These heavenly Swedish Meatballs are a homemade version of the iconic Ikea meatballs. They’re a whole lot easier than assembling flat-pack furniture, that’s for sure! Extra-soft and juicy, with a dash of classic spices like allspice, they’re smothered with the bread-mop-worthy sauce.
Swedish Meatballs
I’m that person who goes into Ikea just to pick up tea lights, only to emerge 2 hours later with all sorts of useful organisation solutions, looking for a problem to solve.
I’m also that person who confidently puts together Ikea furniture (I’m a chartered accountant! I can do this!), only to worryingly end up with one leftover screw or bracket. Thankfully, none of my Ikea furniture has come tumbling down (yet), so now I have a theory that Ikea throws an extra piece into every flatpack just to mess with us.😂
As for their meatballs? Flatpack shopping is hard work. I can’t blame anyone who needs a pick-me-up after making it out the other end of the Ikea maze.
But once you’ve tried homemade Swedish Meatballs, you’ll never order these at the Ikea cafe ever again!
What’s so special about Swedish Meatballs?
If you’re wondering what’s so special about Swedish Meatballs, or what they taste like, close your eyes and imagine this: incredibly soft meatballs, made extra juicy by using a combination of both pork and beef and soaked bread instead of breadcrumbs, lightly spiced with just a touch of nutmeg and all spice that gives it the signature Swedish flavour, smothered in a creamy gravy that is absolutely to-die-for.
These are meatballs unlike any other – and regular readers know I have a very big soft spot for my favourite Italian Meatballs.
But I’d go as far to say that if you aren’t a regular maker of meatballs for whatever reason (pain to roll them, don’t like mixing meat with your hands etc etc), but you have the inclination to make ONE meatball recipe, make it these Swedish Meatballs.
You won’t regret it. I promise.
What goes in Swedish Meatballs
Here’s what you need to make the Swedish Meatballs.
Beef AND pork – the beef gives it flavour, the pork gives it juiciness and tenderness;
Bread – the secret to extra soft meatballs! Far more effective than breadcrumbs;
Nutmeg and All Spice – the signature spicing, just a small, subtle amount. All Spice is a particular type of spice made from a plant called Pimenta dioica. It smells like cloves. It’s a common spice found in normal supermarkets, and costs no more than usual spices. Best substitute is Mixed Spice.
Beef stock/broth and cream – for the creamy gravy;
Flour – to thicken the gravy;
Egg – for binding the meatballs together.
How to make Swedish Meatballs
Here’s how to make them:
FIRST, chop up sandwich bread, the soak in grated onion. This is a secret tip for ultra soft, extra tasty meatballs. Grating onion = no need to pan fry chopped onion AND extracts onion juices which soaks the bread, which later puffs up inside the meatballs as they cook, creating ultra soft meatballs!
How I roll meatballs
And here’s how I roll meatballs. It’s the fastest method I’ve been able to come up with!
Use an ice cream scooper with a lever to scoop up the mixture. Standard size is 3 tablespoons – I use slightly less than the scoop (3 tablespoons is quite large);
Scoop and dollop all the mixture;
THEN roll them all;
Voila! Even size meatballs, rolled relatively quickly!
Sauce for Swedish Meatballs
The sauce for Swedish Meatballs is a creamy gravy that is made with butter, beef broth/stock, thickened with flour and made creamy with cream.
But the most important flavour for the a really good creamy gravy is the pan drippings after searing the meatballs. All the brown stuff left in the pan after browning the meatballs adds incredible flavour into the gravy, which is why baking these meatballs is not an option!!!
What to serve with Swedish Meatballs
The Swedish Meatball eating experience is incomplete without creamy Mashed Potato. You need the mash so you can savour every last drop of that wickedly delicious creamy gravy.
Having said that though, rice, noodles or pasta are adequate fall backs, or some bread for mopping up the sauce (try this easy Artisan bread, or emergency No Yeast Sandwich Bread). And if you’re really trying to cut down on carbs, Creamy Mashed Cauliflower is your answer!
