Embrace the cozy charm of Minnesota culinary heritage: Learn how to make the best Swedish Meatballs and Sauce with sour cream – a tasty journey to the heart of Nordic heritage. Our traditional recipe is perfectly portioned for two, starts with a mixture of ground beef and pork flavored with a blend of warm spices, is smothered in a rich, creamy gravy and served with a dollop (or two) of lingonberry jam.
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Swedish meatballs, known as "köttbullar" in Swedish, are found in nearly every cookbook written by an author in my home state of Minnesota. Yet, my first introduction to this tasty dish was at IKEA – yep IKEA at the Mall of America in Minneapolis!
These small, flavorful, tender and moist meatballs are typically made from a mixture of ground meat, commonly a combination of beef and pork. The secret is finding the right beef to pork ratio. For me it’s 3 parts ground beef and 1 part pork. Then season with spices such as allspice and nutmeg, giving these Swedish meatballs their distinctive flavor profile.
Tip Number 1
My Best Tip: When forming the meatballs, keep a small bowl of water nearby and wet your palms periodically to prevent the meat from sticking to your hands.
More Tips
Another tip: For tender, richly flavorful meatballs, we will first pan fry them to seal the outer layer, creating a delicious outer crust and then finish cooking them right in the sauce.
When cooking for two, I opt to make my meatballs in their own rich and creamy gravy with sour cream. In addition, I add a dollop of lingonberry jam to the top. And, let’s not forget, a side of Quick Swedish Pickled Cucumbers. This dish makes a great appetizer or main course when served over buttered noodles or mashed potatoes.
Want to double the recipe and freeze for another dinner? No problem, check out the section below on storage and freezing. If doubling the recipe then double all the ingredients except for the egg. The egg acts as a binder so adding 2 eggs when doubling will make the meatballs tacky.
This straightforward and simple preparation along with ingredients commonly found in your pantry makes this dish a “keeper” in my kitchen.
What you'll need
Let’s talk about the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy Swedish Meatball Recipe and the creamy Swedish meatball gravy.
For Swedish Meatballs
- Unsalted butter
- Onion – I opt to use white onion as they have a milder flavor than yellow onions and their texture holds up better after being sauteed.
- Panko breadcrumbs – most recipes call for white breadcrumbs with the crusts removed, I love the versatility of panko and always have it in my pantry.
- Whole milk
- Egg
- Ground Meats - Ground beef (85% lean) and pork sausage
- Fresh parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper – most recipes will use white pepper but I turn to my black pepper for ease and convenience.
- Mix of warm spices – for this traditional recipe we will use a pinch of ground all-spice and ground nutmeg
- Vegetable oil – this will be used to fry the meatballs on the stove top
For Swedish Meatball Gravy
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken stock - If you have homemade chicken stock, I recommend using it in this recipe, as it gives this sauce the best flavor and body. (If you use purchased chicken broth, my preferred choice is to use Bonafide chicken broth found in the freezer aisle, or something known as “Better than Bullion - Roasted Chicken”. 1 teaspoon of Better than Bullion mixed into 1 cup of water will make 1 cup chicken stock.
- Kosher salt
- Sour cream – this is a key ingredient to make a really good Swedish meatball gravy. Between the natural creamy texture of the sour cream and the extra fat content (which also acts as a thickening agent), adding sour cream will impart a smooth and rich texture.
Garnishes (optional)
- Parsley
- Lingonberry Jam
- Quick Swedish Pickled Cucumbers
- Wide egg noodles or mashed potatoes
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Swedish Meatballs
Now that we have covered what you need to make this classic Swedish dish, let’s start cooking.
Sauté the onion. In a small sauté pan, heat the butter over medium heat. When it starts to melt and foam, add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove onions from the pan, place in a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Create a panade. In a small bowl, combine panko and milk, stirring to allow the breadcrumbs to soak up all the milk. Add the egg, and blend using a hand blender until the mixture is smooth and paste-like.
Make the meatball mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the beef, pork, cooled onion, parsley, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and the panko mixture. Mix thoroughly until the meat mixture is well combined and has become tacky.
Form meatballs. Scoop the meatballs into the size of a golf ball and place them on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. It will yield about 16 meatballs. Roll each ball between your palms to give it a smooth spherical shape, then return to sheet pan.
Pan-fry meatballs in a large sauté pan, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Working in batches, place meat balls in even layer to fry until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes. Rotate the balls and repeat on other side, frying only 2 sides total to prevent from drying. Remove the meatballs from pan and set aside. We will finish cooking them in the sauce.
How to make Swedish Meatballs Sauce with Sour Cream
Before you begin: If you have homemade chicken stock, I recommend using it in this recipe, as it gives this sauce the best flavor and body. (If you use purchased chicken broth, my preferred choice is to use Bonafide chicken broth found in the freezer aisle, or something known as “Better than Bullion - Roasted Chicken”. 1 teaspoon of Better than Bullion mixed into 1 cup of water will make 1 cup chicken stock).
