Swedish Meatballs

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Swedish meatballs are a classic, comforting dish that is easy to make at home. Pair with your favorite sides for a meal the whole family will love.

This recipe has been retested and updated since first posting December 2014.

When Americans think of Swedish food, most of us immediately think of meatballs. It’s not just IKEA; my Swedish community cookbook backs this up: there are more than a dozen recipes for kottbullar!

Swedish meatballs can be made with a variety of ground meats, but I went with pork for this recipe. If you like, swap half the pork for ground beef or veal.

Either way, it only needs a few other ingredients to come together in the food processor. You can do this by hand if you like, but you get great texture if you’re able to chop up the meat.

These Swedish meatballs are paired with a simple cream and parsley gravy that is cooked in the same pan. I love that the gravy is ready in just a minute or two, and after returning the meatballs to the pan to coat them, dinner is ready!

Ingredients for Swedish meatballs

Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.

You’ll need:

• Butter
• Onion – Just a little bit! I recommend white or yellow onion.
• Wheat bread – We’ll use this to make fresh breadcrumbs. If you prefer, you can use white bread.
• Ground pork – Make sure to use unflavored, not Italian sausage.
• Salt and pepper
• All-purpose flour
• Milk – I recommend using whole milk. For an even richer gravy, you could use heavy cream.
• Chopped fresh parsley

How to make this recipe

Set a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. 

Once the butter is melted, add the onion and sauté until it is soft and translucent. Remove from heat.

Add the bread to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until broken into small crumbs. Add in the cooked onions, pork, salt, and pepper, then pulse to chop the meat and mixture is clumping together.

Roll the meat into small meatballs, using your hands or a medium cookie scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons).

Return the skillet to the stove over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. Once melted, add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes.

The meatballs should be browned all over and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate or bowl and cover to keep warm. 

To the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to melt. Whisk in the flour, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and mixing into the roux. Add the milk and whisk to combine.

Continue whisking until the mixture thickens, but be careful to not let it thicken too much. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add back the meatballs and stir to coat. 

Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

Storage and reheating

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days.

The recipe also works well for large batches and freezing. Simply double or triple the recipe, then cook the meatballs up until the point of making the gravy.

Let cool and freeze on a sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the fridge overnight or reheat from frozen on the stove, then make the gravy. It’s a great way to keep dinner on hand.

Serving suggestions

You can’t go wrong serving Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and a tart red jam. If you can get your hands on lingonberry jam, even better!

These meatballs can also be served with egg noodles, roasted potatoes, or baked brown rice.

Or, pile into a bowl with toothpicks alongside and serve up as a tasty appetizer! I like to add it to my julbord spread along with homemade gravlax and limpa bread.