These robustly flavored Swedish Meatballs in a creamy gravy sauce are rich, tender, and absolutely divine served over mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. These meatballs and sauce are pure comfort food!
Swedish Meatballs
I distinctly remember years ago when an Ikea was built about 20 minutes away from my home. It was a big deal and, as a high schooler, it quickly became a very cool spot to hang out when the weather was cold. And, of course, you couldn’t go to Ikea without enjoying a plate of their famous Swedish Meatballs.
While I no longer have an Ikea near me, I still frequently get my fill of Swedish Meatballs by making them at home. Luckily, these creamy, saucy meatballs are loved by everyone in the family as well!
Swedish Meatballs Tips
- Grate the yellow onion. While this step is (admittedly) tedious, it gives the sauce the best possible taste and texture. You won’t find large chunks of uncooked onions, and all the great flavors are evenly dispersed throughout.
- Don’t overwork the meat mixture. Once the ingredients are incorporated into the ground pork, stop mixing. Overworking the meat mixture yields less-tender meatballs.
- Keep the meat and ingredients cold. The colder the ingredients (especially the ground pork), the easier these meatballs are to roll and shape.
- Stick to heavy cream. While a lot of meatball recipes call for milk, we need the thickness of the cream for this recipe. I wouldn’t recommend replacing that ingredient in this recipe.
Quick Tip
What are panko breadcrumbs? Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and is usually found near other breadcrumbs or in the Asian food aisle of your store. I love using panko in these Swedish meatballs; it makes them soft and juicy while acting as a great binder.
Creamy Sauce Tips
- Use high-quality cooking stocks. The stocks add so much flavor to the sauce. While we enjoyed the flavor with both vegetable and beef stock, in a pinch you can use just beef stock instead of both.
- Thin the sauce as needed. While the sauce is fairly thick, you can gradually thin it by adding additional beef or vegetable stock, a tablespoon at a time.
- Season. Make sure to taste the sauce before adding the meatballs. It may need a touch more Dijon mustard, soy sauce, or salt/pepper. Because there is soy sauce and stock in the sauce, it may not need too much (if any) additional salt.
Ground pork
I love ground pork in these meatballs — the exteriors have a caramelized crust while the insides remain tender and juicy with a velvety texture.
- Ohio’s pig farmers are committed to producing safe, wholesome pork in a responsible way.
- Because of pork quality advancements over the years, pork has consistently been the number one protein worldwide.
- Pork is an excellent source of nutrients important in supporting our health, including vitamin B-6, thiamin, phosphorus, niacin and selenium, and protein.
Quick Tip
Ground pork should always be cooked to 160° F. Since cooking time will vary due to several factors, I always recommend using a digital meat thermometer to remove any guesswork on your end. (Undercooked pork meatballs aren’t safe to consume and overcooked meatballs will become less flavorful.)
Faster Swedish Meatball Preparation
We want to make sure to roll small, even-sized meatballs in order for them to all finish cooking at the same time. Here’s how I ensure the meatballs are equal-sized and the preparation goes as fast as possible:
- Start by scooping out even amounts of the meatball mixture. Use a lightly greased 1-tablespoon measuring spoon with nonstick cooking spray; press the measuring spoon into the meatball mixture and against the side of the bowl to get an evenly packed amount.
- Using your index finger, scoop the mixture out of the measuring spoon on to a prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining meat.
- Now, roll all the sectioned meat into even-sized, round meatballs.
- Finally, roll all the meatballs into the flour.
Quick Tip
It may not seem like it saves a lot of time, but it’s far quicker than individually measuring out, shaping, and rolling one meatball at a time. If the meat mixture gets too sticky, chill it in the fridge or lightly spritz your hands with cooking spray. And if you have helpers, you can turn this into an assembly-line project!
Swedish Meatball Serving Suggestions
I have some ideas for what to serve as the base or on the side of these meatballs.
- Serve these creamy saucy meatballs over these mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.
- A salad on the side adds lightness and freshness to this meal. We like this Olive Garden Salad or Costco Kale Salad best.
- Ikea’s Swedish Meatballs are served with lingonberry preserves or sauce, which adds such a nice complementary tartness and sweetness to the dish. Since we don’t usually have access to the jam or berries to make the sauce, we really enjoy these meatballs with a homemade cranberry sauce — so good!
More comfort food recipes
- Butter Chicken Meatballs over rice
- Crockpot Chili winner of dozens of chili cook-offs
- Baked Ziti with three types of cheese
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup with puff pastry toppers
- Chicken Stroganoff over egg noodles
Swedish Meatballs
Equipment
- Sheet pan 9 x 13-inch
- Large cast-iron pan or nonstick
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1-1/2 pounds ground pork 85/15 is a good blend for this
- 1 cup grated yellow onion 2 onions
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 3 to 4 cloves
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola
For the Swedish Cream Sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup beef stock
- 2/3 cup vegetable stock
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley optional
- Serving suggestions see note 1
Instructions
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine ground pork, grated yellow onion (see note 1), minced garlic, panko, egg, heavy cream, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, and salt. Gently mix until just combined, being careful to not overwork the mixture.
- Use a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon to portion out the meat into balls. Lightly toss the meatball between the palms of your hand to form small, round balls. Place on a platter and repeat with remaining mixture. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour to help them hold their shape while cooking.
- Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray a 9×13-inch sheet pan. Heat canola oil (2 tablespoons at first) in a large cast-iron or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs (making sure to not overcrowd the pan) and fry 2 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side for another 2 minutes. Transfer to prepared sheet pan and repeat with remaining meatballs. Bake 17–25 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through (160°F).
Swedish Cream Sauce
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Quickly wipe out the cast-iron pan used for the meatballs and melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add beef stock and vegetable stock, whisking constantly until smooth. Cook until thickened, about 2–3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add heavy cream, soy sauce, and mustard. Simmer another 1–2 minutes. Taste sauce and add seasonings if needed (I add 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper). If you’d like to thin the sauce a bit, add additional stock slowly (1–2 tablespoons at a time) until desired consistency is reached.
- Toss cooked meatballs gently in the sauce. Serve over mashed potatoes or buttered noodles with a side of cranberry sauce or lingonberry preserves. Garnish with parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love these meatballs, excellent with mashed potato and broccoli, with a touch of cranberry sauce on the side – your recipes are quick and easy – thankyou for your work.
Thanks so much Barbara! 🙂
It was delicious! Recipe and tips excellent!
Thanks so much Maryanne! 🙂
Instead of pan fried can the meatballs be baked in the oven?
Sure!
Really good recipe! My husband loved it and that’s saying a lot! It’s a keeper!
Score! I’m so happy to hear! 🙂
Yum! Total comfort food!
So happy you enjoyed! 🙂