If you start now, you’ll have these on the table in less than hour. Are you ready for the most sinfully delectable meatballs you’ve ever had in your life?? – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Swedish Meatballs (homemade Ikea Meatballs)
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 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
Gravy
- 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)
Instructions
- 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!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published January 2017. Post updated 13 May 2020 with improved videos, plus ingredients and step photos added. No change to recipe, it’s perfect as is!!!
Life of Dozer
Dozer – I love you, but if you bump that tripod while I’m filming, you will be in a LOT of trouble!!
And from the original publication date:
Trying to negotiate with Dozer using a Swedish Meatball…..
I love this super easy gravy! My son won’t eat gravy with sour cream, but he loves this recipe.
Just incredible!!
I have dietary restrictions that make it hard to eat out. One thing I’ve missed is Ikea meatballs, so my partner and I were excited to give these a go.
Even though our meatballs didn’t stay round, we were ecstatic at the flavor and the tenderness of these meatballs. These were sooooo good! My partner is excited to make them again (and again and again and…)
Firm family favourite. Cannot fault.
Made this tonight and got a big tick of approval from my daughters Swedish partner 😊
Having recently returned from a Scandanavian trip these are so authentic and tasty! Cranberry jelly is a good substitute for lingenberry jelly if you can’t find tin.
Mouth-watering delicious!! A never fail recipe that is a top family request! Smells amazing!
Absolutely delicious! Easy to make,goes a long way. Will definitely make again
So good, the kids love these, and keep asking for more
I just made these for a Sunday supper, a great recipe. I always dust my hands with flour before rolling. We had these with normal gravy. This recipe is similar to an Italian meatball recipe, the difference is that the Italian calls for soaking the bread in milk. Your recipe is less time consuming…now my go to meatball recipe! Thanks Nagi.
It is quite close to the recipe Ikea shared during the lockdown, though they seem to use soy sauce as well…
Followed recipe , didn’t hold the shape…
It is a tricky one… This recipe seems to have a high bread or low egg ratio. Try adding an extra egg and avoid too much liquid.
Have a look here: https://whaleycooks.com/how-to-make-perfectly-round-meatballs/
First time trying Swedish meatballs and I’m glad it was a recipe from your book. We mucked it up a little bit only because we were trying to make dinner and desert at the same time so the sauce thickened and burnt some because I forgot to stir it occasionally once I put the meatballs in however, all that aside it turned out absolutely amazing! So delicious, I was shocked that it turned out even after the little mishap. Thanks so much for your recipes, I have your book and look forward to making more recipes from it.
These are phenomenal! So much so that my parents, and my in-laws both requested them as their birthday meal. They LOVE them!! These meatballs have become a regular in our household. A tip for the onion prepping, rather than grate them I throw them into a food processor and blitz until I get the right consistency. It’s a lot easier on the eyes and prevents juices going everywhere!
I just want to say, “THANK YOU” for posting this recipe. I love Swedish Meatballs and made them today for the first time. It was easy to make, just a little time consuming but well worth it! I went to the store yesterday and made sure I had All Spice, Ground Nutmeg and Heavy Whipping Cream. I also used salted cream butter, a yellow onion, Mrs Baird’s sandwich bread, and 1/2 pork & 1/2 beef. These are the best Swedish Meatballs I think I have ever had. I made homemade mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli to go with them. This meal is now one of my favorites and I can’t wait to make it for a large family gathering. I highly recommend this recipe and will make it over and over again. So delicious!!!
I will never buy Ikea meatballs again!! I cannot believe how simple this recipe is but so so delicious. It’s now a regular at family meals and I even freeze some uncooked meatballs for the nights I can’t be bothered doing to much. We always gave ours with a side of cranberry jelly! Delicious!
WOW! If I could give this a 20 star rating I would. This is my first time ever having Swedish meatballs and I’m so glad this was the recipe I tried out. Sooooooo delicious, thank you for the recipe!
Amazing IKEA meatballs at home.
Thanks for the recipe. For gluten free peeps, I used gluten free sliced bread and was amazing
This was incredible! It came together much faster than I thought it would–I will 100% be making this again and again!
I made them from your book! But I don’t enjoy standing by a fry pan as I need to almost double the recipe, so I baked them with the grill on, prepared the sauce and then plonked them in it for a few minutes. Absolute success.