This Swedish meatball recipe guarantees juicy, tender meatballs, with an unbelievably good homemade gravy.
It’s no secret that we love meatball recipes. We’ve shared quite a few, but this savory Swedish meatball recipe is special. You’ll make the meatballs and the gravy from scratch, but don’t worry, they are easier to make than you might think!
If you’ve ever had Ikea’s meatballs, these are similar (although I’d wager they are much better). For more of an Italian-style meatball, see our Italian meatballs or this spaghetti and meatballs recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Beef and Pork: For the most tender, juicy, and delicious Swedish meatballs, I use a combination of ground beef and ground pork. The pork adds more fat to the meatballs, making them taste incredibly delicious! I have included a tip below the recipe for using 100% beef and no pork.
- Bread and Milk: I use fresh bread instead of breadcrumbs for a tender texture. I soften the bread with milk before mixing it with the meat.
- Onion and Spices: I don’t add too many more fresh ingredients to the meatballs besides onion. I cook it in butter until sweet and soft. Then, I stir in a little mustard, black pepper, allspice, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. The spices are warming and smell incredible.
- Egg: Before forming the meatballs, I add one egg to the mixture for a bit of structure and extra fat.
- Homemade Gravy: My homemade Swedish meatball gravy really takes this recipe to the next level. You’ll need a bit of butter and flour to thicken the broth (use beef or chicken). To make it creamy, I stir in heavy cream and then season with soy sauce (trust me), mustard, and lemon zest.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
Tip 1: Use a food processor. Thanks to a food processor, these meatballs are really easy to make. I usually tell you to mix meatball mixtures gently, but for these, we want them pretty well mixed for a slightly more bouncy, juicy texture.
Add all the meatball ingredients to your food processor (or stand mixer with the paddle attachment) and pulse until the mixture looks very well blended. Then you can form the mixture into meatballs.
Tip 2: Cook meatballs in butter. To make that amazing gravy, we want some pan drippings. So I highly recommend cooking these meatballs in butter in a skillet on the stove. When they are cooked in the middle, take them out of the skillet, and then use the same skillet to make the gravy.
Tip 3: Make our easy skillet gravy. I make it the same way I make our easy gravy recipe. Scatter flour over the fat left in your skillet, then add broth. When it’s thickened, add some cream and season. It’s quick, easy, and unbelievably delicious.
Serving Suggestions
When it comes to serving the meatballs, it’s common to serve them with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles, but for fewer carbs, you can swap for mashed cauliflower. A spoonful of lingonberry jam on the side is also an excellent idea (if not a requirement).
I also love something crunchy like roasted green beans or a light salad on the side. It cuts through the richness of the meal. (Here’s our go-to balsamic dressing.)
More Meatball Recipes
Swedish Meatballs
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This Swedish meatball recipe makes juicy and flavorful meatballs with a creamy, rich, and crave-worthy sauce. If you prefer, you can serve the meatballs without the gravy. We love serving these with mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower). We also highly recommend a spoonful of lingonberry jam. For the gravy, I love soy sauce and a bit of lemon. They are not authentic, but truly make this gravy delicious.
You Will Need
For the Meatballs1 pound (450g) ground beef
8 ounces (225g) ground pork
2 ounces (55g) fresh bread, crusts removed (2 to 3 slices)
¼ cup (60ml) milk
2 tablespoons (30g) butter, plus more as needed
½ cup (70g) finely chopped onion
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch fresh ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard or a pinch of dry mustard powder
1 large egg
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the GravyButter, as needed
3 tablespoons (24g) all-purpose flour
3 cups (710ml) beef broth or chicken broth
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or a pinch of dry mustard powder
½ teaspoon lemon zest
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
- Prepare Meatball Mixture
1Tear or chop the bread into small pieces in a small bowl, then cover with the milk. Set aside.
2Melt one tablespoon of butter in a wide skillet. Add the onions and cook until soft but not brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the black pepper, allspice, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and mustard. Cook, stirring everything around the pan for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then wipe the skillet mostly clean with a paper towel, ready to cook the meatballs.
3Combine the beef, pork, egg, and the bread and milk mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a large food processor). When the onions are warm but not hot, add them to the bowl as well.
4Sprinkle the salt evenly over the top of the mixture, then beat for about 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then beat another 30 seconds to a minute until the mixture looks very well blended. (If you are using a food processor, you may need to stop the processor to move the mixture around a bit.)
5Form the mixture into meatballs. We like using a medium cookie scoop, which holds about 1 ½ tablespoons (you should get around 30 meatballs).
- Cook Meatballs
1Heat the oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment. (You will likely cook the meatballs in batches. A warm oven helps keep the meatballs hot while you finish cooking them.)
2Melt half a tablespoon of butter in the pan to cook the onions over medium-low heat.
3Add the meatballs and cook, turning every few minutes, until brown on all sides and cooked in the middle, 8 to 10 minutes. It’s unlikely all the meatballs will fit, so you will need to do this in batches (or use two pans). Add more butter to the pan as needed.
4Transfer the cooked meatballs to the baking sheet and place them in the warm oven.
- Make the Gravy
1After cooking the meatballs, make the gravy in the same pan. Depending on how much fat is left in the pan after cooking the meatballs, you may need to remove some or add some butter. You will need about three tablespoons of fat in the pan.
2Decrease the heat to low, scatter the flour over the fat in the pan, and whisk until medium blonde in color, about 2 minutes.
