Homemade Swedish Meatball Recipe (Crockpot or Stove Top)

This homemade Swedish meatball recipe is a delicious, one-pot comfort meal! Tender homemade meatballs made with a mixture of ground beef and pork in a creamy beef gravy. These meatballs go great over mashed potatoes or egg noodles with extra gravy and fresh parsley. This recipe can be made on the stove top or in a crockpot making it perfect for busy weeknights!

This is a delicious meal and easy recipe, a great way to use up that tube of ground beef. With a short cooking time and simple prep, this will be your new go to. Use shortcuts to make this dish even more simple, use pre-made frozen meatball or instant mashed potatoes in a pinch.

Try these easy chicken piccata meatballs or my favorite teriyaki beef meatballs! Find all of my meatball recipes here for more dinner inspiration!

Key Ingredients

For The Meatballs:

• Ground beef: I typically keep an 80/20 blend on hand as it works for most recipes. Any blend of ground beef will work for this recipe or you can grind your own. Make your own meatballs or use pre-made frozen beef meatballs can be a substitute if needed.
• Ground pork: this adds a nice bit of fat and rich flavor to the meatballs. It also helps the meatballs from drying out due to the higher fat content compared to beef alone.
• Bread crumbs: panko bread crumbs, Italian breadcrumbs, and plain breadcrumbs all work in this recipe. Gluten free crumbs are an option as well or grind your own from a leftover loaf of bread.
• Whole eggs:  I like fresh pasture raised farm eggs if available, but any kind will work for this recipe. Eggs help bind the meatball mixture together.
• Garlic: add as many fresh garlic cloves as desired, I use upwards of around 4 or 5 cloves. Jarred minced garlic can be a substitute. Use garlic powder in a pinch.
• Shallot: or use a red onion, white onion, or yellow onion. If you do not like onion, omit it.
• Ground nutmeg: this adds the perfect amount of spice to the meatballs, it’s a surprising addition.
• Butter: I prefer unsalted butter so I can control the salt better, we also have salt coming from the meatballs.

For The Gravy:

• All-purpose flour: gluten-free flour can be a substitute if needed.
• Beef stock: any stock works for this recipe. Use beef stock, beef bone broth, chicken bone broth, or vegetable broth. Homemade stock is a great option as well.
• Half and half: or heavy whipping cream turn the beefy pan sauce into a smooth, creamy gravy. A non-dairy milk can be a substitute if making this dairy-free or if you have sour cream on hand, that can be a substitute to make a smooth sauce.

How to make the Homemade Swedish Meatballs

Let’s talk a little about how to make the Homemade Swedish Meatball Recipe (Crockpot or Stove Top) (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Quick Overview:

• Combine all ingredients for the meatballs.
• Scoop and roll meatballs.
• Sear until all sides are lightly brown.
• Remove meatballs from pan and stir in flour.
• Mix in beef stock.
• Add meatballs back into the pan and simmer to finish cooking.
• Mix in the heavy cream and serve!

Stove top method:

1: Firstly, in a medium bowl combine ground beef, ground pork, panko breadcrumbs, shallot, egg, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Use your hands to fully combine, make sure breadcrumbs and shallot mix in evenly.

2: Secondly, use a portion scoop or a tablespoon measure to measure about 1 oz. scoops of the meatball mixture. Using a portion scoop helps ensure meatballs are the same size so they cook evenly. Use your hand to roll them into balls, squeezing together lightly to they are compact. Place on a sheet pan.

3. Thirdly, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add in the butter. Place meatballs in a single layer in the heat skillet, sear on all sides until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Once browned, remove from the pan and set aside. If you need, cook meatballs in batches so the pan is not overcrowded.

4. Fourthly, keeping the heat on medium-high, sprinkle in the flour and mix in until it begins to absorb the fat. Scrap the bottom of the pan to release the browned bits from the meatballs. Once all the flour is absorbed, add in the beef stock and black pepper, whisk to combine. A smooth sauce will begin to form.

Stove top method cont.:

5. Add the meatballs back into the pan, snuggle them into the sauce. Then, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken and the meatballs have cooked through. Stir often so nothing sticks to the pan.

Crockpot Method:

If looking to make this a slow cooker recipe, the steps are fairly similar for the easy crockpot Swedish meatballs.

1. Prepare meatballs according to recipe instructions, use frozen meatballs if desired. Sear meatballs in butter prior to adding to the crockpot, add any pan drippings to the crockpot bowl.
2. To the pan drippings, add in the beef stock, flour, and black pepper. Whisk to combine. Add the browned meatballs in and cover. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
3. Once cooked turn off the crock pot and stir in the heavy cream. Serve over mashed potatoes (or spaghetti squash for a low carb option) with fresh parsley.

Tools I Recommend

• Tongs – A must kitchen utensil, perfect for cooking the meatballs. I love these locking tongs for saving space and the different sizes are useful for different recipe needs.
• Sauté pan: I love this non-stick sauté pan for several things, it is large enough to sauté all the meatballs in one batch and the gravy does not stick to the pan. I also love the high sides to keep messes in the pan and avoid splashing sauce all over while simmering.
• Steel whisk: I have two good whisks on hand and I use them all the time! I like a whisk that won’t retain water in the handle and one that has large, sturdy wires!