Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs

These amazing homemade meatballs with creamy sauce are easy to make at home and taste exactly like iconic Swedish meatballs from Ikea.

If you’re like the majority of us who come to Ikea with a solid plan not to buy anything and leave with a full cart of vitally necessary items, you know that a visit to an Ikea store is not complete without having the meatballs.

My meatballs are a foolproof 35-minute recipe that will feed a whole family. These Ikea Copycat Swedish Meatballs are quick to make and have a luscious cream sauce perfect for serving over mashed potatoes. 

The best part about this recipe is not even minimal prep time, but how simple and actually healthy the ingredients are when you make it at home.

I don’t finish cooking my meatballs in the oven, yet they taste delicious and are a great comfort food for me after a tiring day.

A little lingonberry sauce (can order from Ikea too) on the side and you have yourself a perfect Ikea-inspired dinner.

Swedish Meatballs Ingredients

Meatballs

• Ground meat. I use ground beef and ground pork.
• For the mix: Panko breadcrumbs, egg, milk bind the mixture together, while onion powder, garlic salt, salt, and pepper add flavors. I don’t use garlic in this recipe but I do add garlic salt.

Creamy Sauce

• Butter. You can also add olive oil but it is optional.
• all-purpose flour
• vegetable stock
• beef stock (or beef broth)
• heavy cream.

Kitchen Appliances

• A large frying pan or a large skillet that we will use to both cook the meatballs and make the sauce.

How To Make Ikea Swedish Meatballs

1 – Cook The Meatballs

1. Combine the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, onion powder, garlic salt, black pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Work it together with your hands and gently mix until completely incorporated. 
2. Once the mixture is all combined roll the meat into small balls, about 1 inch in size. You can also use an ice cream scoop to make meatballs.
3. Working in batches, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add meatballs when the pan is hot. 
4. You want to cook the meatballs for about 8 minutes turning frequently until brown on all sides and cooked through. I cook them in batches, I first add half and brown them, and then the remaining meatballs.
5. Remove meatballs from the pan and set aside. 
6. Carefully wipe the pan out with a paper towel and return it to the stove. You can use the same skillet to make the creamy sauce.

2 – Make The Sauce

1. Add butter to the pan. Melt the butter over medium to medium-high heat and then whisk in the flour.  
2. Cook the flour mixture for 1 minute.
3. Slowly whisk in the vegetable stock, then the beef stock.
4. Whisk until the mixture returns to a bubble. 
5. Add in the heavy cream, and continuously whisk until it starts to bubble and thicken, conti. 
6. Serve over mashed potatoes. You can also top the dish with fresh chopped parsley.

How to Eat Ikea Swedish Meatballs?

You can serve Ikea’s Swedish meatballs with boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles.

On the side, it is common to serve a jam or berry sauce, like cranberry sauce or lingonberry sauce (slightly sweet and tart).

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.

If you prep only the meatballs you can serve them with different garnish the next days.

Can I Freeze Homemade Swedish Meatballs?

The meatballs are great for meal prep and freezing. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.

To defrost, leave in the fridge overnight and simply reheat in a microwave or a saucepan with a little bit of water before serving. Defrosted meatballs will only be good for 2-3 days.

For meal prep freeze uncooked meatballs and they will last for a few months and make a great weeknight dinner.

Variations And Substitutions For This Copycat Recipe

• Swedish Meatballs Sauce ingredients may include Dijon mustard (like the IKEA recommends), soy sauce, or Worcestershire sauce (to replace soy sauce from the original recipe and still have the umami flavor).
• Thick double cream can replace the heavy cream in the sauce.
• Ground turkey and ground chicken mix will make the leaner, healthier, meatballs. Lean meats and lean meatball mix hold the shape better and ooze less fat and grease.
• You can add finely chopped onion and minced garlic to the meatballs recipe. If you can’t deal with cutting onion, grate it.

Tips and Tricks

• The key to making the best and creamiest sauce is to keep stirring continuously when it is cooking.
• I know people use ice cream scooper to make meatballs, but I’m old school – I use my hands. Am I the only one who thinks it does taste better that way?
• For better texture, old-fashioned recipes often used milk-soaked bread instead of breadcrumbs.
• Ikea serves these meatballs with lingonberry jam but if you cannot find it, I like to use whole berry cranberry sauce. 
• The meatballs can also be cooked in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. After you cook them in the pan, put browned meatballs in a hot oven and let it cook for another 30 minutes. Using modern technology, you can even cook meatballs in an air fryer! I don’t do that because I really like the brown “skin” and the fried taste better.
• Do not ever bring the cream sauce to boiling otherwise dairy products will start separating and it will ruin the sauce.
• To check if the meatballs are done, you can either remove one and cut it, but better measure the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. You’re aiming at 165°F for the meatballs to be perfectly cooked.
• You can also add the meatballs back into the almost-done creamy gravy and finish cooking them together. That way the meatballs will really soak up all the flavors.

Popular Questions

What Makes Swedish Meatballs Different From Regular Meatballs?

Italian meatballs are usually served with marinara sauce and often have spices and aromatic herbs added to the mix.

Unlike Italian meatballs, Swedish meatballs (köttbullar) from IKEA are simply seasoned with salt and pepper and come with creamy white sauce and cranberry jam.

Another difference is the classic garnish – Swedish meatballs pair well with silky mashed potatoes while the Italian version is often used as an appetizer.

What are the Real Swedish Meatballs at IKEA made of?

IKEA shared a recipe that somehow replicated their iconic meatballs.

The ingredients for meatballs are simple and include a mix of minced beef and pork, fresh onion and garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, whole milk, salt, and pepper.

What is Swedish meatball sauce made of?

The IKEA creamy sauce is bouillon-based. It has butter, plain flour, thick double cream, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard cooked together.

Can You Make Ikea Meatballs Plant-Based?

To make this copycat IKEA Swedish meatballs recipe vegetarian or vegan you need to double the vegetable stock, use plant-based cream or coconut milk for the sauce, and for the meatballs you can use Beyond meat.

Vegan meatballs are often made of beans, nut bases, and mushrooms. IKEA makes a vegan version of the meatballs too and they add oats, and veggies (pea protein, potato, and apple)

Serving options can be potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, or rice.

If you love this meatball recipe, you’re going to love these other copycat recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Meatball Dinners

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Asian Pork Meatballs

Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches

Instant Pot Meatball Stroganoff

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