Forget the long lines in IKEA. If you’re someone who loves Swedish Meatballs, this simple but delicious recipe will teach you how to make your own at home!
For many people, the Swedish meatballs from IKEA are the gold standard. Nothing beats these meatballs and they’d be willing to venture out into the world and wait in long queues just to get a taste. I wouldn’t blame them. The Swedish meatballs from IKEA are pretty delicious. I remember the first time I tasted them and the unique blend of flavors made me want to get a second or third helping. That being said, we’re not all in a position where it’s easy to go to IKEA every time you want a taste.
This brings us to the recipe I’m about to share. With a little fiddling and a lot of test batches, this Swedish meatball recipe is just as good or even better than the ones from IKEA. What’s more, it’s not that hard to prepare. It just calls for basic ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery. If you want to make a bigger batch, it’s easy to double or triple the recipe.
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion , grated
4 tbsp butter , separated
1 piece white sandwich bread, cut into small cubes
3 tbsp milk
1 egg
¼ tsp ground all-spice
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp flour
2 cups beef stock
½ cup of sour cream
Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions to make Swedish Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F and line a pan with baking paper.
- Melt one tablespoon of butter in a skillet, then cook the onion until golden. Transfer the onions to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, add the pieces of bread and pour the milk on top. Use a fork to mash it into a soft mixture. Add to the bowl with the onions.
- To the same large bowl with the onions and bread mixture, add in the beef, egg, all-spice, salt, and pepper with the onions and bread mixture. Mix well.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the meatballs onto the baking sheet.
- Bake at 450 °F for 15-20 minutes.
- To make the gravy, add 3 tablespoons of butter into a skillet. Once the butter is melted add in the flour.
- Whisk well until the flour is dissolved and cooked. Pour in the beef stock gradually whilst whisking.
- Bring to a boil, then add in the sour cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the gravy. Garnish with chopped parsley.
- Serve with egg noodles, mashed potato, or steamed vegetables.
Simple right? This Swedish meatball recipe is easy to whip up. Anytime you’re craving for those IKEA meatballs, just cook these instead! You’ll surely get meatballs that are soft, juicy, and delicious. The rich and creamy gravy just adds the right amount of flavor to it. You can have it as an appetizer or as your main meal.
Tips for making Swedish Meatballs
While I think these meatballs are pretty foolproof, I can understand why you’d be confused of it’s your first time making them. For this reason, I’ve compiled a bunch of tips for you below:
Firstly, don’t underestimate the importance of your bread and milk mixture.
Some people disregard the bread and milk mixture, the panade, thinking it’s just filler. If you want a dense and heavy meatball, I guess that’s alright. However, I prefer to keep it in to make sure my meatball turns out tender and moist. Fresh bread is the best to use for really juicy meatballs.
Secondly, give your meatballs enough time to simmer in your gravy.
This step will ensure your meatballs absorb all the flavors of your gravy. Additionally, this is a great finishing step to make sure those that weren’t quite cooked through in the oven are done.
Lastly, put the grated onion into the bread and milk milture.
If you’re a fan of extra soft Swedish meatballs, you may opt to grate your onions onto your cubed sandwich bread. This will make your meatballs more flavorful because the bread will soak up all the juice from the grated onions.
FAQs
What makes Swedish meatballs different?
You might be wondering what makes Swedish meatballs special. What makes it different from normal meatballs? The primary difference is the sauce. Other meatballs are served on their own or with a tomato-based sauce. Swedish meatballs are enjoyed with a creamy, rich, and savory gravy sauce.
Apart from the sauce, there are other notable difference that make Swedish meatballs unique. For example, the size of an American meatball is usually much larger. Moreover, in terms of the seasoning, Swedish meatballs use more diverse spices which give it that unique flavor.
What is Swedish meatball sauce made of?
Swedish meatball sauce is rich and creamy, with beef or bone stock. It also has butter, flour, and sour cream. Together, these flavors form a think but smooth and flavorful sauce that perfectly compliments your meatballs.
What do they call Swedish meatballs in Sweden?
Swedish meatballs are called köttbullar in Sweden.
