I don’t know about you, but I can’t go to Ikea without getting some of their iconic Swedish meatballs. But I can’t go to Ikea every time that craving hits, so we decided to make this budget-friendly homemade Swedish Meatballs recipe. These meatballs are easy enough for a cozy weeknight dinner, but indulgent enough for an impressive, dinner party main. Both hearty and comforting, these Swedish meatballs are like a hug on a plate with tender and juicy meatballs simmered in an easy and flavorful cream sauce. YUM!
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What are Swedish Meatballs?
Köttbullar, known in English as “Swedish meatballs” is a traditional Scandinavian dish of meatballs and gravy. Unlike Italian meatballs, the meat mixture for Swedish meatballs is flavored with allspice (and sometimes nutmeg). Then, after searing, they are nestled into a creamy sauce made with beef broth rather than a spicy, garlicky tomato sauce.
Ingredients for Swedish Meatballs
Here’s what you’ll need to make these insanely delicious homemade Swedish meatballs:
- Ground Beef and Ground Pork: We us a combination of beef and pork for these meatballs to get maximum flavor and a juicy, tender finish.
- Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs help hold moisture in the meatballs so they stay soft and tender as they simmer. The breadcrumbs also absorb all of that delicious flavor, so every meatball is 100% delicious!
- Egg: Egg combines with the breadcrumbs to form the glue that holds the meatballs together.
- Seasoning: The meatballs are seasoned with a mixture of nutmeg, allspice, garlic powder, and salt to give them a warm but not heavy flavor. The cream sauce is seasoned with nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper for a subtle umami flavor.
- Butter & Flour: Butter and flour create a roux that thickens the cream sauce.
- Beef Broth: Beef broth adds both volume and flavor to the cream sauce, and keeps it from being too heavy.
- Heavy Cream: Cream gives the cream sauce its classic rich flavor and creamy color. You can also substitute the heavy cream with sour cream for a tangier finish.
What to serve with Swedish meatballs
Swedish meatballs are typically served with mashed potatoes, but they’re also great served over egg noodles, or anything that will serve as a vehicle for that delicious cream sauce!
Traditional interpretations of this dish frequently include a slightly-sweetened Lingonberry jam, which has a similar flavor to cranberries or red currants. If you have leftover cranberry sauce from the holidays, that makes a great addition to this meal.
Can you Make Them Ahead?
Yes, you can make the meatballs a day ahead. Follow the recipe through the step for searing the meatballs. Allow the seared meatballs to cool completely before refrigerating. To reheat, simply add them to the freshly made cream sauce and simmer gently until heated through.
Tips for the Best Swedish Meatballs
Here are a few tips to make sure your Swedish Meatballs are the best Swedish Meatballs you’ve ever eaten:
- Don’t overmix the meat. If you mix too much when combining the ground meat with the breadcrumb mixture, the meatballs can become quite tough when they’re cooked.
- Make sure to brown the meatballs. The browned bits left in the pan after the meatballs are seared adds a lot of flavor to the cream sauce, so don’t be afraid to let them brown well. No blonde meatballs, please!
- Let the broth come up to a full simmer. The sauce will not thicken properly if the broth is not bubbling.
- Don’t use low fat cream (half and half) or low fat sour cream. The high fat content of the heavy cream keeps the sauce from curdling. Using a lighter dairy product could result in a grainy sauce.
Swedish Meatballs
Servings 4 4 meatballsIngredients
Meatballs
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs ($0.20)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp allspice ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 lb. ground pork ($0.99)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($2.65)
- 1 large egg, lightly whisked ($0.32)
Cream Sauce
- 4 Tbsp butter, divided ($0.60)
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.03)
- 2 cups beef broth* ($0.24)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg ($0.01)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream ($0.55)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish) ($0.10)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, nutmeg, allspice, garlic powder, and salt. (Note: Mixing the dry ingredients first will ensure the seasoning is evenly distributed throughout the meatballs and prevent you from overworking the meat mixture.)
- Meanwhile, add the pork and beef to a large bowl. Lightly whisk the egg, then add it to the bowl with the meat. Lastly, add the breadcrumb mixture.
- Use your hands to mix the meat and seasonings together until evenly combined, but avoid overmixing.
- Divide and shape the meat mixture into 16 meatballs, about 1.5 Tbsp each.
