My Swedish meatball recipe is simple to whip up and tastes delicious – we love them for dinner with mashed potatoes, but they’re just as good with egg noodles if you prefer.
My Swedish meatball recipe
I have to make a confession: It’s been a long time since I ate meatballs at IKEA. Unpopular opinion, but I’m not their biggest fan.
Juicy homemade meatballs in a delicious brown gravy, though? These happen all the time around here, and I could eat the whole pan by myself if it wasn’t for my kids and husband, ha!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- meat: I use lean beef, but you can also use a fattier ground beef if that’s what you have – I recommend draining some of the fat after browning the meatballs. You can also use a mix of ground beef and pork if you prefer.
- broth: Beef broth is best here, but you can also use chicken broth with a dash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce added.
- mustard/jelly: these are optional and can be left out if you think they’re too weird in a gravy – but I will say these are the ingredients to help get that “IKEA taste”
Step by step photos
Cooking Tips
- if you’re in a hurry: use regular store-bought meatballs – you’ll need about 1.5 pounds
- if you don’t knead/shape the meatball mix well, the meatballs will fall apart as you’re cooking them in the pan. if you’re unsure, bake the meatballs instead of pan-frying them to help them retain some shape (they could still fall apart in the sauce, so please do really make sure to roll them into firm balls).
- likewise, brown the meatballs very well, until browned and crisp, or they’ll fall apart as you’re turning them.
- if the jelly and mustard in the sauce sound weird to you (apparently those kind of people exist ?), feel free to leave them out – but you’ll lack some of that beloved IKEA flavor
- to keep the meatballs round during cooking: freeze them for 5-10 minutes on a baking sheet after shaping them. sounds weird, but it helps them retain their shape!
Tips for lump free gravy
Swedish meatball sauce starts with a roux. That’s just the fancy French word for gently heating some butter and flour before adding the liquids.
The first step to perfect gravy is to make sure you don’t burn the flour and butter for the sauce! It should turn a medium brown, but no more. (I’ve had to re-start the sauce before because I burnt the flour, it can’t be saved.)
For lump-free gravy, you’ll need to whisk very well and fast once you start adding the liquids. As soon as you start pouring the beef broth into the cooked flour and butter mix, it will begin to seize up and thicken.
Do not be alarmed by this, it’s important that you keep going and add all the liquid while whisking! Whisk all the while you’re pouring the liquid into the pan, and then keep whisking until it’s smooth.
Side dishes
We love eating these either with the best mashed potatoes in the world (really, so easy and so good!) or with simple egg noodles. PS If you have an Instant Pot? Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes!
As a veggie side, we often enjoy my easy sautéed green beans or roasted asparagus. Or frozen peas, if I’m in a hurry. A Creamy Cucumber Salad is another favorite, especially when it gets warmer outside!
No matter how you serve them (oh hey, I just wrote a post on all the possible side dishes for any kind of meatballs!), I can guarantee you one thing: They definitely taste better than IKEA’s – well, at least in my opinion they do.
More classic comfort food
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Easy Swedish Meatballs
Recipe details
Equipment
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 small onion very finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon oil
For the gravy:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour use 2 tablespoons if you prefer a thinner gravy
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon grape jelly OR lingonberry jam; or less, to taste
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the meatballs:Add all ingredients for the meatballs EXCEPT for the oil to a large bowl. Knead very well. I like doing this with a handheld mixer with the hook attachment – it's so much faster! Using about 2 teaspoons of meat mixture, roll into firm balls. (Freezing the meatballs for 5-10 minutes at this point helps them to keep their shape.)
- Cook the meatballs:Heat the oil in a wide, deep skillet. Brown the meatballs on all sides, until well browned on all sides. This will take between 6-8 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside. If you prefer baking the meatballs, place them on a lined baking sheet and bake them at 425°F for 10-12 minutes or until browned and no longer pink in the middle.
- Make the gravy:Bring the skillet back to medium heat. Melt the butter, then stir in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until medium brown. Quickly pour in the beef broth while whisking constantly. Simmer until thickened, then whisk in the milk, mustard and jelly. Simmer gently over medium-low heat until creamy, about 1 minute. Season to taste.
- Finish the dish:Place the meatballs back in the gravy and warm very gently until heated through. Serve immediately.
