Swedish Meatball Recipe
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.
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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.
This dish is delicious! I was searching for a meatball recipe to serve at a Christmas party and this one fit the bill. I did not use pork – I used one pound of ground beef, which yielded 21 meatballs per pound. I found that one egg was not enough because my meatballs didn’t hold together well – I added a second egg and that solved the problem. In the gravy, I used heavy whipping cream instead of sour cream. I found a bonus use for these meatballs – my dog is on some temporary medication and she keeps spitting the pills out when given with cheese. I now shove the pills into a meatball and she happily eats the entire thing with no pill spitting. Winning! I found an easier way to brown the meatballs – I put a piece of parchment paper in my air fryer, placed batches of 9 meatballs in at a time, air-fried for 6 minutes, then removed and finished by cooking the bottom of each meatball in a pan with olive oil. This worked well for me because the meatballs stayed in tact much better than when I was trying to brown them on all sides in the fry pan and constantly turning them. Thank you Cozy Cook for a great recipe!
So glad that you enjoyed them!! 🙂 Thank you!
I don’t normally save online recipes that I use..But this one I will use for the rest of my life. These turned out SO GOOD!!! Printing and tucking away immediately. This is also the first time I’ve ever left a recipe review at 37 years old, haha..Just had to.
I’m flattered this got you to leave your first review Dani! Thanks so much, I’m so happy it was such a success!!!🩷
This is a really good recipe – husband loved it too. Will definitely make again. Did not have sour cream so I did my usual greek yogurt substitute and it worked just as well.
Perfect!! I’m so happy that you and your husband loved the recipe Tricia, thank you so much for the review!!
I’ve made these a few times now, they always turn out great but I was wondering if there are any directions on how to cook them in the oven? Simply because I’m cooking a large amount. Thank you!
I’m so happy that you love the meatballs Brooke! You can also bake these at 400 degrees for 18 minutes 🙂
Exactly the taste I looking for. My family loved it! Will make again for sure.
I’m so happy to hear that Lindsey!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
I made it again! This time I made a double batch one for the freezer and one to eat now!
So nice to have a great meal from scratch I can pull from the freezer. Its like having a day off from cooking!
I am sooo thrilled to hear that Karen!! Freezer meals are my favorite thing in this world, LOL. Thank you so much for taking the time to share and leave a review, I appreciate it so much! 🙂 -Stephanie
I’d like to make these for about 50 people on Christmas Day. I’d like to make them a week ahead of time. How can I store them? Can I freeze them? Can I freeze the sauce or will the sauce turn very thin when it is unthaw, I would like to place it in a crockpot on Christmas morning on warm. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Cheryl! You can make the meatballs ahead of time, let them cool completely, flash freeze them on a plate/tray, then once frozen, store in a freezer bag. Let them thaw for at least 12 hours. I would prepare the sauce as close to serving as you can, (the 1-2 days before), then you can warm everything up in the crock pot. Instead of searing the meatballs, you can bake them at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. Enjoy! Happy Holidays!
I agree with what Stephanie said. I recently made these meatballs for a Christmas Party with 25 attendees. I made the meatballs ahead of time, froze them in gallon zip bags; the day before the party I moved them to the fridge to defrost. I made the sauce on the day of the party. I served them in a crock pot with a ladle.
I have frozen this recipe sauce and meatballs. There was no change to the sauce. It did not thin and it was as delicious as the day I made it.
Thank you for sharing Karen!!!
This was amazing my mom used to make this dish but she didn’t use a recipe, this will be a regular on our menu. The meatballs were so juicy, and I loved the sauce I used heavy cream because I had some leftover from when I made butter the other day,
Sounds like you nailed them Valerie! Nice work!! I make these on Superbowl Sunday. There’s so many reasons to make these! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
Amazing! Loaded with flavor. The best recipe for Swedish meatballs I’ve ever made. I substituted ground turkey for the pork and also added sautéed mushrooms.
Freezes beautifully.
I’m so happy you liked it Karen! I’ve had really good luck freezing them too. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
This is delicious!! I will definitely bookmark this recipe. Just meatballs are tasty by themselves! Thanks🙏👌
I am so happy to hear that Andrea, I know, I love the meatballs so much! ❤️