Swedish Meatballs are delicious tender beef meatballs in a hearty, rich cream sauce with a hint of allspice and nutmeg. They are the ultimate comfort meal and absolutely delicious, served over Amish egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
The Best Swedish Meatballs You’ll Ever Have
I have been making these for years, and my family loves and devours them every time I serve them. They are so much better than Ikea meatballs. You can thank me later! If you have never tried Swedish meatballs, you really must. They are indeed a real treat! They are super easy to prepare and can be cooked and on the table in about 30 minutes. Serve them with rice, egg noodles, mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, green beans almondine, roasted asparagus, or pickled cucumbers.
What are Swedish Meatballs?
The meatball itself is somewhat similar to the Italian meatball, with a little bit of allspice and nutmeg in place of the Italian herbs and spices. The sauce, however, is entirely different from an Italian sauce. It is a roux-based gravy that gets a significant portion of its flavor from the brown bits left in the pan after cooking the meatballs, sour cream, and nutmeg.
Swedish Meatball Ingredients
- Ground beef: use ground beef with a little fat in it
- Breadcrumbs: panko or homemade
- Onion: sweet yellow is best
- Garlic: fresh, of course
- Egg: a large one
- Seasonings: salt, black pepper, nutmeg allspice, and fresh parsley
- Butter: salted or unsalted
- All-purpose flour: Wondra flour is also excellent for making sauces and gravies.
- Beef broth: preferably low-sodium
- Sour cream: full-fat is best
How to make Swedish Meatballs
Mix the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, egg, salt, fresh ground black pepper, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and parsley in a large bowl. Shape the mixture into small meatballs and cook in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and cover them to keep them warm. If needed, work in batches to prevent overcrowding the pan.
Add the butter to the skillet and scrape to loosen the brown bits. Whisk in flour until smooth. Slowly whisk in beef broth and cook over medium heat until thickened, whisking frequently. Whisk in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sour cream. Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer for just a couple of minutes to warm. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve this dish over cooked egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Beth’s Recipe Tips
- Swedish meatballs are traditionally small, so roll them under an inch. I use my smallest cookie scoop.
- You can use ground pork or ground turkey instead of ground beef. Or a mixture of any or all of these.
- Wet your hands with cold water when rolling meatballs; if possible, add them to the pan while rolling them.
- If you prefer, you can roll the meatballs onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. However, I really like the brown bits off the bottom of the pan because they add flavor to the sauce.
- If the gravy becomes too thick, add a little bit more beef broth. Chicken broth and milk will work as well.
What to Serve with Swedish Meatballs
Storage and Reheat
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They can be reheated in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop over low heat.
To freeze, cool completely, then place in a sturdy freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop over low heat.
Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef see notes
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Swedish Meatball Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Mix the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, egg, salt, fresh ground black pepper, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and parsley together in a large bowl.
- Shape into small meatballs and cook in a large skillet over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through. Move the meatballs to a plate and cover the plate to keep them warm.
- Add the butter to the skillet over medium heat and scrape to loosen the brown bits. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook for 2 minutes while whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in the beef broth and cook until thickened, whisking frequently. Whisk in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sour cream.
- Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer for just a couple of minutes to warm. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve over cooked egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Swedish meatballs are traditionally small, so roll them under an inch. I use my smallest cookie scoop.
- You can use ground pork or ground turkey instead of ground beef. Or a mixture of any or all of these.
- Wet your hands with cold water when rolling meatballs, and if at all possible, add them to the pan while rolling them.
- If you prefer, you can roll the meatballs onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. That being said, I really like the brown bits of the bottom of the pan because they add flavor to the sauce.
- If the gravy becomes too thick, add a little bit more beef broth. Chicken broth and milk will work as well.
Nutrition
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Tammy
Swedish meatballs are just the ultimate comfort food go-to especially as the weather cools. It’s so hearty and fun…delicious dish!
Gennifer Rose
This is a delicious and easy recipe for me to get my kids to eat their protein! Kid-approved!
Celebrate Woman Today
This is a unique recipe. I like when a special sauce is included to make the food really incredible and memorable.
Catalina
Oh my goodness! I can’t stop eating these Swedish meatballs! I am so glad that I made them for dinner. The family is going to love them.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Catalina!
Allyson
I make these all the time and my kids absolutely love them!
Beth Pierce
Mine too!
Eric
I never knew Swedish meatballs were this easy or this delicious. I will make them again and again.
Amanda
This will be perfect for this chilly days that are coming soon!
Jeri Watson
What is the fat content of the ground beef you use? Thank you.
Beth Pierce
Usually 20% fat.
Angela
Swedish meatballs are a favorite at my house but I could never bring myself to add the nutmeg. After reading this I finally tried it. Thanks for sharing. Everyone at my house agreed they loved it!
Marie-Charlotte Chatelain
Gorgeous Photography! Love this dish but it needs to have the perfect gravy and yours looks simply perfect in texture. Not to much not too little and smooth and silky
Ana F.
These Swedish meatballs turned out amazing! They were a hit with the family over the weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
Jen
We have been craving these but we moved and our IKEA is very far away. This perfectly hit the spot!
Gina
I’ve always loved the swap of nutmeg for Italian spices in Swedish meatballs and the sauce is so comforting and cozy – one of our favorites!
Barbara Knotts
Awesome recipe! This dish turned out amazing! Definitely a keeper.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Barbara! So glad that you liked it!!
Karen Velthaus
Cold, rainy, windy day here in NY today. This was a great meal on this type of day. It was very tasty, thanks.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Karen! So glad that you liked it!!
Kv
Delicious!
bpierce
Thank you! 🙂