This Swedish meatball recipe features tender, warmly spiced meatballs in a lush cream sauce. These taste just like the ones served at IKEA, but are made even tastier at home!
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Patti says: “The meatballs are so delicious, perfect with the noodles and delicious sauce.”
This post is brought to you by DeLallo Foods
Better Than IKEA’s? You’d Better Believe It!
I’m a firm believer you can’t have too many meatball recipes. They’re a comfort food favorite and I have several recipes I rotate through, like my classic Italian meatballs, Thai turkey meatballs, and buffalo chicken meatballs. And these Swedish meatballs are another meatball recipe to add to the collection!
Strolling through the maze that is Ikea, who hasn’t arrived at the café mid-way through the shopping mission and been tempted to take a Swedish meatball break? Well, now you can make IKEA-esque Swedish meatballs at home!
I’ve made this meal several times. The velvety cream sauce. The tender, warmly spiced beef and pork meatballs. The eggy noodles. SO GOOD.
Enjoy!
The Key Recipe Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground beef + ground pork — I use 80/20 ground beef, and when combined with ground pork it makes for the most flavorful meatball.
- Yellow onion + garlic — For flavoring the meatballs.
- Breadcrumbs — Work as a binder for the meatballs. Use regular dried breadcrumbs here, not airy panko breadcrumbs.
- Egg — To bind the meatballs and also add moisture.
- Milk — To add moisture to the meatballs and help tenderize them.
- Allspice — Warming spices are the signature of Swedish meatballs. While the recipe Ikea shared on the internet didn’t mention spices as an ingredient, looking at the ingredient list of Ikea’s frozen meatballs shows allspice is indeed added. Nutmeg would make a good addition or substitution as well.
- Butter + flour —The two key ingredients needed to make a roux, which helps thicken the sauce.
- Beef stock or beef broth — Adds savory and umami flavor and the right thickness to our sauce.
- Heavy cream — Makes for a rich and creamy sauce (some Swedish meatball recipes use sour cream, which would also work fine).
- Soy sauce + Dijon —There’s something special about this sauce that comes from two important ingredients you may not think would be in a Swedish dish: Soy sauce and Dijon mustard. Together they add depth to the creamy sauce, known in culinary circles as “umami.”
- DeLallo pappardelle egg pasta noodles — DeLallo’s pappardelle has become my favorite egg noodle. Made in Northern Italy with the finest durum wheat, DeLallo pappardelle pasta is kneaded with six egg yolks per kilo for a superior golden color and extruded with traditional bronze dies. This process creates a noodle with a chewy bite and texture for the sauce to stick to.
How to Make IKEA-Style Swedish Meatballs
Step 1: Mix the Meatballs
- Finely grate the onion and garlic. So that the meatballs hold together while cooking, avoid big chunks of onion or garlic in the mix that can cause the meatballs to fall apart. Mince these ingredients, or use a grater or a garlic press for best results.
- Mix everything together, but don’t overwork it. Use the best tools you own — your hands! — to dig in and mix the meatballs together. Don’t overwork the mixture or they may become tough.
Step 2: Shape the Meatballs
- When measuring the meatball mix, use a 1 tablespoon or #40 scoop. For consistent cooking, no matter what size you choose, make the meatballs the same.
- Form the meatballs by lightly tossing them back and forth. Make the meaty spheres bind tighter by tossing the balls back and forth in your hands like a hot potato, lightly compressing them into consistent rounds.
Step 3: Chill, then Cook
- To help the meatballs keep shape, place them on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper and chill before cooking. You can pop them into the fridge for 1 hour or speed things up by freezing them for 15 minutes. Cook’s choice!
- Brown on the stove and finish in the oven. It only takes about 5 minutes per batch of meatballs to brown (don’t squeeze them all into one pan or they’ll steam!). Finish cooking in a 375°F oven for about 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Step 4: Make the Creamy Sauce
- Melt the butter and whisk in the butter. Continue whisking the butter and flour mixture until the flour turns golden and smells nutty.
- Add the beef stock and cook to thicken. The sauce will take 3-4 minutes to thicken while continuing to whisk while bubbling.
- Add the cream off the heat. Another layer of thickening power comes from the addition of cream. So the sauce doesn’t break, be sure to add the cream to the gravy with the heat turned off.
Step 5: Sauce and serve
- Toss the meatballs in the sauce. Go ahead and add all the fond and extra cooking liquid the meatballs may have released to the creamy sauce. All those bits are flavor! Sprinkle with minced parsley and serve as is, or serve as a main meal over buttered egg noodles.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Use a combination of ground beef and ground pork. For the most tender bite, these Ikea-style meatballs require a bit of fat to render through them as they cook. In this recipe, ground beef provides the structure and the fat from the ground pork adds richness. I used 85/15 ground sirloin and good-quality ground pork.
Brown in batches in a large cast iron skillet or large skillet (nonstick is best) with oil. Even though the meatballs release their own fat, a skiff of oil on the non-stick surface keeps the meatballs from sticking to the pan while still building up a flavorful fond (i.e. all the crispy bits). Brown the meatballs in batches so the outsides crisp instead of steam.
