These super easy Swedish Meatballs are ready in about 45 minutes and are sure to knock your socks off!
We love to serve this classic Swedish Meatball recipe over some creamy Mashed Potatoes for a comforting dinner.
Watch out IKEA, these tasty Swedish Meatballs and Gravy are so easy to make at home, you’ll be blown away!
Easy Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Even my pickiest eaters love this delicious dinner.
Italian Meatballs vs. Swedish Meatballs?
The first thing we need to talk about is the difference between Swedish Meatballs and Italian Meatballs. Because there is a difference!
Swedish meatballs contain just a touch of all spice (or you can use nutmeg) for a subtle, yet noticeable difference.
Both Italian Meatballs and Swedish Meatballs contain ground beef and ground pork, along with milk, breadcrumbs and egg for binding.
Swedish meatballs are traditionally served in a creamy gravy over egg noodles or mashed potatoes, while Italian meatballs are served with marinara sauce and pasta.
Ingredients for Swedish Meatballs
Here’s a quick breakdown of what you’ll need to make homemade Swedish Meatballs. You can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Ground Beef – I prefer to use a lean ground beef
- Ground Pork
- Breadcrumbs – plain breadcrumbs or Panko style
- Milk
- Egg
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- All Spice (or nutmeg)
- Parsley – make sure to chop finely
- Salt and Pepper
How To Make Homemade Swedish Meatballs
Making Swedish Meatballs at home is actually quite easy! Gather all your ingredients and let’s make some Swedish Meatballs.
CREATE BINDING
Start by combining the breadcrumbs, milk, egg, garlic powder, onion powder and all spice in a bowl and allow the mixture to absorb for about 10 minutes.
SHAPE MEATBALLS
Once it’s absorbed a bit, add in the ground beef, ground pork and parsley, mixing with clean hands and shaping into balls.
COOK MEATBALLS
Heat some oil and butter on the stove top and fry the meatballs (or bake) until cooked through.
Recipe Tips and Suggestions
Here are some great tips and tricks to making these meatballs
PRE COOKED MEATBALLS? When you’re not in the mood for making homemade meatballs, or maybe you just don’t have the time… using frozen, store bought meatballs will work too! Just defrost/microwave the meatballs prior to adding to the gravy.
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: You can also pre-cook the Swedish meatballs, let them cool, then freeze them for up to 3 months. This makes it super easy to whip this dinner up on a busy weeknight!
NO SOUR CREAM? If you don’t have sour cream for the gravy, you can also use plain Greek yogurt.
Creamy Swedish Meatball Sauce
Let’s talk about the gravy or sauce that goes along with these tender and delicious Swedish Meatballs!
It’s a super simple beef gravy that’s finished off with sour cream to give it the perfect creamy tang. The combination of spiced meatballs and creamy gravy is a match made in heaven.
Ingredients for Swedish Meatball Sauce-
Here’s what you’ll need in order to make the delicious, creamy gravy! You can find exact measurements in the printable recipe card below.
- Butter – I prefer to use salted butter for this recipe
- Flour – all purpose
- Beef Broth – low sodium
- Sour Cream – you can swap plain greek yogurt if desired
- Salt and Pepper
- Parsley
How To Make Swedish Meatball Sauce
MAKE A ROUX
Just like any typical gravy recipe, you’ll start by melting butter in a hot pan (preferably the one you just made the meatballs in), and then whisk in the flour. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes to really deepen the flavor of the gravy.
ADD BROTH
Once the flour has cooked gradually whisk in the beef broth, making sure to stir out any clumps that may form. Then add in the sour cream and season with salt and pepper.
HEAT MEATBALLS IN SAUCE
Return the seared meatballs to the sauce and let them get heated through. The sauce should thicken as it continues to cook.
What To Serve With Swedish Meatballs
Like I mentioned earlier, Swedish Meatballs are fantastic over fluffy mashed potatoes or even egg noodles.
Traditionally, Swedish Meatballs are also served with Lingonberry Sauce, which has a similar consistency and tartness as cranberry sauce.
Here are some more great side options for Swedish Meatballs…
- Steamed Peas
- Sautéed Zucchini
- Roasted Broccoli
- Brown Sugar Carrots
More Easy Meatball Recipes To Try:
Craving more easy and delicious meatball recipes? Here are some of our favorites!
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Super Easy Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
For The Swedish Meatballs
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp all spice, or nutmeg
- 1 lb. ground beef
- ½ lb. ground pork
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
For The Swedish Gravy
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ - 3 cups beef broth
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp finely minced parsley, divided
Instructions
For the Swedish Meatballs
- Combine the breadcrumbs, milk, egg, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and all spice in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes to soak breadcrumbs.
- Add in the ground beef, ground pork and parsley and mix with clean hands to shape 24 small meatballs. Set aside.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, add in the 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Cook the meatballs in a single layer, making sure to not crowd the pan, and sear the meatballs on all sides. You may have to do this in two batches. Set meatballs aside on a clean plate and cover with foil.
For the Gravy
- In the same pan that was used to cook the meatballs, add in the 5 tbsp of butter. Once it's melted gradually whisk in the flour until it's thick and somewhat crumbly.
- Slowly pour in the beef broth while whisking constantly until it's all added, making sure to scrap any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Start with 2 ½ cups and if you want a thinner gravy add in the remaining ½ cup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add in the sour cream and whisk to combine. Season with salt, pepper and half of the parsley.
- Add the meatballs back to the gravy and reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through.
- Serve meatballs over warm mashed potatoes and garnish with the extra parsley. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE:
Grilled BBQ Meatloaf Skewers
Dawn
This is one of my favorite go-to’s, it’s comfort food at its best. I serve them over mashed potatoes with peas per your suggestion, and the family leaves full and happy every time.
Jan
Everyone liked these. Easy to make.
Alicia M
I have never made these before and if I did I don’t think they tasted like this. They were so good. I ended up using 1 pound of each meat so I wasn’t splitting a pack but other than that I just added a tiny bit more for the meatballs. I put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes to try to harden them a little bit because I was worried they would fall apart. I did end up needing 2 batches initially and made the sauce adding more broth, I used beef bone broth and added a couple bullion cubes to add more beef flavor. The meatballs turned out really well the sauce was perfect and I used mashed potatoes on the bottom like suggested. I will probably make again.
ROSE
Hi All
I used veg broth just added rosemary and thyme
No eggs allergic in meatball add one chopped sauted onion and a splash of milk with few tablespoons of parm cheese
Turned out great
Jessica
I made this recipe last night, pretty much just as written. I’ve actually never had Swedish Meatballs before but I liked them and they were a hit in my household. I served them with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Very yummy, thanks for the recipe!
Jonetta
Made these once and they turned out amazing! A huge hit for my whole family. Going to make them again tonight but need to bake them as I am doubling the recipe for a group. How long and on what temp would you recommend baking them in the oven? Thanks again for such an awesome recipe. We serve it with mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce and it feels just like we’re at ikea.
Shawn
You can follow the baking instructions that I have for my baked meatballs here: https://iwashyoudry.com/easy-meatball-recipe/
Hope you enjoy!
Melissa
I am wondering how many .5 ounce store bought meatballs you would use for the amount of gravy?
Marie
I’m going to try this tomorrow can I use panko bread crumbs instead of plain bread crumbs?
Lynn
Delicious recipe. I made this for dinner and substituted the sour cream with the plain yogurt. The meal was really good! I used precooked frozen meatballs and served them with mashed potatoes and peas for my picky teen. Dinner was a hit and everyone got seconds. Thank you for sharing this easy recipe.
Bonnie Keeney
Do you make your own breadcrumbs or purchase plain ones from the store
Shawn
I usually just use plain breadcrumbs or seasoned breadcrumbs from the store.
Kelli
Just finished making mine, they’re simmering just now.
Very easy to make. I’m excited to see how they taste!
Anne
Since I used frozen plain meatballs, I put a touch of nutmeg in to the gravy. Also I was out of sour cream so I found out that we can substitute with milk and cream cheese blended together. It all turned out wonderful. We like ours over madhed potatoes.
Shawn
Love the tip! Thanks for sharing Anne!
Janice Fis
Can you freeze the meatballs before cooking? The gravy cones out so much better with the browned bits from the pan.
Shawn
Sure, you can freeze them before cooking. Just make sure when you do cook the meatballs that they cook all the way through.
Lynn
These meatballs are amazing. I am going to cheat like one of the other commenters and use a jar of beef gravy that was substituted in error just to get rid of it. I wish I had some fresh mushrooms to add. Love this!
Shawn
Mushrooms would be a great addition! Glad you’re enjoying them Lynn!