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This is hands down the best Swedish meatballs recipe you’ll find! Made the traditional way, these easy Swedish meatballs use ingredients you probably already have on hand!
Swedish meatballs recipe
When it comes to dinner recipes, I tend to favor the quick, fairly easy ones. However I don’t want to sacrifice flavor for convenience, I want the best of both worlds. This recipe for the best Swedish meatballs is just that! A thirty-ish minute meal perfect for hectic weeknights but so jam-packed with flavors everyone will love and rave about it.
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How to make Swedish meatballs
These meatballs are just like Italian meatballs, but they are softer and tender. The secret to making perfectly tender meatballs at home (and therefore making the best Swedish meatballs), is adding some bread soaked in milk to the mixture. I prefer to use day-old sandwich bread heavily soaked in milk until soft. The stale bread will retain all the moisture of you meatballs when cooking resulting is super tender and juicy little balls of meat.
Swedish meatballs sauce
The other thing that makes these simple meatballs different from any other meatball? The sauce! The Swedish sauce is basically a quick pan sauce made with the juices remaining from frying the meatballs, a bit of flour, some stock a teaspoon of mustard and a splash of heavy cream. That’s it! Simple and cozy.
I like to cook the meatballs in the sauce for a couple of minutes but that’s completely optional. In my opinion, meatballs get even more tender and juicy (and flavorful if that’s possible) when simmered with the sauce.
What to serve with Swedish meatballs
Simply put, they go great with everything! They are amazing over pasta, served with rice and even with a salad on the side. However, the most traditional way is to serve them with mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes. Swedes usually also serve the recipe with some lingonberry jam on the side.
Best Swedish Meatballs
To make these tasty Swedish meatballs you’ll need ground beef, bread, milk, egg, red onion, allspice, salt and pepper, olive oil, flour, beef and heavy cream.
In a bowl combine bread and milk. Let it set for around 5 minutes or until bread has completely soaked up the milk. Mix to combine.
In another bowl combine ground beef, red onion, egg, soaked bread and spices. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
With the help of your hands shape small balls.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook for 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and fully cooked.
Transfer to a plate.
In the same pan add flour and cook for 3 minutes or until golden.
Add stock and mix until everything is well incorporated. Mix in heavy cream and bring to a soft simmer for around 2 minutes.
Add meatballs and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from fire.
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Best Swedish metaballs
This is hands down the best Swedish meatballs recipe you’ll find! Made the traditional way these easy Swedish meatballs use ingredients you probably already have on hand!
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Swedish
Keyword: best swedish meatballs, easy swedish meatballs, simple swedish meatballs, swedish meatballs recipe, tasty swedish meatballs
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 Pound ground beef
- ½ Cup bread
- ½ Cup milk
- 1 Egg
- ⅓ Red onion chopped
- 1 Tsp allspice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 ¼ Cup beef stock
- ¼ Cup heavy cream
Instructions
In a bowl combine bread and milk. Let it set for around 5 minutes or until bread has completely soaked up the milk. Mix to combine.
In another bowl combine ground beef, red onion, egg, soaked bread and spices. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
With the help of your hands shape small balls.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook for 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and fully cooked. Transfer to a plate.
In the same pan add flour and cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Add stock and mix until everything is well incorporated.
Add heavy cream and bring to a soft simmer for around 2 minutes. Add meatballs and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from fire.
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FAQs
While both varieties include ingredients such as grated onion and panade (milk-soaked bread) or bread crumbs, plus the usual salt and pepper, Swedish meatballs traditionally use spices like allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, and sometimes ground ginger as flavoring.
What is the secret to firm meatballs? ›
Massage your meat
Get your hands into your mixing bowl and combine the ingredients for your meatballs using your fingers. The heat from your hands will help release the proteins in the meat which will in turn help the mixture stick together when it cooks. Don't overmix, just a few minutes will do.
