These Swedish meatballs are rich, savoury, and smothered in a creamy gravy that’s (dare I say it?) a million miles better than anything you’d find in the IKEA café. I’ll show you exactly how to make them at home, with a few easy tips to get that signature flavour and texture just right.
This is proper comfort food that’ll have everyone around the table feeling like it’s a special occasion—even if it’s just a Wednesday night.
Brenda said: “Used to buy the bags of meatballs at IKEA when I visited, but no more, these were delicious, a firm family favourite. Thank you.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
The classic Swedish meatballs – essential to get through a shopping trip to Ikea. Followed by some of that Daim cake that stares at us from the refrigerator whilst we’re queuing up for our meatballs until we give in and put it on our tray.
My question to you is: Do you eat your meatballs before or after the 3-hour trek around the Ikea maze?
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times tweaking the meatballs and gravy so that you get balance of juicy meaty meatballs and tangy, creamy comforting sauce that I know you’ll LOVE!
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Recipe Notes
- Why you’ll LOVE these Swedish Meatballs
- What you’ll need
- How to make Swedish Meatballs
- How to make the Swedish meatball gravy
- Pro tip for the best Swedish meatballs!
- Watch how to make it
- Swedish Meatballs Recipe Recipe
- What to serve with Swedish Meatballs
- Leftovers, Storage & Freezing
- FAQ’s
- More Meatball Recipes
Why you’ll LOVE these Swedish Meatballs
They’re better than IKEA’s (yep, I said it!)
You get that rich, creamy gravy and those tender juicy meatballs but with way more flavour, and no flat-pack furniture to navigate afterwards.
Proper cosy comfort food
This is the kind of meal that makes the whole house smell amazing. It’s warm, hearty, and guaranteed to get everyone asking for seconds.
Tried & Tested
This is a tried and tested recipe, made with easy-to-find ingredients and step-by-step instructions that won’t stress you out. Loads of readers say it’s become a regular in their family meal rotation.
Great for batch cooking
Double up and pop some in the freezer—you’ll thank yourself on those busy weeknights when you just need something delicious on the table fast.
What you’ll need
A quick note on a couple of the ingredients:
Mince – we use a mixture of beef and pork mince for these meatballs. Don’t be tempted to use lean mince. I go with 20% fat beef mince and 10% fat pork mince for the juiciest meatballs.
Allspice – be sure to include this, it’s vital for that classic taste.
Ingredient swaps
- Swap the lingonberry jam for redcurrant jam or cranberry sauce.
- Swap the mashed potato for pasta or roast potatoes
How to make Swedish Meatballs
- First make the meatball mixture. We use pork and beef mince and mix it with onion, garlic, breadcrumbs (helps to ensure meatballs are more tender), egg (to bind the meatballs), salt, black AND white pepper and allspice.
- Form into meatballs and fry them up, then keep them warm in the oven while you make the sauce.
How to make the Swedish meatball gravy
- Make a roux with butter and flour, then stir in beef and vegetable stock until you have a smooth sauce.
- Next in goes cream, then we spice it up a little with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and a little salt then bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the meatballs back to the pan and coat the meatballs in the sauce before serving.
Pro tip for the best Swedish meatballs!
To keep your meatballs juicy and tender, go easy when mixing, just gently combine the meatball ingredients until they’re brought together. Overmixing can make them dense and dry, and no one wants bouncy meatballs!
Watch how to make it
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Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) beef mince ideally 20% fat
- 250 g (0.5 lbs) pork mince
- 1 onion finely chopped
- clove garlic minced
- 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- 1 medium egg
- 5 tbsp (75ml) full-fat milk
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
Sauce:
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) beef stock (beef broth)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable stock
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) double cream (heavy cream)
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
To Serve:
- finely chopped fresh parsley
- creamy mashed potato
- lingonberry jam or redcurrant jelly
- green veg such as broccoli or green beans
Instructions
- First, make the meatballs. Place the beef mince, pork mince, diced onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, salt, black pepper, white pepper, and allspice in a bowl.500 g (1.1 lbs) beef mince, 250 g (0.5 lbs) pork mince, 1 onion, clove garlic, 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs, 1 medium egg, 5 tbsp (75ml) full-fat milk, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp white pepper, ¼ tsp allspice
- Mix it altogether with your hands, then form into 18-22 meatballs.
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat until hot.2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
- Add half of the meatballs to the pan, and fry, turning occasionally, until browned all over. Transfer the meatballs to a tray.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the second batch of meatballs in the same way, then transfer to the tray with the other meatballs.
- Place the tray in the oven on low (150C/300F (fan)) to finish cooking through while you make the sauce (they only need 5 or 6 minutes).
- Now start on the sauce. Add the butter to the pan that you cooked the meatballs in. Turn the heat down to medium and melt the butter.3 tbsp unsalted butter
- Add the flour and whisk it into the butter to form a roux (thick paste).3 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- Add the beef stock a splash at a time, whilst stirring with the whisk, until fully combined with the butter-flour mixture and no lumps remain.180 ml (3/4 cup) beef stock (beef broth)
- Stir in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable stock
- Add the cream, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and salt and stir together to combine.120 ml (1/2 cup) double cream (heavy cream), 2 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, ¼ tsp salt
- Add the meatballs back to the pan along with any resting liquid from the tray.
- Stir together to coat the meatballs in the sauce and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, then serve.
