve you in Heaven!!!!!!!
Very good–and easy to prepare! I had it both with newly made meatballs and with thawed frozen ones, and both were good.
Hello, has anyone ever tried to make this with cashew cream instead of heavy cream? Dairy does not agree with myself or my children. If no one has tried it yet I might try it tonight and see how it goes.
My husband doesn’t do super well with a lot of dairy either, so I’ve made these before with just subbing canned coconut milk for the cream and it worked great (just make sure to shake the can really well to incorporate the solids first if your can is separated). I haven’t tried with cashew cream but imagine it would work similarly.
Love this recipe both ways 🙂
Made with ground turkey instead of ground beef…. really really excellent, and very easy to make. Will definitely make again!
Loved this!
I have made this recipe several times now for different occasions ,dinner ,appetizers they were always a HIT! My husband absolutely loves these meatballs over egg noodles. They are fairly easy to make. I totally recommend this recipe.
I cheated and used Aldi frozen meatballs. I also doubled the sauce. It was a big hit with the family. Very good flavor. Definitely a keeper.
Since we no longer live near an IKEA we no longer had Swedish meatballs. I looked on Pinterest for recipes and came upon “the best” Swedish meatball recipe and had to give it a try. My husband and I agree they are the best. Simple to make but full of flavor. Followed the recipe except for the addition of 1/4 tsp of cardamom to the meatballs. I saw many other recipes that had that ingredient and it was on my spice rack so why not. The gravy is sooo good. Since I didn’t have lingonberries to serve on the side, I served with cranberry sauce and it was a nice compliment to the meal. Along with mashed potatoes and green beans. Will definitely be adding this to our dinner menu more often.
Truly fabulous. I’ve made Swedish meatballs many times and knew the type of recipe I wanted (recently lost all my recipe bookmarks), and I went through so many recipes before finding the one I knew would be delicious, and this did not disappoint!
I so want to try this but for spices I only have pumpkin pie spice. Would that work?
That does sound delicious but I have not tried it yet with pumpkin pie spice. Let me know how it turns out!
Delicious !! My partner and I loved it ? I did substitute oat milk for the cream as dairy doesn’t agree with me. I served it with rice and peas, it was perfect !! My dad would have called it a Blue Plate Special ?
I made this recipe regularly. It’s so tasty! The creamy sauce, the meatballs are so flavorful! 5 stars!
Just made them for dinner and they were a huge hit. Thanks for sharing.
I used frozen/ cooked meatballs browned them in the oil/ butter mixture and then made the sauce per the recipe, added some nutmeg as that flavor was not in the frozen meatballs and it was delish! Quicker for weeknight…