Authentic Swedish Meatball Recipe – Köttbullar
My twenty years in Sweden have given me a genuine appreciation for the humble meatball. It is a firm favorite on the Christmas table (Jul Bord ) but equally popular as a midweek meal served with potatoes, gravy, and Lingonberry Jam. Swedes are well known for their love of meatballs, and this authentic Swedish meatball recipe has been used for generations! According to the experts (our kids), this recipe makes the best meatballs!
A note about the sauce…
Many recipes for traditional Swedish meatballs serve the meatballs cooked in a creamy sauce, somewhat similar to Italian meatballs. But in Sweden, the sauce is always served beside.
Of course, homemade Swedish meatballs are THE BEST meatballs! But Ikea meatballs come in second place. They’re also served with boiled or mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, peas, and a cream sauce …on the side.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free, which makes it a great recipe for Julbord( Christmas table). It’s also easy to make in the oven or on the stovetop!
Authentic Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Makes about 50 meatballs.
Ingredients
1 Pound / 500g Ground beef—You can also use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork or even game meats like ground elk or boar. The flavor of the meatballs may vary depending on the type of meat used.
1 Small yellow onion ( about 1/2 cup chopped) – finely chopped or grated. Large pieces of onion can cause your meatballs to fall apart when cooking.
2 small boiled potatoes—Potatoes help create a soft, tender, and flavourful meatball. If time is an issue, you can substitute 1/2 cup gluten-free oats.
2/3 Cup / 150ml Milk or cream
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Freshly ground pepper – Both black and white pepper work fine
4 Tablespoons of Butter – or cooking oil for frying.
Equipment
A large frying pan or cast-iron skillet
Large Bowl
Optional: Food processor
Instructions
- Add a tablespoon of butter or oil to a hot skillet and saute over medium heat until translucent ( approx 10minutes). Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Cooking the onions first adds a sweet, aromatic flavor to the meatballs.
2. Peel and mash the boiled potatoes in a large bowl.
3. Add the cooled onions, salt, pepper, milk, and any herbs if using.) Mix together thoroughly.
4. Add the ground beef to the bowl and use your hands or a wooden spoon to incorporate the ingredients into an even batter.
You can also use a food processor for this step.
5. Use your hands to roll small, even-sized meatballs; using about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture per meatball will make meatballs about 1-1.5 inches in diameter.
My Top Tips For Forming Meatballs
-Small meatballs are preferred as they are cooked evenly and quickly and remain juicy. Use about 1 tablespoon of meatball mixture per meatball.
-Wetting your hands with a little water can help prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.
-You can also form the meatballs using two spoons; oil them lightly occasionally to prevent sticking.
-If you’re making a large batch of meatballs, consider using a spritzer to pump out small amounts of meatball batter. You can also use a freezer bag and cut a small hole in one corner.
6. Preheat a large skillet and add a knob of butter or olive oil to the pan. Fry the meatballs over medium-high heat and cook in batches, turning them often. Overcrowding the pan will make it difficult to turn the meatballs. Cook until they are browned on all sides and no longer pink in the center.
To make these meatballs in the oven:
Place the meatballs well apart on a lightly oiled baking sheet or parchment paper. Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C / 390°F for 15 minutes or until they are no longer pink in the centre.
I hope you enjoy these homemade meatballs as much as we do! You may also enjoy these Swedish recipes: Caramelized Cabbage Meatloaf - Kålpudding, Swedish Chocolate Balls - Chokladbollar, Swedish Oven Pancake - Ugnspannkaka, and this easy Swedish Pizza Salad.
Serving suggestions
- Traditionally, in Sweden, meatballs are served simply with boiled or mashed potatoes, gravy made with heavy cream, and Swedish Lingonberry Jam or Raw Lingonberry Sauce. The creamy sauce is served on the side, and they’re occasionally served with peas ( Ikea is famous for this) or salty pickles. ( Recipe for Swedish Meatball Sauce coming soon!!)
