Swedish Meatballs
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Nothing beats homemade meatballs smothered in a creamy gravy sauce, and yes, they taste so much better than the IKEA version!
Remember those trips to Ikea where the budget-friendly furniture finds are the last things on your mind but all you can think about are those amazing swedish meatballs? Well, that was always me. But since we’ve moved to the Bay Area, our nearest Ikea is in the middle of the most trafficked area in the entire city so it’s really hard to get my swedish meatball fix when needed. Thankfully, I’ve found a homemade version that tastes even better than the original.
These swedish meatballs have been on my bucket list for nearly 3 years, and I’m so glad to finally cross this off my list. I don’t know why it took me so long to make it – it’s so easy to make and it really tastes a million times better than the Ikea version. Plus, you can always make a huge batch of meatballs (by either doubling or tripling the recipe) and storing the uncooked meatballs in the freezer. When you have that swedish meatball craving, you can just defrost these babies overnight. So simple and easy, right?
And the sauce – you can’t forget about that creamy, heavenly gravy sauce that these meatballs are smothered in with the browned up meatball bits. Those meatball bits stuck to the bottom of the pan really make the gravy what it is. I could practically drink it! Just be sure to make a little bit extra if you serve these over a bed of egg noodles – you’ll really want a portion to slurp down!
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ cup Panko*
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the gravy
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups beef broth
- ¾ cup sour cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Panko, egg yolks, allspice, nutmeg and cooked onion; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- To make the gravy, melt butter in the skillet. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in beef broth and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in sour cream; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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This turned out amazing. When I googled Swedish meatball recipes and saw Damn Delicious had one I knew it would be because you never disappoint, but I wasn’t expecting the level of how much I loved these.
Super simple and easy to make. I did worry about my ability to brown all sides so after the first minute I flipped the balls and put a lid on for the last 4 minutes and shook the pan occasionally.
Served over mashed potatoes with a side of green beans. 10/10 will put in my regular rotation.
This is my go to recipe for Swedish meatballs!
Best recipe ever. My family loves this. Making this again tonight for dinner.
Can I add sautéed mushrooms to the gravy or do you think it would taste funny because of the nutmeg and allspice?
Looking forward to making this recipe and I wanted to ask if you or others have added sautéed mushrooms to the sauce?
Thank you .
Been making this receptor for years it’s my fav go too !!!
I have made this dozen of times with no ingredient substitutions and love it. I find making the meatballs the night before and putting in the fridge helps them from falling apart. This is our go to MN Vikings Sunday football party appetizer (put in crockpot on low/warm). Thank you very much for this delicious recipe.
great recipe, been using it for a few years! panicked because i could not find it in my mobile browser history because i havent made it since last winter! lucky it was still in my desktop history! i love the addition of pork it makes for really yummy meatballs -will be making tonight with tagliatelle noodles . will sub sour cream with greek yogurt to avoid another trip to the store. thanks so much!
My go to that everyone loves!!!
I’ve made this several times and is delicious each time. The only thing I change is to use all ground beef.
Always a hit at our house. Thanks for the recipe.
I made these meatballs a while back and they were really the best . I’m going make them again for a special occasion , like maybe a milestone birthday coming soon . Love them !
i absolutely love your recipe. I have been using it for a few years now and I needed to let you know that it has withstood the test of time. I go to this one everytime I want swedish meatballs. I cannot hank you enough!!
This has been my go to recipe for Swedish meatballs for years now. Figured I should contribute a comment. Haha. It’s a very straight forward recipe. Easy to follow and never disappoints!
These were amazing!!! We made them as is other then did not add any additional salt and pepper, it did not need it. We served over mashed potatoes…added sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese to the potatoes. Thank you
Last night, I couldn’t get to the store for beef broth, so I substituted chicken demiglace, and it made the texture and taste of the gravy really excellent! I threw in some Worcester sauce to make up for the missing beef taste.
I bought some instant demiglace mix for a recipe once, and it hangs out in my fridge. Whenever I need broth for a sauce and sub it in, it always ends up improving the recipe! I don’t even really know what demiglace is, but it’s magical!
This has been my go-to recipe for Swedish meatballs for about a year now because my husband loves Ikea Swedish meatballs. I had been using a German grandma’s recipe for ages, and this has so much more flavor! Thanks for helping me break out of tradition : -)
I made these before and they turned out excellent, so I’m making again for Christmas morn. One vital question and I’ve seen other people asking this, but they got no answer……
Can you freeze these (with gravy) after they are cooked and cooled???? thanks for your response
You can freeze the meatballs only. The sauce will be grainy or may split when reheating after being frozen.
You can freeze the meatballs. I triple the meatball recipe only, Prepare the sauce. When I want to make them again, I defrost the meatballs, bake them off (350° F for 30 minutes or so), prepare the sauce using the pan drippings. Tasty and quick.
I have frozen the meatballs with gravy many times. Heat on low and add a bit of milk and it is just as creamy and delicious.
Great recipe. I use onion dip in place of sour cream for extra flavor.
Excellent recipe. I use frozen meatballs with the sauce for a quick, weekday meal.
I used frozen meatballs and seasoned them with above seasonings and the sauce. It was a hit with the family. Great recipe
Damned delicious! Even my home chef brother-in-law liked it! I served it over egg noodles and had plenty of sauce!
I love this recipe and made it many times. If I’m in a hurry I cook the meatballs in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes while making the gravy on the stove.
What size skillet should I use? Thank you. Can’t wait to make.
Excellent recipe! I made just the sauce and used frozen ready made meatballs and it was so simple, fast to make and delicious. I added freshly ground pepper, parsley and a dash of smoked paprika at the end. Yum! Thank you for a great staple recipe as always!
Finally a Swedish meatball recipe that I love. Thank you.
Omg!!! These meatballs were absolutely delicious. I will one hundred percent make these again!!❤️❤️
This recipe is a favorite of my family in regular rotation! Thank you
Nice flavours. Easy to follow recipe. However, the sauce didn’t thicken up as much as I would have liked and the sour cream should be added at the end when the heat is turned off. Otherwise it curdles and splits.
We enjoyed this recipe very much. I followed the recipe and after I sauteed the meatballs there was a substantial amount of grease in the pan. I drained most of it leaving the browned bits of onion and meat. I added the butter, flour, and broth as directed. While the gravy was initially thin, it thickened up after I added the sour cream and then the meatballs to heat through. The gravy was just the right consistency. I wouldn’t add any more flour to this mix–it would be too thick. The recipe made 28 meatballs, but I made them a little smaller than the recipe stated. The allspice and nutmeg really complimented the pork and beef and the gravy added even more flavor!
First time trying to make Swedish meatballs. I used turkey as I had some that needed to be used. Followed the rest of the recipe as written (except I did not read the directions and didn’t sauté the onions ) but it was very tasty and flavorful. I had the same issues as some others with my sauce not thickening, so thank you for those comments, I used the cornstarch suggestion. I did add Dijon mustard to the sauce as I thought it was smidge bland. Served over egg noodles- delish! Lots of leftovers and sauce.
Made this last night and it turned out excellent! Took some of the reviews to heart and went “light” on the nutmeg and allspice. (about half) and it turned out great. 2 pounds of meat is enough for dinner and some leftovers. Will definitely make this again to freeze.
Very good flavor in the meatballs and sauce. Sauce/ gravybwas way too thin, added 2 Tbs. of cornstarch , it turned out great.
Fabulous recipe! So delicious .. although I used pork mince. So light & tasty! Now a family favourite. Yummy
Your recipe is awesome! I made mine into a meatloaf and added Worcestershire sauce to the meatloaf and the sauce. Also threw in some mushrooms in that lovely sauce. Yum!!!!
Loved this but added more flour and sour cream to thicken and add more flavor
These meatballs and gravy have excellent flavor! They are easy to make and get a lot of flavor in such a short cooking time. BUT, the gravy as written was way too thin. Next time I’ll lessen the broth by a cup or keep the 4 c. of broth and up the amount of flour to 2/3 cup. I also added a healthy dash of Worcestershire Sauce. My family enjoyed the recipe. Served with roasted red potatoes and veggies.
Sooo delicious! It is unanimous with my whole family, including my grandchildren, this recipe’s a keeper and there was enough sauce/gravy miammnm!
Thank you!
My family loved these meatballs. A fabulous meal on a cold night.
After weeks of snow shoveling and Nordic Skiing this month, I thought the family was entitled to Swedish Meatballs. This recipe is delicious and quick! I love the tweak of cooking the onion before adding to the ground meat and preparing the gravy in the same pan that is used to brown the meatballs. For those that asked, I drain the grease but keep the brown bits to make the gravy. I use Better than Broth for Beef Broth. It’s tasty and doesn’t have the extra vegetable stock flavor that makes some of my recipes taste like beef stew. My only change is to reduce the broth to 3 cups as the recipe makes lot of gravy.
This recipe is a favorite at my house. It’s so easy to make and everyone loves it.
I have a silly question: Is there any reason why I can’t freeze the cooked leftover portions? I don’t normally freeze leftovers but thought I might double this and freeze some of the cooked portion, then just defrost and heat up.
This is the 13th time (my baker’s dozen) I’ve made this recipe. And I’m grateful every single time I taste it. Perfect for cold winter days.
I have a friend from Sweden, and a cousin-in-law who travels to Sweden quite often. They keep asking for the recipe but I refuse to give it to them.
I know. I know. It helps the post to get as many likes as possible, but I feel clever knowing something they don’t.
They’re just so damn delicious!
I made this to the letter. No changes whatsoever, and it was perfect. This dish brought me back to the IKEA store that I’ve not visited in a looong time (we have none in the Philippines) so I’m so happy! I also made the cranberry orange sauce that’s also posted here, and maaannnn. That sealed the deal for me. My family loved it and I got major compliments. Thank you!
I haven’t made these yet. But I was wondering just anyone done the nutrition info?
Made this tonight and found the gravy a little bland. I added in some Worcestershire sauce and that did the trick. I think next time I might add some diced shallots too.
Overall good, quick and easy. Will make again.
Seriously the best – I threw two whole eggs in, subbed the beef broth with whatever broth I had in the cupboard and water to equal 4 cups (I added more salt to comp for the broth), plant butter because DH and I are lactose intolerant and coconut cream with four spoons of lemon juice for the sour cream. Excellent with steamed potatoes and lingonberry sauce. Family loved it! Thanks!
Tank u so much. Now I can make this for my sister.
My family loved these meatballs. The gravy was awesome. It was my first time getting gravy right.
I used 1/4 cup sour cream, about 2 tablespoons of no salt seasoning and chicken broth. I substituted gluten free flour and breadcrumbs, plant based meatballs and lean turkey meat. Definitely adding to my regular menu. In addition I made mash potatoes and cranberry sauce for topping.
I made this tonight! I decided to bake the meatballs for 20min at 200 and added just a dash of wor Hester shire to the gravy. It was so so delicious. My family gobbled it up. Definitely adding it to the regular monthly menu.
Help – how do I “season to taste” raw ground pork and beef? Can someone give me a better measurement. The worst meatball is an under/over seasoned meatball. Thank you
I have a heated skilled ready, and I cook a tiny amount of the seasoned meat to taste it for seasoning. Just a little teaspoon’s worth. Hope this helps!
The “general rule” is to use 1 tsp salt for each pound of meat.. according to many sites I’ve encountered..
Molto buono! Very good recipe. My family does not like sour cream, so we substituted 1 cup of heavy cream. The meatballs come out tender and extremely flavorful, and the gravy is an excellent topping. This recipe is going in the family cookbook!
