The Best Swedish Meatballs feature tender meatballs in a rich, creamy sauce! Delicious served over noodles or mashed potatoes for dinner, and makes a great appetizer. The recipe is simple to make and ready in 30 minutes!
These savory, satisfying Swedish Meatballs are delicious favorites my family loves! They are made from scratch with my Mama’s simple recipe she’s made for decades. With a few steps and simple ingredients, this recipe makes the best Swedish meatballs and rich, creamy Swedish meatball sauce.
While they most certainly make a hearty meal served over mashed potatoes, wide noodles, or rice, they make a special appetizer for serving at parties, too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple to Make – The ingredients are simple, and the recipe is straightforward and easy! While there are a few steps, they are easy to do, and the results are so very worth it! These are the Best Swedish meatballs I’ve ever tasted!
Time-Tested Recipe – This family recipe was passed down from my Mama and has been made hundreds of times over decades. While we aren’t Swedish and have been making this recipe long before we’d ever heard of Ikea Swedish meatballs, I know you will enjoy these Swedish meatballs just like my family and friends have for many years.
Versatile – Makes a satisfying, scrumptious dinner as well as a delicious appetizer. There are also several recipe variations if you wish to use any of them.
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
For the Meatballs:
Ground Beef – Use ground chuck for the most depth of flavor.
Onion – Chopped onion adds flavor to the meatballs. You can omit if you prefer.
Egg – Acts as a binder for the meatballs.
Seasonings – Stone House Seasoning, nutmeg, and allspice. (Note: Mama’s original recipe did not include nutmeg and allspice.)
Bread Crumbs or Cracker Crumbs – Binds the meatballs together. You can also use plain Panko.
Fresh Parsley – Use freshly chopped parsley for the best flavor.
Olive Oil
For the Swedish Meatball Sauce:
Butter – Adds flavor and richness to the sauce.
Flour – It thickens the sauce.
Beef Stock or Broth – Adds deep flavor to the sauce.
Whole Milk – Makes the sauce creamy and delicious. You can use heavy cream for an even richer sauce.
Worcestershire Sauce – Deepens the flavor. You can also use coconut aminos if sensitive to soy.
Stone House Seasoning – My favorite house seasoning, hence the name Stone House Seasoning, is a blend of garlic, salt, and pepper.
Fresh Parsley – Use freshly chopped for the best flavor.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
Finally, coat the meatballs in the creamy Swedish meatball sauce by turning them gently in the sauce-filled skillet. Add fresh parsley, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
How to Serve Swedish Meatballs
We always love our Swedish Meatballs served over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice.
When we hosted a Rotary student from Sweden several years ago, she made sure that we served it with a bit of Lingonberry Jam that she’d brought with her from home. It was a delicious variation for us!
Variations
- Meat: Use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork or substitute with ground chicken or ground turkey, if you prefer.
- Gluten-Free: Substitute your favorite gluten-free crackers, bread, or Panko for a gluten-free meatball, and use gluten-free flour for making the sauce.
- Dairy-Free: Use your favorite dairy-free milk instead of the milk used in this recipe.
- Egg-Free: If you are sensitive or allergic to eggs, you can use a flax egg replacement. Combine one tablespoon of flaxseed meal and three tablespoons of water. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes.
- Onion-Free: You can omit the onions from the meatballs if you prefer.
- Seasonings: Use 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper in place of Stone House Seasoning if you do not have it on hand. Nutmeg and allspice were not in my Mama’s original recipe. You can omit them from the recipe and still have a delicious dish!
Tips for the Best Swedish Meatballs
- Ground chuck is my favorite for this recipe as it gives the meatballs a deeper flavor.
- Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to form the meatballs so they will be a consistent size.
- Make sure to use whole milk or heavy cream for the sauce. Using low-fat dairy is not suggested. You want the richness and creaminess that using full-fat dairy will give the Swedish meatball sauce