- A Swedish meatball sandwich is an open-faced sandwich served with beetroot salad. It’s a great way to use up leftover homemade meatballs and perfect for a quick lunch.
- Meatballs are a must-have on any Swedish Christmas Table (Swedish Jul Bord is a traditional Christmas buffet), Easter buffet, AND at Midsummer! They’re served along with small sausages, Beetroot Salad, pickled herring, Christmas ham, brown beans, boiled eggs with caviar, Jansson’s Potato Gratin, and often Red Cabbage Salad.
Swedes are famous for their humble and bizarre Christmas meal traditions, but it might also surprise you to know that these dishes are also served for Easter and Midsummer!
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can also be easily frozen. For best results, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the cooked and chilled meatballs in rows on the sheet. Flash freeze for 1 hour before transferring to an airtight container and returning to the freezer. This way, they will hold their shape.
Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes or fry on low heat in a little melted butter until heated through.
Variations
This traditional recipe is easily adapted.
-To make dairy-free meatballs, use plant-based milk or cream.
-Using a combination of pork and beef is also quite common here; the higher fat content makes juicy meatballs, and it’s a budget-friendly option.
-Sweden is 70% covered by forests, which means game meat is accessible and a common food source. You can use wild boar, venison, or elk. These meats tend to have a lower fat content, and I recommend that you add one or two egg yolks to compensate for this. Thyme is also a great addition to meatballs made with game meat.
-Finely chopped anchovies are occasionally added to meatballs for special occasions to add depth of flavor.
-Oats can be used instead of potatoes. Use just under 1/4 cup
-Some traditional variations of this Swedish meatball recipe use breadcrumbs, either store-bought, homemade from stale bread, or made with fresh white bread. To replace the boiled potatoes in this recipe, use about two slices of bread or about 1/4 cup of store-bought breadcrumbs.
Authentic Swedish Meatball Recipe – Köttbullar
Equipment
- A large frying pan or cast iron skillet
- Lrge Bowl
- Optional: Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground beef You can also use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork or even game meats like ground elk or boar. The flavor of the meatballs may vary depending on the type of meat used.
- 1 Small Yellow onion (about 1/2 cup finely chopped or grated. Large pieces of onion can cause your meatballs to fall apart when cooking.
- 2 Small Boiled potatoes Potatoes help create a soft tender, and flavourful meatball. If you're in a hurry, you can substitute with 1/2 cup gluten-free oats.
- ⅔ Cup Cream Or Milk
- ½ Teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Freshly ground pepper Both black and white pepper work fine
- 4 Tablespoons Butter Or cooking oil for frying.
Optional: 2 Teaspoons of dried thyme
Instructions
- 1. Add a tablespoon of butter or oil to a hot skillet and saute over medium heat until translucent ( approx 10minutes). Remove from the heat and allow to cool.(Cooking the onions first adds a sweet, aromatic flavor to the meatballs.
- Peel and mash the boiled potatoes in a large bowl.
- Add the cooled onions, salt, pepper, milk,( and any herbs if using). Mix together thoroughly.
- Add the ground beef to the bowl and use your hands or a wooden spoon to incorporate the ingredients into an even batter.(You can also use a food processor for this step.)
- Use your hands to roll small, even-sized meatballs; using about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture per meatball will make meatballs about 1-1.5 inches in diameter.
- Preheat a large skillet and add a knob of butter or olive oil to the pan. Fry the meatballs over medium-high heat and cook in batches, turning them often. Overcrowding the pan will make it difficult to turn the meatballs. Cook until they are browned on all sides and no longer pink in the center.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note:
This nutritional information is an estimate and values may vary. It is for guidance only and should not be considered dietary advice.
We really enjoy these Swedish meatballs and hope you do too! If you have any questions about the recipe you can ask them here adn I’ll try my best to answer them!
Hollyxx
Great recipe!
Thanks for leaving a comment! Glad you enjoyed it!