Swedish Meatball Sauce Recipe - Sauce Fanatic (2024)

BySauce Fanatic Posted on Updated on

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.

This rich and creamy Swedish meatball sauce recipe is one you must add to your repertoire. It comes together in about 10 minutes and will be the perfect accompaniment to Swedish meatballs.

Swedish Meatball Sauce Recipe - Sauce Fanatic (1)

Table of Contents

  • 1 Swedish Meatball Sauce
  • 2 Swedish Meatball Sauce Ingredients:
  • 3 How to Make Swedish Meatball Sauce:
  • 4 Swedish Meatball Sauce Variations:
  • 5 How to Store Swedish Meatball Sauce:
  • 6 Swedish Meatball Sauce

Swedish Meatball Sauce

Traditionally Swedish meatballs are served with lingonberry jam but here in the U.S. we enjoy them swimming in a rich brown gravy.

There are several different variations of the gravy also. Some use cream of mushroom while others use sour cream. Some call for sherry or cooking wine.

We settled on a simpler recipe that you can modify to your liking. That’s a theme we have around here.

Make it simple and give you variations to try.

We like this version best because it’s flavorful but uses ingredients that are simple and that are probably already in your kitchen.

So whip up your favorite Swedish meatball recipe and drown them in our sauce!

Learn all about how to make a roux sauce and use it for all my gravy recipes, my Hawaiian brown gravy and country white gravy.

Swedish Meatball Sauce Recipe - Sauce Fanatic (2)

Swedish Meatball Sauce Ingredients:

To make this Swedish meatball sauce recipe, you will need:

  • Butter: Use unsalted butter because the beef broth is pretty salty
  • Flour: Combines with the butter to make a roux that will thicken the sauce
  • Beef broth: You can use low sodium if you wish
  • Brown Sugar: Just a couple teaspoons
  • Heavy cream:We like to use all heavy cream instead of sour cream
  • Blackpepper:Freshly cracked is best but use what you have
Swedish Meatball Sauce Recipe - Sauce Fanatic (3)

How to Make Swedish Meatball Sauce:

To make this homemade Swedish meatball sauce, simply…

  1. Make a roux.Whisk flour into melted butter and cook until it turns light brown.
  2. Add broth and brown sugar. Slowly whisk in the broth and brown sugar then simmer for about 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the cream and black pepper. Slowly stir in the cream and pepper then simmer for another 5 minutes.
  4. Use immediately or let cool and refrigerate for later use.
Swedish Meatball Sauce Recipe - Sauce Fanatic (4)

Swedish Meatball Sauce Variations:

There are quite a few ways you can doctor up this Swedish meatball sauce recipe.

  • Add Worcestershire sauce: 2 teaspoons will make the sauce more flavorful
  • Add soy sauce: 2 teaspoons will add more flavor
  • Add dijon mustard: 1 teaspoon will spice up the sauce nicely
  • Add coconut aminos: 2 teaspoons will enhance the sauce the way Worcestershire sauce does
  • Add sour cream: Add ½ cup in addition to the heavy cream or use 1 cup of sour cream in place of the heavy cream.
  • Add shallots: Sauté a minced shallot before making the roux.
  • Add cream of mushroom soup: Whiskin in a can of cream of mushroom in step 3.
Swedish Meatball Sauce Recipe - Sauce Fanatic (5)

How to Store Swedish Meatball Sauce:

Refrigerate– Cool for 1 hour then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat over low heat and add a little cream if the sauce is too thick.

Freeze– Cool for 2 hours then transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat over low heat and add a little cream if the sauce is too thick.

You might also want to try our onion gravy, chicken marsala sauce, butter chicken sauce, and copycat mumbo sauce. Enjoy!

Swedish Meatball Sauce

4.44 from 179 votes

This rich and creamy Swedish meatball sauce recipe is one you must add to your repertoire. It comes together in about 10 minutes and will be the perfect accompaniment to Swedish meatballs.

Sauce Fanatic

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Serving Size 6

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¾ cups beef broth
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.

  • When the foaming subsides, add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour turns light brown, about 30 seconds.

  • Slowly whisk in the broth followed by the brown sugar and bring to simmer.

  • Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.

  • Stir in the cream and pepper then return to a simmer and let cook for 5 minutes.

