These heavenly Swedish Meatballs are a homemade version of the iconic Ikea meatballs. They’re a whole lot easier than assembling flat-pack furniture, that’s for sure! Extra-soft and juicy, with a dash of classic spices like allspice, they’re smothered with the bread-mop-worthy sauce.
Swedish Meatballs
I’m that person who goes into Ikea just to pick up tea lights, only to emerge 2 hours later with all sorts of useful organisation solutions, looking for a problem to solve.
I’m also that person who confidently puts together Ikea furniture (I’m a chartered accountant! I can do this!), only to worryingly end up with one leftover screw or bracket. Thankfully, none of my Ikea furniture has come tumbling down (yet), so now I have a theory that Ikea throws an extra piece into every flatpack just to mess with us.😂
As for their meatballs? Flatpack shopping is hard work. I can’t blame anyone who needs a pick-me-up after making it out the other end of the Ikea maze.
But once you’ve tried homemade Swedish Meatballs, you’ll never order these at the Ikea cafe ever again!
What’s so special about Swedish Meatballs?
If you’re wondering what’s so special about Swedish Meatballs, or what they taste like, close your eyes and imagine this: incredibly soft meatballs, made extra juicy by using a combination of both pork and beef and soaked bread instead of breadcrumbs, lightly spiced with just a touch of nutmeg and all spice that gives it the signature Swedish flavour, smothered in a creamy gravy that is absolutely to-die-for.
These are meatballs unlike any other – and regular readers know I have a very big soft spot for my favourite Italian Meatballs.
But I’d go as far to say that if you aren’t a regular maker of meatballs for whatever reason (pain to roll them, don’t like mixing meat with your hands etc etc), but you have the inclination to make ONE meatball recipe, make it these Swedish Meatballs.
You won’t regret it. I promise.
What goes in Swedish Meatballs
Here’s what you need to make the Swedish Meatballs.
Beef AND pork – the beef gives it flavour, the pork gives it juiciness and tenderness;
Bread – the secret to extra soft meatballs! Far more effective than breadcrumbs;
Nutmeg and All Spice – the signature spicing, just a small, subtle amount. All Spice is a particular type of spice made from a plant called Pimenta dioica. It smells like cloves. It’s a common spice found in normal supermarkets, and costs no more than usual spices. Best substitute is Mixed Spice.
Beef stock/broth and cream – for the creamy gravy;
Flour – to thicken the gravy;
Egg – for binding the meatballs together.
How to make Swedish Meatballs
Here’s how to make them:
FIRST, chop up sandwich bread, the soak in grated onion. This is a secret tip for ultra soft, extra tasty meatballs. Grating onion = no need to pan fry chopped onion AND extracts onion juices which soaks the bread, which later puffs up inside the meatballs as they cook, creating ultra soft meatballs!
How I roll meatballs
And here’s how I roll meatballs. It’s the fastest method I’ve been able to come up with!
Use an ice cream scooper with a lever to scoop up the mixture. Standard size is 3 tablespoons – I use slightly less than the scoop (3 tablespoons is quite large);
Scoop and dollop all the mixture;
THEN roll them all;
Voila! Even size meatballs, rolled relatively quickly!
Sauce for Swedish Meatballs
The sauce for Swedish Meatballs is a creamy gravy that is made with butter, beef broth/stock, thickened with flour and made creamy with cream.
But the most important flavour for the a really good creamy gravy is the pan drippings after searing the meatballs. All the brown stuff left in the pan after browning the meatballs adds incredible flavour into the gravy, which is why baking these meatballs is not an option!!!
What to serve with Swedish Meatballs
The Swedish Meatball eating experience is incomplete without creamy Mashed Potato. You need the mash so you can savour every last drop of that wickedly delicious creamy gravy.
Having said that though, rice, noodles or pasta are adequate fall backs, or some bread for mopping up the sauce (try this easy Artisan bread, or emergency No Yeast Sandwich Bread). And if you’re really trying to cut down on carbs, Creamy Mashed Cauliflower is your answer!
If you start now, you’ll have these on the table in less than hour. Are you ready for the most sinfully delectable meatballs you’ve ever had in your life?? – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Swedish Meatballs (homemade Ikea Meatballs)
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 slices white sandwich bread , crusts removed, chopped into small cubes (Note 1)
- 1 onion , small (brown, white or yellow)
- 300g / 10 oz ground beef (mince)
- 300g / 10 oz ground pork (mince) , or sub with more beef (Note 2)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg , preferably freshly grated
- 1/4 tsp All Spice powder (Note 3)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
Gravy
- 40g / 3 tbsp butter , unsalted
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 cups beef broth/stock (salt reduced), or sub with chicken
- 1/2 cup heavy / thickened cream (Note 4)
Instructions
- Grate onion using a standard box grater (see video).
- Scrape onion and juices into bowl. Add bread and mix well – onion juice should make bread soggy (if not, add a tiny splash of milk). Set aside to soak for 1 minute.
- Add remaining Meatball ingredients EXCEPT oil. Mix well.
- Using a tablespoon measure and measure out a heaped tablespoon (or use ice cream scooper which is what I do), dollop on work surface. Repeat with remaining mixture: 25 – 30 meatballs. Then roll into shape.
Cooking
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add half the meatballs and brown all over (but raw inside still) – about 3 minutes. Remove onto plate, then brown the remaining batch.
- If there is lots of oil, pour off excess and discard. Lower heat to medium.
Gravy
- Add butter into skillet and melt. Add flour and stir in. Cook for 1 minute.
- While mixing, add about 1/4 of the beef broth – it will thicken quickly. Then gradually add remaining beef broth, stirring as you go. Switch to whisk if required to make it lump free.
- When the liquid is simmering, add meatball and juices pooled on plate.
- Turn up heat slightly to keep it at a rapid simmer. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes or until the liquid thickens into a thin gravy, stirring occasionally.
- Add cream, simmer for a further 2 minutes then remove from stove.
- Serve over mashed potato (or Cauliflower Mash for low carb). For a truly authentic experience, add a dollop of ligonberry jam on the side!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published January 2017. Post updated 13 May 2020 with improved videos, plus ingredients and step photos added. No change to recipe, it’s perfect as is!!!
Life of Dozer
Dozer – I love you, but if you bump that tripod while I’m filming, you will be in a LOT of trouble!!
And from the original publication date:
Trying to negotiate with Dozer using a Swedish Meatball…..
Hi Nagi, I’m in Az. and I can’t figure out how much seasonings to use for the Swedish meatballs when I change the servings to 8. Help!! What is 0.4 tsp etc.
It’s about 1/2 a teaspoon. Hope this helps.
I was following your recipe sequentially. The fact that you put the oil as an ingredient of the meatballs led to mine crumbling because you didn’t add (for frying?) Else it was delicious.
These look delicious!
If I wanted to make a double batch- how well would they freeze?
A comment and a question: I liked these much better than I expected and will make them again. We’re a little squeamish on the texture of grated onions, though, so I ground them in a food processor, which I suppose is why my meatballs flattened into discs. Any suggestions on how to help them keep their shape if I continue to grind them? More bread? More meat? Thx.
Hi Rita, hope this helps you. My husband can’t eat onions so instead of onions, I put in 1/8 cup of milk (for 600g of meat total) to soften the bread. When I’m too lazy to use bread, I use 3/4 cup bread crumbs for 600g of total meat. Has worked out well every time with many compliments from the family. 🙂
The whole family loved it! Much better than IKEA’s for sure as theirs are too salty. Very fluffy meatballs and yummy gravy. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!!
Hi! I love your recipes! Is this plain flour for the gravy? Thanks x
Hi would like to make these for party should i freeze before cooking or freeze after
Hi Gillian, you can do it both ways, just depends how much time you want to save on the day! N x
Should I freeze them WITH the gravy or separate?
I absolutely LOVE IKEA’s Swedish Meatballs and this recipe is even better than theirs. The only thing I added at the end was 1 tsp of Kitchen Bouquet for color and a touch of flavor. Try this recipe and you won’t be disappointed!
I love meatballs, they are so comforting! Have tried many recipes over the years, but this one is hands down the very best :). Thank you Nagi, fantastic recipe!
Hi Nagi- I’d just like to thank you for this delicious recipe. My Mom has dementia, and loves IKEA meatballs, but making them together was a delicious project tonight. Thanks so much for a delicious and easy to follow recipe.
Hi Nagi! Being a Swede I must say that this is the best Swedish meatball recipe I’ve ever seen! You’v captured the all spice in meat dishes and the use of minced pork.It’s pertty common in traditional food. The grocery stores sells already mixed beef and pork minced meat.
I’ll add some further tips if it is OK for you. (Otherwise just delete this :). )
First, every Swede has a meatball recipe of their own that they swear to. Compare the Americans and their Mac’n Cheese. Off course I have my own too :). Many Swedes likes the onions finely chopped and fried. Myself I actually leave the onion out, I have a clove of mashed garlic instead. And a teaspoon of french mustard. Almost everyone adds an egg to the mixture. I’m not sure what good it makes but we still do :). You can substitute the bread for panko. Or even lightly chopped rolled oats. I do that sometimes.
One trick to make them soft is not to work the mixture too much. The more one works it, the harder the meatballs get.
One can also make a gravy without cream. I use the scrapings in the pan, adds water and about a tsp of light soy. And black pepper. That is how my family wants them.
Just made this. Perfect and delicious. Only thing that I added was to add in some cornstarch to keep it all in place so it is easier to roll into a ball without ice cream scoop.
I loved these Swedish Meatballs. I did make one change due to personal taste. I’ve never been a fan of All Spice so I omitted it. Kept everything else the same.
Absolutely delicious, thank you again Nagi for another yummy recipe.
Great recipe! Very traditional. It is possible to substitute the bread for boiled and grated/mashed potatoes. I would also advise making the meatballs smaller, about 15 g/0.5 oz, since it gives the meatballs a higher ratio of “roasting surface”. However, it takes a bit more work.
Lovely texture to the meatballs, Awesome gravy. Had it with mashed spud and even found some Lingonberry jam. Haven’t tried the originals and am sure they’d disappoint compared to these.
This is yet another wonderful recipe and I certainly hope you are famous by now. I tell everyone about your site. You are the best Nagi~! Love your recipes and your dogs.
We had this after wanting to make your Vietnamese caramelized pork bowls but realizing last minute that I was out of fresh ginger. It was a great Plan B that my family loved! All except one had seconds, and she probably would have if she wasn’t sick. Thanks for a wonderful, simple, and delicious recipe!
Can this be made in a crockpot?
Hi Nagi, I consulted my Swedish friend about the cream vs sour cream issue and she said it’s definitely cream. Though I must say, I do like the extra tang you get from sour cream. 😋
Hello! Can the meatballs and sauce be made ahead of time and kept warm in a slow cooker or will the sauce break? Thank you kindly!
Hi Brooke, that should be ok as long as the sauce is being heated gently and not boiling. N x
I’d like to make the meat balls without the sauce to freeze for my daughter.
Shall I fry them until cooked through then freeze?