- I like to serve my meatballs with creamy mashed potato, lingonberry jam, and green veggies, all topped off with a sprinkling of fresh parsley and black pepper.finely chopped fresh parsley, creamy mashed potato, lingonberry jam, green veg
Video
Notes
Make them ahead
To make and reheat the meatballs separately from the sauce: I find it works better to make the meatballs and freeze them separately from the sauce. This is so you still get that nice crust on the meatballs.Cool, cover and refrigerate the meatballs and sauce for up to 2 days. Then reheat the meatballs in the oven on a tray in the oven at 180C/350F for 20 minutes. Cover them in foil for the first 10 minutes and remove the foil for the final 10 minutes. Reheat the sauce in a pan until piping hot, then stir in the meatballs. To make and reheat the meatballs mixed in with the sauce: If you wanted to make it ahead but don’t want to store the meatballs and sauce separately (or if you’re saving leftovers), then place the meatballs and sauce in a container. Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To reheat, place in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cover with a lid or foil. Heat through for about 10-15 minutes, turning the meatballs occasionally until they’re piping hot throughout. You may need to add a splash of water or stock to the sauce if it thickens up too much during reheating.
Freezing
Yes. Cool, cover and freeze the meatballs and sauce. You can freeze the meatballs separately from the sauce or mixed in with the sauce. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as per the ‘make ahead’ instructions above (reheat the meatballs together or separately, depending on how you froze them). Nutritional information is approximate, per serving – based on this recipe serving 6 people. It does not include the serving suggestions of mashed potato, vegetables or lingonberry jam.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to serve with Swedish Meatballs
You would traditionally serve Swedish Meatballs with creamy Mashed Potatoes and some lingonberry jam, but you could also serve them with:
- Homemade Pasta or Boiled rice
- Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
- Crusty Artisan Bread
I like to dish mine up with creamy mashed potato, green veg and lingonberry jam (<–affiliate link).
If you can’t find lingonberry jam then redcurrant jelly or cranberry sauce are more readily available and are a good substitute.
Leftovers, Storage & Freezing
If you have any of those delicious meatballs leftover then then place the meatballs and sauce in an airtight container. Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
To reheat, place in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, covered with a lid or foil. Heat through for about 10-15 minutes, turning the meatballs occasionally until they’re piping hot throughout. You may need to add a splash of water or stock to the sauce if it thickens up too much during reheating.
Freezing
Cool, cover and freeze the meatballs and sauce. You can freeze the meatballs separately from the sauce or mixed in with the sauce. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as per the ‘make ahead’ instructions above (reheat the meatballs together or separately, depending on how you froze them).
FAQ’s
Yes, you can reduce the recipe sticking to the same ratios of ingredients. However, you may need to add in a splash more vegetable stock when making the sauce. Just add enough until you get a smooth, thick sauce before adding the cream.
Lingonberry jam is traditionally served with Swedish meatballs, It’s a sweet-tart preserve made from lingonberries—a small, red Scandinavian berry that’s similar in flavour to cranberries but slightly milder and less bitter. If you can’t find lingonberry jam then redcurrant jelly or cranberry sauce are more readily available and are a good substitute.
The egg and bread crumbs in my recipe act as the binder to bring the meatballs together .Make sure the meatball mixture is mixed just enough to come together, but don’t overwork it—too much mixing can make the meatballs loose and crumbly. And when shaping, give them a gentle roll—if they feel too soft, just firm them slightly with your hands rather than packing them too tightly.
More Meatball Recipes
This Swedish meatballs recipe was first published in October 2020, updated in June 2025 with additional information and for housekeeping reasons.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Hi Nicky. I’ve made these a few times now and they’ve been perfect every time. Even converted a very fussy eater friend into having them 😃
Excellent recipe, kiddos gobbled it up! Attempted just the sauce portion (made meatballs in the air fryer), but mine turned out very thick, with an almost jelly consistency. Any tips for thinning out or not letting it get too thick in the first place?
Used to buy the bags of meatballs at IKEA when I visited, but no more, these were delicious, a firm family favourite. Thank you.
Did this tonight. Once again, one of your recipes was absolutely delicious. My brother and nephew loved it. Thank you 😁👍
The gravy is so good it’s unbelievable. I’ve been on a meatball kick lately and this is definitely a standout dish. The only change I made was I finished the meatballs in the oven in the sauce.
Thanks,
Followed the recipe exactly and mine came out looking just like the picture. However, this was just an average meatball and decent sauce recipe. I could be spoiled by thinking that Swedish Meatballs should taste like those served at Ikea. These definitely don’t and I will have to keep looking.
Ikeas meatballs are not typical swedish meatballs, it’s just Ikea meatballs.
Same with this recipe, not typical swedish meatballs either. We don’t have garlic in them and no oil. The sauce isn’t same either. We serve it with potatoes or mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam or pickled cucumber (I prefer that but it is good with lingonberry too). I’ve seen other recipes where it says nutmeg, we don’t use that in typical swedish meatballs.
The minced meat is pork, or 50/50 pork and beef, or 70/30 pork and beef. The pork makes the meatballs juicy.
The allspice we use is swedish bbq seasoning and allround spice (grillkrydda eller allroundkrydda). Look up Santa Maria Grillkrydda and Kockens Grillkrydda, that’s the “allspice” we refer in our recipe
Tried this last night with reduced amounts because there’s only x2 of us. Served it on mustard mashed potato. It was absolutely fantastic! Easy to make. Maximum taste. The jam/jelly makes all the difference. Will definitely make it again 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Paired it with some green beans and Cranberry sauce. Will definitely be making again. Another one of your recipes that’s become a weekly favourite in our household! 😊
So happy you enjoyed it Danique 🙂
A very nice, tasty, quick meal. Lovely with Mash, Lingonberry Jam and a sweet cucumber relish. Another hit Nicky.
Delicious Saturday night dinner, thank you.
I didn’t have ligonberry jam, so used a spoon of redcurrant jelly instead, yum😋
Some in the freezer for another day. Win, win.