Elizabeth M. says
I made this for my family tonight using meatballs I made and froze last week. There was not a noodle or meatball left. Just a scant amount of gravy left. Way better than Ikea! I used about 1/4 c of heavy cream (reduced milk by sams amount). After tasting unseasoned, I added about a tsp of salt, a liberal amount of black pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne and a little fresh nutmeg. For those who said it’s bland, it’s a season to taste recipe. Season, taste and season again if you need to. It’s delish!
Sue says
Delicious. I love trying new recipes and extra happy when they turn out. Used ground pork, chicken broth and sweet and sour sauce in place of the jelly. Ground meat with onions etc. together in my ninja chopper to make it fine and baked the balls. Found the gravy a little large quantity and a little thin. Would use 1 cup each of broth and milk next time. Made 20x1oz balls. Thank you.
Jennifer says
I want to make this recipe tonight. I have all the ingredients except for allspice. Is there anything I can sub for the allspice?
Thanks
Nora Rusev says
Jennifer, you can just leave it out. Or if you absolutely want to add something, a Christmas-y or fall-themed spice mix usually works. Something like pumpkin spice, apple pie spice or the like! Just don’t overdo it with those ?
Donna says
I made your Swedish meatballs last night. I always have a rule not to sway off the original recipe the first time I make it but with the pandemic and shopping, I did this time. Subbed ground turkey and chicken stock and then added a little sour cream to the gravy at the end. Otherwise followed it to a T. It was delicious.!!! Thank you! I will definitely make it again and again and will try it next time with the exact ingredients!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Donna!
Kathy Lee says
Delish!! Easy to make. I actually used ground elk in place of beef.
Nora Rusev says
That’s so amazing with the ground elk, Kathy! I wish I could try that myself, sounds delicious!
Savoulla says
Hi there. Your recipe sounds so yummy. I’m so going to make it for my kids. The only problem is that I live in Cyprus and Iv never seen grape jelly/jam. Would it be OK to use any other type of jelly/jam?
Nora Rusev says
Hi Savoulla, yes absolutely. Any berry jelly/jam would be OK (redcurrant, blackberry, raspberry would probably work best), or you can just skip it.
Canda says
I made this for tonight. The meatballs were absolutely heaven, even my dog Riley loved them. Had a little trouble with the gravy, but I fixed the problem by using some more flour. I can’t wait to make these again. Just have to find some hamburger. My freezer is empty and can’t find delivery, they are totally filled up.
Nora Rusev says
Haha, I’m so glad to hear Riley liked the meatballs ☺️ thanks for sharing your nice comment, Canda. I appreciate your time!
Donna says
If you used the onions in the recipe, they are not good for dogs! ?
Pam says
By far, the best Swedish Meatball recipe I have had. Even better than my Swedish grandmother’s recipe. I plan to make this recipe often and enjoy every bite! Thank you!!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear this, Pam! Thank you for your lovely review, I appreciate it.
adam says
Pretty good meal. I prepared egg noodles as a side, and both my parents were happy. The sauce took a while to thicken so i cheated and added a tablespoon of cornstarch and added an extra tablespoon of cranberry jam as well. Awesome gravy. All spice and nutmeg are great in the meatballs, if i had any pork i definitely would have done half beef half pork and i think that would have really kicked this recipe up. thanks!
Lucy Lee says
I’ve made this recipe several times. I used beef consume tonight. It had a richer flavor and coated my noodles better.
Nora Rusev says
That sounds so good, Lucy!
Monica says
Nora,
Just tried this recipe for the first time, and happy with result. Made exactly to your recipe (except for note below) and they came out pretty good. Would definitely recommend to a friend looking for a quick easy to make meatballs with things you most likely already have on hand. I had no issues with mine falling apart (but only used 80% ground beef). We’re in the middle of the panic and I was lucky to find ANY beef at the store. First two trips to local market had NO MEAT, 3rd try they only had 6 lb pkgs left. So I took one, and after making tacos & 14 burgers for the freezer decided to try something different with the balance of beef. Came across your recipe and it was in instant winner!
Now for my little addition, I needed to grind my allspice and the grinder still had some residual coffee grinds from this morning in it. I was a little lazy and used a paper towel for the bulk – but there were definitely some left when I added the allspice to grind. This gave me a little chuckle when I saw Debbies comment about Christmas gravy… I just added mine to the meatball instead of the gravy. Delicious!
