Swedish Meatballs
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A cocktail party classic that doubles as an easy weeknight dinner, Swedish meatballs are always a crowd-pleaser.
Swedish meatballs are rich mini meatballs made from a mix of beef and pork, simmered in a light yet flavorful cream sauce. They were quintessential cocktail party fare back in the 1970s, but they’re still a huge hit at gatherings today. What’s more, they double as a fantastic and kid-friendly dinner when served over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles. This recipe takes inspiration from Cooks Illustrated and is reminiscent of the famous Swedish meatballs from Ikea, known for their springy yet delicate texture.
Achieving this texture involves blending the ground beef, pork, and cream mixture in an electric mixer with a surprising ingredient: baking powder. While unconventional, this approach results in a truly delicious texture. If you don’t have a mixer or just prefer a simpler method, hand-mixing still yields an excellent outcome.
Table of Contents
“Absolutely delicious! Made these on Christmas Eve and I can say they have instantly become a new tradition.”
What You’ll Need To Make Swedish Meatballs
- Eggs: Act as a binder to help hold the meatballs together.
- Heavy Cream: Adds moisture and richness to the meatball mixture, making them tender. Also used to thicken and add creaminess to the sauce.
- White Sandwich Bread: Soaked in heavy cream, it works as a panade to keep the meatballs moist and tender.
- Ground Pork and Ground Beef: Provide the base of the meatball mixture, offering a mix of flavors and fats for a juicy texture.
- Garlic: Adds depth and flavor to the meatballs.
- Allspice: A key spice in Swedish meatballs, giving them their distinctive taste.
- Baking Powder: Helps to lighten the texture of the meatballs, making them more tender.
- Butter: Used as the base for the sauce.
- All-purpose Flour: Thickens the sauce, giving it a smooth consistency.
- Chicken Broth: Provides the liquid base for the sauce, adding depth and savory notes.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds a slight sweetness to the sauce.
- Soy Sauce: Contributes depth and umami to the sauce.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a touch of acidity to the sauce, brightening the flavors and providing balance.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Meatballs
Begin by making a panade, a mixture of bread and cream that binds the meatballs together and makes them tender. Place the cubes of bread in a small bowl. Whisk together the eggs and cream, and add to the cubed bread.
Mash with a fork until the bread is dissolved into the liquid.
Next, combine the ground pork, garlic, baking powder and spices in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until the mixture is smooth and pale. Add the egg/cream mixture and beat until smooth, then add the ground beef.
Mix again until just combined.
Using moistened hands, form the mixture into meatballs and place on a rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. (The rack is useful because it allows the fat from the meatballs to drip down but if you don’t have one, don’t worry about it. It’s fine to just place the meatballs directly on a greased baking sheet.)
Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. The rack will leave little marks on the bottoms of the meatballs, but they are not noticeable once the meatballs are covered in sauce.
Step 2: Make the Sauce
While the meatballs bake, make the sauce. Begin by melting the butter in a large sauté pan, then whisk in the flour.
Whisk constantly until the flour turns golden and fragrant, and then add the chicken broth and brown sugar.
Cook for about ten minutes, until slightly thickened and reduced, then add the cream, soy sauce, and pepper. I know it seems odd to season this dish with soy sauce — think of it as salt but with a bit more flavor.
Let the cream sauce simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon, then add the lemon juice and meatballs and simmer until heated through.
Spear the meatballs with toothpicks or serve over rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Lingonberry jam on the side is traditional, but it can be hard to find. You can order it online here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Swedish meatballs can be made ahead of time. You can prepare and cook the meatballs up to a day in advance. Store them in the refrigerator, covered, until you’re ready to reheat and serve. If you’re preparing the sauce ahead as well, keep it in a separate container in the refrigerator and gently reheat everything together before serving.
Yes, once cooked and cooled, Swedish meatballs can be frozen without the sauce for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Make the sauce and add the meatballs, heating on the stovetop until warmed through.
While traditional Swedish meatballs are made with a mix of ground pork and beef for depth of flavor and juiciness, you can opt to use only one type of meat if you prefer. Using only ground beef will result in a firmer meatball, while using only ground pork will make them a bit softer and richer.
You can find the mini bamboo forks shown below on Amazon.
