Aunt Bee’s Swedish Meatballs

A family favorite for generations, Aunt Bee’s Swedish Meatballs are homemade comfort food at its best. Serve the flavorful meatballs and sauce with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, lingonberry preserves, or cranberry sauce for a classic dinner recipe that you’ll hold onto forever!

Swedish Meatball Recipe

‘Tis the season for warm, cozy dinners, and nothing tastes better on a chilly day than my Great Aunt Bee’s Swedish meatballs. If you can believe it, Aunt Bee is now almost 102 years old, and still thriving. She’s amazing — and so is her Swedish meatball recipe!

When Aunt Bee’s grandson, Chip, saw my post for her Sweet Potato Casserole (which is absolutely heavenly, by the way), he sent me an email to let me know that I just had to share her authentic Swedish meatballs as well. A quick phone call to Aunt Bee and the instructions were in my hands a few days later!

Traditional Swedish Meatballs

This recipe is about as authentic as it gets. It’s actually Aunt Bee’s mother’s recipe, who came to this country from Sweden. And if you want the meal to be truly authentic, Aunt Bee insists that you must serve the meatballs with a lingonberry sauce. My own mom keeps a jar of lingonberry preserves in her refrigerator for just this purpose!

Ingredients

This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a batch of Aunt Bee’s Swedish meatballs. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Ground beef: the base of the meatballs. You can also use a “meatloaf mix” that includes a combination of ground pork, ground beef, and ground veal; or try using 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of ground pork. Even ground turkey will work!
• Onion: adds great savory flavor.
• Eggs: give the meatballs structure.
• Cubed white bread: acts as a binder to hold the meatballs together. You can substitute with panko breadcrumbs, too.
• Half-and-half: combines with the bread to create a “panade,” which acts as a binding agent and (more importantly) prevents the meatballs from drying out. The cream activates the starch in the bread to form a gel. This behaves similarly to a fat by lubricating the meat’s protein fibers and preventing them from becoming tough. You can use milk or heavy cream in lieu of the half-and-half.
• Sugar: just enough to add complexity and depth of flavor to the meat mixture.
• Salt and pepper: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
• Butter and oil: for frying. The butter adds the flavor, while a little bit of oil raises the smoke point for frying.

Swedish Meatball Sauce

Unlike Italian meatballs that are typically served in a tomato-based sauce, Swedish meatballs are paired with a creamy sauce that’s similar to an American gravy. To make this quick and easy sauce, you’ll add flour to the pan drippings to make a roux, and then gradually stream in beef broth and half-and-half (or cream). It’s simple, flavorful, and so easy!

How to Make Swedish Meatballs

If you like Ikea Swedish meatballs, then you’ll love this homemade version! The process is not difficult, but it does require some hands-on time because you’ll need to fry the meatballs in batches. Trust me — it’s well worth the effort, definitely a keeper, and will soon become a regular in your meal rotation!

1. Grate the onions into the ground beef.
2. Combine breadcrumbs with half-and-half, just until moistened.
3. Add eggs, soaked bread crumbs, sugar, salt, and pepper to the beef mixture. Use your hands to gently combine, being careful not to over-mix the meat.
4. Scoop and roll into meatballs.
5. Fry the meatballs in butter and oil in a large skillet, working in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan.

How to Make Swedish Meatballs Sauce

This creamy gravy sauce comes together in just minutes, and is full of great flavor thanks to the drippings in the pan!

1. Add flour to the drippings and cook for 1 minute. This creates a roux that will thicken the sauce.
2. Gradually stream in the beef broth and half-and-half, whisking constantly to avoid any lumps.
3. Simmer over medium heat until the gravy bubbles and thickens.
4. Spoon the sauce over the meatballs and serve!

What to Serve with Swedish Meatballs

Traditional side dishes that you’ll typically find served with Swedish meatballs include pressgurka (pressed cucumber), rårörda lingon (lingonberry sauce) and potatismos (mashed potatoes) or boiled potatoes. For a slightly more “Americanized” meal, try any of these easy sides with your meatballs:

• Egg noodles or other pasta of choice. We love Swedish meatballs and noodles!
• Mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives or red-skin mashed potatoes
• Rosemary roasted potatoes
• Potato pancakes
• A loaf of crusty Dutch oven bread or a French baguette
• Cucumber dill salad or cucumber salad with vinegar
• Green salad with red wine vinaigrette or classic Caesar salad
• Cranberry sauce

Make Ahead

You can shape the meatballs, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you need a quick dinner, just pull them out and fry them in the skillet! You can also freeze the raw meatballs to enjoy them at a later date (see the freezing instructions below).

Storage

Leftover meatballs will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave, just until warmed through.

How to Freeze

You can freeze the meatballs before or after cooking, so long as they are not combined with the sauce. I do not recommend freezing the meatballs in the gravy, since creamy, dairy-based sauces tend to “break” or separate when thawed.

To freeze raw meatballs that you’ll cook later, arrange the raw meatballs on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, and then transfer to a large Ziploc freezer bag. Freezing them on the baking sheet first will prevent the meatballs from sticking together or falling apart. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then cook according to the recipe instructions.

To freeze cooked meatballs, fry as instructed in the recipe, cool to room temperature, and then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet. When the meatballs are frozen, transfer to a Ziploc freezer bag. The meatballs will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Reheat

Allow frozen meatballs to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Prepare the pan sauce using melted butter in lieu of pan drippings, and then add the meatballs to the skillet with the sauce. Cover and cook the meatballs in the sauce over LOW heat just until the meatballs are warmed through.

If you don’t plan to serve the meatballs with sauce, you can reheat them in the oven. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 300°F until warmed through (about 15 minutes).

Recipe Variations

• Cut the ingredients in half if you’re serving a smaller family.
• Instead of ground beef, use a combination of ground beef and ground pork, ground turkey, or “meatloaf mix” — a combination of ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal.
• Swap out the half-and-half for whole milk or heavy cream.
• Add sautéed mushrooms to the sauce.
• Use chicken broth in the sauce instead of beef broth.
• Add extra spices to the meatballs, such as a dash of ground nutmeg or ground allspice.
• A dash of Worcestershire sauce would also be a delicious addition to the gravy.
• Aunt Bee uses the same meat mixture to prepare meatloaf instead of meatballs. If making meatloaf, shape the mixture into one large loaf, place it on a baking sheet, and bake in a 350°F oven for approximately 1 hour. I like to slather the top of my meatloaf with ketchup before baking, but that’s optional!

Baked Swedish Meatballs

Frying the meatballs in the skillet is the best way to prepare this dish, for a couple of different reasons. Frying creates a crispy, browned exterior that adds texture to the meatballs, locks in juices, and gives the meatballs a ton of extra flavor. The drippings from the skillet also add flavor to the sauce.

That said, sometimes convenience wins out and we just want an easy oven-baked meatball recipe that doesn’t require standing over the stove to fry in batches. If that’s your preference, no problem! Here are my tips for baked Swedish meatballs:

1. Arrange the meatballs on a large rimmed baking sheet (or two).
2. Bake in a 425°F oven for 10-12 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
3. Make the sauce in a skillet by using ¼ cup of butter in lieu of the pan drippings. If you have some drippings on the baking sheet, pour those into the skillet, and then add extra butter to equal about ¼ cup of fat.
4. Combine the baked meatballs with the sauce and serve!

Tips for the Best Swedish Meatball Recipe

• Combine the meatball mixture with your hands — not with a wooden spoon. The more gentle you can be, the more light and tender your meatballs will stay. Don’t overmix, or you’ll end up with tough, dense, and dry meatballs.
• If you have some extra time, chill the meatball mixture for at least 1 hour before shaping. I don’t always do this (it’s not necessary), but it does make the shaping easier if the mixture is more firm.
• A cookie dough scoop helps form even meatballs that cook in about the same amount of time. Scoop, roll gently in your hands, and then fry!
• Coat your hands with a little bit of olive oil periodically as you’re shaping the meatballs. The oil prevents the meat from sticking to your hands, and also helps the outside of the meatballs brown.

More Meatball Recipes to Try

• Homemade Meatballs
• Baked Meatballs
• Slow Cooker Meatball Stroganoff
• Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs
• Porcupine Meatballs
• Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

Aunt Bee's Swedish Meatballs Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 40 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 - 10 people

Calories 271 kcal

A family-favorite recipe for generations, Aunt Bee's Swedish meatballs are homemade comfort food. This is an easy dinner recipe that you will hold onto forever!

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Ingredients

  

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For the Meatballs:

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 large onions
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 6 slices cubed white bread (or substitute with 1 ½ cups of Panko bread crumbs)
• ¼ cup half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• butter and vegetable oil for frying

For the Sauce:

• ¼ cup pan drippings
• ¼ cup flour, plus additional as needed
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional, for serving: chopped fresh parsley; cooked egg noodles; potatoes

Instructions

• Place the meat in a large bowl. Grate the onions into the meat.
• Stir together bread or bread crumbs with ¼ cup of half-and-half, just until moistened.
• Add eggs, soaked bread crumbs, sugar, salt, and pepper to the beef mixture. Use your hands or a fork to gently combine, being careful not to over-mix the meat.
• Use a medium (1 ½ tablespoon) scoop to shape the meat into balls. Each meatball will be about the size of a golf ball. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet so that they will be ready to fry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, sauté meatballs in batches, turning while they cook so that all sides are evenly browned and the meat is cooked through (about 8-10 minutes per batch). Be careful not to overcrowd the pan.
• Repeat until all meatballs are cooked. Remove meatballs to a baking sheet lined with paper towels, and cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.

For the Sauce:

• After frying the meatballs, you should have about ¼ cup of drippings in the pan. If you have less, add butter to the skillet to equal ¼ cup of fat total.
• Add flour to the pan drippings. Cook and stir over medium heat for 1 minute.
• Gradually stream in the beef broth and half-and-half. Whisk over medium heat until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Whisk consistently so that it doesn’t burn or get lumpy.
• Spoon the sauce over the meatballs and serve with noodles, potatoes, or a loaf of crusty bread! Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.

Notes

• Combine the meatball mixture with your hands -- not with a wooden spoon. The more gentle you can be, the more light and tender your meatballs will stay. Don't overmix, or you'll end up with tough, dense, and dry meatballs.
• If you have some extra time, chill the meatball mixture for at least 1 hour before shaping. I don't always do this (it's not necessary), but it does make the shaping easier if the mixture is more firm.
• A cookie dough scoop helps form even meatballs that cook in about the same amount of time. Scoop, roll gently in your hands, and then fry!
• Coat your hands with a little bit of olive oil periodically as you're shaping the meatballs. The oil prevents the meat from sticking to your hands, and also helps the outside of the meatballs brown.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the meatballs and sauce (approximately 6 meatballs)Calories: 271kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 29gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 991mgPotassium: 524mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 130IUVitamin C: 2.1mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 3.9mg

Keyword: Easy Swedish Meatballs, Swedish Meatballs, Swedish Meatballs Recipe

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: European

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This recipe was originally published in February, 2015. It was updated in January, 2022.

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