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Swedish · Scandinavian

Swedish meatballs

Non-vegetarian

Köttbullar

Small, tender beef and pork meatballs browned in butter and served in a creamy gravy with lingonberry jam, pickled cucumber and potatoes.

Swedish meatballs is a Swedish main course from Sweden, ready in about 55 minutes and made with ground beef and ground pork. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
25 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
611

Ingredients

4 servings

Meatballs

Gravy

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the breadcrumbs (opens in a new tab) in the milk (opens in a new tab). Cook the onion (opens in a new tab) in the 15 g butter (opens in a new tab) until soft; let it cool.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Mix the beef, pork, egg (opens in a new tab), soaked crumbs, onion (opens in a new tab), allspice (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab) until evenly combined. With wet hands, roll into walnut-sized balls (about 30).

    • 15 min

    Food safety: Wash hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.

  3. Step 3

    Brown the meatballs in batches in the remaining butter (opens in a new tab) over medium heat, shaking the pan so they stay round, until cooked through. Set aside.

    • 12 min
    • medium heat

    Food safety: Minced meat must be cooked through to 71 °C with no pink in the centre.

    Meat searing in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stir the flour into the pan fat for a minute, whisk in the stock, then the cream and soy sauce (opens in a new tab), and simmer until thickened. Return the meatballs to warm through.

    • 8 min
    • medium-low heat

  5. Step 5

    Serve with potatoes (opens in a new tab), lingonberry jam (opens in a new tab) and pickled cucumber (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Sweden · Well documentedAlso popular in Norway, FinlandMore food from Sweden
    Dish
    Dinner · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Pan-fried, Simmered
    Taste
    savoury, creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild
    Diet
    No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Low-carb · High-protein
    Without the optional extras: No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Child-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Ground beef · Ground pork · Breadcrumbs · Milk · Butter · Onion
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Simmering · Pickling

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom breadcrumbs, milk, butter, heavy cream
    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains: Wheatfrom breadcrumbs, all-purpose flour, soy sauce
    • Contains: Glutenfrom breadcrumbs, all-purpose flour, soy sauce
    • Contains: Soyfrom breadcrumbs, soy sauce
    • May contain: Sesamefrom breadcrumbs
    • May contain: Mustardfrom dill pickles
    • May contain: Celeryfrom beef stock

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    611 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 356 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 20%
    • Carbohydrate 11%
    • Fat 69%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy611 kcal172 kcal
    Protein29.9 g8.4 g
    Carbohydrate16.7 g4.7 g
    Net carbohydrate15.6 g4.4 g
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre1.1 g0.3 g
    Fat47 g13.2 g
    Saturated fat23.3 g6.6 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol200 mg56 mg
    Sodium1113 mg313 mg
    Salt equivalent2.8 g0.8 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    714 mg
    Calcium
    118 mg
    Iron
    3.2 mg
    Magnesium
    47 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    258 µg
    Vitamin C
    3 mg
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    2.1 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    51 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: jam, potato, dill pickles.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Wet your hands while rolling to stop the mixture sticking and keep the balls smooth.

    Common mistakes

    • Overworking the mixture, which makes dense meatballs.

    Storage

    • Keeps 3 days in the fridge; freeze cooked meatballs (without gravy) for 3 months.

    Reheating

    • Reheat in the gravy over low heat until piping hot.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Meatballs

    Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 5

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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