This great recipe for homemade Swedish Meatballs starts with my best ever meatball recipe! The meatballs are then smothered in a rich and creamy Swedish meatball sauce.
My family absolutely loves this recipe! It is one of their favorite meals and I'm sure it will become one of your family's favorites as well. I love when my home is filled with the smell of tender meatballs simmering in creamy sauce in a cast iron skillet.
What are Swedish Meatballs?
Swedish Meatballs are a comforting, classic dish consisting of juicy ground beef meatballs smothered in a creamy gravy. The sauce is usually made with warm spices like allspice and nutmeg. My husband does not like allspice or nutmeg with ground beef so I like to flavor my sauce with a combination of Worcestershire sauce, beef stock or beef broth, dijon mustard, black pepper, and salt.
The key to making this sensational sauce is scraping all the browned meatball bits off of the bottom of the skillet after frying the meatballs on medium high heat. I use a combination of butter and olive oil when browning the meatballs because the olive oil helps prevent burning the butter. Burned butter will not make a great tasting sauce, so keep an eye on the heat while browning your meatballs!
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef sautéed onion, garlic and oregano.
- Mix in salt, pepper, egg, and bread crumbs.
- On medium heat, brown meatballs on all sides, carefully turning so they don't break apart.
- Transfer meatballs to a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven while making your sauce.
- Add butter and flour to the pan to create a roux, then add in beef broth, cream, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard until sauce thickens.
- Add meatballs into sauce, cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Season to taste.
Substitutions for this recipe
- Ground Beef - use a combination of ground beef and ground pork. You can even substitute ground turkey or chicken.
- Spices - add nutmeg or allspice for a more traditional Swedish Meatball recipe.
- Bread crumbs - pieces of bread or saltine crackers.
What to Serve with Swedish Meatballs
You can serve your Swedish Meatballs with broad egg noodles, rice, or even this great tasting recipe for Garlic Mashed Potatoes. You can even top your juicy meatballs with different condiments, such as the classic Swedish topping lingonberry jam or simply some sour cream. Feel free to double the recipe and stash some in the freezer for easy weeknight dinners in the future.
This post was originally published on November 17, 2014. Occasionally I update with fresh tips, content, and photos. Current update February 20, 2022.
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped or 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth warmed up
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In small bowl combine panko bread crumbs and milk. Let sit for 10 minutes until bread crumbs have soaked up milk.
- In large skillet heat 1 tbsp. olive oil with 1 tbsp. butter, medium heat.
- Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes, add garlic and oregano and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
- In large bowl, combine ground beef sautéed onion, garlic and oregano.
- Mix in salt, pepper and egg, combine until egg is mixed in.
- Add bread crumbs to meat mixture and combine well.
- Use a tablespoon or scoop to make equal sized meatballs. Recipe makes approximately 20.
- Reheat skillet used to sauté onions and garlic, adding a bit more olive oil and butter if needed.
- On medium heat, brown meat balls on all sides, carefully turning so they don't break apart.
- Don't overcrowd skillet with meatballs, work in batches.
- Transfer meatballs to baking sheet and keep warm in oven while making sauce.
- Add 4 tbsp. butter to skillet, when melted whisk in flour, cook until golden brown.
- Slowly stir in heated beef broth, cook at temperature that keeps sauce at slow bubble.
- Add in cream, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard, simmer until sauce thickens at bit.
- Add meatballs into sauce, cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Season to taste.
- Serve with egg or broad noodles or mashed potatoes.
Lynn Erickson
Thank you so much for this recipe! My dad would’ve been so proud!
Beth dige
Hi Lauren,
Whatever people calls it, the name doesnt matter, it is the taste of the food that matters. The outcome really👌👌👌
Laureen King
My thoughts exactly Beth.
Saunny Murray
This was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Loved the sauce especially.
Laureen King
Thank you Saunny, the sauce is my favourite, love this recipe with mashed potatoes as well as pasta.
Sam Creamer
Made this over the weekend and we both loved it. Next time I'll put more garlic and onions but that is just a personal thing for us. Great recipe and it tasted good as leftovers the next night. Just let the sauce warm up really slowly and steamed the pasta in a double broiler. Thanks so much.
Laureen King
thanks Sam, glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Lori kilo
I just made this exactly as listed. It is fantastic!!!
Laureen King
thanks so much Lori for leaving a comment, Glad you enjoyed the recipe
Nerissa
this is such a great recipe and I think is even better than IKEA's ones. Thank you!!
Laureen King
Thank you so much Nerissa
Lisa
This is the fourth time that I have made this recipe. My family loves it!
Laureen King
Wonderful Lisa, means a lot to mean when people take the time to comment on my blog. So glad you found a recipe the family loves.
Guy
Hi Laureen,
I don't usually follow recipes to the letter, but I did on this one and my boys just loved it, all 3 requested I add it to our arsenal of top ten recipes. For years their mum took blue ribbon on Swedish Meatballs, now dads got it!
Thanks Laureen for such a great recipe.
