A tasty and authentic recipe for Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Sauce, full of fresh ingredients for maximum flavour. Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Swedish Meatballs
We often visit my brother-in-law and his family in Stockholm, and something we always look forward to is a hearty serve of Swedish meatballs.
Like for many people, my first encounter with Swedish meatballs was at the local IKEA as a child. Back then, eating at the IKEA restaurant was the height of sophistication for me, an experience which I relished every time, never really stopping to think why we were, in fact, eating in a furniture store.
And even today, while I dread any trip to IKEA and having to navigate the crowded indoor maze for a pack of tea lights, our children are always so excited to sit down to a meal of Swedish meatballs and a slice of Princess Cake for dessert. For me, it is my reward for braving the trip to IKEA in the first place!
Swedish Meatballs Recipe
The following is my recipe for Swedish Meatballs with a Creamy Sauce. I love using fresh herbs in my cooking, so these meatballs are packed with both fresh and dried herbs.
In fact, I also serve these meatballs with a simple Tomato Pasta Sauce – it’s a very versatile meatball recipe.
Swedish Meatball Sauce
But what I think makes this meatball recipe “Swedish” in character is the creamy sauce.
My sister-in-law is Swedish, and everytime we visit her in Stockholm, we are always delighted when she makes us köttbullar for dinner. Once, whilst I was observing her cooking, I noticed her add an unlikely ingredient to the sauce … soy sauce!
It turns out that many Swedes have a bottle of soy sauce in their pantry and use it to add savouriness and colour to their dishes, especially for the Swedish meatball sauce.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
Step 1
Soak the breadcrumbs in the cream in a large mixing bowl. This should take just a few minutes.
You can use any breadcrumbs you like, but I often use Panko breadcrumbs as I always have them in the pantry.
Step 2
Add the remaining ingredients for the meatballs to the mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together until all of the ingredients are well combined.
Step 3
Shape the meatballs as big or as small as you like – I use about 1 tablespoon of the mixture for each meatball.
Step 4
Heat some oil in a large frying pan or skillet which will fit all of the meatballs and sauce later.
Brown the meatballs in batches until they are golden and caramelised all over. The meatballs do not need to be completely cooked through at this stage.
Place all of the cooked meatballs onto a large plate.
Step 5
Pour the stock into the pan and let it simmer gently. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any caramelised bits from the pan – this will add extra flavour to the sauce.
Return the meatballs to the pan, turn the heat down to low, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. This process will ensure that the meatballs are cooked through, and the meatballs will also infuse the broth with more flavour.
Step 6
Use a slotted spoon to remove all of the meatballs to a plate again. Turn the heat up to medium, and add the cream and soy sauce.
Slowly whisk in the cornflour (cornstarch) mixture to thicken the sauce to your liking.
Taste the sauce for seasoning. You may need to add some water if the sauce reduced too much in Step 5.
Once you are happy with the sauce, return the meatballs to the sauce to warm through again gently. Garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
What to Serve with Swedish Meatballs
It is typical to serve Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and pickled cucumbers, although I sometimes change things a bit by serving it with pasta, or even some golden-fried hash browns or Rösti (we live in Switzerland, after all).
But what is absolutely essential is some lingonberry jam to go alongside the meatballs. In summer, when lingonberries are available at the farmers’ markets, I like to make my own lingonberry jam (which is very quick and easy in small batches).
If you can’t find lingonberries or lingonberry jam, cranberry sauce also works perfectly here.
More Scandinavian Recipes
If you are looking for more Scandinavian recipes, you might also like:
Aebleskivers (Danish Pancakes)
Swedish Chocolate Cookies (Chokladsnittar)
PrintSwedish Meatballs with Creamy Sauce and Homemade Lingonberry Jam
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 3-4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Swedish
A tasty and authentic recipe for Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Sauce, full of fresh ingredients for maximum flavour. This easy to follow recipe is perfect served with mashed potatoes and homemade lingonberry jam.