Video Tutorial
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Swedish Meatballs
A cocktail party classic that doubles as an easy weeknight dinner, Swedish meatballs are always a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1½ cups cubed white sandwich bread, crusts removed (you'll need about 4 slices)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1½ teaspoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons lemon juice, from one lemon
- Salt, to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up and place an ovenproof rack over top; spray the rack very generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk the eggs and cream together in a medium bowl. Stir in the bread and mash until no large bread chunks remain. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the pork, garlic, allspice, pepper, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the bread/cream mixture to the mixing bowl and beat on low speed until combined (so it doesn't splatter), then increase the speed to high and beat until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping the bowl as necessary. Using wet hands, form the mixture into 1½-inch round meatballs and place on the prepared rack. (The mixture is very sticky and wet hands help; keep wetting your hands as you go). Bake for about 25 minutes, until just done.
- Note: You'll notice that the rack will leave little marks on the bottom of the meatballs but they will not be too noticeable once the meatballs are covered with sauce.
For the Sauce
- While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. (Careful not to burn; it goes from golden to burnt quickly.) Whisk in the chicken broth, getting rid of any lumps. Add the sugar and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, whisking and scraping down the sides of the pan occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced, about 10 minutes. Add the cream, soy sauce and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking and scraping down the sides occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cooked meatballs to the sauce and simmer, turning occasionally to coat with the sauce, until heated through. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer the meatballs to a serving platter, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The meatballs/sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated separately. Additionally, the meatballs (without the sauce) can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, prepare the sauce and reheat the meatballs in the sauce until hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 89
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 2g
- Sugar: 1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 121mg
- Cholesterol: 31mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I always add fresh dill to my swedish meatballs sauce
I truly love making Swedish meatballs ! These little babies turned out so incredibly delicious , thank you for another great recipe ! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
This looks absolutely scrumptious! This dish will be on my Christmas menu. Maybe soon it will replace that bag of IKEA Swedish Meatballs in my freezer. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this with us.
Hi Jenn,
These look AMAZING! I am having an open house tomorrow for the holidays, how do you think these will do if I keep them warm in a crockpot or a hot tray? Thanks for another amazing recipe!!!
Hi Candi, They will be delicious kept warm either way. Hope everyone enjoys and Happy Holidays!
Hi Jenn,
I was curious why baking powder is added to the meatballs?
Thank you,
Margo
Hi Margo, It helps keep the meatballs delicate and juicy.
Can the meatballs be made ahead of time and then reheated when making the sauce just prior to serving?
Hi Donna, Absolutely. It is fine to make the meatballs ahead of time. You could make the sauce ahead of time too and just reheat when you’re ready to serve.
Garlic is not only not traditional it would be considered illegal in old Sweden. More importantly, where is the veal, the touch of cardamom, the pound of butter? Please tell me why the baking powder is in there? I am sure there is an obscure but possibly logical reason, probably binding for it. I currently use my husbands Grandmothers recipe, she came from Sweden in 1915 on a ship through New York, her husband also Swedish came in 1914 through Canada. Prior to getting this recipe I was gauch enough (Texan!) to use sour cream. I have seen the error of my ways,trust me. So changing this recipe that I make once a year at Christmas has to come with reason.
Would you mind sharing? Love knowing Amazon has the bamboo forks, makes life easier!
The baking powder helps keeps the meatballs delicate and tender. You could try making the meatballs with a meatloaf mix (beef, pork and veal) and I’m sure it would be delicious. You could also add a touch of cardamom if you like, but definitely go easy as it is very strong.
Hi Jen!
Could I use 1 pd of Italian sausage and 1 pd of ground round?
I’m assuming you want to double the recipe? If so, yes, that should work. Please LMK how they turn out!
I don’t eat pork. Can I use all beef instead?
Yes, or a combination of beef and veal would work well too.
This looks like a great recipe. However, I don’t have a mixer – is there a big difference if I use my hands?
Thanks!
Hi Marci, It will still work but if you have a hand held electric mixer, that works too.
I made them with my hand-mixer, with special beaters for dough, and that worked perfectly. These meatballs were a huge hit with my family and the sauce is delicious!! I made it a day ahead and warmed it up, which worked perfectly. Thanks!
My grandma used to make Swedish Meatballs and no one in our family has her exact recipe. I don’t think she used one. Your recipe looks very similar as I had watched her make it. From what I can recall I don’t think she put garlic in it. I love garlic but some in my family doesn’t. Do you think this would be as good without the garlic or should I just sneak it in and see what happens?
Hi Bill, The garlic adds really nice flavor but it is not traditional, so I’m not surprised your grandma didn’t use it. It’s actually more common to use grated raw onions. I would definitely use one of the two, otherwise the meatballs will be a bit bland. Good luck and please let me know how they turn out.