Valentina Ablaev
Classic swedish meatballs recipe that makes juicy and flavorful meatballs in the best gravy. The perfect comfort meal that comes together with little effort, these swedish meatballs are sure to become a family favorite! Serve over creamy mashed potatoes or even your favorite pasta for the ideal comfort meal, you won’t regret making!
When it comes to meatballs, there are so many ways to enjoy them! From classic meatballs, a hearty meatball sub, and even a cozy meatball soup! And these Swedish meatballs are no exception! It’s everything you love in a juicy meatball, in a rich and creamy gravy.
What Makes Swedish Meatballs Different?
The iconic IKEA-style Swedish meatballs inspire this Swedish meatballs recipe. They aren’t the standard tomato sauce meatballs that you would recognize in spaghetti because they are cooked in a cream-based gravy. The meatballs are also a bit smaller and packed with warm spices like nutmeg and allspice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
What’s not to love about creamy Swedish meatballs? If you need more convincing, here are a few great reasons to make this dish:
- Comfort flavors. The combination of ground beef and pork makes a tender meatball, but that sauce is what really brings these flavors home!
- Meal prep friendly. Swedish meatballs are great to make for lunches for the week! They reheat so well and make for great leftovers.
- Crowd pleaser. Creamy Swedish meatballs are always a hit with adults and children!
- Make ahead. Prepare the meat mixture and shape the meatballs in advance to make for a quick dinner process!
Ingredients for Swedish Meatballs
All you need are simple ingredients to make this staple comfort meal:
- Meat filling – All the classic meatball add-ins such as panko breadcrumbs, milk, grated onion, minced garlic, and egg.
- Meats – Our preferred combination is ground pork and ground beef with 10-15% fat. This combo makes for the juiciest meatballs that don’t dry out while cooking in the sauce.
- Seasoning – Swedish meatballs use an earthy blend of allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Gravy – A homemade gravy made with a base of butter, flour, broth, heavy cream, and Dijon for a kick of flavor.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Expert Tips:
- Fry the meatballs until golden. Getting a good sear on the meatballs is key to achieving great depth of flavor and texture.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. When searing the meatballs, make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan; they’ll start to steam.
- The perfect sauce. To get the perfect sauce texture, bring the sauce to a light simmer, but don’t boil.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs (Easy Recipe)
The easiest step-by-step instructions to make meatballs from scratch:
1. Make the meat filling. In a bowl, mix the panko crumbs and milk. Add the remaining ingredients and hand-mix until smooth.
2. Shape meatballs. Use your hands to form the meatballs and arrange them on parchment paper.
3. Brown meatballs. Heat a large pan with oil and sear the meatballs on all sides, and cook through. Cook the meatballs in batches and set aside to keep warm.
4. Make the creamy sauce. Using the same pan, add butter and whisk in flour. Slowly stir in the remaining sauce ingredients, then bring the sauce to a simmer. Once the sauce has thickened, add the meatballs back and cook until heated through.
FAQs
Though we love the ground beef and pork blend, the options are endless! Use ground chicken or turkey for a leaner option.
This could be due to your meat mixture being too dry, aka too many breadcrumbs. Add a splash of milk and try forming them again.
Though frying gives the meatballs a great exterior, you can also bake them. Bake at 400°F for 15–20 minutes.
Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs
Pan-searing the meatballs is a simple one-pan method, but you can also make them in a pressure cooker.
- Turn your Instant Pot to saute mode. Once warmed up, add the oil and sear the meatballs until golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove the meatballs from the pot and cook the sauce as usual.
- Once the sauce is simmering, add the meatballs back in, cover, and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally and serve.
Serving Suggestions
- Mashed potatoes: Serve these meatballs and loads of gravy over fluffy mashed potatoes for the perfect comfort meal.
- Pasta: Serve these meatballs over egg noodles for a comforting combination.
- Rice: Prepare creamy chicken and rice, and serve with these meatballs for a creamy and rich combo.
- Side salad: A light vegetable salad is a great balance to this creamy meatball recipe.
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Keep leftover meatballs in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Store in the fridge as soon as the meatballs cool to room temperature.
- Reheat. Warm up the leftovers in a skillet over low heat until the meatballs are warmed through.
- Freeze. Store the Swedish meatballs for longer by freezing them! Place the cooled meatballs and sauce in freezer-safe containers and store for up to 3 months. Reheat: Warm up the leftovers in a pan, adding more liquid if needed.
More Ground Meat Recipes
If you enjoyed this Swedish meatball recipe, be sure to try our other ground meat recipes; here are some of our favorite easy recipes:
If you tried this easy Swedish meatballs recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Swedish Meatballs Recipe (The Best Gravy)
Ingredients
meatballs –
- 1/3 cup panko crumbs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 small onion finely grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp olive oil cooking oil or as needed
gravy sauce –
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 cups regular beef broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the panko crumbs and milk.
- Add the remaining meatball ingredients to the bowl and mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Wet your hands and shape the meat mixture into 24 evenly sized meatballs.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil.
- Once sizzling, add the meatballs in batches and fry on all sides until golden brown and cooked through. Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying the meatballs. Add more oil in between batches if needed.
- Once the meatballs are cooked through, remove them from the skillet and cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook until golden, whisking consistently.
- Slowly whisk in the broth, heavy whipping cream, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Bring the sauce up to a light simmer and cook until it reaches your desired thickness.
- Place the meatballs back into the skillet and cook until warmed through.
- Garnish the meatballs with fresh herbs and serve over mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Brown the meatballs well: Searing them until golden creates rich flavor and the best texture.
- Avoid overcrowding the pan: Cook in batches if needed so the meatballs sear properly rather than steam.
- Simmer the sauce gently: Let it reach a light simmer for the perfect consistency—avoid boiling.
- Storage: Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days once cooled.
- Reheat: Heat leftovers in a skillet until the meatballs are fully warmed through.
- Freeze: For longer storage, freeze the cooled meatballs and sauce in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in a pan, adding a splash of liquid if needed.