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RateIngredients
For the Swedish Meatballs
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs or Panko breadcrumbs
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) double cream (heavy whipping cream)
- 500 g (1 lb) ground beef (minced beef)
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- pinch of allspice
- 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence or dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 egg
For the Creamy Sauce
- 250–375 ml (1 to 1 1/2) cups beef stock
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) double cream (heavy whipping cream)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce, or to taste
- 4 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch), mixed in a little water to make a slurry
- parsley, finely chopped
- chives, finely chopped
For the Homemade Lingonberry Jam
- 500 g (1 lb) fresh lingonberries
- 100 ml (1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon) water
- 300 g (1 1/3 cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
Instructions
For the Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Sauce
- Soak the breadcrumbs in the cream in a large mixing bowl to which you will add everything else later.
- Once the breadcrumbs have softened (this will take just a few minutes), add the remaining ingredients for the meatballs into the bowl.
- Mix everything together with your hands until it is well combined.
- Shape the meatballs. I prefer to keep the meatballs small, but make them as small or as large as you like.
- Heat some oil in a large frying pan which you will also use later to make the sauce.
- Fry the meatballs until they are golden brown all over. You may need to do this in batches. Don’t worry if the meatballs are not cooked through completely, as you will continue to cook them later.
- Remove the meatballs to a plate.
- Pour the stock into the saucepan and use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan.
- Return the meatballs to the pan, and simmer gently on low heat for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the meatballs to a plate.
- Add the cream and soy sauce.
- Slowly whisk in the cornflour (cornstarch) mixture to thicken the sauce to your desired consistency (you may not need all of the cornflour mixture).
- Taste for seasoning. If the sauce tastes too concentrated, add a bit of water.
- Return the meatballs to the saucepan, and garnish with parsley and chives before serving.
For the Homemade Lingonberry Jam
- Wash the lingonberries and remove any spoilt berries, leaves and stems.
- Place the lingonberries in a medium saucepan, together with the water.
- Bring to the boil.
- Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
- Turn the heat down to medium-high, and continue simmering until the lingonberries have softened and broken down, and the mixture starts to thicken.
- If the mixture looks too thick, thin it with a dash of water.
- Make sure you stir frequently to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan where it can burn easily.
- The lingonberry jam is ready when most of the berries have burst and you have a thick, jam-like consistency. If you like your lingonberry jam to have more texture, try not to squash the berries too much as you are stirring.
- The lingonberry jam will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Serve the lingonberry jam warm or cold with the Swedish Meatballs.
- Store any unused lingonberry jam in a sterilised jar and in the fridge.
Kitchen Notes
LINGONBERRY JAM
I tend to make a small batch of lingonberry jam for this dish because it is quicker to cook than making a larger batch, and I can often make the lingonberry jam at the same time as the Swedish meatballs.
STERILISING GLASS JARS
If you wish to make a large batch of lingonberry jam for storing, make sure you prepare enough sterilised glass jars in advance.
CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 3.6g
- Sodium: 375.5mg
- Fat: 14.7g
- Carbohydrates: 17.5g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 133.6mg
Update
This recipe was first published on 3 February 2017. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.
I love Swedish meatballs! I never made them though! This makes me want to make them!
They’re really easy to make at home. Hope you will try it soon!
I totally understand the guilt of serving something store-bought in place of something homemade, but real life happens. These meatballs do look divine. And what a fun fact about the soy sauce!
You are absolutely right – real life happens. Tonight, I had planned to make steamed mussels for dinner, but discovered that I had to throw away nearly half of the mussels! So we had steamed mussels as a starter and ordered pizza home delivery for our main 🙂
The sauce on the meatballs looks amazing! I would definitely be licking the plate 😉
That would be a big compliment! 🙂
Some shortcuts are good and others we learn are not so good. It happens to us all, right?! This is a gorgeous homemade dinner. I can see why your family prefers your homemade cooking over store-bought!
Yes, I agree – some shortcuts are indeed better than others. I guess I am still trying to find out what shortcuts work for me because, clearly, there are some nights when I need to get dinner on the table just that bit quicker. But it has nevertheless been fun trying out new things!