After searching through all of the recipes that come up, this one has by far been the best and is my go to. I’ve made it several times this year. On Egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes is delicious, I’m not even sure which i like best they’re all so good. Sometimes I add Campbell’s beef consommé in with some of the beef broth, really adds a robust beef flavor. Not great for sodium but…oh well! Thank you for posting this amazing recipe 🙂
Yes to the beef consume. It has a kick and helps thicken the gravy as the consume has a bit of gelatin in it.
FANTASTIC. I PAN FIEND THE MEATBALL TO GET THE TEXTURE I wanted. Then baked for 20 nins at 400 (160 degrees internal) . Add I added a big spoonful of Dijon mustard to the sauce. Wow!
They were very good! Can the meatballs and gravy be frozen?
Ive made this numerous times! It is wonderful.
Just made this , oh damn is it good. Cause could of been a little thicker. But great taste. Put a little extra spice in but filled the recipe for most part put it over butter noodles
I’m planning on making these but I’m wondering if I could sub out the beef and pork for chicken?
I make mine with ground turkey, so you could use ground chicken if you choose to. It does change the taste and even the consistency of the meatballs a bit, but they are still very delicious.
I wanted to thank you for adding a regular meal in our routine! I was missing the nutmeg (but discovered I had 5 other Allspices hiding in my cabinet!) it was still fantastic!! I actually have never ate the meatballs from IKEA. We never had one in our city! My family and I love this recipe! Thank you!
Excellent recipe. I added a pinch of garlic powder and allspice to the meat, used a bit less broth for the gravy, and served it, some crema, and home made cranberry sauce on the side to accompany baby potatoes – for a more upscale, but still IKEA-adjacent experience! My guests were very pleased. This is an excellent base recipe that I’ll be using again and again with minor modifications. Thank you muchly.
Made this for dinner tonight, family loved it! Only things I did different are: I added cornstarch (to water, mixed, & then added to gravy) because I found 4 cups of broth was too much & it wasn’t thickening at all. & the other thing, I added extra seasonings to the gravy. Parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, & a bit of seasoned salt (as well as the regular salt). We served it over egg noodles! Yum!
I understand that some people loathe when others rate recipes after they’ve modified them, but I did so with ingredients that should be pantry staples for most. Firstly, I used a blend of half turkey thigh and half turkey breast meat as our household does not eat red meat. For the meatball mix, I only cooked down half an onion and added: a couple teaspoons of minced garlic, roughly 1/2 t both onion and garlic powder, ~1 t both Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce, and a pinch of white pepper / salt (I wanted them to be flavor-bombs and they were!). I had to add a smidge more panko since my mixture was a bit more wet than it would have been had I used beef/pork and considering my liquid additions. I let them chill in the fridge for about an hour then formed and baked them (at 400ºF for 20 minutes, turning once).
For the sauce I also added a couple teaspoons of each soy sauce and Worcestershire, 1/2 t onion & garlic powder, a pinch more nutmeg/allspice, and salted to taste. The sauce needed to thicken for about 10 minutes on low heat, which was fine since I wanted that oh-so-good fond that had formed on the meatballs get incorporated into the sauce. I do not believe this made a “ton of sauce” as some stated considering how many meatballs there were. Served over egg noodles. I’m not going to pretend this is a healthy meal with the sodium content (especially with regard to my modifications, lol), but I really enjoyed it and know leftovers will be even better. Also, this was not nearly as labor intensive as I had anticipated (because I chose to bake them, I’m sure), and took under an hour and made a ton of food. Thank you so much for providing a wonderful backbone recipe!
If you are going to change a recipe that much, why don’t you start your own blog?
Exactly! Thank you!
First, I loved this recipe! It is a good base for many or no adjustments. Thank all of you open minded people for all of your ideas. I added some garlic to the meatballs and used Worcestershire sauce in the gravy also. Now ,why would someone tell another that they should “ start their own blog”? Really?! Your attitude just tells everyone to ignore you. You are one of those haters. I personally and I believe most of us WANT to hear the additions. People have varied tastes. Can you imagine alllll these reviews saying nothing but…” it’s a good recipe”?! Lots of times people don’t have a spice or herb OR have eating restrictions and these people want to hear how others fixed the recipe. How boring that someone wants all of us to not change the recipe. ( your comments were cruel, not realistic, and now we know what kind of person you are, go start your own blog, LOL)
I would say use sausage instead of just ground pork. It’s already seasoned. That and the allspice and nutmeg along with the onion and beef stock, sour cream etc, i can’t imagine how it could possibly be bland
I agree with you Beth. I like to read what tweaks people do to a recipe because people do have different taste buds and food does taste differently to people due to their own personal biology. Plus turkey and chicken may need more flavor as they may be more bland. A friend of mine does not eat pork and is allergic to beef so if you don’t like tweaking a recipe than don’t and keep that to yourself as not everyone is like you either!
I personally don’t mind hearing what other people did but then don’t go RATE the recipe, you didn’t make it! If I’m reading this review it’s because I want to knock how THIS turned out, not your homemade version!
I found your additions helpful! I look through comments partly to get new ideas. Will do a couple of them, thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing your changes. I’m searching the contents specifically to see if any one had success using ground turkey. The addition of Worcestershire and/or soy sauce seems to be a pretty common adjustment to the recipe. I’ll probably skip the soy sauce, but I love some Lea & Perrins!
I agree with Mary Ann! Do what you want to the recipe but don’t come on here with a completely different recipe and rate it as this one? It’s not this recipe any modifications done to this recipe I NOT this recipe. I wasn’t planning on commenting but I had to because people don’t understand a dash of this and a tad of that is NOT this recipe!!! I made is exactly as its posted for a dinner party and everyone loved it. I doubled the recipe and put it in a slow cooker on low for a few hours and they came out so delicious I would definitely do that again. Thank you for a fabulous recipe it brought back memories of my Swedish Grandmother-in-laws Swedish meatballs.
Quit being a “Karen”! Some of us like to brainstorm with other ideas and I am sure Chungah would agree
I make mine with ground turkey, so you could use ground chicken if you choose to. It does change the taste and even the consistency of the meatballs a bit, but they are still very delicious.
This was super tasty! I used all lean ground beef for my meatballs as I am not a fan of pork, and used ripped up bread bits mashed in milk instead of Panko crumbs (which I didn’t have.) I have a question though: I found the gravy to be a bit fatty – do you drain the fat from the meatballs before making the gravy? It wasn’t in the recipe but thought perhaps that was just implied. Thank you!
How are you going to change the recipe and then rate it low?
Doesn’t make sense
We just had an amazing dinner tonight, thanks to you sharing your recipe! Already bookmarked and waiting for the next time we “crave” this heavenly taste…which will be soon!
My family and I highly recommend trying this dish…as is, no substutions or additions needed! Perfection in a pan…thanks again!
So good! My husband found this recipe and I made it today as part of our game day munchies. I made it as directed and we loved it! The gravy!! OMG! I could bathe in that! I’ll admit, I used to make the IKEA meatballs using their mix, but I will just make these from now on. They’re that good.
Oh. My. Goodness. What a wonderful recipe. I made this last night following the recipe to the letter. My husband couldn’t stop oohing and aahing all through dinner. There were a few meatballs left and he decided to claim them for lunch today. We WILL be having these again — sooner rather than later!
I love IKEA Swedish meatballs, I didn’t use homemade meatballs, I made frozen turkey meatballs, I also added 3 beef bullion cubes for extra pizazz. This recipe rocks!
Thank You!
Love, love, love this, made it for the first time today. Followed the recipe to a tee, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m a single person, so I’m going to freeze some of it and hope it will be fine since it has sour cream in it. Thanks for the recipe and keep them coming
Chungah, love this! I probably reviewed this the first time I made it but today was the best! I followed your recipe exactly. I sauteed the onions until they were melting soft. Mixed it all up and left it in the fridge for 24 hours. Then made the balls and served with papardelle. There is sooo much gravy, I want to drink it. I actually made extra meat mix and froze the balls so they’ll be ready to go next time. Thank you for your great recipes!
I’ve been making this recipe for my family for several years now. My husband always asks for this when I ask him what he wants for dinner…..easy and yummy. i serve mine with steamed rice.
I’m definitely going to try this recipe soon. Could I use half and half cream instead of sour cream?
I wouldn’t. You need the tang from the sour cream to make it taste right. I used fat free sour cream and it tasted great.
Delicious as is cook the meatballs in half olive oil half butter, will make this again. Going in the family rotation.
Excellent meatballs and sauce. I too added two Tbsp worcestershire to the sauce. Also added about 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp onion powder to the meatball mix. Want to kick it up a notch? Parbroil 4-8 oz of sliced mushrooms and put them in the sauce. I bake my meatballs at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Less splatter and less grease.
These were so good! My family loved them. In order to add extra flavor to the gravy, I used the grease from the meatballs, I also used butter rather than oil for cooking the onions and meatballs, which gave everything a richer more desirable flavor. The meatballs came out flavorful and juicy and the gravy was perfectly rich and creamy. Together it was a superb combo that I served over zucchini noodles. I highly recommend this dish as its is delicious and can easily be adjusted and personalized to add more flavor or creaminess in to the dish.
It was really easy. We enjoyed it. Since had other meatballs I added some nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce to the gravy as it was a little bland to start. Will make again for sure.
what is the serving size for the Calories 553.8? thanks
So good! I baked my meatballs and added some soy sauce to gravy. Otherwise followed recipe. Definitely a keeper.
This was excellent recipe. I do confess I used butter in stead of olive oil. Other than that, I did exactly as the recipe was written. I highly recommend this recipe!
This was a huge hit with the whole family. Delicious!
I’ve used this recipe several times and have modified the recipe but this is an excellent recipe and one that I will continue to use. I would like to add that for sides, I made roasted red potatoes and wide eye egg noodles.
Anyway, this recipe is Damn Delicious!
My familys favorite meatball recipe! I first found and cooked this recipe about 2-3yrs ago. It is absolutely wonderful. The sauce is in no way too thick and the whope process is very simple. I have never cooked it with ground beef as I always have ground venison (elk or blacktail deer) of some variety in my freezer. I do brown the meatballs for much longer than the recipe calls for, I brown them till they are cooked through. I serve them over wide egg noodles. Try this recipe, your family Will thank you for it!
Question?? If I use frozen meatballs should I modify the sauce in any way? Like add the allspice or nutmeg to the sauce? Thanks!!
This is my go-to for Swedish meatballs. I mostly make it from scratch but sometimes I use frozen Swedish meatballs if I’m short on time. In that case I sauté the onions a little first and add in the meatballs to cook. Then I add a little nutmeg to the gravy. Either way I also add a little Better Than Boullion beef to the gravy to give it a richer flavour.
This has become my all-time favourite meatball recipe.
It’s so simple and can be adapted easily – don’t have time to make meatballs? Use frozen. Don’t want to go through the hassle of frying up homemade meatballs? You can cook them in the oven on a foil-lined tray to save mess, while you prepare the sauce on the stove-top. And you can pour them on anything – rice, egg noodles, potatoes.
Even though some of the ingredients are rich, it never seems too overdone. I made a similar meatball & mushroom soup recipe, and it felt so much heavier and stodgier than this one. This is a perfect comfort food recipe, that I will return to forever!
I love Damn Delicious recipes! The wife and I like it for ideas!
I hate that people post about what they changed and how much. Keep to your self. We change it to our own taste all the time, but don’t feel the need to post it! Cooking should be each to there own. Just thankful for the tasty ideas!
