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Home » Recipes

Swedish Meatballs (like IKEA's!)

Swedish Meatballs (like IKEA's!) on 100 Days of Real Food

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All it took was a couple of recent trips to Ikea and reading the book A Man Called Ove (pronounced Oovay) for me to crave some good ol' Swedish meatballs! Now, I don't think I've ever met a meatball I didn't like, and this recipe below is absolutely no exception.

You will also love these Chicken Meatballs and these meatballs with gravy!

Swedish Meatballs

My family devoured this one-dish dinner, and it even had my 9-year-old asking for thirds. And luckily, this Swedish Meatballs recipe (better than the ones from Ikea) is another easy one that can be thrown together in no time at all on any busy weeknight. But if you're really smart, you'll double it and enjoy the leftovers for lunch! :)
20 Reviews / 4.9 Average
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 17 minutes mins
Total Time: 27 minutes mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Swiss
Method: Freezer Friendly
Diet: Egg Free, Peanut/Tree Nut-Free
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
  • ½ cup onion (minced)
  • ½ pound ground beef
  • ½ pound ground pork
  • ¼ cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 pinch allspice
  • 5 large carrots (peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)
  • 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
  • 1 ½ cups broth (beef, chicken, or veggie)
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon soy sauce
  • salt (to taste)
  • pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook the onions while stirring occasionally until they begin to soften, 2 or 3 minutes.
  • Dump the cooked onions into a large bowl along with the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, ¼ cup heavy cream, and spices. Mix well by hand and form into 1 ½ inch meatballs.
  • Turn the skillet to medium high and add the meatballs and carrots. Cook until the meatballs are brown and almost crispy on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes. 
  • Sprinkle the flour over top and cook while stirring for another minute to allow it to absorb. Pour in the broth, ½ cup cream, and soy sauce and bring to a boil while scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens to a gravy. the meatballs are cooked all the way through, and the carrots are tender when pierced with a fork, 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Season with salt and pepper, spoon over whole-wheat egg noodles, and serve. 

Notes

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Swedish Meatballs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 555 Calories from Fat 387
% Daily Value*
Fat 43g66%
Saturated Fat 21g131%
Cholesterol 150mg50%
Sodium 896mg39%
Potassium 666mg19%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 23g46%
Vitamin A 15965IU319%
Vitamin C 8.5mg10%
Calcium 81mg8%
Iron 2.4mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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4.1K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    August 06, 2024 at 7:46 pm

    Planning to make these tomorrow and wondering has anyone made the meatballs in the oven or crockpot? I work from home but won’t have time to cook in the skillet and was hoping for some guidance? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      March 18, 2025 at 1:46 pm

      I have better success cooking them in the oven. then i put them in the sauce and veggies. Worked great. I cook my meatballs at 375 for about 20-30 minutes (depends on the size).

      Reply
  2. Mariann says

    August 18, 2023 at 3:35 pm

    5 stars
    These turned out amazing! So much flavor and the texture of the meatballs was sooo good. I used half and half as others had suggested to replace the cream. And, we had ground turkey to use, so that's what I used and it was fantastic. I'll have to try them again with the beef & pork. I'm sure those are even better. As leftovers, I threw them in a flour tortilla with the carrots and it was reminiscent of a pot pie...again, delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  3. Melissa says

    March 26, 2023 at 8:52 pm

    5 stars
    Seriously, 10 stars. A few things, though. Literally double the sauce. It is SO good, but there never seems to be enough. I also always use a full pound of beef and pork (also doubling the meatballs), but then I freeze half of them uncooked. That way I always have some on hand whenever I get a hankering. If someone in your house is low-carb, I suggest putting these over a bed of mashed cauliflower. Amazing, one of my favorite recipes EVER.

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      March 27, 2023 at 8:34 am

      Thanks so much! So glad to hear you loved them. - Nicole

      Reply
  4. Nicole Boyle says

    January 02, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    5 stars
    I love this recipe! I want to cook double and freeze one for a later date. What would be the best way to freeze this meal?

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      January 03, 2022 at 10:59 am

      You can freeze the meatballs and sauce together or you can just freeze the meatballs and make the sauce when it comes time to enjoy them again. - Nicole

      Reply
    • Melissa says

      March 26, 2023 at 9:00 pm

      Double the meatballs only; freeze uncooked. Then just defrost them and start with step #3.

      Reply
  5. Amy Jones says

    August 11, 2020 at 9:33 am

    5 stars
    Our family really likes this recipe! The first time I doubled the recipe and it took a long time to cook the meatballs. Maybe cook in the oven in the future. The last time I made this I didn't make meatballs. I just cooked the ground beef and onions and omitted the breadcrumbs and heavy cream for the meatballs. Still turned out great. Thank you for this recipe it has become a family favorite!

