These Crockpot Swedish Meatballs are full of flavor and taste like IKEA meatballs. Made with perfectly seasoned homemade meatballs and the most amazing Swedish meatballs sauce in slow cooker. A perfect family meal for busy weeknights or an impressive holiday dinner!
Plan to make them on the stove? Check out Swedish Meatballs ( a stove version).
SWEDISH MEATBALLS CROCKPOT
Swedish meatballs are one of the best comfort foods and on the table in almost every household during holiday season. There are so many ways to make them. Frankly speaking, I personally prefer making meatballs from scratch and cook them on the stove. But if you have frozen meatballs in the freezer or you love to cook, using crockpot, this recipe is perfect for you! Simply throw all the ingredients and let your slow cooker do the job for you! These Swedish meatballs in crockpot with brown gravy turn out to be so tender due to slow cooking method. They will melt in your mouth!
Swedish meatballs with frozen meatballs
Every time we go to IKEA, I purchase a few packages of their frozen meatballs. They are a great option when you don’t have time and energy to make homemade meatballs. Once I crave them, I simply throw all the ingredients into my crockpot (slow cooker), allow it to cook a delicious meal for me all day, and return home in the evening to incredibly delicious and ready-to-eat Swedish meatballs.
For a budget friendly version, make a few batches of meatballs, semi freeze them on the cutting board, then transfer them into individual zip log bags and freeze for 3-4 months. Use whenever you need them. No need to defrost them for slow cooking method!
how to make swedish meatballs
It is very easy to make Swedish meatballs from scratch. You will need ground beef, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, dill, milk and seasoning. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and make meatballs. I like to use an ice cream scooper for scooping meat, this guarantees that the meatballs will be of the same size. A meat baller is another good option.
The recipe calls for milk, but half & half will make the sauce even creamier.
It is very important not to overmix the mixture! Mix until just combined.
I usually sear meatballs in a pan over high heat to brown for additional flavor. If you use frozen meatballs, skip this step.
Swedish meatball sauce
Who can resist juicy and tender meatballs in a flavorful creamy brown sauce? I can’t! However, serving them with gravy is not a traditional Swedish way. But, I love sauces and think that every meal is better when served with a sauce.
To make the sauce you will need just a few ingredients:
- Beef stock
- Heavy cream
- Dijon mustard.
- Soy sauce
- Black pepper
- Nutmeg
How to thicken Swedish Meatball Sauce
The best way to thicken the sauce is to add flour. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of flour in 3 tablespoons of water and add to the cooked meatballs. Cook on “HIGH” for 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
For gluten free sauce, use cornstarch or gluten free all purpose flour.
What to serve with swedish meatballs
I love to serve these crockpot Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, a side of French beans and lingonberry jam.
Other serving suggestions:
- Steamed broccoli
- Instant Pot Basmati rice
- Homemade pasta
- Roasted Asparagus
- Roasted Potatoes
- Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
If you make these Swedish meatballs crockpot be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating! I will be happy to hear from you!
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SWEDISH MEATBALLS CROCKPOT
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
These Crockpot Swedish Meatballs are full of flavor and taste like IKEA meatballs. Made with perfectly seasoned homemade meatballs and the most amazing Swedish meatballs sauce in slow cooker.
Ingredients
SWEDISH MEATBALLS*
- Regular breadcrumbs- ¾ cup
- Milk-¾ cup
- Garlic ( minced)- 1 tsp.
- Black pepper- ¼ tsp.
- White pepper- ¼ tsp.
- All purpose seasoning-¼ tsp.
- Worcestershire sauce- 1 tbsp.
- Nutmeg- ⅛ tsp.
- Salt- ¼ tsp.
- Onion ( finely chopped)- 1
- Ground beef ( minced)- 2 lbs ( 1 kg)
- Fresh dill leaves ( chopped)- 3 tbsp.
- Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp, for frying
SWEDISH MEATBALLS SAUCE
- Beef stock- 2 ¼ cup
- Heavy cream- 1 cup
- Dijon mustard- 2 tbsp.
- Soy sauce- 1 tbsp.
- Salt- ¼ tsp. or to taste
- Black pepper- ¼ tsp.
- Nutmeg- ⅛ tsp.
- All purpose flour (dissolved in water)- 3 tbsp.
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix regular bread crumbs together with garlic, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, white pepper, all purpose seasoning,Worcestershire sauce and milk. Keep aside for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chopped onion, ground beef and dill and mix just until combined. Don't overmix!
- Use an ice cream scooper to scoop meat and roll each scoopful of meat into a ball, using your hands. This method guarantees that meatballs will be of the same size.
- Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large non stick pan. Cook meatballs for 5-6 minutes, about 2-3 minutes per side over high heat until browned but not cooked through. If your pan is small to accommodate all the meatballs, fry them in batches.
- Transfer meatballs into the crockpot and add all the ingredients for the sauce except flour ( beef stock, cream, black pepper, salt, soy sauce, Dijon mustard and nutmeg).
- Cover and cook on "LOW" 4 hours or on "HIGH" 3 hours.
- Once the meatballs have cooked, add the flour mixture ( mix 3 tbsp. of flour with 3 tbsp. of water). Cover and cook on "HIGH" 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, homemade pasta, steamed broccoli or roasted asparagus.
Notes
- You can use IKEA frozen meatballs or any homemade frozen meatballs for this recipe. No need to defrost them. Simply put all the ingredients into the crockpot and cook on "LOW" for 5-6 hours or "HIGH" for 4-5 hours.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Beef recipes
- Cuisine: Swedish
Nutrition
- Calories: 479 kcal
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 41 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg
Keywords: Swedish meatballs, meatballs, ikea meatballs, swedish meatballs crockpot
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BEEF RECIPES
I want to make these this weekend, but rather than frying the meatballs, I would like to bake them. Any thoughts on temperature or time in the oven on a cookie sheet?
You will need to bake them at 450°F for 25-30 minutes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper ( depends on the size of your meatballs). Hope this will help.