Shake the pan to keep the balls round and rolling. These meatballs go quickly from bronzed to charcoal brown if they aren’t kept in motion. They’ll also flatten out on the cooked sides so they’re no longer round. To avoid this, sear the meatballs undisturbed for 45-60 seconds then shake the pan to toss them to the other sides. Tongs, a large spoon, or chopsticks also help to keep them turning.
What to Serve With Swedish Meatballs
Personally, I love serving my Swedish meatballs over egg noodles. A starchy side is where the comfort comes into this meatball dish, and nothing’s more comforting than wide, egg pasta pappardelle noodles that welcome this delicious, creamy sauce!
Other comforting sides to serve with your meatballs include:
- The BEST Mashed Potatoes
- Buttery Parlsey Potatoes
- 5-Ingredient Stovetop Creamed Spinach
- Easy Glazed Carrots
- Brasied Red Cabbage
- Easy Green Beans with Browned Butter Almondine
- Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce (lingonberry jam, which is tough to find in the US. Cranberry sauce is as close as I can get where I live!)
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Swedish Meatballs Recipe (Just Like Ikea!)
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¾ pound ground pork
- 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic , pressed or finely minced
- ¾ cup plain dried breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
For the Swedish Cream Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ⅓ cup beef stock
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 3 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
For the Pasta Noodles
- 1 8.8 ounce DeLallo Pappardelle Egg Pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the meatball mixture. In a large bowl, use your fingers to mix the ground beef and ground pork with with the chopped onion, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, milk, allspice, kosher salt and black pepper until combined.
- Scoop and shape the meatballs. Use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon or #40 scoop to portion out the meatball mix. Lightly toss the meatball between the palms of your hand to form small, round balls. Place on a platter or baking sheet and repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to help them hold their shape while cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the meatballs from the refrigerator.
- Brown, then bake. Heat the canola oil in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add HALF of the meatballs and fry for 1-2 minutes. Shake the pan so the meatballs turn and cook, repeating until they are lightly browned on all sides, a total of about 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and repeat with the remaining meatballs. Add all of the meatballs back to the skillet and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through with an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Meanwhile, make the egg noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with kosher salt, and add the pappardelle pasta. Cook for 9 minutes, drain, and return the noodles to the pot (off the heat) with the butter, parsley, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then cover with a lid until ready to serve.
- Make the creamy sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan or high-sided skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute or until it is lightly browned. Add the beef stock and whisk until smooth. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the cream, soy sauce and Dijon mustard and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. If the sauce seems too thick, add more beef stock 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
- Pour the sauce into the pan with the meatballs and stir to combine. Serve over the warm noodles and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Meatball Dinners
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This recipe is sponsored by DeLallo Foods. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Martin
Swedish reader here. These meatballs look delicious! Ikea is in no way a reference for meatballs in Sweden, quite the oppisite. But their base recipe looks legit.
Although not a traditional pairing, Swedish meatballs do go very well with pasta, but we usually don’t serve that combination with the brown sauce, it is for boiled potatoes or mash.
But most important: you need lingonberries for Swedish meatballs! Lingonberry jam, or raw lingonberries if you feel adventurous. Mix a couple of tablespoons in the sauce, and also serve with lingonberries or lingonberry jam. Most people also serve with some variant of “pressgurka”, a type of pickles. Again, this is mainly for potatoes/mash, and might not go as well with pasta.
Hayley
Hi Martin! Thank you, and thank you for the tip about the ligonberries! We will definitely try these with some of that jam on the side next time we make them, and boiled potatoes too–sounds delish! :)
Dorie
I would like to make this over the weekend. Is it possible to use half and half instead of heavy cream for the sauce?
Yes Dorie, you can use half and half. The gravy may not be as thick but it will still taste good.
Patti B
I made this recipe for 6 very fussy family members, 4 adults and 2 large appetite eaters children.
A few changes, I used a 12 ounce pack ground pork but did not change other ingredients. I used a small food processor to mince onion and garlic. I had 42 meatballs.
I initially made a double batch of the recipe to make the sauce but I knew the small amount left in the beef broth and heavy cream would be thrown away, I made a third batch.
I used 2 packages of pasta for 16 ounces. I could not find this brand of pasta but a egg based fettuccine to use.
There were a few meatballs left after dinner as well as pasta and even sauce to make a yummy leftover lunch for 2.
My family said this is a keeper.
I’m so glad to hear your family enjoyed it Patti! And great idea to do some batch cooking and make extra for later.
Jonas
I wouldn’t put “best” and Ikea together when it comes to Swedish meatballs. There are many variants, and don’t be afraid to over-mix. That’s what you want, a well mixed, smooth paste. The mince should be fine ground and really cold when mixing. Never add raw onion, braise or fry until golden otherwise it won’t incorporate and will separate.
Thanks for the note Jonas. Grating the onion helps hold the meatballs together, and you’re right, never over mix.
Patti
The meatballs are so delicious, perfect with the noodles and delicious sauce.
So glad you enjoyed them mama!
Brook
These sound great. I plan to make them. How many mearballs does this recipe make?
Brook, using a rounded tablespoon or #40 scoop I made 35 meatballs from this recipe. Enjoy!