    Reply
  6. Brittany says

    April 16, 2020 at 6:09 pm

    5 stars
    My kids loved this! Had to sub a few ingredients due to being in a rural area during a pandemic, but turned out great!!

    Reply
  7. Amber Dawn Watson says

    September 16, 2019 at 6:58 pm

    5 stars
    We made this tonight and loved it!! Out of heavy cream so we used half and half. Doubled the recipe but kept the breadcrumbs at 1/4 cup. Ethos were the only changes and it was great! Going into rotation!

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      September 17, 2019 at 9:57 am

      Wonderful! Glad to hear it. - Nicole

      Reply
  8. Kerry says

    January 26, 2019 at 9:31 am

    I want to make this for dinner tonight. Can I substitute half and half for the heavy cream? It’s what I have on hand.

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      January 28, 2019 at 8:53 am

      Hi Kerry, while we haven't tried it, you can normally sub equal parts with half and half for recipes that call for heavy cream. Let us know if it works out. - Nicole

      Reply
      • Kerry says

        January 28, 2019 at 11:17 am

        5 stars
        Thank you! I ended up using half and half and a 1/4 cup of whole milk for the sauce. It came out delicious. My whole family loved it!

  9. Tayla says

    July 31, 2018 at 5:59 pm

    My family doesn’t eat pork. Should I use all beef or mix the beef with another meat?

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      January 16, 2019 at 10:10 am

      You can definitely use all beef, or possibly ground turkey. - Nicole

      Reply
  10. Alicyne Marley says

    July 04, 2018 at 7:18 am

    5 stars
    Made this for the first time last night and it was AMAZING! My whole family, including my 3 & 4 year old, ate every bit of it. I will definitely be making this one again!

    Reply
  11. Lynn says

    July 01, 2018 at 8:22 pm

    Followed recipe exactly! Loved by entire family! Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Stephanie says

    April 19, 2018 at 12:43 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it!

    Reply
  13. Miranda says

    March 10, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    5 stars
    Making these for the second time tonight... difficult to fit the meatballs and carrots in the same pan and the meatballs are falling apart during the cooking. I like to drain the grease before adding the broth. Despite the crumbling meatballs, this is delicious! 5* flavor! We serve with mashed potatoes.

    Reply
  14. Anna says

    January 09, 2018 at 5:41 am

    5 stars
    I made these for dinner this evening. They tasted absolutely delicious & every member of the family LOVED them. This recipe will be a regular. Thanks for sharing it

    Reply
  15. Karen Santoro says

    September 25, 2017 at 4:30 pm

    5 stars
    This meal was a winner! It's always so hard to find a dinner everyone loves, but this had us all scraping the bottom of the pan for more. So delicious! Thanks Lisa!

    Reply
  16. Jessica M Clark says

    August 19, 2017 at 10:47 pm

    What's the total cooking/prep time for this? I don't see it anywhere and really love to have that info before I get started. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      August 28, 2017 at 4:39 pm

      Hi there. Lisa does not include prep time info on her recipes. I've made it a couple times and I would estimate about 25 minutes.

      Reply
  17. Kelsey says

    April 25, 2017 at 10:08 am

    5 stars
    I made this for company last night & everyone loved it! I doubled the recipe for 5 people, thinking I would have lots of leftovers, but only had one meatball & a little sauce/noodles left! Thanks!

    Reply
  18. Rachel says

    April 24, 2017 at 2:33 pm

    5 stars
    I made this with a few substitutions according to what i had available and it was delicious!! I used onion powder vs minced onion, 3/4 lb ground beef and 1/4 lb uncooked breakfast sausage vs 1/2 and 1/2 beef and pork, and organic whole milk vs heavy cream.

    Since I had not cooked onions in butter, I added about a Tbsp melted butter to the mixture to keep it moist. Then, I just followed the directions!!

    Thank you for a wonderful recipe! My whole family loved it!

    Reply
  19. Martha says

    April 22, 2017 at 1:02 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious! I used half and half and it came out perfect! I made double the meatballs the first time so I could freeze half for a later meal. The second time I made it I wanted more sauce so I used 2 cups of beef broth and 3/4 cup of half and half, dash more soy sauce. Perfect amount! New family favorite. Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Audrey says

    April 20, 2017 at 5:40 am

    Looks wonderful! We have a dairy allergy - what would you suggest as a viable alternative to the heave cream?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      April 24, 2017 at 11:57 am

      Hi there. We've not tried this without cream. You might take a look at a paleo recipe to see how you might adapt it. :)

      Reply
  21. Deirdre says

    April 19, 2017 at 5:50 pm

    I wonder if you can substitute 1/2 and 1/2 cream for the heavy cream?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      April 20, 2017 at 6:17 pm

      I was wondering about this too ...

