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 was a winner! I forgot to add onions to the meatballs-whoops! The only thing I’ll do next time is double the recipe. There were no leftovers. My family loved it! Thanks so much Stephanie!
I’m so happy the family love it Lin, nice work! Thanks so much for the great review!💖
Hi! Trying this tonight. You think it’s ok to use just ground beef? My family is picky with pork. Thanks! Looks so good.
Hi Lin! Just ground beef would be totally fine, enjoy! 🙂 -Stephanie
I’ve made this recipe many times before, but it’s been a few years. Once I started though it all came back. I’m fortunate enough to have multiple skillets so I could multitask. I simplified the recipe by adding multiple ingredients at the same time rather than in separate steps. It still took 4 hours to complete. My family is a little too picky about some of the ingredients, but they’re eating it. Thanks for helping me through this difficult time with this old family favorite. You see my husband passed away last year and I haven’t been the same since. This helped remind me of the good times we had preparing meals together.
Hi Christine, I am so sorry to hear about your husband. I am glad that this recipe was able to bring back some good memories for you. ❤️
So happy to have found another recipe that the kids will eat and my husband went back for seconds!
I’m so happy it was a hit Rachel! Thanks so much for the great review!❤️
Excited to try the recipe this weekend. I’m thinking of doubling the recipe and using the slow cooker to account for the volume. Any recommendations on recipe modifications for the slow cooker? Thanks!
Hi Thomas, I’m excited for you to try this recipe as well! This particular recipe was designed around using the stove top. (Searing the meatballs to add fond to the skillet, making a roux, adding the liquid slowly to it, bringing it to a boil, allowing it to thicken/reduce, etc.) That’s not to say that a Crock Pot can’t be used, but I don’t have instructions outlined as I haven’t tested it that way 🙂 If you do make it in the crock pot, be sure to add the sour cream at the end over warm heat so that it doesn’t curdle.
We did this over mashed potatoes. Delicious.
Yummm, such a comforting dish Tony, nice work! Thanks so much for the great review!
This recipe is outstanding.
I am so happy that you like it Cynthia! Thank you so much!!! 🙂
I had to make changes based on time and what I had available and it still came out great ! I only had one pound of meat but used the other ingredients as written. I also didn’t chill the meatballs and fit them in the skillet in one pass. ( only 1 pound of meat). I had low fat sour cream and added it directly to the sauce without any problems. Served over noodles and had sweet sour red cabbage on the side . Everyone liked the meatballs and sauce. Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re very welcome Paula, I’m so happy you were able to make tweaks, nice work! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review!💗
I also added the sour cream directly to the sauce without any problem. And I forgot to add the egg and milk mixture to the Bread crumb mix. I added it in at the end (can’t wait those eggs). with no problem.
Yet another super delicious dish from you! Can’t wait to see what you come up with for 2023! 🙂
Hi Caroline!!! I am soooo happy to hear that, thank you so much!!! I’ve got a lot of good ideas up my sleeve for this year, I’m excited to share it! XOXO -Stephanie
This one is a keeper! The family loved it. I can’t wait to try other recipes.
I’m so happy this one is a keeper Julie! I can’t wait for you to try other recipes, thanks so much for your support!💗