I really love your blog! This recipe is so beautiful. I’ve had Swedish Meatballs on my recipe list for … years! And never got around to making them. I think I will adapt this (I have to make dairy free), and finally give it a go!
Thanks, Michelle! You could certainly make this dairy-free by leaving out the cream in the meatball mixture and sauce by using a dairy-free alternative like almond milk. You probably won’t need to use so much, though. Hope you will give it a try!
This does look so delicious! I love it! Everytime I go to Ikea I always stop at the restaurant, but now I’ve the recipe I think I’ll get something even better it’s always better home :p
When I was younger, my family and I would go to IKEA just to eat at the restaurant! It might sound strange, but it was sort of normal for where we lived in Switzerland. So I suppose it’s also nostalgia that makes me enjoy the IKEA meatballs. But making them at home is much more fun and delicious 🙂
I do love that this meal is quick and easy to make without being in the kitchen all afternoon. Sometimes quick and easy turns out just a tasty!
It’s a relatively quick and easy dish. Rolling the meatballs take a bit of time, but it’s not challenging at all. I make this frequently during the week, which must mean that it’s an easy dish which requires not too much time 🙂
Haha- All I could think of was Ikea when I saw this 😀 Honestly, I’ve never eaten at Ikea’s cafeteria, because the lines at our Ikea are always RIDICULOUS. I’m sure homemade is better anyway!!!
I don’t know of a quiet Ikea store, especially at lunch time! But whenever we have a dreaded visit to Ikea to buy something for the home, I aim to have lunch there as a treat. Which means ordering their Swedish meatballs 🙂
This sauce looks luscious and creamy. My family is a HUGE fan of Swedish meatballs and we love to serve them with a side of mashed potatoes as you’ve done here. Can’t wait to serve this up to them!
Ooh our families have something in common then 🙂 At the moment, my daughter will only eat potatoes in mashed form, so it’s appearing quite frequently on our menu!
I’m thinking the gods are trying to tell me that I should make some Swedish meatballs. This is twice today alone that I’ve read through a Swedish meatball recipe in its entirety. It’s lunch time here and I’m utterly starving. So much for starting my diet today. 🙂
LOL!! There are worse things to be reading, I suppose 😉 And the diet can always wait!
I’ve neverade these but this recipe looks so good and just might be my first! And I appreciate how white that towel is in the pictures haha
It’s an easy recipe, so I hope you will get a chance to try it soon. P.S. The “real” teatowel would have been a bit distracting in the photos, LOL 😉
We love Swedish meatballs. And yes, we’ve bought them at Ikea to bring home which I know may not be the healthiest thing but they’re so good! So I’m really excited about this recipe, now we can make them from scratch and know exactly what goes into them!
I once saw their meatballs in the freezer section and actually thought about buying them to try at home. However, we have a tiny freezer (like one in a mini bar fridge), so making them from scratch was my best option. And it is definitely good to know exactly what goes into them 🙂
Never a good idea to be reading food recipes when your hungry..haha. This looks so good with all that creamy sauce going on. And it’s nice to have some short cuts but for sure nothing beats homemade.
You are absolutely right – I just need to find the right shortcuts. Some have been good, but I just need to experiment more. And definitely one of the best things about this dish is the creamy sauce – I often make extra sauce, especially if I end up serving the dish with pasta. The kids just keep asking for more and more sauce!
Great minds must think alike — your recipe is Swedish and mine is Italian. 🙂 Your recipe with cream sauce sounds delicious. You can’t go wrong with delicious balls of meat in a tasty gravy! Great recipe.
Thanks, Marisa! I agree – meatballs in a creamy gravy can only taste good, whether it’s Swedish, Italian or otherwise 🙂 I also love to serve this dish with pasta alongside!
Yummy yummy yummy! This looks a zillion times better than anything I’ve ever had at IKEA!! Moist, fresh and delicious meatballs! Can’t wait to make this!
Thank you! IKEA is not bad, but nothing beats making them fresh at home 🙂
This is the second meatball recipe I have seen. The Lord must really be trying to tell me I need to use the 3lbs of ground beef I currently have in my freezer. Maybe I will just try both recipes I have seen. De-lish!!!