3While whisking, slowly add the broth. Continue to whisk until the gravy begins to thicken.
4Add the cream and cook until the sauce thickens enough to coat the meatballs, another minute or so.
5Whisk in the soy sauce, mustard, and lemon zest. Taste, then adjust with salt and pepper, as needed. Remove the meatballs from the oven and add to the gravy. Serve with parsley scattered on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- For all beef meatballs: Leave out the pork and use 1 ½ pounds of ground beef.
- Breadcrumbs instead of fresh bread: Fresh bread makes a slightly softer, more juicy meatball, but breadcrumbs are an acceptable substitute. If using breadcrumbs, mix ⅓ cup of breadcrumbs with the milk.
- No mixer or food processor: If you do not have a mixer or processor, you can mix the ingredients by hand. Use your hands or a fork to mix until well blended. The texture will be slightly different, but they will still taste great.
- Make-ahead tips: The meatball mixture can be made and refrigerated 1 to 2 days in advance.
- Freezing tips: To freeze cooked meatballs, let them cool enough so you can handle them, then add them to freezer-safe bags or containers. To reheat them, bake in the oven until heated through. To freeze uncooked meatballs, place the formed balls onto a baking sheet and then into the freezer. Freeze until hard, then transfer to freezer-safe containers or bags. To cook them, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, and then follow the directions for cooking in the recipe above. We do not recommend freezing the gravy, but you can make that in about 5 minutes.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I have enjoyed your recipies.
I got all the stuff to make the meatballs, but then I was in a time crunch to get dinner on the table, so I used a package of frozen mini turkey meatballs from Whole Foods. I made the gravy with better-than-bullion chicken, but I used too much and it was very salty. To fix this, I added more cream, which seemed to work. Then I threw in a pinch of nutmeg and allspice because I didn’t get those flavors in the frozen meatballs. Served it up with mashed potatoes, green beans, and lingonberry jam. The meal was a HUGE HIT despite my shortcuts and mistakes. I’m looking forward to making the meatballs too! Thank you!
It was amazing! Definitely sticking to this recipe. I put it over mashed potatoes.
These were delish!! Kids loved them. Easy to make! I did the crockpot method. Was perfect to come home to at the end of a long day.
We are thrilled that your family loved the meatballs 🙂
This is my go-to recipe! The meatballs are perfectly spiced and textured. The sauce is plentiful. The addition of lemon zest and mustard really elevate this from a plain cream sauce to an amazing one! That little extra zing… The meatballs freeze really well and make for a quick meal later on. Great served with a dollop of cranberry sauce! I’ve also used them for spaghetti and meatballs and they are still delicious with a Marinara sauce and pasta. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Kelly
Would love to try this recipe, but don’t have a food processor. How would I make these without?
Hi Elaine, You can simply mix it by hand. The texture of the meatballs won’t be exactly the same since the processor grinds the meat into a smoother texture, but they will taste delicious.
I just stumbled onto your site and it will become my “go to” spot for recipes! Thank you for your easily understood and thorough directions. I do have a question- my mother would add a few bay leaves to her sauce- she was Polish – but I never saw any other recipe doing that…have you?
Hi Janelle, We don’t typically add bay leaves to this recipe, however, we love the flavor they add to dishes and think it would be lovely (especially if your mother did it!). Go for it!
This was soooo good’. We loved it!! Gravy was perfect and meatballs excellent!!
Will be trying in the near future, look very good.
Soooo good! An instant family favorite!
Love to cook and bake. Scratch carrot cake in oven for tonight after baked cod, potato and another veggie. Will try Swedish meatballs ne t weekend.
I’d like to bake the meatballs instead of pan-frying them. Do you have any good tips for this method?
Sure! We use the same baking method as this recipe for juicy meatballs. Bake them lightly sprayed with cooking spray or brushed with oil at 425°F until they are cooked through, the outsides are browned, and they register 165°F in the middle on an instant-read thermometer; about 20 minutes.
It was very very good. Thank you for the recipe.
I often skip over first page of offerings to find the recipe I really want to make. I am so glad I did that for Swedish meatballs. I followed your recipe exactly, including using my stand mixer to mix ingredients. These were the best Swedish meatballs I have made to date. Tender and flavorful, and the sauce was perfect. Thank you.
Delicious! Will make again
Hi, Will this recipe turn out good with lamb, goat or chicken meat?
Yes, other ground meats will work in this recipe.
This recipe is so good and easy to make, the gravy is so tasty even without the lemon zest. For sure it’s better than IKEA’s.
Great info. Lucky me I discovered your blog by chance (stumbleupon).I’ve bookmarked it for later!
Maaaan, it has taken a long time to find these! So many swedish meatball recipes, so many disappointments. This one is truly fantastic. If you like Ikea’s, this one is very similar but richer in flavour. Love love love this! Well done!
Incredible favor. Thanks a lot
Love this recipe. The subtle taste of lemon zest makes this dish an absolute winner. Will definitely do it again.
This one was a big no-no for me. The sauce, that is. And in addition to the taste, (I didn’t care the addition of your “secret ingredients”), it ended up being very lumpy and gross. So I tossed it and made a more traditional sauce for my swedish meatballs. The meatballs themselves are still up in the air, won’t know until we’ve eaten them, but I think they’ll be fine. For now they are cooking in my slow cooker with my substitute sauce. Time will tell. Sorry, guys, usually your recipes are good with me.