      Reply
      • Martha says

        April 22, 2017 at 12:59 pm

        5 stars
        I have made it with 1/2 and 1/2 twice now and loved it!

      • Judy says

        January 19, 2018 at 9:58 am

        I made it with half and half and it came out great. It's a keeper recipe for sure.

  22. Omigy says

    April 16, 2017 at 12:45 am

    5 stars
    I love the title 'swedish meatball like Ikea'. This attracted my attention. I have now added to this a nice touch of Alaska baked and that's it, I have a full saturday night favorite. Lisa, as you own this blog and aim to cut processed food, can you suggest some modification to the Alaka baked? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      April 16, 2017 at 12:38 pm

      I'm sorry. I do not understand your question.

      Reply
  23. Melissa says

    April 12, 2017 at 5:46 pm

    Carol, you could try Worcestershire (which is what I normally see Swedish Meatballs made with. I'm interested to see how they differ with the soy sauce.

    I'm making this tonight! LOVE the idea of adding carrots to it.

    Reply
  24. Hélène says

    April 12, 2017 at 10:27 am

    We're going to simmer cream for 8 min??

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      September 11, 2019 at 9:06 am

      Yes, that's correct. - Nicole

      Reply
  25. Carol says

    April 11, 2017 at 5:05 pm

    What would you recommend to substitute the soy sauce to make the meatballs soy-free? thank you!

    Reply
    • Melissa Macdonald says

      April 12, 2017 at 5:45 pm

      Carol, I usually see Swedish Meatballs made with Worcestershire. You could try that.

      I'm looking forward to making this tonight!

      Reply
      • Susan Barnhart says

        August 20, 2019 at 6:20 pm

        Coconut aminos is a soy free substitute

  26. Helen says

    April 11, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    A Man Called Ove is the BEST book! One of my favorite of all time. I was ugly crying through the last chapters, so hard I almost couldn't read, but I had to keep going to see what would happen! I love your website - thank you for your recipes and sharing your life.

    Reply
  27. Kristin says

    April 11, 2017 at 11:03 am

    If you want to take these meatballs to the next level, make your own homemade whole wheat egg noodles. They are fairly easy, just while whole wheat flour, eggs, olive oil salt and water. Kids love to help! You can roll the dough with a rolling pin and cut with a pizza cutter or use a pasta machine.

    Reply
  28. Kristin says

    April 11, 2017 at 10:53 am

    To take these meatballs to the next level, make your own whole wheat egg noodles.(white whole wheat flour, eggs, olive oil, sea salt and water). They are fairly easy, especially with a kid or two to help, and taste light years better then storebought. You can roll with a rolling pin and cut with a pizza cutter or use a pasta machine.

    A few months ago, my daughter and I tried the recipe for the American Girl Kirsten cookbook. The recipe had us make a sauce out of the pan drippings, which with pastured pork and grass fed beef, was not much. No broth needed. My husband and I thought it was delicious, but my kids prefer our usual recipe using broth.

    Reply
  29. Tera says

    April 11, 2017 at 10:20 am

    4 stars
    Made these over the weekend. The meatballs are super flavorful - I need to do the pork/beef blend more often. The sauce was a little bland, but overall it was creamy and great comfort food. We've been enjoying it for lunch all week. The only problem is that we can't find whole wheat egg noodles in any of our stores :(

    Reply
  30. Tera says

    April 11, 2017 at 10:19 am

    4 stars
    Made these over the weekend! The meatballs themselves are awesome. Super flavorful - I need to do the pork/beef mix more often. The sauce is a little bland, but all in all it was great comfort food and we've been enjoying the leftovers for lunch all week.

    Reply
  31. Adrianne | The Shelton House says

    April 06, 2017 at 6:24 pm

    Yum! These look amazing! Can't wait to try them :) I must say, I've been loving the quick weeknight meals.... keep 'em coming!

    Reply
  32. Adrianne | The Shelton House says

    April 06, 2017 at 6:23 pm

    Yum! I must say, I'm loving having these great ideas for quick weeknight meals. Keep 'em coming!

    Reply
  33. Analida's Ethnic Spoon says

    April 06, 2017 at 4:49 pm

    4 stars
    Hi Lisa, love the Swedish meatballs from IKEA. They are so tasty, definitely comfort food. Looking out my window now, it is cold, rainy, and totally yucky. These meatballs would be perfect for dinner.

    Reply

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Meet Lisa! Lisa is a best-selling cookbook author, wife, mother, and passionate home cook. Lisa began blogging in 2010 and has created a community of millions of people who share her love of healthy living, real food ingredients, and family recipes.

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