Swedish Meatballs
A classic Swedish meatball recipe with the addition of aromatic spices to add something unique.
Here is a classic Swedish meatball recipe with two interesting twists:
- Spices: The addition of the aromatic spices cardamom and cinnamon. These spices add just a hint of sweetness and give the meatballs more breadth of flavor.
- The sauce. It’s rich and delicious – and there’s a lot of it. Enough to cover the meatballs, with enough leftover to put on top of egg noodles or mashed potatoes. I’ve got you and your meatballs covered.
To Make These Swedish Meatballs Extra Delicious…
- Top with fresh parsley, scallions or chives.
- Serve with lingonberry jam on the side. The sweet/salty combination is addictive!
- Consider making a batch of Swedish cardamom buns to serve alongside of the meatballs.
Money-Saving Tips
- Instead of buying cans or a container of beef broth, I make my own using Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base.
- Half-and-half can be substituted for the heavy cream and milk. I like the richness of the cream, but half-and-half is a cheaper option.
- Got leftovers? These Swedish meatballs freeze well. Simply divide into portions and store in airtight containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More Meatball Recipes
My grandma was famous for her Norwegian-style meatballs. Check out her recipe, or these other easy meatball recipes:
- Confetti chicken meatballs (paleo/Whole30 friendly)
- Chicken banh mi meatballs (sub coconut aminos for soy sauce to make it paleo/Whole30 friendly)
More Scandinavian Recipes
- Sweet soup (sot suppe)
- Potato dumplings (klub)
- My Norwegian Grandma’s meatball recipe
- Open-faced sandwiches
- Flatbread (flatbrod)
- Lefse (no special equipment needed!)
- Norwegian cream pudding (rommegrot)
- Norwegian rice pudding (risgrot)
- Almond kringler
- Krumkake
- Goro cookies
- Kringla cookies
- Pepperkaker cookies
- A Scandinavian snack board
- Norwegian egg coffee or non-alcoholic gløgg
Swedish Meatballs
Yield:
30 meatballs
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Active Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
The cinnamon and cardamom add interesting, yet subtle flavor to the meatballs and sauce. Don't skip it! Top these meatballs with fresh parsley, scallions or chives. This adds a nice fresh flavor to an otherwise heavy dish.
Ingredients
For meatballs
- 2 pounds ground beef (85 or 90 percent lean)
- 1/3 cup saltine cracker crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 beef bouillon cubes, broken up
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Olive oil, for frying
For sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups beef broth (or equivalent water + beef bouillon)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Using your hands, mix all meatball ingredients except for olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Take a heaping tablespoon full of the mixture and form into a ball. Repeat until all mixture has been used.
- Pour enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of a large frying pan. Fry meatballs in batches over medium-high heat. Turn meatballs to ensure even browning. Fry to 7 to 8 minutes, until center is cooked.
- Set cooked meatballs on a paper towel-lined plate. Cover with tin foil to retain heat.
- Once all meatballs have been cooked, make the sauce. Don't clean out the frying pan. Turn heat down to medium. Add butter and flour and whisk until the mixture browns. Add beef broth, cream, milk, soy sauce, sugar, and seasonings. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.
- Once sauce is thick, add meatballs. Stir to evenly coat. Cook for a few minutes, until meatballs are hot again. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley.