Swedish Meatballs (homemade Ikea Meatballs)

Recipe video above. Juicy meatballs smothered in a beautiful creamy gravy, with a hint of spicing that Swedish Meatballs are known for. Made extra soft and extra tasty by soaking fresh bread in grated onion - tried and tested technique used in my most of my meatball recipes, highly approved by readers! (See Italian Meatball reviews as an example)

Recipe by Nagi | RecipeTin Eats on May 13, 2020

Prep time: PT20M

Cook time: PT30M

Total time: PT50M

Rating

4.91 stars (293 reviews)

Keywords

sauce for swedish meatballs, swedish meatballs

Ingredients

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
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))

Cuisine

swedish

Steps

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!

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 289 g
Calories: 475 kcal
Carbohydrates: 11 g
Protein: 28 g
Fat: 35 g
Saturated Fat: 16 g
Cholesterol: 163 mg
Sodium: 727 mg
Sugar: 2 g

Reviews

Emily Whittredge on 2025-08-04 (5 stars):
These were glorious and so easy. I used lamb mince for mine. The gravy needed seasoning (salt and pepper), but otherwise I wouldn't change anything.
JewelsR on 2025-07-25 (5 stars):
Amazing! So easy and SO delicious. I served with buttered egg noodles and spinach salad. I'm making them again and freezing the meatballs so I always have them ready for a meal.
Ana on 2025-06-19 (5 stars):
I really love this recipe! I've made it a few times, and just now, literally 5 minutes ago :) this time though, I didn't have an egg. I could immediately tell the difference but they didn't fall apart. They were just a bit trickier to roll. Once, I made them with ground turkey, it was a nice substitute. And of course, they were always served with mash potatoes. Love all your recipes <3
Angie on 2025-03-21 (5 stars):
I made this with ground turkey, gluten free bread & flour, whole milk instead of cream. I also added garlic. Now that I’ve made it once, I know it’s a little extra work but straightforward if you have your ingredients ready to go. The meatballs were savory and tender, and I might try to make more gravy next time because it was so good. Served on mashed potatoes with Christmas jam and everyone was happy. Perfect comfort food. Thank you!!
E Keith Tipton on 2025-03-11 (5 stars):
I just love your site. These Swedish meatballs with this delicious gravy are great. My wife told one of our friends about it and now they want me to fix it for them. Thanks
Roxanne Frost on 2025-02-05 (3 stars):
Nagi I usually LOVE all your recipes, but this one needs a little pizzazz. The meatballs are fab, but the gravy is pretty bland. I always start with your recipe but add Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and cracked pepper to the gravy.
kathryn l walker on 2025-02-01 (5 stars):
This was a hit!! My husband said dinner was a 10 out of 10. I followed your recipe, except I used panko as I only had seedy bread on hand. And I added sour cream instead of heavy cream. No lingenberry on hand, but I have a sour cherry jam and it worked great. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Rachel on 2025-01-18 (2 stars):
I only made the gravy, to go with shop-bought Swedish meatballs. Unfortunately I have to agree with other posters who found the gravy rather bland. I wouldn't make it again as just the gravy on its own. Maybe the meatball juices are critically important (my shop-bought ones didn't have any juices to add to the gravy). I might try again one day if I ever decide to make my own meatballs too.
Monisha Samuel on 2025-01-15 (5 stars):
If anyone is wondering, this recipe also works with gluten free bread and flour! Yay! Another winner, thanks Nagi!
Linda Baker on 2025-01-14 (5 stars):
This is the 2nd time I have made these meatballs. This time I added 1/2 tea garlic powder to the meatballs and I added 1 crushed clove garlic at the last minute to the meatballs after they wre browned and fried off 10 sec then added the made gravy to the meatballs in the same pan. I much prefer this recipe with the garlic in it, lovely recipe thanks Nagi x
Benjamin Parker on 2024-12-24 (5 stars):
Absolutely loved this as usual! I jumped the gun and taste tested before the cream and it was still delicious lol
jb on 2024-11-29 (5 stars):
I bet that some of the commenters that had problems with meatballs falling apart, weren't seasoned enough, and wanted more gravy are in the US and bought Walmart ground pork/beef blend and used the recipe without adapting it from 20 oz of meat to 32 oz. Ask me how I know... It was good in the end in spite of my negligence, although next time I'd use sour cream.
Lindi on 2024-10-22 (5 stars):
I'd been put off swedish meatballs by a batch I'd made from a recipe I got from lkea, from its opening here in Adelaide around 20 years ago, attempt was God awful. Then you posted this a Nagi take so I thought it's gotta be a gooden, and sure was, I've made them severally times since ... Thanks Nagi.Xx
Febiola Zipora on 2024-10-21 (5 stars):
THANK YOU for the recipe. I used almost the exact ingredients. The differences are: 1. Salted butter instead of unsalted (I bought it wrong) 2. 200ml of heavy cream instead of 125ml 3. 40gr of flour instead of 30gr 4. 0.25tsp of salt instead of 0.75tsp as for beef broth I used 2 tsp of powder + 500ml of water Turned great! My husband liked it. I will be making it again some time soon. Anyway, I made 31 meatballs (I used 1 scoop/meatball so it's quite big), with 5 meatballs/serving so I made 6 servings. I also separated the gravy into 6 servings so I can reheat it after. I stir-fry my meatballs half-cooked put all of the meatballs and gravies at the freezer. Thank you Nagi for your recipe!
Chels on 2024-10-11 (5 stars):
Delicious! I only had pork mince and they were great. My 1 year old loved them, much less on the floor than usual so that's a win! I'll be making this again, with the half and half mince for full effect. Thanks Nagi 💕