Laureen King
Hey Guy, I am truly humbled by your comment. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. So great your boys enjoyed the recipe!
lisa a whitehead
can we use half and half? I dont have heavy cream in the house? thank you
Laureen King
Yes you can use half and half, it may not thicken up quite as much and in that case use a bit of cornstarch (2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water) stirred in to thicken it up.
Debbie Pitzer
I have made these a few times and they are AMAZING!!!! I do have a question. I want to make them ahead of time. Is that possible? Would I just keep them warm after searing or should I refrigerate? I want to make them around noon - 2pm and serve around 8pm. Thanks!
Laureen King
Hi Debbie, I would definitely keep them refrigerated. You can reheat in oven. I would suggest 30-40 minutes before serving at 300º
Patricia Ostergren
I'm sure these are tasty meatballs. PLEASE do not call them authentic Swedish meatballs. Authentic one always have allspice in them and no oregano. These lean towards Italian. Also Swedish ones have beef, pork, and veal in them.
Renee
Absolutely delicious! This is my 9 year old son's favor meal! Thank you.
Robert
I would recommend serving this with lingonberries (or cranberries) to make it even more traditional Swedish. Nice recipe!
Laureen King
Great idea Robert! thanks
Dominnique
This is a household favorite. We don’t really eat red meat much so I’ve used ground turkey and then I use chicken broth. Tastes delish. I also cook brown rice with it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Alison
Has anyone ever baked the meatballs? I’m doubling it and I know would be much easier to bake the meatballs instead of cooking 2 pounds worth in a pan!
Laureen King
Hi Alison, you can bake the meatballs in the oven but then you won't have the tasty bits that add incredible flavor to the sauce.
Michelle
My stomach can’t take heavy cream, did you ever use whole milk to see how it came out? I’m sure not as thick , but any other suggestions?
Laureen King
Using whole milk can work but you will probably have to thicken the gravy with a thickening agent like cornstarch or a flour slurry.
Debora Florimonte
I use ground turkey and substituted Coconut cream, I've made it so many times...family favorite...thank you!
Marlene
You could possibly try sour cream (like stroganoff) or lite sour cream. It would give it the richness that heavy cream would, and thicken it a little too. Worth a shot!
Danielle
Would I be able to freeze this recipe?
Laureen King
Hi Danielle, this recipe should freeze well.
Karla
Not with cream in it though. It will separate in the freezer. After its thawed put back in pan to warm through and then add the cream
Laureen King
thanks for the tip Karla.
Teri Blount
I have made this several times and freeze them just fine. I double the sauce though. This is for my mother and I-me; we eat 4 meatballs for one dinner then freeze 4 meals. My mother really likes the sauce.
Denis Lajoie
The best, simply the best! These have become a family favourite
Thank you for sharing
Denis
Laureen King
Thank you Denis!
Ann Still
Could you make this with ground turkey?
Laureen King
Absolutely, ground turkey is a great alternative.
Jeanette
I love this recipe! I make it every other week. 🙂
Laureen King
Thanks Jeanette, that is awesome to hear!
Laura
I made these tonight, and my family loved them! I served the meatballs over noodles. Delicious!
Laureen King
Hey Laura, thanks for the comment. Super that your family enjoyed this recipe. Its one of my family's fav as well.
Rachael Wright
Hi Laureen! I’m trying this recipe tonight. When making the meatballs do you use 1 tablespoon per ball?
Laureen King
Awesome Rachael, I usually do a heaping tablespoon.
Crissy
These were perfect Swedish meatballs! I cooked them in the oven at 400 for 18 minutes and used onion powder in place of sauteed onion. A little sour cream and a little heavy cream made for a great sauce, the worcestershire and dijon adds lots of flavor. Definitely will use this recipe again and again! Thanks so much for sharing!
Laureen King
Thank you Crissy, appreciate taking the time to comment and leave star rating.
Kat
Amazing!! Have you ever made and froze?
Jainie
Absolutely delicious!!!!! Followed recipe to the T! Server over garlic chives mashed potatoes. This is definitely a keeper!!!!! THANK YOU for this!!!!
Eleanor
I'm looking forward to trying this recipe tonight! Do you have a recommendation for substituting the heavy cream or is that a "must have" ingredient that makes the recipe?
Laureen King
Hi Eleanor, the heavy cream adds great flavour to the recipe as well it thickens the sauce. You could try milk but would have to use some kind of gravy thickener. The taste would not be as good.
Jeanette
Best recipe ever!!!
Emilie Levert
Could I use cream cheese and milk instead of heavy cream
Laureen King
Have not tried that Emilie, but sounds interesting.
DEBORAH PITZER
I've made these several times and my family LOVES them.
I'm crunched for time this evening and wondered if I could bake them off instead of frying them?
Laureen King
Hi Deborah, yes you can bake them in the oven but you won't get the nice brown bits from pan frying them so your gravy won't get the brown color to them and may require a bit more season. They still taste great and you can make large batches of meatballs using the oven method.
Leah McMahon
I absolutely love this recipe. I want to make these for an appetizer at a little party. I'm wondering if this recipe would work in a Crock-pot?
Laureen King
I would make the recipe in a skillet to make sure you get a good gravy as shown and then transfer to crockpot to keep warm or even use to reheat the meatballs.