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The best homemade Swedish Meatballs with the most perfect sauce come from this easy recipe.

Ikea can’t compete with these! Perfectly seasoned pork and beef meatballs are smothered in a thin creamy gravy. This is the perfect comfort food that everyone will love.

Ladel full of homemade swedish meatballs in sauce
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Why this recipe works:

Isn’t it great when you make a recipe and your husband (or wife) and kids fight over it? That’s what happened when I made these. They are an easy and comforting beef dinner recipe.

  • I also used half pork and half beef because that is the absolute best combination for a delicious meatball.
  • There is a ton of creamy sauce so you can enjoy these over homemade pasta or mashed potatoes.
  • the sauce starts with a roux and is finished with broth and cream. I chose to use heavy cream which still adds a ton of richness but keeps the sauce thin.
  • The sauce also picks up a lot of flavoring from the meatballs because you cook the sauce in the same pan that you cooked the meatballs. A bit of added Worcestershire sauce along with Dijon mustard adds that zing to the recipe.
pan of homemade swedish meatballs

How to make them:

Making Swedish meatballs for dinner or even a heavy appetizer is really super easy to do.

  1. The first step is to mix and form the meatballs. They are then browned in a skillet.
  2. Once all of the meatballs have been cooked, transfer them to a plate and cover them with foil to keep them warm. Now it’s time to make your Swedish meatball sauce.
  3. Start by making a roux by melting butter in the same pan you cooked the meatballs and adding some flour. Continually stir this mixture until it’s nice and fragrant.
  4. At this point you’ll whisk in the beef broth and heavy cream, followed by the Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Once the sauce is done, add the meatballs to the sauce, let it simmer for a bit, and they’re done!

Cooking tips:

  • The smaller your onion, the better the meatball, so don’t be afraid to break out the food processor unless you’ve got some mad knife skills.
  • As with any recipe that calls for ground beef or ground pork, don’t over work the meat. Just mix the ingredients together well enough so that they are evenly mixed.
  • Before you start cooking the meatballs, take the time to form all of the meatballs. It’s much easier to keep an eye on the meatballs that are cooking and constantly turn them to achieve even browning if you aren’t trying to multitask and form the remainder of your meatballs.
  • Unless you have a crazy large skillet and burner, you’re going to need to cook these in batches. Don’t over crowd your pan. Your Swedish meatballs will brown perfectly if you give them enough space.

Serving recommendations:

  • As I understand it, authentic traditional Swedish meatballs are most often served with mashed or boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam.
  • Because we Americans can justify serving just about anything over pasta, that would be an obvious choice as well.
  • I’ll have you know that I happened to have some caramelized onions leftover from a different recipe, so I added those along with a large handful of fresh baby arugula to the sauce and I think that combination was downright heavenly!
how to make swedish meatballs

Love meatballs? Me too. Then you’ll have to try these recipes:

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Swedish Meatball Recipe

Prep20 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Total50 minutes
Servings 8 servings
The best homemade Swedish Meatballs with the most perfect sauce come from this easy recipe. Ikea Swedish meatballs can’t compete with these!

Video

Ingredients 

Swedish Meatballs:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons parsley minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup onion diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Swedish Meatball Sauce:

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Instructions 

To make the Swedish Meatballs:

  • In a medium sized bowl combine ground beef, ground pork, panko bread crumbs, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, pepper, salt and eggs. Mix until combined.
  • Roll into 24 meatballs. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter over medium high heat. Add enough meatballs to the hot pan so that there is space in between each of them (you will most likely have to cook them in batches). Cook, turning frequently, until brown on each side and cooked through. This should take about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil. Continue cooking remaining meatballs until done, transferring to the foil covered plate.

To make the Swedish Meatball sauce:

  • Add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour to skillet and whisk until it turns brown. Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Add worchestershire sauce and dijon mustard and bring to a simmer until sauce starts to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add the cooked meatballs back to the skillet and simmer over low heat for another 1-2 minutes. Serve over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 181mg, Sodium: 729mg, Potassium: 430mg, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 800IU, Vitamin C: 2.9mg, Calcium: 62mg, Iron: 2.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave me a comment below

Hi! Iโ€™m Krissy.

I love to create the BEST versions of your favorite recipes. If you love to cook, love to eat, or just have a deep appreciation for good food, you're in the right place! Stick around... I have hundreds of recipes for you to make.

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11 Comments

  1. I made this recipe several times, the last time when we had guests. It is so delicious! I use 3 pounds of meat, so adjust some of the seasonings accordingly. I also baked the meatballs this time saving a few calories. Served it with Amish egg noodles and everyone loved it!

  2. 5 stars
    This really was the perfect Swedish Meatball recipe! The seasonings were perfectly balanced and the meatballs were moist.

  3. 5 stars
    I can’t wait for my kids and husband to fight over these swedish meatballs. My girls ask for meatballs weekly so I know this will be a bit hit at our house.

  4. 5 stars
    This recipe is so decadent, I love all those toasty warming spices in the meatballs and the creamy sauce is to die for!

  5. 5 stars
    Made these tonight and they were AMAZING! Thank you for the delicious recipe! I know my husband will be requesting these a lot in the future ๐Ÿ™‚