For the sauce, melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly until the flour starts to darken slightly to a golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. (This is called a “roux”).
Add stock and whisk vigorously moving the whisk side to side. Add the salt, increase heat to medium-high until the stock comes to a boil. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes to thicken the stock.
Whisk in sour cream then add meatballs, allowing the stock to come to a boil, then reduce heat immediately to low. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
For tender, flavorful meatballs we will cover and put in the oven at 175 degrees to finish cooking allowing them to simmer in the rich, creamy sauce.
Transfer meatballs and sauce to serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with buttered egg noodles and Quick Pickled Cucumbers.
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What to serve with Swedish Meatballs
Swedish meatballs can be served in various ways, making them a versatile dish. Enjoy them as an appetizer, served with lingonberry sauce or gravy, or as a main course accompanied by mashed potatoes, noodles, or vegetables.
Don’t forget to garnish with easy and quick to make Swedish Quick All-Spiced Pickled Cucumbers, they are perfect complement to the warm spices in the meatballs. Plus adding a bit of crunch.
Storage, Reheating and Freezing
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container, they will last in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To Freeze: Let the meatballs and sauce cool. Place in a labelled and dated airtight container or plastic freezer bag, squeezing out excess air. Freeze flat for up to 2 months. I received this great vacuum air sealer as a gift from my son – This works perfect for freezing Swedish meatballs.
To Reheat after Freezing. Thaw in refrigerator overnight, then reheat over low heat, thinning the sauce with broth if necessary.
Leftover Lingonberry Sauce
Lingonberry sauce or jam you can be found at most local supermarkets either near the specialty cheese and cracker section or in the jelly and jam aisle. Regardless, it is quite expensive. Not ready to spend the extra pennies? Try substituting whole berry cranberry sauce (yep, the one that comes in a can!) or another jam like grape jelly.
If you do splurge and are looking for other tasty ways to use your lingonberry jam. Lingonberry jam doesn’t need to be handcuffed to meatballs; use them to top pancakes, a slice of lemon raspberry cake or grilled pork chops
Swedish Meatballs and Sauce with Sour Cream Recipe
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Ingredients
For meatballs:
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup onion finely chopped
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons whole milk
- 1 egg Note: if doubling the recipe do not double the amount of egg.
- ½ pound ground beef 85% lean
- ¼ lb pork sausage
- 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Pinch ground allspice
- Pinch ground nutmeg
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock homemade if you have it or use Bonafide Bone Broth or Better than Bullion – 1 teaspoon better than bullion roasted chicken + 1 cup water = 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ Tablespoon chopped parsley
Garnishes:
- 8 oz cooked egg noodles optional, buttered
- Lingonberry jam
- Quick pickled cucumbers pickled cucumber recipe
Instructions
- Before you begin: If you have homemade chicken stock, I recommend using it in this recipe, as it give this sauce the best flavor and body. My preferred purchased chicken broth is to use Bonafide Chicken Broth found in the freezer aisle or better than bullion roasted chicken, 1 teaspoon of better than bullion mixed into to 1 cup water will make 1 cup chicken stock.
For the meatballs:
- In a small sauté pan, and heat the butter over medium heat. When it starts to melt and foam, add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove onion mixture from the pan and set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, combine panko and milk, stirring to allow the breadcrumbs soak up all the milk. Add the egg, and blend using a hand blender until the mixture is smooth and paste like.
- In a medium bowl, combine the beef, pork, cooled onion, parsley, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg and the panko mixture. Mix thoroughly until the meat mixture is well combined and has become tacky.
- Scoop the meatballs into large marble size pieces and place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. It will yield about 16 meatballs. Roll each ball between your palms to give it a smooth spherical shape, then return to sheet pan.
- Cook the meatballs in a large sauté pan, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Working in batches, place meat balls in even layer to fry until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes. Rotate the balls and repeat on other side, only frying 2 sides total to prevent from drying. Remove the meatballs from pan and set aside.
For the Sauce:
- Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly until the flour starts to darken slightly to a golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. (This is a roux).
- Add stock and whisk vigorously moving the whisk side to side. Add the salt , increase heat to medium-high until the stock comes to a boil. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes to thicken the stock.
- Whisk in sour cream then add meatballs, allowing the stock to come to a boil, then reduce heat immediately to low. Adjust heat to maintain a gently simmer for 10 minutes. I have covered and put in the oven on 175 degrees to keep warm until ready to serve. Transfer meatballs and sauce to serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with buttered egg noodles, lingonberry jam and quick pickled cucumber.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Common questions asked
You've got questions...I've got answers! If you have a question about this recipe that isn't answered below, feel free to leave it in the comments, and I'll jump in there to help you out.
This is a key ingredient to make a really good and creamy Swedish meatball gravy. Between the natural creamy texture of the sour cream and the extra fat content (which also acts as a thickening agent), adding sour cream will impart a smooth and rich texture.
These small, flavorful meatballs are typically made from a mixture of ground meat, commonly a combination of two-thirds ground beef and one-third pork, though variations may exist.
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