Hi Chris, sorry but I ALWAYS look for what people changed in the recipe. It is very helpful in case all items are not on hand or something we don’t like
I made this tonight for my husband and I. Of course with slight modifications as I had to use what we had on hand. My husband thought that it smelled so good and had to try a piece to see what it tasted like mid cooking… I of course kept telling him I wasn’t sure what it would taste like as I had made so many changes to the recipe. he tried it so that he could tell me it was okay and I had to run him out of the kitchen so that there would be meatballs for the actual meal. He also said that he was full but wanted to go back for more. (Yup he just got more while I’m typing this.)
The things that I had to change:
Used only 2.25 pounds of ground beef as I had no pork (I will be trying this with the pork next time)
Used Italian Breadcrumbs instead of Panko
Used 1 tsp Italian seasoning instead of All Spice and Nutmeg
Used 1 whole egg (I wish I had more than just 1 egg as I think 2 yolks would have held it together better) instead of 2 egg yolks
Used 2/3 c Heavy whipping cream instead of Sour Cream
While my meatballs did have a lot of onion in them and I made sure to press all the onion at the bottom of the bowl into the meatballs. The meatballs did not fall apart while cooking but a lot of the onion came out in the oil and I just left it in the bottom of the pan to add flavor to the gravy. Something that the above recipe doesn’t specifically mention. I would add that to make the gravy add the butter to the drippings in the skillet.
There was enough for leftovers that I’m sure my husband will eat for lunch for several days. I can’t wait to make this again!
My family loves this recipe. I am allergic to beef so we modify but it still tastes damn delicious. I use ground turkey with turkey sausage or ground chicken, depending on what I have on hand. Of course, I can’t use beef broth but chicken broth works just as well. I usually just use breadcrumbs but I did have to add more last time because the sausage doesn’t bind as well. I think it was more like 3/4 cups breadcrumbs.
These are absolutely delicious! I had a package with 1 1/2 pounds ground beef and two 14 oz cans of beef broth. Other than that I followed directions exactly. Meatballs held together nicely. Great texture! Sausage gives it even more flavor. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Very tasty!
I wanted to love these but they weren’t very good. The gravy was too thick and lacked flavor. I followed the recipe exactly.
We love this recipe and have been making it for years. I modify slightly by using onion powder instead of diced onion, plain 2% greek yogurt instead of sour cream and besan flour (chick pea flour) instead of panko in both the meatballs and the sauce. I also reduce the amount of broth to 3 cups. It IS Damn Delicious!
As an avid fan of the IKEA meatball sauce, came here yesterday to quench my craving during this quarantine. I must admit I was skeptical about adding so much sour cream but it truly worked and neutralized the beefiness of the beef stock I used. I froze the excess batch I made for lunch but couldn’t help myself had used it for dinner too! Felt it was a bit too beefy during lunch (might be the brand of the stock I used) so when I was heating up the frozen batch later on, I added 2 tablespoons of cooking cream to balance it out.
Other adjustments that worked for myself:
* Used frozen meatballs instead (takes around 10 mins in my air fryer on 200 degrees celsius)
* Use a wooden spoon instead of a whisk (the whisk was plastic and wouldn’t done well in the heat – the flour mixed well but the sour cream did leave little bits that I didn’t mind)
* Swapped fresh parsley with my Italian herb mix (recommend you just buy bottles of this to add to pantry!)
Very delicious, I will try it with chicken stock next time and see how it goes!
Love!!! I am quite fussy but these were great and my family loved them. I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you
I made these and I had to run my husband off because he wouldn’t stop eating them while I tried to make the salad and finish the roasted potatoes. Needless to say…he will be asking for these again and again.
I made these with gluten free bread and corn starch and couldn’t wait for butcher to grind pork so used all ground beef. Turned out great! thanks
Ok….so we don’t eat beef and very little pork. Soooooooo….I made these with ground turkey and ground chicken. Followed the recipe exactly…..ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!!!
This recipe is SO delicious! It’s a big hit with my sister and her family, and I have to double the recipe all the time! Thank you for sharing this.
Made this for dinner tonight it was absolutely delicious! I followed exact recipe dinner for two and had enough to freeze for another night of dinner wonderful thank you!
I made this for my mother and brother and myself. I’m a new chef, only the second time I’ve ever really cooked on my own and this was a big undertaking- not the recipe’s fault, I just got a bit too ambitious.
Here’s what I know: This made A TON of meatballs. Way more then the described amount, so we had a ton of leftovers. Which we love, but some people don’t. Keep that in mind. Also, my meatballs fell apart on the skillet. Be sure to spend time packing them as tight as you can, it’ll help later, so adding another egg might help? Not sure.
Finally, don’t use a skillet with ridges on it, be sure to use one that is a flat bottom pan so nothing gets in the way when you’re whisking the gravy.
This was “ok” for us. First, I found the combination of both allspice and nutmeg a little overwhelming. It was still highly present when eating these meatballs post cooking. Second, one whole onion (and I specifically picked a small one) is just way too much. I dumped in the whole chopping board’s worth into the bowl (after cooking) and then spent time picking onions out when I saw how many there were relative to the two pounds of meat. They made the meatballs not stick together as well, too, because they overwhelmed the two egg yolks. Lastly, the whole container of beef broth (4 cups) made a TON of sauce. This meant the regular 10-12″ skillet shown in the pictures cooking the meatballs wasn’t nearly enough, and I was transferring balls and sauce to different containers mid-cooking. In the end, this tasted all right but wasn’t that worth all the modifications. Next time, I’ll try only 3 cups beef brother, half the spice, and adding mushrooms to the sauce for a little bit of interest. I also think I’ll make it a day ahead and reheat because I think the flavors MIGHT develop more overnight.
I make this recipe whenever I have a taste for this dish and I’m never disappointed. I found that using half the meat this recipe calls for is perfect for me, as I’m typically cooking for one. I leave all the other measurements the same except the spices, I just sort of add those by smell & intuitive guidance lol. This also gives me some extra gravy to put over egg noodles….yum. Thanks for this!!
I forgot to mention that instead of plain ground pork I use both sweet & hot Italian sausage. My local grocery store sells a combo pack. That really kicks the flavor up.
Thanks for the ‘cooking for one’ comment. I always have to cook for one.’
Wonderful recipe, the whole family loved it. I stuck the half done meat balls into the oven in a tray at 275F to continue cooking while I made the gravy in the meatball pan. If you can find salt free or low sodium beef broth, I recommend using it and salting the gravy just before you add the sour cream. Taste for seasoning.
Tasting good so far. I’ve put them in the slow cooker to finish cooking..
This recipe is easy to make and delicious. Made a double batch; one for now one for when life is hectic. I used my own bread crumbs that I keep in freezer. There are so many quick and tasty recipes on Damn Delicious.
I have a (probably) dumb question: I just finished browning the meatballs and have quite a bit of grease left in the pan. (I am not a cook by any means). Do I wipe the pan out before making the gravy? Thank you
My opinion is leave the grease/fat it’s what adds taste. Not healthy for an everyday meal but okay for a treat.
Wow! Delicious! I browned the meatballs in the air fryer then added to the sauce. Served over rice for pure awesomeness.
I made these over the weekend and they are amazing! Thank you for another great recipe!
Not sure if I ever rated this recipe, but I know that I found it a few years ago and since then this is the only recipe I use when I feel like Swedish meatballs. These are way better than Ikea 😀 Thanks for sharing, girl!!
So I’m making these meatballs tonight for dinner but with minor substitutions. My family dosent like any type of breadcrumbs in their meatballs so I’m leaving that out. Instead of pork, I’ll be using ground lamb and ground beef. In the sauce I’ll add portabella mushrooms. Im sure it will be great!
I’ve made this recipe several times now. The only substitution that I make is lamb instead of the beef, and it is delicious!
I love this recipe!!
I only made a half batch, which was plenty for two people. These were absolutely delicious and I will definitely be making these again
They’re pretty good. I followed the directions, but in the end the gravy tasted exactly like sausage gravy for biscuits. I’m not complaining, I love those too. It’s an alright recipe, I will try making again with a few alterations. Thanks
Another Damn Delicious recipe! Something so comforting about meatballs smothered in gravy, right? Yum! These meatballs are fantastic, even without the gravy! LOL
I do not like the mess pan searing meatballs leaves on my stovetop, so I placed them on a baking tray, lined with parchment and baked them at 375 F for 20 – 25 mins. or until cooked through. (Works great)
For the gravy, I had to use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream because that was what I had on hand and it worked great too. The sour cream, or yogurt in my case, really lightens and lifts this gravy so make sure you add it. I added a bit of nutmeg and some finely diced, sautéed mushrooms to my gravy for added depth of flavour – but that was just a personal flavour tweak!
Thank you FOREVER for your recipes and your inspiration in our kitchens!
I was wondering if I could sub greek yogurt for the sour cream, which I do in most dishes where it doesn’t cook. Thanks for adding that to your comment so now I’ll try it!
Thank you for this recipe!:-) The meat mixture turned out so AMAZING- the flavor was loved by even my picky 4yr old! The sauce for me didn’t have a ton of flavor… what do you recommend? Maybe my beef broth lacked flavor. After browning the meatballs there was a lot of grease in the pan- should I have gotten most of that out first before adding the butter for the roux (sp?)? I’ll definitely make again!
I usually add a dash of worchestire sauce to my sweedish meatball gravy so maybe try that?
In addition to Worcestershire sauce, I also added garlic and onion powder, parsley salt and pepper.
Has anyone mde these in a crockpot if so, how did you do it?
I’ve made this recipe probably 15 times now. It’s my husbands favorite meal. After I cook it all I put the meatballs and gravy over cooked rice and bake for 15 min. Thank you for a delicious way to make my man smile.
I Love this recipe! I make a ton of the Meatballs and freeze them so I can use them whenever I don’t feel like cooking and just make the sauce fresh. My Boyfriend loves it! I don’t even put it on noodles we just eat them by itself with a salad ( trying to be somewhat healthy). I wish I could do noodles though lol that would be amazing
Excellent! I made it just how you posted.
Since we were not going to eat it all on night one I reserved half of the broth before adding the sour cream. I hope this way it freezes nicely and I can add the sour cream when I pull it out of the freezer.
Very yummy but it was more like stroganoff with the sour cream than Swedish meatballs. I will make again. Thx
Delicious! My family really enjoyed this recipe. The meatball flavour is perfect. For the sauce, I added some onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, and a splash of apple cider. After adding to the sauce I heated the meatballs covered in a 350F oven and baked for about 15-20 minutes.
Fantastic recipe! Very easy to follow and delicious!
I can’t get over how amazing these are! My husband requests once a week! Thank you for sharing this ❤️
I liked the recipe except for the Panko crumbs. They didn’t break down and blend in with the meat even tho I mixed it in quite well. Came out looking like porcupine meat balls. Should have used just bread crumbs as mentioned in another review instead. Otherwise, it was quite good!
First time making, so took a little over an hour start to finish. So so so worth it. Family has been raving about this recipe since they were stealing “tastes” on the stove as if was cooking. The finished product over egg noodles was outstanding. I spent too much time down the rabbit hole of the comment war, but did make small alterations – mushrooms and a splash of white wine to finish. Adding this one to the rotation. Thanks Chung-ah and Damn Delicious team!
Hi! I have been scouring looking for a great Swedish Meatball recipe and thankfully found it now! Out of curiosity, why sour cream instead of creme fraiche or heavy cream?
You can substitute crème fraîche or heavy cream if you prefer, Irene! 🙂
These were so good! It made a good bit more than 24 meatballs for me, so I cooked some and put the rest in the fridge for the next day. The first night we had these with mashed potatoes, and the second night we served them with rotini pasta. We liked them with the pasta the best. My husband said this is now one of his favorite meals, so it will be a regular recipe in our house from now on!
Used regular breadcrumbs instead of Panko (they were on hand), as well as double sour cream (whoops). Still turned out absolutely delicious!! My husband loved it. Will remake soon with proper portions. Also used only pork instead of pork and beef and they meatballs were just fine and browned nicely.