  • Server over freshly cooked meatballs.

Make ahead tip

  • Refrigerate – Cool for 1 hour then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

  • Freeze – Cool for 2 hours then transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

  • Reheat over low heat and add a little cream if the sauce is too thick.

Notes

Try these variations:

  • Add Worcestershire sauce: 2 teaspoons will make the sauce more flavorful
  • Add soy sauce: 2 teaspoons will add more flavor
  • Add dijon mustard: 1 teaspoon will spice up the sauce nicely
  • Add coconut aminos: 2 teaspoons will enhance the sauce the way Worcestershire sauce does
  • Add sour cream: Add ½ cup in addition to the heavy cream or use 1 cup of sour cream in place of the heavy cream.
  • Add shallots: Sauté a minced shallot before making the roux.
  • Add cream of mushroom soup: Whiskin in a can of cream of mushroom in step 3.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 118kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 118mg | Sugar: 2g

CourseCourse: Dinner

CuisineCuisine: American

Swedish Meatball Sauce Recipe - Sauce Fanatic (2024)

FAQs

What is the sauce for Swedish meatballs made from? ›

The sauce for Swedish Meatballs is a creamy gravy that is made with butter, beef broth/stock, thickened with flour and made creamy with cream. But the most important flavour for the a really good creamy gravy is the pan drippings after searing the meatballs.

Does Swedish meatballs contain sour cream? ›

It's All About the Sauce

Flavored with nutmeg and cardamom, these little beef-and-pork meatballs are best served with a Swedish meatball sauce—a rich roux-based and beef stock gravy, spiked with sour cream and a little lingonberry jelly.

Why do Swedish meatballs taste different? ›

The Seasoning

While both varieties include ingredients such as grated onion and panade (milk-soaked bread) or bread crumbs, plus the usual salt and pepper, Swedish meatballs traditionally use spices like allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, and sometimes ground ginger as flavoring.

Why is my Swedish meatball sauce not thickening? ›

How to Thicken Swedish Meatball Sauce. The all-purpose flour in this recipe should do the trick to thicken your Swedish meatball sauce to the right consistency. But if it doesn't, you can add a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of water) to thicken it up.

How do you keep Swedish meatballs from falling apart? ›

Roll your meatballs in flour

Roll the finished meatballs in plain flour before frying. This is, hands down, one of the easiest ways I've discovered to prevent meatballs from falling apart when cooking.

What is the Swedish meatball scandal? ›

Czech authorities alerted the discount furniture maker that they had found horsemeat in a sample of meatballs, and Ikea subsequently pulled the product from stores in 14 countries.

Can I substitute half and half for heavy cream in Swedish meatballs? ›

Replace heavy or thickened cream with reduced fat cream if you wish to reduce calories. If using half and half, be careful not to bring to a boil or it may separate. Garlic is not usually found in Swedish meatballs, but I prefer it and have included it for this reason. Omit if you don't want to include it.

How do Swedish people eat Swedish meatballs? ›

In their most traditional form Swedish meatballs ('köttbullar') are made of ground pork and beef, cream, egg and onion, and are served with creamy mashed potatoes, a thick, brown gravy, lingonberry jam and pickled cucumber. The latter adds bitter sweetness as a perfect complement to the savoury meatball.

Do Swedish meatballs have horse meat? ›

LONDON — The furniture giant Ikea joined a growing list of brands that have been touched by Europe's food scandal on Monday and withdrew its signature Swedish meatballs from its markets and cafeterias across most of Europe after one batch was found to contain traces of horse meat.

What's the difference between homestyle and Swedish meatballs? ›

This recipe for homemade Swedish Meatballs is served with a creamy sauce, similar to the recipe found in Ikea. Italian Meatballs vs Swedish Meatballs: Swedish Meatballs are typically smaller in size than Italian meatballs and they are usually made with a 50-50 ratio of ground pork and ground beef.

What alcohol goes with Swedish meatballs? ›

Swedish meatballs

The cream sauce for these lightly spiced meatballs makes them especially delicious with silky-textured Pinot Noir (like those from Burgundy or Oregon). If you prefer white wine, a lightly oaked Chardonnay or a richer-style Austrian Riesling is a great choice.

