Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
These Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar) are surprisingly easy to make and are so dang good! I served mine over mashed potatoes with tons of Swedish meatball gravy and a side of cranberry sauce instead of lingonberry. It was the perfect Sunday dinner for my family and everyone absolutely devoured it.
Ikea Swedish Meatballs
I have never been to Sweden, so the only reason I even know about Swedish meatballs is because of Ikea. Ikea is such a huge store and so overwhelming that the only motivation for me to go is because I can get a meal at the end of it, and not just any meal – a delicious and inexpensive meal. I love their Köttbullar so much so I knew I needed to try to make them myself. Köttbullar is the Swedish word for “Meatball”. “Köttbullar med graddsas” means “Meatball with a cream sauce” which is exactly what Swedish meatballs are, and they are actually pretty easy to make.
Swedish Meatballs are easily some of the most delicious meatballs I have ever tasted. They are usually made from a blend of pork and beef. Then, some mild warming spices are added, as well as breadcrumbs and sautéed onions and garlic. You roll them into balls, brown them on all sides, and then make your savory gravy. Once you make your creamy gravy, you add your meatballs back into it for about 7 minutes so they can absorb the delicious gravy. Once fully cooked, add to some mashed potatoes or noodles.
Traditional Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
In order to make traditional Swedish meatballs you must use warming spices in the meatballs. I use allspice and nutmeg in this recipe. I know a lot of people only use these spices when it is time to make dessert, but you really need to trust the process here.
Another step that you shouldn’t skip is to sauté the onion and garlic prior to mixing them into the meat mixture. Most traditional recipes for Swedish meatballs call for this and it really helps with the texture of the meatball. To be honest, I really do not like biting into a meatball and feeling a mostly raw onion in my mouth, so taking the extra time to sauté and soften the onions and garlic is a really nice move.
Something I did not do in this recipe that is traditional is to add milk soaked bread to the meatballs. I just used breadcrumbs because I had those on hand. I also used a mixture of 50% ground pork and 50% ground beef. Using two different types of meat is popular in most worldwide meatball recipes, regardless of culture.
Delicious Meatball Recipes
In addition to this having this delicious Swedish Meatball (Köttbullar) recipe in my meal prep rotation, I also like to make these two meatball recipes for my family.
Ginger Scallion Meatballs: This sticky ginger scallion meatballs recipe is inspired by Chinese Take-out and are naturally gluten free. Serve these meatballs with a side of veggies and rice, add to soup, or eat with some sauteed noodles.
Feta Meatballs: These lamb and feta meatballs are inspired by my love of Mediterranean food. They are best served with some pita bread, tzatziki, and sliced cucumbers.
How to make Köttbullar (Swedish Meatballs)
INGREDIENTS
Meatball Mixture
- 1 lb ground beef 85/15 or 90/10
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 large Yellow Onion finely minced
- 5 cloves Garlic finely minced
- 1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tbsp is for sautéing the onions and garlic and then the other 2 tbsp is for pan frying the meatballs and brown them on all sides
Meatball Gravy
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 3 cups Beef Broth
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Yellow Mustard
- 1/4 tsp All Spice
INSTRUCTIONS
Meatballs
- In a large pan heat up 1/2 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. Once it is hot, add your finely minced onions and garlic and saute them until slightly golden brown. Once they are golden, turn off the heat and set aside.
- Add all of your meatball mixture ingredients to a large bowl except for the olive oil.
- Add your browned onions and garlic to the meatball mixture.
- Set up a large baking sheet, lined with either aluminum foil or parchment paper so that you can lay your meatballs down after you have rolled them.
- Using your hands, gently combine all of the ingredients. You can use a spoon, but your hands are best. Use a cookie dough scooper, make 1.5 inch meatballs. You should get somewhere around 35 meatballs small meatballs. The smaller the better, as they will cook faster.
- Heat your 2 tbsp of olive oil in the pan that you used for the onion and garlic. Heat up the oil, then add half of the meatballs at a time. Brown the meatballs on all sides until they are almost fully cooked and then add them to a large bowl or plate to set aside.
- Once all of the meatballs are browned, clean out your pan completely so that you can use it to start your gravy and cook your meatballs in it. If you don’t clean it, your gravy may be dark and oily.
Gravy
- Melt 4 tbsp of butter in the pan on medium low heat. Add the flour and mix it well to get out the clumps and make sure the flour is completely incorporated. You should see it start to get smooth and thick.
- Add in the broth slowly. Add in 1/2 cup of broth first, and mix it into the flour/butter mixture. You will see it become thick.
- Add the rest of the broth slowly (mixing well after each 1/2 cup of broth is added). Bring mixture to a slow boil, and then reduce the heat and add in the remaining gravy ingredients.
- Once all of the gravy ingredients have been added and mixed, add the meatballs into the gravy and let them finish cooking for about 7-10 minutes.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Ingredients
Meatball Mixture
- 1 lb ground beef 85/15 or 90/10
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 large Yellow Onion finely minced
- 5 cloves Garlic finely minced
- 1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tbsp is for sautéing the onions and garlic and then the other 2 tbsp is for pan frying the meatballs and brown them on all sides
Meatball Gravy
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 3 cups Beef Broth
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Yellow Mustard
- 1/4 tsp All Spice
Instructions
Meatballs
- In a large pan heat up 1/2 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. Once it is hot, add your finely minced onions and garlic and saute them until slightly golden brown. Once they are golden, turn off the heat and set aside.
- Add all of your meatball mixture ingredients to a large bowl except for the olive oil.
- Add your browned onions and garlic to the meatball mixture.
- Set up a large baking sheet, lined with either aluminum foil or parchment paper so that you can lay your meatballs down after you have rolled them.
- Using your hands, gently combine all of the ingredients. You can use a spoon, but your hands are best. Use a cookie dough scooper, make 1.5 inch meatballs. You should get somewhere around 35 meatballs small meatballs. The smaller the better, as they will cook faster.
- Heat your 2 tbsp of olive oil in the pan that you used for the onion and garlic. Heat up the oil, then add half of the meatballs at a time. Brown the meatballs on all sides until they are almost fully cooked and then add them to a large bowl or plate to set aside.
- Once all of the meatballs are browned, clean out your pan completely so that you can use it to start your gravy and cook your meatballs in it. If you don't clean it, your gravy may be dark and oily.
Gravy
- Melt 4 tbsp of butter in the pan on medium low heat. Add the flour and mix it well to get out the clumps and make sure the flour is completely incorporated. You should see it start to get smooth and thick.
- Add in the broth slowly. Add in 1/2 cup of broth first, and mix it into the flour/butter mixture. You will see it become thick.
- Add the rest of the broth slowly (mixing well after each 1/2 cup of broth is added). Bring mixture to a slow boil, and then reduce the heat and add in the remaining gravy ingredients.
- Once all of the gravy ingredients have been added and mixed, add the meatballs into the gravy and let them finish cooking for about 7-10 minutes.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles
Meatballs are one of my favorite foods. Usually the Italian style but Swedish style is a nice treat. This is a must try!
Warming spices are common, but not necessary! My Swedish mother only used white pepper and sautéed onions and hers- as did her mother and her mother’s mother and so on! Each family has their own style and recipe for meatballs in Sweden.