Seriously Amazing Swedish Meatballs in Brown Gravy
My favorite recipe for Swedish meatballs nuzzled in a simple yet creamy brown gravy! Just like IKEA but only better. It’s so good you’ll wanna slurp it through a straw!

Here it is. More comfort food. I hope you aren’t sick of it yet, because there’s soo much more where this ↑ came from. What, you didn’t get the memo? It’s comfort food FRIDAY my friend.
Gimme a big bowl of egg noodles topped with Swedish meatballs and a healthy drizzle of that brown gravy with a good show on Netflix and a cozy blankie. It’s all I ask for. I’ll be living that #blanketburrito life from now all the way into next year. Anyone with me? Next year. Yes, I said it. Guys it’s like, 3 months away. Where did this year go? And can December just not come around this time, pleaseandthankyou. Someone in the room is about to turn the big 3-0 and I really just don’t want it to be me. Speaking of turning thirty, I’m as old as the Oprah Winfrey show. Uh… well if I didn’t feel old before… Would you mind If I just stayed twenty-nine-and-some-change till the end of time?
I’ll just stay here in my sweat pants and drown my twenty-something self in a vat of the most comforting comfort food known to man.
My Swedish meatballs recipe is easy to make…
and they’re also possibly the best thing to come out of my kitchen, ever. That’s not saying I don’t love most of the food I share with you here on LSJ. It just means that this kinda recipe holds a big place in my heart. Perfectly browned little nuggets that are tender and juicy on the inside. Isn’t it amazing how many different ways there are to serve up meatballs? I’d have to say, my favorite is when they’re snuggled in a tangy, creamy and rich gravy that’s so good you’ll wanna bathe in it.

How to make the best Swedish meatballs:
In terms of flavor we’re using onions and a few spices. Keepin’ it simple yet flavorful. To make sure the onions don’t add too much additional moisture to the meatballs, we’re sautéing them in a little bit of butter to cook off some of that liquid. The spices used for my swedish meatballs are just a hint of nutmeg, allspice, salt and pepper. Nutmeg and all spice are the heart and soul of a good swedish meatball recipe.
Now for that texture and moisture. I’m using an age-old trick to keep these meatballs nice and tender. This is something I learned from my mom and she from hers. You can never go wrong with a tip that’s been passed for generations. All you need is a couple slices of bread soaked in a 3 tablespoons of milk for a few minutes and friends, i’m telling you, not a dry meatball in sight. The onions that we sautéed also add moisture but just enough.
Too much moisture in a meatball is a BAD thing.


I don’t like to use too much binder in my meatball recipes because it takes away from the actual MEAT-ball. You know? Just enough to get the job done. A couple slices of bread soaked in milk, an egg, onions, and a few spices.
Once we mix up the meatballs, we’re going to sear them in a skillet until all the sides brown up nicely. This helps hold all the juices inside the meatball while gently browning up the outside. Don’t worry if they don’t cook all the way through, we’re going to simmer them in the sauce a little later.
Now for the brown gravy. Since the meatballs bring the onions to the party, I like to flavor the gravy with a hint of garlic. Did you think i’d make meatballs without garlic? We’ve been friends for too long, you should know me better than that! I know, it’s not a traditional Swedish meatball recipe, but you know what?
It’s kinda better.
Along with garlic we’re using beef or chicken broth, a hint of mustard, worcestershire sauce, and sour cream. If you’re thinking it’s starting to sound a little like stroganoff, well, you’re right.
It kinda does.

These Swedish meatballs are perfect for busy weekdays and even better for lazy Sunday suppers. I’d double the recipe and serve them with egg noodles over the weekend and then again a couple of days later with mashed potatoes.
Because the only thing better than Swedish meatballs in gravy is meatballs and gravy on top of mashed potatoes.

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Seriously Amazing Swedish Meatballs in Brown Gravy
My favorite recipe for Swedish meatballs nuzzled in a simple yet creamy brown gravy! Just like IKEA but only better. It's so good you'll wanna slurp it through a straw!

Ingredients
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2 slices of bread, torn into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 ¼ pound lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt + ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon EACH ground allspice AND garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon EACH oil AND Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ¾ cup beef or chicken broth, low sodium
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ - 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes, for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and allow them to soften and become translucent about 3-5 minutes. Remove to a medium bowl and allow them to cool.
- In a small bowl, pour the milk over the bread and press down with a spoon or your fingers so that the bread soaks up all the milk, let sit 5 minutes.
- When the onions have cooled, add the ground beef, bread mixture, an egg, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and allspice to the bowl and mix until just combined. Don't overmix the meat as it will result in tough meatballs. Shape into 18-22 meatballs that are about 1- 1 ¼ inch in diameter.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter along with oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 6-9 minutes, turn every couple of minutes to ensure even browning. Remove to a plate. If you don't have a skillet large enough to hold all the meatballs, do it in batches, do not overcrowd the pan, you don't want them to steam as they won't develop that brown outer crust and as a result, the sauce will be very light in color.
- Add the remaining 3 tbsp of butter to the skillet on medium-low heat. Sprinkle the flour in and whisk for 1-2 minutes or until it turns golden brown. Slowly pour the beef broth in while you whisk. Lower the heat, whisk in the sour cream until it dissolves completely.
- Add the garlic powder, a ½ teaspoon of mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and let come to a gentle simmer before lowering the heat. Allow sauce to thicken for 6-10 minutes or until it reaches desired consistency. Taste and adjust with additional mustard as desired. Add meatballs in when there are 4 minutes remaining. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken as it sits, so if you aren't serving right away, consider leaving it a little thinner. Serve on top of buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Top with fresh parsley if desired!
Notes
- Edit: 05/19/2019 some readers have mentioned that they thought the mustard flavor was a little strong in this recipe. The original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons, however, if this is your first time making this recipe, I suggest starting with a ½ teaspoon and then adjusting it as desired, up to 2 teaspoons.
- I've only tested the recipe with sour cream so not sure if greek yogurt can be substituted. But really, it's Swedish meatballs, go with the sour cream, just this once.