- Add 1 Tbsp of the butter to a large skillet and heat over medium. When the butter is melted and foaming, add the meatballs. Cook for a minute or two on each side, or until well browned. The meatballs do not need to be cooked through at this point.
- Remove the browned meatballs from the skillet. Add the remaining 3 Tbsp butter and the flour. Whisk the butter and flour together as the butter melts. Cook the butter and flour mixture for about two minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the beef broth, making sure to release all of the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Allow the broth to come up to a simmer, at which point it will thicken.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, pepper, nutmeg, and heavy cream. Taste the cream sauce and adjust the salt or seasonings to your liking.
- Return the meatballs to the skillet and stir to coat in the sauce. Heat the meatballs over low, stirring occasionally, until heated through (about 5 minutes).
- Serve the meatballs over mashed potatoes or egg noodles with a little chopped fresh parsley and cracked pepper for garnish.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Swedish Meatballs – Step by Step Photos
Add ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs to a bowl along with ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and ¼ tsp salt and stir until evenly combined.
Add ½ lb. ground pork, ½ lb. ground beef, the breadcrumb mixture, and one lightly whisked large egg to a bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together until evenly combined. Avoid over-mixing because that will make the meatballs tough.
Divide the mixture into 16 meatballs, about 1.5 Tbsp each, and shape them into balls.
Add 1 Tbsp butter to a large skillet and heat over medium. When the butter is melted and foaming, add the meatballs. Cook the meatballs, turning occasionally until they are well browned. The meatballs do not need to be cooked through at this point.
Remove the browned meatballs from the skillet and add 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour and the remaining 3 Tbsp butter to the skillet.
Continue to cook the butter and flour over medium heat for about 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
Slowly pour in 2 cups beef broth while whisking, making sure to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Cook and stir the mixture over medium heat until it comes up to a simmer, at which point it will thicken into a thick sauce.
Add 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, ⅛ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp pepper, and ⅓ cup heavy cream to the sauce, and stir to combine. Taste the cream sauce and adjust the salt or other seasonings to your liking.
Add the meatballs back to the skillet and stir to coat in the cream sauce.
Let the meatballs simmer in the sauce until cooked through (about 5 minutes).
Serve the meatballs and sauce over a bed of mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Top with chopped parsley and more pepper if desired.
Ooooh, look at that rich cream sauce! So lush!
Delicious Swedish Meatball dinner served! Thanks for the easy to follow recipe.
Look here y’all. If you have to go gluten free, cup4cup flour works fine in the roux, I also used Aeliea’s panko breadcrumbs and the Jovial brown rice egg tagliatelle pasta is perfect with it: https://jovialfoods.com/100-organic-gluten-free-brown-rice-pasta-egg-tagliatelle
I’m sure any unseasoned gf breadcrumb or gf flour will be fine and I HIGHLY recommend that pasta. This turned out delicious and I’m putting it in my regular rotation.
Like your receipes
What a great recipe! I only had half and half in my fridge and they still turned out delicious!
I made this tonight for my husband and I. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!!
We had these tonight, and I am pleased to share that they also go really well over Instant Pot risotto.
I doubled the meatballs but not the sauce, and we had a good proportion of each for both dinner and next-day leftovers.
Awesome! I used frozen meatballs and it was spectacular!
Delicious!
I had to make it dairy free, so I subbed Trader Joe’s buttery spread for the butter, and coconut milk for the cream.
The flavor was amazing, even better the next day. Will make again
Could I get some more insight on step 5, where the recipe says to cook for 1-2 mins on each side but they don’t have to be cooked through? I have made this recipe a few times now but my meatballs are always bright, bright pink-red in the center and never get as nicely browned as the picture. What am I doing wrong?
Sure, I’m glad to help! If they’re not getting that brown, then it sounds like you need to turn up the heat under your skillet a bit (every stove top is a little different, so sometimes you have to adjust). Make sure they get nice and brown when they’re in the skillet at that step and then later, when you add them back to the gravy, you’ll let them simmer more until they’re cooked through. You can either open one up to see if it’s cooked inside or try to use an instant read thermometer, but since the meatballs are so small that can be difficult. You really have a lot of flexibility in the simmer step, though, to make sure they cook through at that point. :)
Great recipe! All the ratios and seasonings were just perfect (I’ve found with other recipes the gravy turns out too gluggy). The recipe was also extremely easy and only took me about 30 minutes to put together.
