Swedish Meatballs
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Swedish meatballs made with ground pork, ground beef, and smothered in a delicious sour cream sauce are better than Ikea and definitely a dinner win.
Our Swedish meatball recipe is super simple to make and can be prepared with homemade meatballs or a bag of frozen meatballs. Serve them over some mashed cauliflower with a side of oven roasted broccoli.
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Swedish Meatballs
Swedish Meatballs
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Swedish Meatball Ingredients
Meatballs
- Ground beef – I prefer a lean ground beef for this recipe.
- Ground pork – You can use all beef or all pork if you prefer.
- Panko bread crumbs – Often found in the international aisle.
- Milk – Whole milk is my preference.
- Eggs – Medium or large.
- Spices – Onion powder, Garlic powder, Salt, Ground black pepper.
- Beef broth – A bouillon cube + warm water works great too.
- Butter – Or oil.
Sauce
- Butter – Don’t substitute oil here.
- Flour – All purpose flour.
- Beef broth – A bouillon cube + warm water works great too.
- Sour cream – I like full fat sour cream in this recipe.
How do you make Swedish meatballs? (Step-by-step)
⭐ First, mix together milk and the panko crumbs and let set for a few minutes.
⭐ Then, in a large bowl, blend together the beef, pork, seasonings, eggs and milk soaked panko. Shape into golf ball sized balls.
⭐ Next, melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear the outsides of the meatballs and then transfer to a baking dish. Pour beef broth into the baking dish with the meatballs, cover tightly with foil and bake.
⭐ Then, while meatballs are cooking, heat butter in skillet, whisk in the flour, then slowly pour in the beef broth. Bring gravy to a simmer, whisking until thickened. Stir in sour cream.
⭐ Finally, once the meatballs have finished cooking, add them to the gravy and allow to simmer a few minutes.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Preparation
Can you make Swedish meatballs ahead of time?
You can make the entire dish a day or two in advance and then heat when ready to eat. Or you can prepare the meatballs ahead and refrigerate (up to three days) or freeze (for several months) until ready to use.luten
How can you make it gluten free?
You’ll want to use gluten free panko and a gluten free flour. You could also use a potato or cornstarch in lieu of the flour.
Storage and Leftovers
How do you freeze Swedish meatballs?
Allow the dish to cool to about room temperature, then put them in a freezer safe container with at least 1 inch of headroom. They can be frozen for up to 3 months before flavor and quality begin to degrade.
They will be safe to eat indefinitely if kept below freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or on thaw cycle of microwave.
How long will they last in the refrigerator?
You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top. You may need to add a small amount of water to loosen up the gravy.
Tips and Tricks
🟢 Make these super fast by using a bag of frozen meatballs or healthier with baked turkey meatballs!
🟢 Give them a kick by stirring in some red pepper flakes.
🟢 Prepare a double batch and freeze half for a super convenient dinner later on.
🟢 Try the sauce with ground beef and serve it over spaghetti for something quick and easy.
What to serve with Swedish meatballs
Swedish meatballs are traditionally served with lingonberry sauce and mashed potatoes or egg noodles. We like to serve ours with homemade cranberry sauce since lingonberries aren’t easy to come by around here! For dessert a quick peanut butter cookie recipe is a great finish.
Want more classic, feel-good dinner ideas? Try our baked pork chops recipe with a side of loaded cauliflower casserole. Yum!
Better than Ikea Swedish Meatballs
I think Ikea single handedly made Swedish meatballs popular in the US, so naturally you’ll want to know if these are as good as Ikeas. Sit down and take a deep breath. They are even better than Ikea meatballs! Homemade pork and beef meatballs smothered in a simple sour cream meat sauce fresh off the stove top. These will win every time.
More delicious meatball recipes
- Chicken meatballs
- Grape jelly meatballs
- Classic homemade meatball recipe
- Sweet and sour meatballs recipe
- Turkey meatballs
- Meatball soup
- Spicy meatballs
- See all our fun meatball recipes!
More ground beef recipes
- Ground beef stroganoff
- Tortellini soup recipe
- Instant pot spaghetti with meat sauce
- See all our recipes made with ground beef!
Other awesome copycat recipes
- Homemade Cosmic brownies
- Chick fil a chicken nuggets recipe
- Taco Bell Mexican pizza
- Wendy’s chili recipe
- Homemade chicken minis
- Panera broccoli cheese soup recipe
- See all our restaurant copycat recipes!
Tools we love
- Cast iron skillet – Every house needs a good cast iron skillet. They cook beautifully, last forever, and can take a serious beating!
- Wooden spatula – My favorite utensil to use with the cast iron is a good wooden spatula.
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How to Make Swedish Meatballs
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
Gravy:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 8 ounces sour cream
Instructions
- Mix together the milk and the panko crumbs and let set for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, thoroughly blend together the ground beef and pork, seasonings, eggs and milk soaked panko. Shape into golf ball sized balls. (Makes about 36)
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, sear the outsides of the meatballs and then transfer to a baking dish.
- Pour 1/2 cup of beef broth into the baking dish with the meatballs, cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
- While the meatballs are cooking, heat up 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet you seared the meatballs in. Whisk in the flour, and then slowly pour in the beef broth. Bring gravy to a simmer over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Stir in the sour cream.
- Once the meatballs have finished cooking, add them to the gravy and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Sooooo close to perfect but you forgot the cardamon.
My family loves these meatballs! We serve it over noodles or rice. It makes a hearty, delicious meal!
Yummy!! I love Swedish meat balls!! Such a great recipe and super easy to make. Yum, yum, yum!
Phenomenally delicious. And so easy to make! YUM thanks for this great recipe!
This is a nice and easy recipe to make. I love the gravy!
Never made them without nutmeg. Try it sometime. Patricia
I sprinkle nutmeg on quiche also.Have used egg nog for the custard.
Can you bake the meatballs in the oven instead of frying them to make a healthier meal?
I don’t see why not 🙂