Hey! LOVE LOVE LOVE Every Recipe that I’ve made thus far!
So I am sure you have gotten this question before, but what can I substitute the ground pork for, trying to make this for my friend, but she doesn’t eat pork. Any suggestions?
Hi Courtnie! You can try to substitute ground beef, turkey or chicken. I would personally go with turkey but as always, please use your best judgement when making substitutions and modifications. Hope that helps!
Omg!!! I love Swedish Meatballs and have tried several different recipes. This is the best!
Every recipe one of your recipes that I have tried has been a winner.
Thanks for making my kids (and hubs) think I am the best cook EVER!!! ☺️
We love it, Summer! Glad you found a favorite! 🙂
NOM! Great recipe… Damn Delicious.
We made this to celebrate Ragnarok (Viking end of days – Feb 22nd). Yes… it’s Swedish, but it’s the boar that my kids would eat. Served it over noodles with salad and glasses of mead. This recipe was easy and delicious! Ohhhh, the gravy! Everyone loved it! Some poetry reading, boasting of this years adventures while banging on the table and lots of silly candles (thats how my kids envisioned the Vikings dining) made for a great evening. Thanks for the deliciousness! We’ll make this again next year… and probably a lot more than that!
That’s awesome. Thank you, Erin!
Tasted grate… we used store bought meatballs. The sauce was to runny so I boiled down before I put the sourcream in. Then I added the meatballs… covered and simmered slightly to heat through.
Seasons01. You goofy bitch. You don’t get it do you?
When you make a rue usually the ingredients are equal. Why do you have 1/4 cup unsalted butter and
1/3 cup all-purpose flour?
If you prefer to make the ingredients equal for the roux, you can certainly do so. 🙂
I have tried some many meatball recipes. I have found a forever meatball recipe. This recipe is very versatile. I made the recipe as written, made a meat loaf. Thank you very much.lsm
Your sweedish meatballs are a staple in our house!!! Thank you. Do you have any input on doubling the gravy… I assume double everything, but I know certain things change when doubled. Love! this recipe, cooking it right now!!!
What a great idea! Yes, I recommend doubling everything but unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
This recipe is outstanding!. I’ve made at least a dozen times for my family. I sometimes I’ll make it in the morning and then slowly reheat it for dinner. I’ve also made the meatballs ahead of time and froze them and just made the sauce when I needed it. They taste so delicious, it’s one of my dinner go to recipes. It’s easier to make than you think. Usually you have the ingredients on hand. Most stores do you sell ground pork and it’s easy to find. I also always keep frozen chopped onion on hand which makes it easy as well.
I am a big fan of your recipes! I feel like you totally understand me and my tastebuds! haha
Anyway I am excited to try these and I was wondering if you have any tips about adding the sour cream? In the past when adding sour cream to a gravy I ended up with curdles 🙁 , are you supposed to let the sauce cool a bit? Or could it be because I was using lowfat sour cream? Any help in that department would be most appreciated. Thanks!
I never have any issues with curdling in this recipe so the culprit could be the lowfat sour cream. Hope that helps!
Hi there,
There are a few ways to lessen the chances of the sour cream curdling. If you can, heat it just below the point of boiling; boiling often causes curdling. You can also try adding a small amount of a starch, such as flour or cornstarch. I hope that this helps you some. Have a great day!
Delicious! Easy to make, easier to eat!
I used turkey since I don’t eat a lot of beef or pork and followed the recipe as is after that substitution. They turned out great.
We made these last night and I thought they were wonderful. I will say that I followed the recipe exactly and it made much more than 24 meatballs. I was skeptical about using all 4 cups of beef broth but trust the process! It ended up thickening beautifully. I served over mashed potatoes which was great, may try egg noodles next time since there was plenty of sauce. Thank you for a great recipe!
Absolutely delicious!
Great!
P.S. I will also be adding crimini and onions to my adaptation. I’m a rebel in the kitchen and usually use recipes as inspiration and guidance. I love your beautiful step by step pictures also. Wish I could make the recipe as is but I have autoimmune issues and inflammation ( hence keto) trying to check for food sensitvities, so flour and breadcrumbs are off my list but thanks to you I can still make some comfort food! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! This is just the recipe I have been looking for! I have been looking for weeks! It calls for all the ingredients I have in the proportions I have on hand (mostly). What I was looking for was something easy to covert to keto. I will be using almond meal, arrowroot and full fat Greek yogurt as subs. I only have 1.5 lb beef and .5 lb pork so I will have to adjust that as well. I know that I won’t be making the recipe as is but I really appreciate the work you have put into this and it’s so hard to find recipes that are easy to convert. I plan on serving on a bed of cabbage noodles. I am so gratefull my search is over! As Autumns chill sets in, I have been craving a savory warm dish like this.
These look soooo good!!!! I am definitely going to make these later today, as it’s getting chilly out!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂 Was getting tired of my usual stuff, saw this suggestion and said Bam!! This is what’s for dinner. I personally like them over noodles and with green beans, simple and delicious.
I made these tonight. My husband liked them, for me it was so-so. We both thought they were kind of bland. Please note that I’m not a huge fan of Ikea meatballs either, so I guess it’s just a personal taste thing. I had them once to see what the hype was about, I wouldn’t bother again. No offence to Chungah!
Oh. My. Goodness! These were amazing! I just substitute whatever gluten free bread crumbs I have on hand and my Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose GF ( my go- to for gravy & sauces) flour for the gravy. The whole family loved these over mashed potatoes. I now make triple batches to freeze, such a quick and easy meal!
These were great! Recipe was easy to follow, and we’ll definitely make them again.
Made this tonight and loved it! Delicious “Swedish” flavour. The gravy was phenomenal, I could have eaten it like soup. Most critical factor, though, is our kids loved it (ages 5, 2, and 10m).
This recipe is a keeper. Thanks, Chungah!
I’m comfortable with adjusting recipes, so here’s what I did (these did not fundamentally alter the recipe):
– added 1 stalk finely diced celery to the onions
– doubled the spices (love the flavour-bomb)
– used the whole eggs, not just the yolks
– did not pan-fry, but baked in oven 425 for 30 minutes, turning once
I will be trying these tonight. They sound so good like so many of your recipes. Thank you for sharing, I am truly appreciative unlike some that live to complain or whine.
Honestly the best swedish meatballs I’ve ever had! I’ve now made this recipe several times and it never fails.
I only made the sauce and added a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Absolutely fantastic! Thank you for the recipe. This will be going in my dinner rotation often!
Great!
I’d just like to give you a hearty thank you for this recipe! I have used it countless times. When i have gotten lazy about making homemade meatballs, I still use the gravy recipe and my family love it every time. From one blogger to another, keep doing you. This will be a stable for our family for years to come – oh and tested with Ikea, yours is definitely better 😉
Thank you, Ashley! That’s so sweet!
Made these last night and the whole family gobbled them up! Yummm!
Every single recipe I’ve got off this website has been DAMN DELICIOUS and this one takes the cake! The gravy was outstanding and recipe was super easy. My guest even got some bread to soak up the gravy!
Thank you so much!
I’m making these tonight. I’ve never had swedish meatballs … I’ve always thought the ones at IKEA look good in photos, but I’m a bit freaked out by the idea of eating food at a furniture store, so I’ve never eaten anything from there. Any who, these look good and I’m excited to make them! One question, however: any suggestions regarding what to pair with them? I’m not talking grains, but veggies. My family is a bit tired of eating salads and roasted green beans. Trying to avoid starchy vegetables too.
Hi JKS! My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
Hi there,
Made these tonight (or, rather, I made THIS – didn’t have the energy to make meatballs, so plunked the whole mess into a pan and made Swedish meatball-loaf !) and it was fab. Added in a bit of cardamom, along with the nutmeg/allspice, and a few grating of orange zest. Was excellent with some mash, your excellent gravy and my lingonberry jam! Thanks!
That sounds so yummy!
These were really good. I halved the recipe & served over egg noodles. I made the following changes: I only used ground beef because I didn’t have pork on hand, I used one whole egg, I used crushed crackers because I didn’t have panko, I omitted the parsley because I didn’t have fresh or dried, I added the meatballs to the sauce earlier so I could be sure they were cooked through, & I added the sour cream later because I was afraid it would curdle. I will make this again & make sure I have ground pork & panko on hand.
Thank you for sharing with us!
Hi! I just maid your recipe for my family. It was so delicious!! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you!
P.S. don’t forget the lingonberry
I made this recipe for my family and it was delicious. I followed exact directions until I add one packet of Beefy Onion for added onion flavor. Thanks Chungah.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I made these and they were amazing. But let’s say I want to be lazy and make them in the crockpot or instant pot instead of having to babysit them over the stove 🙂 Has anyone tried this with success!? If so, what did you do?
made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit! even my picky 9yo approved! i originally found your site while searching for asian inspired dishes, and it quickly became my go to website. i’ve made a dozen dishes following your recipes and have yet to be disappointed! from one korean to another, 감사합니다!!
That’s awesome Erin, thank you!
I made this a few days ago and served it over egg noodles. It was quite tasty. I made a few changes to the meatballs and they still turned out great – used Italian bread crumbs instead of panko because it’s what I had, used one egg instead of two yolks because I didn’t want to waste the white, doubled the all spice because I wasn’t paying attention the the measuring spoon.
I prefer my gravy thicker though. As written in the recipe (and I followed it precisely for this part), it was more of a soupy consistency, even my daughter called it “meatball soup”. The gravy did thicken up the next day.
Overall, I give the recipe an A- and will definitely try it again but reduce the liquid. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your feedback!
I reblogged this recipe on my site a couple of years back, and it is still my favorite meatball recipe, bar none! I have made them differently, at my own risk, and they came out delicious, but different from the original, which I have also made as written. In fact, I have 5 meatballs sitting in my deep freeze that are made of all beef when I didn’t have pork. The originals were made at Christmas and they were oh so yummy!
Thank you for posting and sharing this recipe with the world. I and many others appreciate it!! Don’t let the haters get ya down, Chung-ah. Keep on cooking on.
You are very sweet Wendy, thank you! So happy you’ve been enjoying these for so long and continue to share with us!!
Why on earth is IKEA used as a reference with the implication that it should be some kind of GOAL? I live in Helsinki down the street from IKEA and had them a few times – they are Edible – but that’s it – Edible – nothing more!!
Made this recently. Didn’t change recipe at all. The meatballs were quite nice, although I felt they needed something to boost the flavour. The sauce, funnily enough, tasted like ‘mushroom sauce’ lol. I don’t like mushrooms and I don’t know why it seemed to taste like that so unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this as much as my family. I may try again another time to see if that ‘mushroom’ flavour comes through again – or have my taste buds examined considering there are no mushrooms in the recipe! hahaha. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.
I am so excited. I too have been wanting the perfect Swedish meatball recipe.
I have a question, pardon my ignorance but I am not sure what the size “Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch” means. Can you please explain that better?
The diameter of the meatballs should be around 1 1/4 inches. Hope that helps!
This looks amazing!!!! Im wondering tho, I dont have any beef broth, is it ok to use beef stock?
Yes!
This is my very favorite Swedish meatball recipe! Thank you so much for sharing with your readers and for all the hard work you put into each post.
I’ve seen a few people ask about freezing the sauce and I think I can answer that, albeit a bit indirectly. When I was single I would make recipes like this in full, not scaled down, to make my own single serving freezer meals to take to work for lunch. I would mix all the sauce and meatballs with either pasta or mashed potatoes, depending on my mood, and freeze them in single serving sized Tupperware. When I took them to work, they’d thaw for a bit in the refrigerator and then at lunchtime I’d pop it into the mircrowave and, to make a long story short, the sauce always held up beautifully.
Made this for dinner tonight – all I had in the house was ground beef, am I complaining about the taste/texture? Nope lol. At the last minute I realized I was out of beef broth – but I DID have one beef bullion cube and one fine herb and garlic cube. Am I going to complain about the difference in taste because I made substitutions? Nope…I decided to make this last minute so I baked the meatballs in the frying pan in the oven….am I complaining about how they turned out? Nope….Since it was a last minute idea I didn’t have time to let it cook in the slow cooker so I just took the meatballs out of the pan and cooked up the sauce in that. Did that change the flavor any? Maybe….Am I complaining? Nope lol…This turned out to be the yummiest dinner I have made in weeks! Thanks for the inspiration and great recipe!
This was super yummy. And yes, BETTER than IKEA – which are amazing! I will definitely be having in my meal rotations….I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes up once a month!
Hi Chungah,
I made these meatballs for the first time yesterday. They were our Christmas dinner. I always wanted to try Swedish meatballs but for some reason, I just never did. They were so delicious that I wanted to eat straight from the pan! I know they will become one of my “regulars” as I already have a craving for them! Thank you. Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for the recipe Chungah. I’m going to be making this for our Christmas Eve dinner served over some German Bechtle Christmas noodles (different Christmas themed pasta shapes in red, green, and plain)
Easy and festive!
Happy holidays to you and yours… Keep up with the great blog. It was quite an “adventure” to scroll down to the bottom to post my thanks… If you know what I mean 😉
I know this is a super late comment but I was wondering if anyone has made these paleo-fied? I have LOVED this recipe, exactly how you wrote it but now I am mostly Paleo/Whole 30. I was thinking of subbing the panko for almond flour, the flour for arrowroot, and the sour cream for cashewgurt. Anyone done this? Thanks!!!
I have been making these for years, thank you Chungah for giving us such a great recipe! (In truth I’m not even sure how I found your recipe but it’s a staple at many family meals ever since my first batch).
Thank you again and keep it up – Without people like you providing us with great recipes I’m not sure what my culinary skills would be like – yikes!
Being a swede, i’m amazed by the aggressive and outright rude comments in the old string about substitutes. It’s the mix of beef and pork that is the ‘swedish’. Every country has their own version of balls, adapted to what meats are traditional. In Scandinavia, it would have been calves slaughtered after their first summer (wouldn’t make sense to use valuable land to grow the fodder to keep them over winter) and the pork, which is the other ‘big’ traditional meat. The pork is great because the fat helps the balls to hold together when cooking. You can make meat balls of any meat… I’ve made them with 100% kangaroo mince since i now live in Oz. Since roo is a very lean meat, some egg white is needed to bind them together. I would never use fancy products like panko. The crumbs are there to make the meat go further. Traditionally, you would add milk and live the mixture stand so the crumbs soak up the liquid. Makes beautiful tender, juicy balls. If there are no old bread kicking around, a traditional variation is some cold cooked potato
This is THE BEST! I have tried several recipes for this dish, and honestly, this recipe is the only one I will use. Perfect seasoning, perfect for doubling up and freezing, (minus the noodles, I Mae those on the day of reheating defrosted portion). I find that this site has always yielded perfectly tasty meals and have shared it with friends and family. THANK YOU CHUNGA!
You are so welcome!
This sounds like a great recipe. I always like to make Swedish Meatballs for supper on Christmas Eve. I am inspired to give them a try for “Christmas in July”. Another winner, no doubt. Thanks for the great work Chungah!
I have always heard IKEA Swedish meatballs were tasty, but I’ve yet to try them. Based on all the positive reviews here, I will be giving this recipe a shot!
On a side note, I am stunned at all the obnoxiously rude comments. Chung-ah has been incredibly gracious in her replies…far more than I would be!
If you can’t use the specified ingredients, that’s fine – but don’t expect other people to suggest substitutions for you. God gave you a brain for a reason. Use it. Better yet, if you don’t like what you see here, start your own damn recipe blog!
Keep up the great work, Chung-ah!
Swedish meatballs are sooo yummy. You have done a fantastic job of them.
Wow! I never realized how popular Swedish meatballs are in America. I learned to make Swedish meatballs in Sweden during the time I lived in Denmark (30 years) and they were made of equal parts beef, pork and veal. I eat Ikea’s meatballs four times a year as my brother and I go to all four of their all-you-can-eat-buffets near Easter, midsummer, in the fall when the crawfish run and near Sct. Lucia’s day (Dec. 14th). Ikea makes the meatballs like most American recipes but nothing tastes quite a good as the ones with beef/pork/veal in them.
My mom told me the secret to my grandmother’s Scandinavian meatballs was she had the butcher grind the meat together 3 times so the meat became like pudding. I’ve gotten into more battles with the butcher trying to get this done because I can tell when it hasn’t been ground 3 times and of course this is time consuming for them. They’ll grind it together once if you’re lucky, but the texture is a game changer. I agree – make friends with a good butcher. And serving over noodles with that lovely thick gravy is a must too, as is the side of Lingonberry jelly.
Wonderful suggestions!
This recipe has never let me down, my only problem was that I couldn’t find what ‘safe place’ I had put it in and needed to search through ‘copycat ikea meatball’ recipes until I found it again.
I have lost track of how many times I’ve made it and everyone loves them, plus they make for great leftovers the next day!
DELICIOUSLY PERFECT meatball with amazing sauce. I plan on making this again for a party.
This was delish! Have tried a couple other swedish meatball recipes and did not think swedish meatballs woul ever be something I like. Being 9 weeks pregnant, it was what popped into my head as something that might taste good and stay down….I have tried a few of your other recipes and always enjoy them, so when I saw that you also had this recipe, it was my first choice! Followed it exactly and it was very yummy. Thank you for such an awesome meal recipe.
Chungah I have never met one of your recipes I/we have not liked. Being pressed for time I made this this the other night using Costco meatballs. I followed your gravy to the letter and it was delicious! I am certain made with your meatball recipe it would be twice as good but just thought I would throw this out there for someone looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
WORSE recipe ever!!! Just think about, 4 tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup flour, and 4 cups beef stock (that’s 32 ozs), all I got was white water!!!
I buy ground pork all the time because it’s so cheap here, and it’s always on sale. How can I pass that up? But I have only a handful of ideas on ways to use it. Tomorrow I’m going to make a big batch of these bad boys and freeze ’em. Thanks for the great idea! I’ve yet to have a dinner dud trying out recipes on this site!
LOVED This recipe! I will admit that I didn’t make the meatballs, but the sauce for them was delicious. I was just surfing for a quick and easy recipe for dinner and already had some meatballs. I just wanted something different and happened upon this. I’m very glad that I found it and have book marked for future use. I will make the meatballs in the future when I have time one evening. This was so simple and really didn’t require any additional seasoning. The only thing that I did different was that I only had the reduced sodium Beef Better Than Bouillon paste and I didn’t have any salt free butter and just used regular (real) butter. The 2 equaled each other out though and it did not turn out too salty since the paste was reduced sodium. I have 3 guys at home and they all loved this recipe and didn’t leave a bite on their plates. I served them over egg noodles and with steamed asparagus that I seasoned with a little garlic powder and fresh ground pepper with some butter. This was a great and easy meal! I will also be on the look out for other recipes in the future. Thanks so much for sharing!
Note to anyone that wants to complain ….you can always substitute or adjust any recipe to your own liking. If you cant figure it out..google it and don’t bash or hate on others that are nice enough to share.
searched the web high and low for a good recipe, keep coming back to this one. I am going to make these tonight I think! they look delicious, DAMN DELICIOUS that is 🙂
will keep ya posted
Hi Chungah ,I was wondering what the reason is for not putting the entire egg in,just the yolks? just curious!Thanks!!
You can use whole eggs if you’d like – it’s really based on personal preference. The yolk will provide such moistness and serve as a binder.
OMG,OMG,OMG, These swedish meatballs & sauce are AWESOME!! ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!!! Thank you sooooooo much for this AMAZING recipe!!!! I will be bringing these to a super bowl party!! Oh, and I love reading all the comments on the people who seriously don’t know how to read a recipe correctly!!!! Thank you to them as well!!!
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve been looking for a Swedish meatball recipe I can recreate at home, and this worked perfectly as a starting point.
I know how easy it is for people to misinterpret your tone when you write something on the Internet, so I’m sorry that you’re getting so much slack for an innocent reply to a comment. I am actually in the same boat as the original poster, but I made do with what I had, like I usually do.
Since I don’t eat pork, I omitted it altogether and cut the recipe in half to accommodate for that. Instead of panko, I used regular bread crumbs because that’s all I had. I also used a sour cream substitute since I didn’t have that either, made up of whole milk and vinegar (I used 3oz of milk and 1/2 tbsp of vinegar for my recipe). I also used chicken stock instead of beef because there aren’t any halal options for beef broth at my local stores. Everything else I kept the same, and it turned out great. It might not be “Swedish meatballs” per se, but it was a delicious meal to me and my kids loved it too. Thanks again!
I have this recipe bookmarked, because I have used it every several weeks for a couple of years now. It is a family favorite. My daughters both ask for it from time to time. I figured after using it so many times, I should stop in and say thank you for taking the time to share it.
Have a 2 Questions:
First off, thanks so much for this recipe. I plan on making it today!
Question #1:
In researching other similar recipes. I noticed that this recipe calls for 2 Pounds of Meat (Beef + Pork) and other recipes call for 1 Pound of Meat. The thing that puzzles me is that the proportions or ratio of the spices seem to be consistent in all recipes regardless if it is a pound of meat or 2 pounds. Am I missing something here?
Question #2:
I plan on service this with Egg Noodles and was wondering which gravy style would be best suited for it. Sour Cream or Heavy Cream?
Thanks in advance
-Pat
1. You can add more spices as needed, to taste.
2. Sour cream.
Hope that helps!
I made this today….followed the recipe but when all the sauce ect was made put it in the crock pot for 2 hrs and turned out lovely…all I would say is…FOR OUR TASTE not enough spice in the meat balls…Id defo add more next time…the meat balls were a little on the heavy side…so would add more bread crumbs next time…the sauce was delish though….I did add a little more beef stock than said as it was a little too thick for our taste and to add to pasta…but all in all with a little adjustment to suit your own taste is a good all round recipe 🙂
Can I make this recipe in the crockpot and just add the sour cream prior to serving? Please let me know what you think.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I made the sauce tonight. I took the easy way out and bought frozen meatballs. I live alone so I can just dole out meatballs whenever I feel like it. I made the whole batch of sauce so I’ll have it on hand when I crave meatballs. I’ve never had much luck making good meatballs, but I will give this recipe a try. It looks good – and easy!
But here’s my question: My sauce came out thin. Is it supposed to be that way? I make a great beef gravy and I thought this would be a gravy texture. Maybe that’s wrong for Swedish meatballs.
Nevertheless it was still delicious. I didn’t have beef broth so used chicken (figured that substitute out all by myself!) and it was still super tasty!
You can add additional flour, as needed, to the gravy until the desired consistency is reached.
Amaaazing! I’ve made this recipe many times. I follow it exactly for the most part; my only additions are about 2 tsp each of paprika and ground mustard. I also add just a pinch of all the seasonings to the sauce with the salt and pepper to taste. Get those mashed potatoes or egg noodles ready to sop up that delicious gravy. Ultimate comfort food!
Made this for dinner tonight. My husband loved it, I thought it was just ok. I found the gravy to be a greasy but that could have been my own fault if I bought a higher fat ground beef. I’ll retry with a 90-95% ground beef and see if that helps. I thought the meatballs were a bit bland as well. I didn’t have allspice so I just used an extra amount of nutmeg. Maybe I need the allspice. I also did buy an unsalted beef broth so maybe that was another issue. I did add my own salt though. I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream since I always substitute with that. Overall not a terrible recipe. I think I just need to make a couple adjustments and see if it improves it. Will let you know how it goes when I do 🙂
It’s been ages since I’ve made Swedish meatballs and my 29 year old son requested them for dinner. Your recipe is EXACTLY what I needed- I followed the directions to a T and they came out absolutely fantastic. Thank you!
I made this last year for my cousin’s annual Christmas party. They were a hit! I am ready to make them again for tonight’s party. The panko adds a great touch. I had no problem cooking them in the sauce. BTW, I used a heavy Staub cast iron dutch oven. This vessel kept the meatballs really hot throughout the 30 minute drive to Cousin Jack’s. They were cooked perfectly.
Super disappointed with this recipe and with so many great reviews too! WARNING, do NOT make meatballs any larger than half a gold ball or else they will NOT COOK THROUGH. I made them slightly larger thinking they would cook in the sauce. Boy was I wrong. Sauce was super super sludgy and sour cream curdled when it hit the broth. Not to mention WAY too much sauce. Just overall not an easy recipe and definitely takes wayyyyyy more than 30 mins.
This is just like my old faithful recipe except I put my allspice and nutmeg into the sauce instead of the meatballs. I am going to try it this way for lunch today and see what the difference is.
YUM YUM YUM! LOVED IT! And if I took the time to scroll all the way past the other comments just to say so, you know it’s true 😉 My whole family – baby, toddler, kids, adults – enjoyed this dish. Thank you! It was great over egg noodles the first night and rice the second 🙂 mmmm! This recipe is definitely a keeper! Sending it to my sister now…
Can I refrigerate left over Swedish meatballs?
Yes.
This is my most favourite recipe!! Ive never tried Swedish meatballs but I fell in LOVE with these! I serve them with mash potato and they are amazinggggg!!!
I also used Chicken stock as I had no beef in the cupboard and now I just use chicken!
Thank you so much for the great recipe!
This is about my 3rd or 4th time making these and have not changed a single thing.My family loves this recipe. Everything I tried from Chungah recipe website has been great. Thanks Chaungah for your recipes with us. =D
Is there a specific fat content for the ground beef I should be using for this recipe? Thanks so much!
I prefer to use 80/20, but really, it’s up to you.
I have made an altered version of your recipe several times and my family loves it. Instead of making meatballs from scratch, I use the frozen swedish variety. These cook in 10-15 minutes in the oven, meanwhile I use your recipe for the gravy except I use the 1/4 cup of butter to fry an onion before adding the flour and broth, at the same time I boil a full package of extra broad egg noodles, when the gravy is done, mix the whole works together and let sit covered for 10 min while the noodles soak up some of the excess gravy.. Boom, swedish meatball pasta! (BTW that gravy is the best!!) 😉
Gonna try these tonight – they look great!
Holly http://www.authorhollyryan.com
Thanks for a great recipe. I made a double batch and froze half. I’m happy I found your site.
I made these tonight and they were really great! It was a hit with my teenaged boys, I like that the recipe yields a lot (I’m usually doubling and tripling recipes). I’ve never had time on my trips to Ikea to try the meatballs, my exposure to Swedish meatballs is courtesy of Lean Cuisine (embarrassing to admit!). Nice to have a reliable recipe to make them (better) at home. Thanks for posting.
Wow. Looks like there was all kinds of drama when this recipe was first posted regarding substituting the ground pork. Whatever. People like to be difficult,I guess. I found this recipe because I needed something easy for a throw together,spur of the moment, last minute dinner. All I had on hand was 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, so that’s what I used. I also halved the gravy recipe. (I was only feeding 4 not very hungry people). I served these with Hasselback potatoes. Perfect. Tons of compliments. Next time I will make this exactly as written. I’m sure it will be that much better. If you have ground pork, use it – if you don’t, or don’t want to use it- then don’t- just understand that the meatballs will taste a little different,thats all.
Thank you for sharing this! Looks amazing! I am going to try this tonight! Not everyone in my family eats pork (health reasons) so, I will be using all beef. I know it will turn out amazing… Again, thank you! You should get your own cooking show! I have tried another recipe from you and it was amazing! You also seem to be very sweet and respectful! (I made that deduction by reading the comments…)
Wow this comment section is like “Hi, yeah, I’m allergic to onion, beef, pork, egg, nutmeg, and all forms of dairy but I’ve decided to make this anyway so I’m going to need you to personally provide me substitutions for each of those ingredients. Also, my personal assistant/unpaid intern Peter isn’t around to read me the recipe so could you do me a solid and make step-by-step audio instructions (with a soft voice, please, I find loud voices to be abrasive) as my eyes get ever so tired when I am forced to read something for more than 8 seconds and your instructions aren’t clear enough :(”
Seriously though, I tried these meatballs last night and they were delicious. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe.
Had to scroll waaay far down to get past the snotty comments and leave my own not snotty comment saying I made these per the easy to read recipe and they were lovely. I hope your other recipes (which I’m sure are just as lovely) don’t result in similar snotty comment-leaving by ignorant or entitled people. Thanks for posting.
I just stumbled on this recipe and I have to comment – this is the most insane comments section I’ve ever seen for a recipe. Chungah, you should be applauded for your polite responses to everybody. Who knew posting recipes online could lead to such abuse. I’ll try the recipe tonight – I’m sure it’s wonderful.
I found this recipe because I was looking for something to do with some thawed ground turkey I had. Maybe it would taste better with the beef and pork called for I don’t know. All I know is that I will be making these again and again and again. They were SO good! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I made these the other night. I get “Try the World’ every other month and the most recent delivery was Sweden and I decided I wanted to make Swedish meatballs to eat with some of the other things in the box. My wife was a bit surprised since I’m not really a fan of having meat, gravy, and potatoes (yeah, I know, I’m weird) but I was inspired to do something Swedish!
We absolutely loved the outcome. The gravy went so well over our smashed potatoes and it really did taste great. Our meatballs were a mix of beef, pork and veal. We served them with lingonberry preserves which I highly recommend since they really added a dimension to the meal. It was like Swedish thanksgiving! 8)
I’ve probably made hundreds of recipes online in the past years but have only left a review once or twice. I wanted to let you know I LOVE this recipe. The first time I made it a few years ago, I remember thinking it was one of the best things I ever made/ate. I’ve made it many times since and still love it (as do all those I make it for), so I wanted to thank you for sharing it. I was picking up ingredients at the store last week and saw the comments at the top for the first time and was in shock! What a bunch of crazy, delusional, entitled wackos. I know you must work very hard on this site and you share it with us for free, who do these people think they are? I am a teacher and deal with a lot of parents with exactly the same attitude, luckily they are not all like that and I love the kids, but I know it can be gut-wrenching to have people crap all over something you pour your heart and soul into. So, thank you for your contribution, this recipe has made many people happy over the years!
I made these exactly as posted. Fantastic!!!!!!! AND, btw made them gluten free by using gluten free panko and brown rice flour.
I have made Swedish meatballs for several decades. They can tolerate some variation. In my opinion the importance of fatty meat in the ball is that it renders out when you fry it leaving caves and holes for the sauce to fill. Turkey meatballs will probably just have a surface covering.
Fat is also key to thickening the sauce. Flour cooked in fat and then thinned with a water base liquid makes gravy. If you just add flour to a fat free environment you will get flour and water paste. Fat is good for you if you aren’t ridiculous about the amounts.
My friends and family keep telling me I should do a cooking blog. The rude people on here are exactly why I don’t. Geez people, most bloggers aren’t professional chefs. Just cooks having fun. If you can’t figure out how to change a recipe to suit your needs, then don’t use that recipe. You don’t have to drag the poor blogger thru the mud! Maybe you shouldn’t even be cooking if you can’t figure it out for yourself. Start buying the pre made crap at the grocery store.
Made these Swedish meatballs today and fell in love with them! They are SO GOOD! I used ground chicken and turkey instead of beef and pork and salted butter instead of unsalte and I can’t stop eating these things!
I will DEFINITELY make these again in the future. Thanks Chungah!
HI there,
we have difficulties finding sour cream here, what can you advise as a subtitutes? heavy dream or full cream milk?
Thank you
Greek yogurt would be a great substitute.
I made these tonight, and everyone in my family loved them-thank you!
Made these for a party and they were delicious. I usually don’t fry my meatballs but I am glad I followed the recipe because without frying them you don’t get all of that beautiful fond left in the bottom of the pan and that’s what makes the gravy so delicious. I added a pinch of the allspice and the nutmeg to the gravy to marry the spice flavor in the meat to the flavor of the gravy.
I must have made my meatballs a little smaller because I got 35 from the recipe, but that was ok, more to go around. There were none left by the end of the night. I’ll be making these again!
And as to all the back and forth about substitutions, really. We are on these sights because we all love to cook and eat good food. If you sub something out a fat the recipe doesn’t come out well, that’s on you, not on the recipe. Let’s keep it civil, there’s too much snarkiness from both sides of this issue.
On the day I was planning to make this, there was no ground pork at the grocery store. On a whim, I subbed ground Italian sausage for the ground pork and left out the nutmeg and allspice (because the Italian sausage is already spiced). It was (damn) delicious! I have made it a couple of times since then the same way. Definitely a fave!
Made this last night. Delicious and easy!
I finally got around to making this. Followed recipe to a T. Totally amazing…..love it!!!
I love Swedish meatballs but have difficulty finding them. I googled recipies and could not pass on this one based on reviews. Thank goodness I did.
These are the best Swedish meatballs I have ever had. I consider myself a novice in the kitchen, but this recipie was easy to follow. Thank you Chungah!
Was really excited to try this recipe but I’m sorry to say that it wasn’t very good. The meatballs didn’t have much flavor and the gravy was pretty bland also. I added some garlic powder and onion powder to the gravy and that helped a little bit. Other recipes that I’ve tried have been very good so I’ll have to try some others that I have saved.
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well. However, I understand that we all have different taste preferences, and I really appreciate your honest feedback.
I don’t get why some are saying the reply is rude when a link to the answer was given. Probably lack culinary competency… I’m muslim. I don’t eat pork. I substituted it with chicken. Didn’t have sour cream so I used creme fraiche. I dunno how much it differs from the original recipe but it tastes just fine to me. Thanks Chungah for the recipe. Keep it up.
I followed the recipe as written and the dish is bland – not bad but bland. I might try again using just ground beef. Also, the gravy is better when refrigerated and re-warmed. No disrespect meant.
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well. However, I understand that we all have different taste preferences, and I really appreciate your honest feedback.
Hi there! I made these with some substitutes, and they came out AMAZING. I’m sure yours are better, but I figured I’d use the ingredients I already had in the house (all beef, regular bread crumbs and greek yogurt). The gravy is the star in this dish, and I love how much gravy your recipe yields. I can’t wait to pour these on some mashed potatoes.
First off, thanks Meredith for that hilarious link, still laughing. Next, HOLY GAMOLY I have never read comments quite like these!!!!!! I’m going to make this today, I don’t have ground pork so all by myself decided to use all ground beef and if it doesn’t turn out well I’m not going to post a complaint. And to all you whiners, Chung-Ah was never rude in her replies. I thought she exhibited amazing restraint.
I was looking for a recipe for Swedish Meatballs for an Oscar party I was attending, and came across this one. No big surprise that they were a huge hit with all the party guests. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for another great recipe!!
Just made this recipe in response to having Swedish Meatballs in a restaurant recently– nice but expensive. Well, these ones I made were just as nice– probably nicer. Thank you for a fabulous recipe.
I’ve never attempted to make homemade meatballs, but when I saw “better than the Ikea version!”, I had to try this! And I was not disappointed! Just finished right now, and they are so warm, delicious, and comforting. Thanks for this recipe!
Great recipe
Can the sauce be frozen?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Last year, I made a large batch of these and I had good luck freezing the cooked meatballs with the sauce. I put 5 meatballs in a square freezer container and covered with sauce. When defrosted and reheated, the sauce wasn’t quite as creamy (the sour cream separates some) but the taste was the same.
I grew up eating my mother’s Swedish meatballs – she made hers in a pressure cooker. This is the closest I’ve had to the taste and texture of hers. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thank you for this. I must admit, I can’t be faffed making meatballs when they are readily available from supermarket. But the gravy, well now that requires a trip to IKEA, and although our IKEA is only 8 miles away, I still seem to never have packets of gravy mix in the cupboard. Your recipe for the gravy is amazing, it’s so easy, tastes as good, probably better, doesn’t take any longer to cook, and is cheaper than the packets! Thank you thank you thank you!!!
This is a pretty good recipe- ingredients are readily available, methods are simple. Really a pretty basic sort of meatball with some spices that set it apart. I’d never had a Swedish meatball before (I make my own furniture, so haven’t delved deeply into the Ikea culture), but these are quite good. I looked at a few other recipes, which didn’t differ greatly, though some insist on mace as a vital ingredient. I halved the gravy amount, and it was still plenty to cook the meatballs in.
Oh, by the way, I love the use of egg yolks only. I think they make a more tender meatball and they do have all of the vitamins of the whole egg and half the protein. Yum!
I use a lot of pork because we love the flavor don’t you? : )
I have read a least half the comments here and I am surprised that people engage in negative comments. Negative comments breed negative comments.
As for changing the recipe, I don’t usually have panko crumbs in the pantry. I have been cooking for over 45 years and I am sure this is a great recipe.
However, (brace yourselves), I am adding brewed coffee as it does give a nice bottom note to Swedish meatballs. This is how I was trained about 50 years ago when I first had them at a famous steak house and was told the recipe which I never forgot.
Aside from those 2 changes according to my personal taste, this is an outstanding recipe Chung-Ah and I thank you. : )
This recipe isn’t all that specific to begin with; the cuts of meat, how they
re ground, the type of broth, the types of parsley and onion, brand of sour cream all will have considerable effect on the outcome. The pork/beef combo is near universal for meatballs, at least from European backgrounds; if you really have problems with pork, veal would probably be the best substitute. The procedure is very straightforward, but if you want the meatballs to stay round, you should fry them in at least 1/4″ of oil.
These look delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe 🙂
Being Swedish I have made meatballs a lot of times. I have made them with only pork, only beef , a mixture and with chicken. What I can say is that they need a bit of fat. If you use too lean meat they become very dry. If you cannot eat pork then use fat beef. In Sweden I have bought beef mince with 20% fat. That works.
You can also add any seasoning you want. I love to use lots of garlic and I have added Feta cheese sometimes. Basically, the stuff you like to add to a meat loaf can also be added to meat balls. We usually eat them with mashed potatoes and gravy but also with pasta. Lingonberry jam is a must and my son needs ketchup.
Personally, I dislike fatty meats, and this recipe in no way needs fat- if you buy your meat ground, it will have more than enough- probably far more than enough. The gravy itself contains a good deal of fat, the egg yolks and sauteed onions add fat to the meat mixture- even with very lean meat, this is a moderately fatty recipe.
I made these meatballs tonight and my partner and I loved it! Flawless!
these are amazing!! my family loves them! thanks for sharing 🙂
I came to the website today to take a look at some of the other recipes, since my family loves this Swedish Meatball recipe so much. I bet I have made it at least 10 times. I have always used two pounds of ground beef, due to a child who cannot eat pork. I had no idea that there was such a firestorm going on regarding the recipe. We LOVE this recipe. I can tell you that this is great with just ground beef. I use a 90% lean beef. Lingonberry jam is a must, though!!
My Hubby made this for dinner tonite, it was damn delicious.. We had the meatballs over mashed potatoes, the next time I think I’ll do egg noodles.. Was a very easy recipe to follow. Thank you for sharing
Made this for dinner last night and followed the recipe as written. Turned out perfect and has been added to our “family favorite” list!
Made this tonight for hubby! Yummy! Simple, yet really good, thank you!
I followed your recipe sans pork because I didn’t have any on hand. My boyfriend was skeptical when I added the allspice and nutmeg but was very pleased with the outcome. This was incredible! Thanks for sharing.
This was my first attempt at swedish meatballs, and I am on my way to celebrate with my friends and family with this dish! I tasted two before heading out the door, and I am very pleased! Sauce was a great consistency, I did make substitutions for gf all purpose flour and gf panko crumbs, as our diet requirements are gluten free. I definitely wanted others who are gluten free to realize it is possible to use this recipe. No doubt, it may be different from the original outcome, but I am pleased I get to eat and enjoy something that otherwise I’d not be able to have! I used the pork and beef. Delicious. I also used a little white pepper after reading someone’s comment about it and it added a little kick to the sauce! Will definitely be making this again, THANKS ever so much for posting this recipe – and thanks for allowing all comments to be read, despite the negative nature of some posters, others do sometimes allow for differences in diet and preference which is helpful to other home cooks who are not professionals, but enjoy our kitchens and trying new foods. Vive la difference! Happy 2016, Chungah!
Sorry, Jessica, but replacing pork with veal is NOT an appropriate substitute. I thought your redress was quite snotty and condescending.
Folks. Avoid substitutions. They create a different recipe. Period!!!!
And, in MY opinion, no one should EVER eat veal. For any reason. Substitution? Sardines. See my point?
Made these for our Christmas dinner over mashed potatoes. The flavor was wonderful, but my gravy was way too thin. Next time I’ll use less broth or add some cornstarch at the end. It also took a lot longer than the time indicated to cook the meatballs all the way through. I browned mine, then simmered in the gravy for another 15 minutes and I still had some that were pink. Cheers for a wonderful recipe!
This was a HUGE hit with everyone!!! Thank you so much for posting!
Before I make these, I’m wondering is it really only 4 servings? Because doing the math means that’s almost 1,000 calories per serving 🙁 If it’s more like 6-8 servings I may be able to swing it.
Mary, you can stretch this out to as many servings as you’d like.
Hi, regarding the sweedish meatballs, has somebody tried to cook them in the oven over parchemin papier ?
And has someone tried to freeze them after they are cooked and without the sauce ? I was thinking of doing it this way and just make the sauce when I need it to serve de meatballs ? Or is it necessary that the meatballs cook in the sauce ?
Thanks ! and sorry for my poor English…
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I made them tonight for the second time. They are now a favourite.
Thank you for this recipe. The first time I made these meatballs with the ground pork/ground beef combination as recommended, I tripled the recipe. I froze the extra meatballs on trays in my freezer and then packed them in ziploc bags to store in my freezer. They were great simmered in pasta sauce as well. I made these again last night and got a little more adventurous. Trying to be healthier this time, I made them with ground turkey and ground bison. They turned out great!
I made this recipe tonight and my family loved it! Thanks for sharing.
A nice recipe! BUT, with four Swedish grandparents, three of whom were born in Sweden, please let me make one change to your recipe for Swedish meatballs! INSTEAD of Panko crumbs, use bread soaked in milk for the binder!! You can use any kind — white or wheat! I tend to use Pepperidge Farm sandwich bread for the taste! I’m making meatballs today and don’t have the Pepperidge, but any bread, even Challah bread, will do! Nice texture and taste in place of Panko! I use Panko as well, just not for my Swedish meatballs! I have them with gravy, mashed potatoes, ligonberries and a veggie!
So easy and extremely delicious and our family loved them
I am so happy to find this recipe. I was looking for something to take to a carry in dinner at our church the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I wanted something easy and not of the Thanksgiving menu. I think I will be tired of turkey by then and so will most others. These sound perfect and I can transport them in a crock pot to boot!!
OMGGG These were so good. Moist and juicy meatballs. However the sauce was a little thin and didnt really thicken up. Is it meant to be this way?
The sauce is meant to have more of a thick gravy-like consistency.
Good recipe. Needs improvements. Less pork. I’d go 1.5 lbs of organic beef and .5 of pork. The biggest thing off is the rue. There is not enough rue to thicken. I doubled it. Other than that not a bad recipe.
I just made this for dinner. It was really tasty and definitely hit the spot. I actually made the meatballs with ground lamb and it tasted great. Served it with mashed yams and cranberry sauce. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thank you for posting this – I normally don’t like Swedish meatballs but I had all of the ingredients so I fixed them exactly as your recipe instructed. Fabulous! Family likes them also ~ 🙂 I’ll make these again.
This is delicious! My family are veggie so we used vegetable stock and Quorn meatballs for speed. Was great with mashed potatoes and piles of vegetables 🙂 Thank you 🙂
Can you make and freeze the sauce separately?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I’ve made this recipe a couple times, and each time the gravy has tasted really… Buttery? Is this how it’s supposed to taste? I followed the directions exactly, but it doesn’t seem to taste right to me..(although I’m not sure exactly how it’s supposed to taste, which is why I ask..) I think of the gravy with Swedish meatballs with a more mild taste… However the meatballs themselves come out PERFECT!
Ak, you can reduce the amount of butter as needed to suit your taste preferences.
i used approx triple the amount of flour contained in this recipe. 1/3 cup wasn’t enough,the sauce was too runny
Just want others to know!
well, after I got done reading the entertaining fights on the message board, all I have to say is great recipe! I used frozen meatballs, and half the beef broth and served it over rich, fluffy mashed potatoes. My mom couldn’t get enough
As someone who loves to cook & experiment in the kitchen… I rarely use the same recipe more than once. But I’ve made this one three or four times now, and will continue to use it. It’s absolutely delicious, exactly as written (I’ve omitted the parsley once when I forgot to buy some).
Also, the comment section on this post was hilarious and made my afternoon. Cheers to the author 😉
I make this recipe all the time….I even use the meatball recipe to make the best hamburger patties ever! My parents don’t eat pork so I always substitute it with ground turkey. I’ve never made it with pork. It comes out delicious every time with turkey. Thanks Chungah for a great recipe!
You know.. I have sat by and read all the comments on this blog about recipe substitutions and what not. I think its stupid to call the author rude because she doesn’t know how YOUR food will taste in YOUR kitchen once YOU substitute something. Its like the dumbness level for some of you ig-nits are its just thru the roof! If you can pull the word rude out of your bum, then perhaps you can pull this out of there as well… FIGURE IT OUT FOR YOURSELF oooooor USE THE FREAKEN INTERNET TO FIND ANOTHER VERSION OF THIS RECIPE.. bunch of idiots, i tell ya! Lazy arm chair food critics and what not… If you can’t stomach pork.. then don’t use it! What else besides beef can you stomach? Chicken? Turkey? Its not rocket science. You want this author to think for you, well I’m sure she’s too darn busy for all that! Stop being dum-dums and do something for yourself. Jeez! Never in my life have I gotten this irritated looking up what to make for dinner! Just.. numba sign all of your worthless hides down and stop being dumb. Common sense just isn’t common anymore! So freaken frustrating.
Now… To the author. I have been looking for a nice recipe like this, and I will try it tonight. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing. I love your professionalism when dealing with the cyber trash on your blog. You are not rude, because trust me, I have been far worse to far greater people. So you just keep doing what you’re doing, and making us happy with your home cooked recipes 🙂
Chung-Ah, the meatballs are cooking as I type, and they smell DIVINE! Ignore the haters, the world is full of them. Those who can’t, critique those who can. And you my dear, CAN! Thank you SO much for sharing this amazing recipe!