So many ideas and so many options 🙂 Thanks for popping by!
I am all about the shortcuts and know very well how disappointing it is when something just doesn’t work! We used to live in L.A. and stopping at Ikea for meatballs was something we did often. With your help, I can now make them at home (no Ikea in our area). Looks delicious!!!
That’s really interesting to know that you also went to Ikea often for meatballs. I wasn’t sure if that was just a European thing. As always, homemade is always better 🙂
This looks and sounds terrific! Swedish meatballs have been one of my favorites for years, my Dad’s were awesome but he doesn’t make them any more unfortunately.
Hope you’ll get a chance to try this recipe 🙂
Beautiful, as always 🙂
Kudos to you for giving your family a homemade meal every night!
Thanks, Alex! I try my best!
Bummer about the premade meatballs! But these look so worth the extra effort.
Ha ha, indeed! And they don’t actually require so much time, especially since I’m pretty fast at rolling the meatballs 😉
I love that you added some soy sauce as both flavoring and seasoning to the sauce. I often do that do as it surely adds flavor! This looks like total comfort food for the whole family! YUM!
Ha ha, I’m sure you understand the role of soy sauce in your kitchen too 🙂 I like to add it to sauces and gravy for a bit of body.
Homemade food is so much better and my family is the same as yours. Anything that I usually cook, if bought from the store always gets a remark of how better the homemade ones are compared to the store bought ones. Love the recipe and the sauce looks great!
Yes, isn’t it funny how they just know if something is not homemade? Sometimes I buy pre-cut vegetables and my husband will know right away because I don’t normally cut the vegetables that way!!
Homemade is always best! The garlic and fresh herbs takes the dish to next level!
I agree – I love using fresh herbs in all of my dishes.
I love Swedish meatballs — and at least with my recipe, I’ve found they freeze really well. I usually make a triple batch and store the rest of the meatballs and sauce in the freezer, so we can eat them during the week. I usually don’t get home from work until after 7, so cooking, eating, and getting my toddler to bed on time is always a challenge!
That’s good to know that they freeze well. We have the tiniest freezer so I can never plan on freezing anything, but I do always make a large batch so that we can eat it again later in the week. I find the meatballs keep in the fridge for a few days uncooked. And I know what you mean about getting the children to bed on time … even when we manage, the children decide they are not tired!
These look like they are straight out of a magazine! I’ll have to make these for supper! I’m sure the family would love them! Looks fairly easy to do too!
Thank you! It is indeed a fairly easy recipe. Hope you and your family will enjoy it!
These Swedish meatballs look so great! I love the gravy and I can’t wait to try them.
Thank you! Hope you will enjoy the recipe 🙂
Love your photography!
Thank you!
I don’t know how you managed to make meatballs look so stunning! This entire meal looks mouthwatering. For the record, I’m a from scratch everything cook, too, but still haven’t mastered it with kids. Just take it as it comes and rely on leftovers like premade meatballs from the freezer in times of need. Beautiful blog!
Oh thank you 🙂 I probably need to invest in a large freezer so I can indeed freeze things like meatballs. It might make mealtimes less stressful, especially during the busy week 🙂
These look absolutely divine and your blog is beautiful! I haven’t made Swedish meatballs in years! Your recipe is going to change that!
Thanks, Carol 🙂 I can’t wait to make these again soon.
My family loved this recipe! So easy to make and definitely easier (and better!) than going to Ikea 😉
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That looks so delicious I can almost taste it! YUM!
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Delicious!! We’ve been craving IKEA meatballs during this lockdown and I never thought of making them until I saw your recipe on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing!
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I’ve made this recipe several times now and my family just love these meatballs! The sauce is amazing too.
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really yum and super easy to cook! very much recommend 🙂
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Hi Dexter,
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
These Swedish meatballs were so delicious! The best we have ever tasted! I will absolutely use this recipe again.
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This was so delicious! Can’t believe how a dash of soy sauce can transform the sauce – so yum!!
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