Oven Baked Swedish Meatballs

Home » Dinner Recipes » Oven Baked Swedish Meatballs
Baked meatballs are served in a rich and creamy deliciously seasoned brown gravy.
A white casserole dish filled with swedish meatballs

Oven-Baked  Swedish meatballs are seasoned and baked in the oven then covered in a rich and creamy sauce for a flavorful meatball. These tender Swedish meatballs are the ultimate comfort food that the whole family will love!

This recipe was originally published in 2017, it’s been updated for content and photos.

A white casserole dish filled with swedish meatballs

I am not sure if this is an authentic Swedish meatballs recipe, but whenever I make them, they don’t last long. I like to serve them with traditional sides such as tangy cucumbers in vinegar a side of lingonberry jam.

Why you will love Oven Baked Swedish meatballs

  • These savory meatballs are baked in the oven instead of being fried in batches which saves time and less clean-up!
  • Baked Swedish meatballs are easy to make! While the meatballs are baking, you can make the creamy gravy sauce.

Here Is What You Will Need

overhead view of ingredients in bowls to make Swedish meatballs including ground beef and pork, onions, beef broth, and spices on a white plate

This is a brief summary of the ingredients needed to make Oven Baked Swedish meatballs and a convenient shopping list from my Instacart affiliate link. For a printable recipe card with exact measurements and detailed instructions, scroll down to the recipe card section.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

  • Lean ground beef ( preferably grass-fed) such as ground round or ground sirloin
  • Ground pork (preferably pasture raised)
  • Onion
  • Egg
  • Seasonings: ground allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
  • Low-sodium beef broth or beef stock
  • Heavy cream or light cream
  • Unsalted butter
  • Flour

🥄Equipment

Here is how to Make this Swedish Meatball Recipe

Prepare: mince or grate the onion, measure the spices, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

meatball ingredients in a bowl

STEP 1: Add the ground pork, ground beef, onions, egg and spices to a large bowl.

STEP 2: Gently combine ground beef, pork, spices, egg, and onion; mix together with your hands or a wooden spoon.

meatball meat in a bowl

uncooked meatballs on a pan

STEP 3: Use your hands or a cookie scoop to form the meat mixture into meatballs. place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and into a preheated oven; bake meatballs for 15 minutes.

STEP 4: While the meatballs are baking, melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Once the butter is melted add the flour and whisk it together to form a paste.

roux in a pan

gravy in a pan

STEP 5: Reduce the heat to low, and gradually whisk in the beef broth until a thick sauce forms.

STEP 6: Remove the meatballs from the oven, drain off any excess fat. I like to place them on a plate lined with a paper towel for this.

baked meatballs on baking sheet
swedish meatballs in a pot

STEP 7: Place the meatballs into the gravy; cover and simmer over lower heat for 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook for 5 minutes longer and serve.

Fun Fact! Did you know that Swedish meatballs actually originated in Turkey?  They were brought to Sweden by Charles XII  when he returned home from Turkey in the early 18th century.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutes

Ground pork can be substituted with an additional pound of ground beef.

Onion – any type of onion will work in this recipe, and fresh onion can be replaced with 1 teaspoon of onion powder, but won’t taste as fresh.

Unsalted butter can be replaced with an equal amount of olive oil or avocado oil.

Heavy cream can be substituted with an equal amount of light cream, half and half, whole milk, sour cream, yogurt.

If you are looking for more easy and delicious ground beef recipes, check out these Grass Fed Ground Beef Recipes!

Beef broth can be substituted with low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock.

meatballs on a plate with potatoes

Serving Suggestions

These flavorful meatballs taste delicious with so many things! We like to serve them for dinner garnished with fresh parsley with any of these: cucumbers in vinegar, mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, arugula salad, egg noodles, lingonberry preserves or tart cranberry sauce.

This is also a great recipe to serve as an appetizer. Make small meatballs and serve them with vegetables and hummus, zucchini rolls or a vegetable charcuterie board.

How to Store Leftover Swedish Meatballs

Refrigerate leftover Swedish meatballs and gravy in an airtight container for up to four days.

Reheat them on top of the stove over low heat.

Freeze cooked Swedish meatballs before adding them to the gravy. Arranged room temperature baked meatballs on a baking sheet and pop them into the freezer.

Once the meatballs are frozen, place them into a freezer-safe container for up to three months.

Freeze uncooked Swedish meatballs on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen place them into a freezer-safe container.

Thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator overnight.

To Serve – make the brown gravy, if you are using uncooked meatballs, bake them and add the cooked meatballs to the sauce for a quick dinner.

Freezing the meatballs in the gravy is not recommended if the cream has been added, the cream will separate.

overhead view of meatballs in a white dish

Recipe Variations

Ground Turkey Swedish Meatballs. For a lighter version, replace the ground beef and pork with ground turkey and the beef broth with chicken stock or broth.

Swedish Meatballs with Mushrooms. Saute 6 ounces of sliced mushrooms and add them to the brown gravy with the meatballs.

Diary-Free Swedish Meatballs. Replace the cream with dairy-free milk such as oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk, and the butter with olive oil or avocado oil.

Swedish Meatball Meatloaf. Instead of making meatballs, form the ground meat mixture into a meatloaf. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Make the gravy and serve it as a side to the meatloaf.

Gluten-Free Swedish Meatballs. The meatballs don’t have bread crumbs in them, so all that you need to do is replace the flour in the gravy with corn starch, tapioca starch, or gluten-free flour blend.

Instead of mixing the flour with butter in the skillet, mix the starch with 1/4 cup of broth or water to form a paste. Gradually add it to the broth in the skillet until the sauce thickens to make a rich gravy that is gluten-free.

Tips

  • For tender meatballs, don’t over-mix the meat. Gently combine the ingredients using your hands or a wooden spoon.
  • Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the meat and form them into meatballs.
  • Thicken the sauce if necessary by gradually adding more flour, and you can also make the sauce thinner by gradually adding more beef broth.
  • If you have extra time, refrigerate the meatball mixture for 30 minutes before making the meatballs.

Grab your Free copy

Speedy Supper Solutions!

Get dinner on the table fast with these ideas.

Do you like this recipe or have a question?

Please leave a comment or question and a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating below. I answer all questions!

You Might Also Like These Meatball Recipes

If you like this recipe, please comment and rate it below!

A white casserole dish filled with swedish meatballs

Homemade Swedish Meatballs

Baked meatballs are served in a rich and creamy deliciously seasoned brown gravy.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Click on serving size to scale this recipe

Course: Dinner Recipes
Cuisine: Swedish/American
Keyword: homemade Swedish meatballs, meatballs, swedish meatball recipe
Servings: 6
Calories: 582kcal
Author: Anne
Scale this Recipe 6

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Prepare: Mince of grate the onion, measure the spices, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees,F.
  • Add the ground meat, onions, egg, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, cloves, and allspice to a large mixing bowl.
  • Use your hands or a wooden spoon to gently combine the mixture
  • Form the meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in size and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them in the preheated oven.
  • While the meatballs are cooking, melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat and whisk in the flour to make a roux (thick paste).
  • Gradually stir in the broth until the sauce becomes thick; reduce the heat to low and add 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
  • Remove the meatballs from the oven and drain the fat from them by placing them on a plate lined with a paper towel.
  • Add the meatballs to the gravy and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

Notes

For Dairy-Free Gravy, replace the milk or cream with your favorite nut milk.
For Gluten-Free Swedish meatballs, replace the flour with corn starch, tapioca starch or gluten-free flour blend.
Store leftover meatballs in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Reheat them on top of the stove over low heat.

Nutrition

Serving: 5meatballs | Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 214mg | Sodium: 169mg | Sugar: 1g

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

 

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

19 Comments

  1. I love, love, love Swedish meatballs. I think your technique of baking them in the oven and then adding them to gravy is quite smart. There’s so many wonderful herbs and spices in these meatballs they’ll be packed with flavor.

  2. Swedish meatballs are total comfort food. I love eating them over a bowl of egg noodles so I can sop up all of that delicious gravy. 🙂

  3. Swedish meatballs always remind me of parties we had over the holidays when I was a kid.
    These look wonderful and I like the idea of lightening them up!

  4. I remember the first time my mom made Swedish Meatballs when I was a kid. It was in the 4th grade and my whole family fell in love with them. These look so good and I love that they are lightened up a bit! Going to put this on my menu plan this week!

  5. I’m probably one of the last 10 people in the world who have never tried Swedish meatballs. I’ve only been to Ikea once and I didn’t know they were “a thing.” I’ve gotta try these ASAP. Your recipe looks perfect!

  6. I always think fondly of your mother and the huge amount of wonderful Swedish meatballs that she made for us.