Wow. I look for recipes as an inspiration, a guideline. And enjoy the comments from those who’ve made the dish, as is or what they had on hand. I feel cooking is an art, or a labor of love.
Chungah, you put forth great recipes for greater inspiration. And although I am not fan of those who comment beforehand, I can say when I make this tomorrow for Sunday dinner with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans, I know this will be a family favorite.
Just made and with a side of mash potatoes …….OMG.
THANK YOU so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Cheers 🙂
I just made these tonight, with one change, but they turned out delicious! I did substitute the pork for veal but other than that I followed everything precisely. I’ve never eaten a Swedish meatball, so I don’t have much to compare it to, but it reminds me of a Middle Eastern recipe I make, macaroni bechamel, which if I had added white pepper and pasta it would have been just that!! I will be making this again next week for a party I am having, I’m glad to have made this ahead of time to test it out. Oh, definitely add the freshly chopped parsley, it really makes all the difference!!!!!
I find this website by Chungah very useful and entertaining. Honey, don’t pay any attention to the haters. Some people need to complain about everything. Keep up your good work 🙂
So I made these awesome meatballs with my 6 year old. She did a great job. They were so good that this tiny 6 year old ate 6 of them. Then asked: Why would anyone want to substitute anything. I love this kid. Thank you so much for the recipe. The two of us looked and found many of your recipes that she really wanted to try. She is a very picky eater. your recipes were so good and with helping to prepare them (very simple recipe) she is eager to get started. I look forward to your recipes.
thank you so much.
Cid
I plan on making this tonight, and I might make some rice or noodle to smear it on top of :O I wonder how that would turn out! I shall post once I find out.
No offense but my point was that she said she didn’t know what to substitute and that this recipe was what she did. How many times did she have to explain that. Then ended up having to defend herself from these same people. These are the arrogant people I was referring to. I am sure that if you read all those entries that you could see that. I’m sure you didn’t write again asking for a substitution or berating her for not wanting to change her recipe. I hope you find what your looking for.
I’ve been browsing around for Swedish Meatball recipes for a party I will be having soon. I do not eat pork for religious reasons as many people do, so I am researching what I can do in substitution for the pork. Reading over the comments, many were offensive.I don’t see an issue with someone asking what’s a good substitute for an ingredient, it’s a recipe for goodness sake!! I could see where Rebekah was coming from, I don’t think she was expecting that kind of answer which was very formal and insisting she must stick with the original pork or else get mediocre (aka crappy) results. But Chungh-Ah answered the best she could. I don’t believe substituting pork will ruin a dish, there are groups of people who have created sophisticated culinary works of art out of meat with a pork less culture.
I love how most came to defend Chungh-Ah but then completely ignored this comment:
joe says
November 6, 2014 at 11:14 AM
Many people I know are Jewish and are forbidden to eat pork..so when they come to my house I tell them there is no pork in the recipe even though I put it in…I really do not give a fat rats ass if they are forbidden to eat pork..I love it and will use it…get over it……OMG…..how shameful is that…lllooolll
And to Joe, you must really only love Joe. What a huge disrespect and betrayal to your Jewish friends. Is it all that necessary to lie about it? Is it that much to ask that when your friend asks if there is pork in something, you just tell them the damn truth? I assume that your actions are based in bigotry.
I agree with this. In all honesty, the question did not require the sort of response many of the bloggers gave. The author answered the best way she could. However, I do not think one should immediately resort to being butt-hurt because a chef doesn’t know how best to suggest something to you. That would require her to know what you like, and don’t like. Only you can answer that question, so why waste time asking it? And another thing, if you happen to ask this question.. don’t resort to being a twat just because the chef/cook simply doesn’t know how to answer it.
And to the Joe person you pointed out.. I agree with that as well.. he is very disrespectful to mislead his friends. It goes to show how much he values them as people. Can he truly even call them friends? Now, my husband doesn’t eat pork.. not for religious reasons, but because he literally can’t stomach it. It makes him sick. So, out of courtesy, I don’t cook it. His family is Muslim, and they don’t eat pork for religious reasons. So when they come visit, I am sure to keep my packet of bacon, that make for my breakfast, hidden in the back from sight. Is this a lot of hoops to jump through for family or friend? No. I choose to respect my friends and family even if I don’t agree with their customs.
I cannot believe what I have just read!!!!!!! What is wrong with you people? I realize this is a late post, as I just found this site while looking for and AUTHENTIC Swedish meatball recipe. What part of “authentic” Swedish recipe do you not understand? If you want to make this specific recipe, then you would need to follow the recipe that makes the dish what it is! If you change it, it is no longer that recipe but a “SUBSTITUTE. Call it what you want, but it is not the same recipe posted. It will never taste the same as what this person has made with these ingredients,therefore it is different. For those of you who are so ARROGANT that you cannot understand the simple FACT, that a substitution for the ingredients IS NOT THE SAME RECIPE, Please look up the word ARROGANT.) How difficult of a concept is this for you BULLIES! Why was this so hard for you people to understand? You were mean and nasty! Are you adults? My six year old asked that as we read it. Smart kid. It is not a problem to change a recipe and make it your own! That is encouraged. So, the next time you ask for a substitution and the author replies with the fact that this is how they made it and didn’t know of a substitute, as this is their recipe, then figure it out for yourself!!!! NEVER continue to bully and berate a person for SHARING THEIR RECIPE!! DON’T BE RUDE. I hope that someday someone does what most of you did, happens to you. Maybe then you will learn manners (again from the mouth of babes). I feel very sorry for this GRACIOUS person, who has SHARED this recipe. Thank you Chungtah for this AUTHENTIC recipe!! I am making them today and my six year old can’t wait to help! For the rest of you BULLIES out there, every school in America has a NO BULLIES policy. Maybe you should try bullying the person in the mirror and see just how far you get. …………Cid
I’m making these right now for dinner. yummy. ..this recipe sounds delicious. Making it just as it says, but have about 1/2 more pork to use so added about another 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and an extra egg as they were small. the meatballs are delicious so I’m sure dinner will be a treat. I will make this again.
××××Judy….use what éver meat you like. .
I made the recipe today as written. I did find that 4 cups of beef stock created a thinner gravy. I did allow thickening time and double checked the ingredient list. Next time I will use 3 cups of stock and see how it goes. The meatballs were great and my young kids ate them up! Will make again for sure.
One question. Should it have a strong nutmeg taste? Mine seems a little strong, but other than that it is awesome and will use this recipe again but maybe half the nutmeg. I put it over mashed potatoes. Really good.
The nutmeg taste should be very subtle. If it is too strong to taste, it may be best to reduce the amount as needed for next time.
I made this last night, and it turned out delicious!
Only difference is that I baked them in the oven at 180C for 30min, instead of browning them in a skillet because I didn’t have one big enough. 🙂 It turned out nicely, and was a lot easier!
It made me 36 meatballs.. I froze the leftovers and will be looking forward to more meatball meals soon!
Thanks Chung Ah. 🙂
You make your meatballs with Panko bread crumbs! I just recently discovered Panko bread crumbs I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love them!
I am excited to make swedish meatballs with Panko instead of regular from now on.
Thanks for the recipe!
Great recipe! As a college student cooking on her own, this recipe was super easy to follow and came out delicious. What do you think of eating it with cranberry sauce rather than ligonberry sauce?
That sounds great but without having tried it myself, I can’t really say with certainty. Please use your best judgment.
I’ve had it with cranberry sauce and lingonberry sauce….both were delicious! Great recipe Chungah!
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it. I don’t have any pork, so I will just try it with the beef and cut the recipe in half, but make the full gravy recipe so I can put it over noodles. I’ll plan ahead and buy some pork the next time I make it. Thanks for this recipe!
I love your recipes! I made 4 of them this week alone! Last night I made the Swedish meatball recipe. It was very tasty but did not look quite as rich and creamy as your picture. I used light sour cream instead of regular. Do you know if this would change the flavor quite a bit or can light and regular sour cream be used interchangeably? Thank you in advance for your time 🙂
Light and regular sour cream can certainly be used interchangeably with very minimal flavor changes.
These were fantastic! I doubled the recipe and now have some ready to be cooked in my freezer! (I’m so glad I did this). I’ll say I *did* change one little thing: I added about a 1/4 of a cup of red wine to the gravy towards the end of cooking to give it more flavor. Everything else I made as written and was very happy with the results! Great job!
I am so excited to try your recipe tonight for the first time. Swedish meatball cravings…. thank you for sharing!!:)
this looks yummy – can’t wait to try it – thank you.
i followed the recipe to the letter and the meatballs are good but, the gravy was just OK. I will make the recipe again and make a few corrections on my part. I will use either homemade beef broth or high quality boxed…not low sodium. Additionally, I will add the sour cream just before serving. Well written recipe that was very easy to follow!
The recipie is almost perfect. The only thing I would change is the time of the butter and the flour. Keep it on the stove longer to get darker brown color and better taste.
Tried this recipe a few months ago during winter & it is awesome! I am someone who does not measure exactly when cooking (kinda like Rachael Ray), but when I try a new recipe I do measure, then I know how I can guesstimate next time. Recently went to Ikea & it happened to be on a Friday which is their $3.99 Swedish meatball special nite. I have to say that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I used to since trying your recipe, Chungah. I have bookmarked many more of your recipes to try – can’t wait, they all look “damn delicious”!
Hey Chungah, thanks for the recipe, and I agree, those are definitely better than the IKEA version… unless you prefer horse meat 😉 Prepared kottbullar yesterday and served them with lingonberry jam, pressgurka (pressed cucumbers) and potatismos (mashed potatoes). That was absolutely DELICIOUS! I am ready to go back to Stockholm and celebrate Midsommar next week 😉
I know this is from a long time ago but I just found your recipe on pinterest. I doubled the recipe and OMG so good! So happy this made enough meatballs for 3 more dinners for my husband and I! Seriously, so good and not a tweak needed in the recipe!
Dear Chungah,
This is a fabulous recipe, couldn’t ask for a better one to try. Since I had no pork on hand, I simply Googled results for a good substitute, and found about a million results. It’s a shame so many expect you to have that info on hand when all they need is a pc and an ounce of common sense. It came out tasting great, and I’ve shared it with all my friends.
Wow, the meat balls were delicious. I did vary the recipe in that I double the quantity of spices and boy did that work out well. I also added a squeeze of lemon juice to the sauce to reduce the intense flavour of the beef stock and that also worked a treat. Thanks for the recipe mmmmmmm
Hey Chungah,
I’m sure you are completely over this whole post and all of its comments,
BUT
I just wanted to let you know that I follow pretty much everyone of your pinterest boards and am a huge fan of your recipes and blog.
I have made a whole mess of them for my vegetarian self and carnivorous other half and they have turned out excellent every time!
I never ever comment on food blogs, but I thought this was a good place to let you know that I think you and your recipes are kickass.
I also think it is amazing that you reply to comments, anytime I’ve had a question about one of your recipes it was already answered in your comments section.
Not all bloggers reply.
So thanks for sharing all of your wonderful culinary creations with the world!
Also, I’m making Swedish meatballs right now.
😉
Just made these as your recipe, outstanding thank you so much for the recipe. Sorry about all the rude comments you encountered, some people are just generally rude and nasty. I think they crave the attention.
Thanks again for the outstanding recipe!!! Susan
Thanks a lot for this recipe. I had never tasted Swedish meatballs before but I just knew I would love them. Your recipe turned out perfectly and was so, so delicious. Couldn’t believe how good the sauce was. I want to make it again very soon!