I’ve made this twice and it’s so good!! This last time I only had beef and the recipe worked just fine. The whole family loved it.
I made this for my family last night and it was a huge hit! My husband said it its officially on his Top 5 list for dinners. I’m planning on making a double batch next time so I can have some meatballs in the freezer.
This was so good! I had it with cranberry sauce on the side (to substitute for lingonberry jam) and it was delicious. Recipe was easy and used things I always have in my pantry.
This was outstanding! We felt so hygge while eating this by our fireplace! Such a comforting meal!
Glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for teaching me a new word today! ~Marion :)
Delicious! Thank you!
Unbelievably good. My husband prefers not to eat red meat for his health, so I used turkey instead, and it was still 10/10 good. Maybe 12/10. Anyway, the first taste made me gasp and I ate way too much of it, but it was a cold January night and hit the spot 100%. Will make again, and again, and again.
I just found your website and this is the first recipe we tried – absolutely delicious! This is the best swedish meatball recipe that we have ever made and has earned its place in the cook book permanently. Thanks for sharing!
These were tasty! I served them with egg noodles and green beans. I think next time I’d add a little grated onion to the meat mixture, just for a little extra flavor. The gravy came together beautifully!
Loving too cook more !!!
What about the possibility of using ground turkey to make these meatballs?
Hi, Christopher! Since we haven’t tested the recipe with ground turkey, I can’t promise you will achieve equally successful results. But you should try it out and let us know how it goes! I will say, turkey meat has significantly less fat than both pork and beef mince, which could make rolling the mixture together into balls that totally stick together a little tougher. If that’s the case, consider adding a splash of heavy cream to help bind the meat mixture together. — Marion :)
Made tonight using ground Turkey and perfecto!!!
Love to hear that!
Just made this for dinner tonight with mashed potatoes. Delicious and comforting! Everyone loved it.
Very delicious. Didn’t know I was craving these until the email popped into my inbox. I’ve been searching for a decent köttbullar to put in some delish gravy. My family’s köttbullar recipe is so rich and nice they’d be ruined with gravy, but these are perfect. But I did add white pepper, cardamom, minced onion, and heavy cream to the köttbullar and added white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and garlic salt to the gravy. Perfect for St. Lucia Day. Tack så mycket!
I am cooking now for one person. Can I freeze the gravy? Cream ususally does not do well freezing. I guess I could make a smaller batch of gravy, but I would still make the meatballs and freeze for another meal. Good to see an alternate to tomato based sauce/gravy. I find traditional tomato sauces don’t sit well with me anymore. Will definitely try this. Thank you.
Hi, Barb! I would only recommend making the meatballs ahead, as explained in the section of the blog post “CAN YOU MAKE THEM AHEAD?” They can even be frozen if desired. However, I would make the gravy fresh each time, perhaps halving the recipe and making it in a smaller skillet, so you don’t end up with too much or waste ingredients. The math for that is easy on most of the ingredients — except the heavy cream, and half of that would be about 3 Tbsp. Best, Marion :)
Hi Marion, thank you for your reply. It’s helpful. Budget Bytes is such a great site and fun as well.
Of course! We love to cook and help others be successful, too! Reach out if you ever have a question about any recipe! — Marion :)
really good – easy, too!
Just had these for dinner and we LOVED them! Thank you for the amazing recipe!
It’s like you read my mind! I have been craving Swedish meatballs for days now with the weather being so wet and cold where I live. I’m sitting down with a plate of these now, and they are absolutely fantastic! The gravy is rich and smooth. The meatballs are juicy and seasoned just right (not bland at all like I worried about with only half a teaspoon of spices for a pound of meat). I’m writing this one down in my recipe book as soon as I’m done eating.
This looks the closest I have seen to my Swedish grandma’s. Plus allspice and nutmeg is spot on!
Do you think this would taste good all beef without pork?
Love your recipes – thanks for helping me eat well on a budget :)
Hi, Melinda! You can definitely use all beef — but since pork has a higher fat content, and that will be a little bit lacking in your meat mixture — which would probably be fine! I would reach for a fattier ground beef (like a 70/30 ratio v. 80/20) if you can find it. — Marion :)
Very good Swedish Meatballs, delicious over noodles!
