Swedish Meatballs
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
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 🙂