What are traditional meatballs made of? ›
Combine ground beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add eggs, cheese, parsley, minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, blend ingredients together. Add the bread crumbs into meat mixture and combine.
What is the difference between Swedish meatballs and Danish meatballs? ›
The Danish meatball is a little rugged in texture and can be served in multiple ways – with a lightly spiced curry sauce, for example, or a rich gravy. A Swedish meatball, in comparison to the crispy, pan-fried Danish version, is often a little smaller, with a very smooth, even texture and a rounder shape.
What do Swedish people eat with meatballs? ›
Swedish meatballs are classically served with a creamy mashed potato and lingonberry jam (or cranberry jelly if you can't get hold of this). Alternatively, you could accompany them with boiled potatoes, chips, rice, tagliatelle or some crusty hot bread to mop up the gravy.
How do you keep Swedish meatballs from falling apart? ›
Eggs: Eggs help bind the meatballs together so they don't fall apart. They also help keep the meatballs soft and tender. Bread crumbs: Bread crumbs are almost always used in meatball recipes because they absorb the fat and, along with the eggs, serve as a binder.
What can you use instead of breadcrumbs in Swedish meatballs? ›
I have done them with panko, crusty bread, crushed Ritz crackers, and once a few packages of Cheese sandwich crackers because I didn't have anything else that night. All of them add different characteristics to the end product but all came out good and unique. Try both and see how you like it.
What is a fun fact about Swedish meatballs? ›
When it comes to the Swedish meatball it is thought that it was brought to Sweden by King Charles XII when he returned from Istanbul in 1713. The first recipe for meatballs in print was in the Cajsa Warg Cookbook in 1754.
What not to do when making meatballs? ›
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Meatballs
- Not seasoning the meat.
- Not adding any moisture to the meat.
- Over-mixing the meat.
- Not shaping the meatballs correctly.
- Not forming evenly-sized meatballs.
Without the use of milk, you may be faced with a plate of dry meatballs. Milk adds a certain level of moisture that helps produce perfectly tender meatballs.
For this reason, many recipes will include a binding ingredient like egg, and a filler like breadcrumbs. You only need a small amount of egg – it's there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn't detract from the meat's flavour or texture.
What are real Swedish meatballs made of? ›
The meatballs themselves are made with a combination of ground beef and pork, along with a touch of allspice and nutmeg. Onions and garlic add flavor and texture, and milk, egg, and breadcrumbs act as a binder. Finally, Parmesan cheese is a little “Cozy” touch that adds a subtle pop of flavor.
Is it better to bake meatballs at 350 or 400? ›
For 1-2 inches of beef, pork, or turkey meatballs without any pre-cooking, use these guidelines for your wall oven:
- 350°F wall oven:
- 8–14 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
- 14–18 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
- 400°F wall oven:
- 6–10 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
- 10–14 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
- 425°F wall oven:
Breadcrumbs: I add breadcrumbs for texture. I also love substituting them for crushed saltine crackers like we do for this meatloaf. Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked. Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked.
What meat are Ikea Swedish meatballs made of? ›
Steps for the meatballs
Combine beef and pork mince until all lumps are smoothed. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg and mix. Then add milk and salt and pepper to taste. Grab small handfuls and roll into a ball shape.
What's the difference between Swedish meatballs and American meatballs? ›
American meatballs are the biggest in size, with Italian and Swedish meatballs following on the depth chart. Italian meatballs call for seasonings like grated parmesan and oregano, while Swedish ones use seasonings like nutmeg and allspice. While it doesn't sound like a huge distinction, you'll notice it in the taste!
What are köttbullar made of? ›
Mix ground beef, ground pork, egg, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger with onion in the mixing bowl. Lightly mix in bread crumbs and cream. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoon meat mixture per meatball; form into balls.
What's the difference between Swedish and Finnish meatballs? ›
"Finnish meatballs are meatier and bigger than Swedish meatballs. They are also served with lingonberry jam and boiled/mashed potatoes, and a gravy, but they are juicier and yummier.
