This post may contain affiliate links.
Swedish Meatballs are the ultimate cozy comfort food, tender beef and pork meatballs simmered in a rich, creamy gravy that tastes just like the ones from a certain Swedish furniture store, only better. I first made these on a busy weeknight when Maddie and Lizzie were begging for something warm over mashed potatoes, and the slow cooker did all the work. If you love our spaghetti and meatballs, this creamy version will win you over.
The crockpot keeps these meatballs unbelievably tender while the sauce turns silky and rich, so you get restaurant quality results with almost no effort.
Swedish Meatballs Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 4 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 525kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, creamy, comforting
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our slow cooker cubed steaks
Quick Answer
Mix and roll beef and pork meatballs, brown them in a skillet, then add them to the slow cooker with a beef stock sauce. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, then stir in sour cream, heavy cream, and a cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy. Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Beef and pork together. Mixing the two meats gives you the classic tender, juicy texture that all beef meatballs cannot match.
- Browning builds flavor. Searing the meatballs first creates a golden crust and deep savory flavor that carries through the whole dish.
- The slow cooker keeps them tender. Low and slow cooking lets the meatballs soak up the sauce without ever drying out.
- Sour cream makes it silky. Stirring in sour cream and heavy cream at the end gives that signature creamy, slightly tangy gravy.
- A cornstarch slurry thickens fast. Whisking in a quick slurry at the end gives you a glossy, spoon coating sauce in just minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The slow cooker does the work, making this a perfect hands off weeknight dinner.
- That creamy, savory gravy is total comfort food poured over mashed potatoes or noodles.
- It is an easy crowd pleaser for family dinners, potlucks, and holiday tables alike.
Key Ingredients
Here is what makes these Swedish meatballs so good. Simple pantry ingredients build big, cozy flavor.
- Ground Beef and Pork: The classic combo for tender meatballs. Use lean beef so they are not greasy.
- Beef Stock: The savory base of the gravy. A good quality stock makes a noticeable difference.
- Sour Cream and Heavy Cream: These turn the sauce creamy and rich with a gentle tang.
- Warm Spices: A pinch of allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon gives Swedish meatballs their signature cozy flavor.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: They keep the meatballs light and tender instead of dense.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These Swedish meatballs are easy to adapt to what you have on hand.
- Frozen shortcut: Use store bought frozen meatballs and skip straight to the sauce for a faster version.
- Add vegetables: Saute onions, mushrooms, or peppers and add them to the pot with the meatballs.
- Gluten free: Swap the panko for gluten free breadcrumbs and use a gluten free flour or extra cornstarch to thicken.
- Extra creamy: Stir in a splash more heavy cream or a spoonful of cream cheese for an even richer gravy.
- Make it a meal: Serve over our mashed potato cakes for a fun twist.
How to Make Swedish Meatballs
- In a large bowl, mix the ground beef and pork with the breadcrumbs, egg, and spices, then roll into meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs in a little oil over medium heat until golden on all sides, working in batches.
- Whisk together the beef stock, Worcestershire, dijon, salt, and pepper for the sauce.
- Add the browned meatballs to the slow cooker, pour the sauce over, and cook on low 4 to 6 hours.
- Remove the meatballs, whisk in the sour cream, heavy cream, and a cornstarch slurry, then cook until thickened.
- Return the meatballs to the sauce, garnish with parsley, and serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not crowd the skillet when browning, or the meatballs will steam instead of sear. Work in batches.
- Roll the meatballs evenly so they cook at the same rate. A cookie scoop helps.
- Remove the meatballs before thickening so the sauce can simmer freely without breaking them apart.
- Temper the sour cream by stirring it into the warm sauce gradually to keep it from curdling.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning at the end, since slow cookers can mute salt over a long cook.
- Garnish with fresh parsley for a pop of color and freshness right before serving.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These Swedish meatballs are made to be served over something that soaks up that creamy gravy. Mashed potatoes are the classic choice, but buttered egg noodles or rice are just as cozy.
For a full comfort food spread, add a simple green vegetable and a basket of warm rolls. They also make a fantastic party appetizer when you roll the meatballs a little smaller and serve them with toothpicks.
Round out the table with another hearty favorite like our Mississippi steak bites or a bowl of slow cooker chili for a crowd.