This is very similar to the Danish frikadeller I grew up eating. My Danish grandmother and my mom skipped any form of garlic and grated plenty of onion into the meat mix, as Tone and Annika mentioned. I’m not sure onion powder would have hit the flavor profile. Plus, in my family, the sauce used way more cream. I make about a triple recipe, leaning heavy on pork in the mix (usually 2 lb gr pork to 1 lb gr beef) and always cook the meatballs in the oven. With plenty to freeze, I make the sauce fresh every time.
I never thought I’d see kjötbullar on this site! =D our family usually browns the butter to get a more brown look to our gravy. Only thing I am questioning is why the use of garlic powder? It’s not very common to put in, in most kjöttbullar recipes over here in Scandinavia it’s far more common to add onions, either raw into the mixture or cooked before blended with the eggs and breadcrumb mixture.
Hi, Tone! Yes, you’re very much correct to say that using onions is traditional while garlic is not. However, when testing, Beth found she liked that flavor more so that’s what she decided to include. This is not meant to be a traditional interpretation — and one of the (many) reasons we took care to include links to a traditional version in the post. Substituting onion powder for the garlic powder would be a great way to make this dish a bit more authentic if that’s what you’re craving! — Marion :)
Haha, no, I was just so surprised by the addition of the garlic.
Hit reply too soon! I mean, I do suppose that it fits the flavours, allspice, nutmeg, garlic and meat is very good combo, especially in the Greek kitchen, but initially the idea of putting it in kjötbullar was so alien to me, haha! Maybe I will try sometime this week and see if I think it fits. The recipie does look good otherwise.
Another tip; if you can get it, a slice or two of brown cheese in the sauce. More of a Norwegian spin, but it’s really good =D
I make something very similar, but I bake the meatballs all the way through (400F, 12 min for small, 20 min for larger ones), cool, and then freeze. Then when its on the schedule for dinner, I only have to make the sauce (and throw in the cooked meatballs to thaw / heat through) while the potatoes are boiling.
Really can’t wait to make the Swedish Meatballs. Both my Grandmothers made them, and my Mom. Always my favorite, now at 67 years old, and not a cook, I’m sure I can follow the recipe well enough to make a delicious meal.
Thanks for posting the recipe.
Just made this tonight for the family. My toddler gobbled it up (the gravy was her favourite) and the picky eater preteen really loved it & commented on how nice the gravy was with the mash. Husband loved it too & so did I. Will definitely be adding to our meal rotation. Thanks!
Some comments from the land of meatballs (and IKEA); allspice and nutmeg are typically Christmas spiced meatballs. You can also go with white pepper and onion powder. Most Swedish recipes will have a little milk or cream in the meat mix to make the balls a little less dense.
The meat balls can be made from only ground beef to pure ground pork and any mix in between. I’m from the south of Sweden where we mostly use only pork. And we are not particularly picky, if you have ground moose or deer, throw that in as well and call it game meat balls.
I you are cooking for a crowd (or meal prepping and stuffing your freezer) put the raw meat mixture in a large piping bag and pipe long ropes on a damp cutting board. Then cut even pieces and roll. Saves a lot of time! And you can cook them in the oven on a piece of grease proof paper (375°F for 10-15 min depending on size) and fry them up in some butter just before serving. Excellent to freeze like that. When browned in butter and with a freshly cooked sauce nobody can tell they have been prepared before.
It is cold and wet here in the PNW, so this meal hit the spot. I used ground pork instead of the meat mix, and served the meatballs over steamed baby red potatoes. The gravy really made the meal. The beef flavored better than bullion was so good with the meat balls. I also fried the meatballs in the air fryer. Thank you Marion!
You’re welcome! It was so fun to work with Beth on this — she’s a GENIUS! We will have to give the air fryer a shot next time we’re working on a meatball recipe. Best, Marion :)
At what point in the recipe are the meatballs cooked through?
Hi, Issac! They will be completely cooked after you return the meatballs to the skillet and allow them to simmer in the gravy, on low, for about 5 minutes.
If you are making the meatballs ahead of time, you should make sure to cook them all the way through during the first cook (while browning them in the skillet), so that each meatball hit an internal temperature of 145*F (and 165*F when reheating).
— Marion :)