Heather says
Woops, I meant to say— is it possible to freeze the sauce? Anything wrong with doing that? I need to make freezer meals, and this was sooo delicious fresh! Obsessed with this recipe!
Nora Rusev says
Heather, I’m so glad you like this recipe! It’s one of my favorites. Re: freezing the sauce, because of the dairy there is some concern about the sauce splitting after freezing, but it’s not impossible. Definitely freeze the meatballs and the gravy in separate containers, and let at least the gravy thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. Only reheat the sauce very gently until piping hot, thinning with a little beef broth if needed. Hope that helps!
Kim Demmon says
Making your meatballs tonight and can’t wait to taste them!
Pmm says
The fat content of the meat can be a big factor. The leaner the meat the more likely it will crumble.
Nora Rusev says
Yes, absolutely! Thank you for mentioning. We buy ground beef from a local farm (they only have one fat content and it’s definitely not low) and it never even occurred to me to take note of this. When I make meatballs with ground turkey, I usually either add another egg plus more breadcrumbs to make them hold their shape, or 1/2 cup of shredded and squeezed zucchini.
Jamie says
I feel like baking the meat balls would be better. I followed instructions and mine all fell apart while frying
Nora Rusev says
Jamie, I added instructions about baking, and another note to please shape the meat mix into very firm balls. If the meatball mix isn’t combined enough and the meatballs are too loosely shaped, they will always fall apart, no matter how they are cooked. I recently made crockpot meatballs and totally rushed it, and ended up with ground beef in BBQ sauce (I baked the meatballs!). It happens to me, too, so it’s really important to shape the meatballs properly.
Liz says
Made this for my brothers birthday because he loves swedish meatballs. there were no leftovers but he said more sauce next time please , lol.
Jen says
I made these for a party – big hit. I changed the recipe slightly to be gluten-free and it came out great. Substituted ground brown rice for the bread crumbs and GF flour for reg. flour.
aNu says
This is a super simple TASTY recipe! I added a secret ingredient (secret to my son anyway)- grated zucchini! It helped keep the meatballs moist and added a nutritious component to the list of ingredients. I’ll be making this again!
Beth Molesworth says
I do this with taco meat! ?
Monica says
I made this last night just as the recipe stated and it was fabulous!!! I was skeptical with the ingredients of the nutmeg and allspice but it definitely tastes like Ikea’s meatballs in my opinion! Thanks for the recipe!
Nora says
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the meatballs, Monica! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, I appreciate it!
Jen says
Have you ever baked the meatballs instead of individually browning them??
Nora says
Yes, definitely to serve a crowd. And it absolutely works! Just make sure to scrape any browned bits off the baking pan and add them to the gravy!
Amber says
Can you cook them in the crock pot?
Nora says
To be honest, I have never tried them in the crock pot, Amber. But I don’t see why it wouldn’t work – maybe you’ll need to cook them with the lid open for the last 15 minutes to thicken the sauce, but otherwise it should be fine.
Jeanine M Bedell says
Do you think this would freeze well with the gravy or should I freeze apart from gravy? My mom in-law is about to start chemo and my husband and I are making some meals for her to freeze for later. Thanks so much. Sounds delicious!
Nora says
Hi Jeanine, that’s such a sweet gesture. I would freeze the meatballs and gravy separately. Defrost the sauce before reheating. Simply plop the frozen meatballs into the sauce and heat until everything is piping hot – they hold their shape better that way!
Joon says
Will the gravy be okay with chicken broth rather than beef broth?
Nora says
Yes, definitely!
Debbie Wood says
We always have had Swedish meatballs on Christmas Eve and my moms homemade meatballs are so much better than IKEA too. Just a note, she puts a little instant coffee granules in her gravy giving it a really rich distinctive flavor.
Nora says
That’s such a great tip, Debbie. I will definitely try the instant coffee granules next time we have Swedish Meatballs, thank you!
Mary says
Thanks for the great recipe, the whole family loved them! Served them with your mashed potatoes and salad – delicious.!
Nora says
Glad the recipe was a hit with the family, Mary! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review – I appreciate it very much!