Swedish Meatballs FAQs
Yes. To make these Swedish meatballs even faster, use about 2 pounds of frozen meatballs and add them straight to the slow cooker with the sauce. Skip the mixing and browning steps.
Curdling usually happens when the sour cream is added to sauce that is too hot or too fast. Stir it in gradually and avoid boiling the sauce after adding the dairy.
Swedish meatballs are classically served over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Rice, lingonberry jam, and a green vegetable are all great additions.
Yes. You can brown the meatballs and mix the sauce a day ahead, then slow cook the day of. The finished dish also reheats well over low heat.
Yes. Freeze the cooked Swedish meatballs and sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently, adding a splash of cream if needed.
Absolutely. After browning, simmer the meatballs in the sauce on the stovetop for about 20 minutes, then stir in the cream and slurry to thicken.
Craving more slow cooker comfort food? Try our slow cooker cubed steaks next.
Need an easy party bite? These sweet and tangy grape jelly meatballs are always the first to go.
For another cozy dinner, try our copycat Skyline chili recipe.
For another easy slow cooker crowd pleaser, try our BBQ chicken wings.
Add this tender flank steak marinade to your grilling lineup.
Add these easy brats and sauerkraut to your slow cooker lineup.
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 cracks fresh black pepper
- Pinch ground allspice
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
Sauce:
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 cracks fresh black pepper
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place all of the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, all spice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix together well, roll into 2 tablespoons-sized balls.½ pound lean ground beef, ½ pound ground pork, 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 10 cracks fresh black pepper, Pinch ground allspice, pinch ground nutmeg, pinch ground cinnamon
- In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the meatballs in the vegetable oil until golden brown on all sides. You will need to do this in batches, do not crowd to pan. Place the meatballs on a paper-towel lined plate to drain any excess oil.2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
- Place the browned meatballs in the slow cooker.
- Whisk together the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, dijon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.2 cups beef stock, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 10 cracks fresh black pepper
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours, until meatballs are cooked through or until the desired tenderness is reached.
- Take meatballs out and set them aside.
- Add the sour cream and heavy cream directly to the slow cooker, whisk to combine. In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and water. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Cook on high uncovered for 15 minutes until thickened. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary.1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoons water
- Place meatballs back in the sauce to keep warm. Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Garnish with parsley, optional.Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Notes
- Nutritional value is for the meatballs and sauce only.
- These can be served as an appetizer, just roll into smaller meatballs.
- You can cook the sauce in a pan separately if you’d like and your over meatballs in slow cooker.
- Sauté some onions, peppers, and/or mushrooms and place them in the pot with the meatballs.
- These can be served over lots of things such as rice, noodles, you can eat plain or whatever you love, the possibilities are endless.
- This recipe can easily double this recipe to serve more people.
- If you don’t have panko breadcrumbs, regular can be substituted.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- You can cook these on low for 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
Making this tonight. Curious to what the red cranberry sauce is? Shown in the photo you have.
I am making this right now. I made the meatballs on Sunday and cooked and froze to save time. I didnt have dijon mustard so I used yellow mustard and a little ground mustard. I hope that will work. Looking forward to this recipe because I always did the meatballs with mushroom soup swedish meatballs. I wanted to try something new
Made this today and had nothing but RAVE REVIEWS on how fantastic it tasted!! Served it over mashed potatoes, added some fresh from the garden buttered carrots and a warm spinach salad on the side. And of course I posted pictures to Facebook to share with my family and friends!!
Made a few modifications: added lightly sauteed fresh garlic and onions to half ground pork and half ground beef. Added smoked paprika to the list of dry seasonings. Always fun to add your own little tweaks to an already amazing recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing the original. It was an awesome find and has been moved to my all time favorites list.
Could these be frozen in the sauce? Or is that not a good idea since the sauce has sour cream and heavy cream?
Yes!
Can I double everything to make a double order?
Definitely!! 1-2 cloves would be good 🙂
Hello! I’m making these today. Can you use finely chopped fresh garlic instead of powdered?
These look amazing! I am always looking for some great meatball recipes to try — my family loves them! This is going on the menu for this week!
I haven’t had Swedish meatballs in years. These look so good I think I need to get them on the menu stat!