These juicy and flavorful Swedish Meatballs are smothered in a savory gravy cream sauce and are perfect over noodles or mashed potatoes. This is like no other recipe you’ve ever tried!
Be sure to try my Chicken and Dumplings and Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipes next!
Swedish Meatballs
I’ll just go ahead and say it: I do believe that these Swedish Meatballs are quite possibly the best of the best!
These are not an IKEA replica, (I’ve actually never been to IKEA! 🤯) and I can’t say that I’ve been to Sweden either, but they are amazing, and include some standout ingredients that we’ve come to know and love in America when it comes to this particular dish.
The meatballs themselves are made with a combination of ground beef and pork, along with a touch of allspice and nutmeg. Onions and garlic add flavor and texture, and milk, egg, and breadcrumbs act as a binder. Finally, Parmesan cheese is a little “Cozy” touch that adds a subtle pop of flavor.
The sauce itself is an amazing combination of beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, and sour cream. My secret ingredient? Chicken Bouillon. It adds the best depth of flavor and contrasts perfectly with the beef broth.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, milk, onions, garlic, salt, oregano, allspice, nutmeg, and pepper. Gently incorporate the meat until evenly combined.
Roll into 1+ 1/2 inch meatballs and chill for 15 minutes, (or overnight). Brown in batches and set aside.
Melt butter in the same skillet and whisk in flour. Add the sauce mixture (beef broth, chicken bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, and parsley), in small splashes, stirring continuously. Add the sour cream to a medium bowl along with some of the sauce, and stir until combined. Stir it into the skillet.
Add the meatballs back and spoon the sauce on top. Cover partially, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles!
Using Frozen Meatballs
- Frozen meatballs can be used in a pinch, just note that the allspice and nutmeg seasonings are what give the meatballs themselves that traditional Swedish meatball flavor, consider adding 1/4 tsp. of each to the sauce itself instead.
Make Ahead Method
- Roll out the meatballs, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days prior to serving, then follow recipe as outlined.
- You can also flash freeze the uncooked meatballs on a tray for 1 hour. Transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then follow recipe as outlined.
Pro Tips
- The chicken bouillon in the sauce adds depth of flavor and contrasts nicely with the beef broth. Beef bouillon can be used instead if needed.
- Use full-fat sour cream to ensure that it doesn’t curdle.
- Heavy cream can be used instead of sour cream if preferred.
- Any combination of ground beef, pork, and veal can be used in this recipe.
- 1 + 1/4 lbs. of meat is perfect for fitting in a 12-inch, high-walled skillet.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Leftovers freeze fairly well, let them thaw prior to reheating.
- Reheat in a makeshift double boiler for best results. Refrain from reheating over heat that is too high, as the sauce can break.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 3-Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan– The same size as pictured in this recipe.
- Small Cookie Scoop– This is perfect for creating perfectly uniform meatballs.
- Box Cheese Grater– For grating the Parmesan cheese.
- Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts of broth.
Try These Next
- Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Steak Bites
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
- Baked Ravioli
- French Onion Pasta
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![A skillet filled with Swedish Meatballs in a gravy cream sauce with fresh parsley.](https://thecozycook.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Swedish-Meatballs-f-200x200.jpg)
Swedish Meatball Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided in half
- ½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¾ lb. ground beef, 80% lean
- ½ lb. ground pork
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cube chicken bouillon, see notes
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, can sub mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat ½ of the olive oil in a large, high-walled skillet over medium heat. Add the finely diced onions and garlic. Soften for 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, whisked egg, milk, cooled onions/garlic, salt, oregano, allspice, nutmeg, and pepper. Gently incorporate the meat until evenly combined, but without overworking it (otherwise the meatballs will be tough instead of tender).
- Roll into 1 ½-inch meatballs and place on a plate. (A small cookie scoop makes it easier to roll balls of uniform size.) Transfer to the fridge and let them chill for 15 minutes, or up to overnight. Cover if chilling overnight.
- While the meatballs chill, combine the beef broth, chicken bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, and parsley in a large measuring cup with a spout. Set aside.
- Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown the meatballs in batches, leave plenty of room around each so that you can easily rotate them with a spoon to brown on all sides. Brown for about 1 minute per side. Remove and set aside. Add additional oil and/or decrease heat slightly as needed throughout cooking.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until it begins to brown.
- Add the beef broth mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Place the sour cream in a medium bowl. Spoon some of the sauce into the bowl (about ¼ cup), and stir until well-combined. Stir it into the sauce over low heat until incorporated.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Spoon the sauce on top. Allow them to heat through over low heat for 10-15 minutes (or until cooked through), partially covered. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Notes
- The chicken bouillon in the sauce adds depth of flavor and contrasts nicely with the beef broth. Beef bouillon can be used instead if needed.
- Use full-fat sour cream to ensure that it doesn’t curdle.
- Heavy cream can be used instead of sour cream if preferred.
- Any combination of ground beef, pork, and veal can be used in this recipe.
- 1 + 1/4 lbs. of meat is perfect for fitting in a 12-inch, high-walled skillet.
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Leftovers freeze fairly well, let them thaw prior to reheating.
- Reheat in a makeshift double boiler for best results. Refrain from reheating over heat that is too high, as the sauce can break.
Nutrition information is an estimate, is per meatball, and includes the sauce. This recipe makes 33 meatballs.
Very good recipe, I added 2 TBS soy sauce to the gravy sauce poured over rice and had steamed broccoli as a side. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome Debra! I’m so happy you liked it. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!🩷
I just made this recipe using ground turkey. It was absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it (even the picky one). It tasted better than I could have imaged.
Yayyy! That’s so great to hear Trina. I love that you tried it with ground turkey, ymmmm! Thanks for the great review!🩷
So yummy! I used store bought beef meatballs and made the gravy only. Everyone tonight, loved it!
That makes me so happy Rachael! Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💗
I am not a great cook. I’ve had good swedish meatballs from 1 friend at work. Otherwise, I’ve only had the McCormick sauce package which is not a great representation of them. I had to make some slight deviations due to what I had on hand but was SUPER impressed. This is really flavorful. I personally like the meatballs over white rice. Really happy with this recipe. If I can do this, anyone can.
I am soo happy to hear that Victoria! Nice work pulling it off with what you had on hand, so happy to hear it! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! 🙂
What can be subbed for pork? I try to stay away from pork.
You can use all ground beef but the meat combination is what sets these apart. Ground veal would work as well.
Made this last night (just the sauce as we had meatballs to use in the fridge) and it was AMAZING. So yummy. We’d never had Swedish meatballs before. Safe to say this yummy dinner is definitely going to earn a place in our fortnightly dinner menu plan.
Thanks for the recipe!!!
Sounds like you nailed it Nicole, nice work! I’m so happy this was such a success. Thanks so much for the great comments!❤️
Best recipe! Super easy and my boyfriend loved it! Will definitely be making it again. Thank you!
Nice work Ashley! I’m so happy it was such a success. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!💖
I’ve not yet made but can tell by the ingredients this will be a wonderful dish.
Thanks Linda, I can’t wait for you to make it. Enjoy!💖
Stephanie, these were amazing 🤩! My 15 year old son has been begging me to make Swedish meatballs. I almost cut some corners to save on time and work and I am so glad that I didn’t! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfectly. I have 3 sons who are very picky. They said that this needs to have a permanent place in our dinner recipe rotation. Thank you ❤️
I am SOOO thrilled to hear that it was a big success Christine!!! I’m giving you a double high five for putting in the work and resisting the urge to cut corners. With 3 sons, you have a right to cut a corner now and then, LOL. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, you made my day! 🙂 -Stephanie
Fantastic receipe! Meatballs are soft and flavorful. The sauce is perfect, especially with the sour cream. Thank you for sharing your receipe. My son LOVES it!!
I’m so happy it was such a hit with your sons Noemi! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!💖
This was delicious. I might add a pinch more salt to the meat mixture. It helps to test fry a mini patty before making the balls, to adjust seasoning as needed.
I’m happy to hear you liked it Mark! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!💗