What is the difference between Swedish and Norwegian meatballs? ›

Norwegian recipes are made with all beef, while some Swedish recipes also use pork. Norwegian meatballs tend to be larger and flatter than their Swedish cousins.

What is the difference between Swedish meatballs and regular meatballs? ›

Swedish meatballs are typically smaller than the Italian style. Seasonings are different for Swedish meatballs but every recipe for them has variations on spices. Both types of meatballs use a 50–50 of mixture of beef and pork. Many Italian meatballs use sweet Italian sausage.

What is IKEA meatball gravy made of? ›

Iconic Swedish cream sauce: Melt 40 grams of butter in a pan. Whisk in 40 grams of plain flour and stir for two minutes. Add 150 milliliters of vegetable stock and 150 milliliters of beef stock and continue to stir.

Is bolognese sauce the same as meatball sauce? ›

Meatballs are not a sauce, they are balls of meat. A sauce has to be runny, or at least flowing. Done correctly, a bolognese sauce isn't particularly meaty. The meat is meant to be finely ground and incorporated into a standard spaghetti sauce, and the meat so fine it should stick onto the pasta in little specks.

What are IKEA Swedish meatballs made of? ›

The standard meatballs that you might put in a spaghetti sauce or a meatball sub are usually made with ground beef. But, Swedish meatballs from IKEA are made from both pork and beef! And, of course, there is a creamy gravy rather than a red sauce when you serve it.

Top Articles
🍝 The BEST 3 Ingredient Easy Keto Pasta Recipe (Egg Free)
18 Mac and Cheese Recipes That Might Just Rival Your Grandma's | Essence
Beau Is Afraid Showtimes Near Island 16 Cinema De Lux
Google Jobs Denver
Royal Bazaar Farmers Market Tuckernuck Drive Richmond Va
Is Jennifer Coffindaffer Married
Att Login Prepaid
Osu Worday
eHerkenning | Leveranciersoverzicht
Job Shop Hearthside Schedule
Brookdale Okta Login
Ironman Kona Tracker
Chlamydia - Chlamydia - MSD Manual Profi-Ausgabe
Dcuo Exalted Style
Staples Ups Drop Off
Kup telewizor LG OLED lub QNED i zgarnij do... 3000 zł zwrotu na konto! Fantastyczna promocja
Best Fantime Accounts
Vioc Credit Card Charge
Bfri Forum
Pella Culver's Flavor Of The Day
Eureka Mt Craigslist
Abby's Caribbean Cafe
Mtvkay21
Lvaction Login
Why Zero Raised to the Zero Power is defined to be One « Mathematical Science & Technologies
Nenas Spa San Salvador
Ts Central Nj
Https Eresponse Tarrantcounty Com
Dl Delta Extranet
Savannah Schultz Leaked
9 best hotels in Atlanta to check out in 2023 - The Points Guy
Dvax Message Board
Bianca Censo
Elaina Scotto Wedding
Retro Bowl Unblocked Game 911: A Complete Guide - Unigamesity
The Top 6 Most Expensive Hermès Birkin Bags
National Weather Service Pittsburgh Pa
600 Aviator Court Vandalia Oh 45377
Now 81, Wayne Newton Will Soon Mark 65 Years as Mr. Las Vegas
Where Is Item Number On Stanley Cup
Ohio State Football Wiki
Information on Fluorinated Waxes – FasterSkier.com
Watkins Brothers Funeral Homes Macdonald Chapel Howell Obituaries
When is the next full moon? September's Harvest Moon is also super
Jasper William Oliver Cable Alexander
Tapana Movie Online Watch 2022
Vidcloud Membed
Potomac Edison Wv Outages
Craigslist West Valley
Salmon Fest 2023 Lineup
Basketball Stars Unblocked 66 Ez
Kentucky TikTok: 12 content Bluegrass State creators to know
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Ouida Strosin DO

Last Updated:

Views: 6454

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (76 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Ouida Strosin DO

Birthday: 1995-04-27

Address: Suite 927 930 Kilback Radial, Candidaville, TN 87795

Phone: +8561498978366

Job: Legacy Manufacturing Specialist

Hobby: Singing, Mountain biking, Water sports, Water sports, Taxidermy, Polo, Pet

Introduction: My name is Ouida Strosin DO, I am a precious, combative, spotless, modern, spotless, beautiful, precious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.