Deee-licious!! I used half ground turkey and half ground chuck because of dietary needs and used only one teaspoon of mustard….it was AWESOME!! (and we DID want to “slurp the gravy through a straw”) Thank you so much!!
Hi Denise! So glad to hear you enjoyed it. Love that you made it your own with the ground turkey/beef mix! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I didn’t have sour cream but I did happen to have buttermilk and that was the perfect substitute.
Everyone really likes this recipe. I would definitely make it again and still use the buttermilk as a substitute for sour cream.
I am making a full stereo size tray of Swedish meatballs. Can you send me a recipe for the gravy to cover all these balls. I need it by Thursday of this week. The 15th.
Heading to the grocery store and have questions about the bread!
1. Does it need to be white bread?
2. How small of pieces do you tear bread into? (I’ve never made meatballs before). I feel like they’d have to be really small as to not get huge chunks in each meatball.
3. I’m guessing where it says to add “bread mixture,” you don’t pour excess milk, just the soggy bread into bowl. Correct?
3. Are you mixing with mixer or hands?
Hi Collette! Glad to hear you’re giving these a try! You can use whole wheat bread or gluten-free bread as well, so far everything I’ve tried has worked. You want the pieces to be small, anything between 1/2 – 1 inch. The bread will soak up all of the milk, you shouldn’t have any milk left at the bottom of the bowl, if you do, discard. I suggest mixing it with your hands! You don’t want to overmix the meat mixture, or the meatballs will come out dry. Hope that helps clarify things 🙂
Thank you!!!!
Update for those asking about greek yogurt substitution:
I tried it and wouldn’t suggest it! There’s already so much tang (for lack of a better word) from the muster and Worcestershire sauce that it is crazy overkill (and I just did two spoonfuls).
Just go with the sour cream like she says!
Excellent recipe. I used GF potato bread. The balls were struggling to stay together at first and I needed to cook in the gravy a bit longer (I made them too big and needed to cook them through) but end result was awesome. Thank you!
The Swedish Meatballs were wonderful…a big hit with my family. This was my third recipe that I have tried from your site..all of them have been delicious. With what looks like a long winter of lockdown up here in Canada ….I am sure I will trying more recipes.
Hi Ruth, I am so glad to hear the recipe was a hit with your family! I hope these recipes keep you extra cozy in these uncertain times. Appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
I don’t have all spice. Will they still be delicious without it?
This is my third time cycling back to this recipe and now because my son has requested it for his “special birthday dinner!” Thank you for sharing!
I’ve been wanting to try making Swedish Meatballs for some time now. So, after reviewing several different recipes, I decided on this one. My family loved these! Will definitely be making these again!!
Delicious! Added mushrooms sautéed in fresh garlic butter to the sauce and white pepper, and the original 2 teaspoons of mustard was perfect. I did a mix of French’s, Grey Poupon, and Coleman’s. Thank you!
This was my first time making Swedish Meatballs.. this recipe was simple & easy! I had all the ingredients in my home already, which is always nice! I’ll definitely be making it again! The only thing I’ll likely do differently when I make it again is that I’d swap the yellow mustard for Dijon or maybe even a spicy or brown mustard. I served mine over buttered egg noodles & topped with Parmesan cheese.. my whole family enjoyed it
Does anyone know if you are supposed to drain the grease from the meatballs?
I would think so???
You are so correct!
Taste is seriously amazing…definitely a keeper
So good! I added rosemary at the end and I will totally make this again. The only problem is I made enough so I could eat the left overs for lunch and….well we ate it all so no lunch, lol.
Can I double the sauce?
It was really good however I had to make a couple of changes. I used ground turkey as we do not eat red meat. And I used vegetable broth instead of beef broth. Instead of yellow mustard I subbed in 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard for the yellow mustard. The sauce was silky smooth too!! Huge hit at home!
YES!! I make the Swedish Meatball/Gravy.
I just made this. Excellent cozy food. Great recipe!
i remember seeing this recipe YEARS ago and not yet having the budget, the skills, nor the time to make it. just made it yesterday and worried over having used too much meat (1kg total, .5 kg each pork and beef) and not having all spice, but it was amazing anyway! the sauce was perfectly luscious, and thank you for the tip on mustard (i used only .5 of wholegrain and i could definitely taste it) and thickening the sauce. will be making this again
I’ve been looking for a GREAT recipe for swedish meatballs… I believe I have found it! I just printed it off, and I cannot wait to try these!!!! Just the way you introduced it at the beginning made my mouth water. LOL LOL I need to go shopping for ingredients and I’ll let you know how they turned out!
This recipe is delicious!!! I made this for dinner guests and it was a big hit. I will definitely serve this again. 5 stars from me.
Can I use crushed up saltine crackers instead of pieces of bread? I’m excited to make this tonight!!!
Best recipe for Swedish meatballs EVER!! ❤️❤️ I will need to double the recipe next time!!
This was fantastic! The mustard is absolutely the secret ingredient!
Too much butter, and my meatballs fell apart and left burned bits that I had to strain out so the sauce wouldn’t be bitter.
These were SO good. Very indulgent, but so so delicious.
You forgot to say when to add the sour cream!!
It’s mentioned at the bottom of step 5
I’ve made this recipe at least 10 times. It is delicious. I don’t change a thing.
These were sooo yummy. Very easy to make and so delicious! Will definitely make again.