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Here’s the real IKEA Swedish Meatballs recipe – straight from IKEA stores.
Like a lot of companies these days, IKEA just shared their iconic Swedish Meatballs recipe with the world – so we had to give it a try!
Sure – we already have our own Swedish Meatballs recipe here (and it’s delicious) – but I have to admit that I really enjoy the version sold at IKEA restaurants inside their stores.
IKEA Swedish Meatballs are tender and delicious with a wonderful, savory cream sauce on top.
They serve the meatballs with mashed potatoes and green beans, plus a spoonful of IKEA’s sweet lingonberry jam on the side. The sweet-tart jam is a wonderful complement to the savory meatballs, and it also helps cut through the richness of the sauce.
Finally, after a day of wandering the stores aisles – all of the meals at IKEA are surprisingly affordable and delicious, and a great way to feed a hungry family.
What did we think of the recipe?
Jack and I both thought that the taste of this homemade version of IKEA’s Swedish Meatballs was pretty spot on – and we’d totally make this recipe again! Like most great meatball recipes, it’s a mix of both beef and pork which gives them a wonderful flavor and soft texture.
Note that the recipe, as written, makes a lot of sauce (you could probably cut the sauce recipe in half and still have enough) and this homemade recipe seemed thicker, creamier and lighter in color than the sauce served over the meatballs at the stores.
But the flavor is very much the same (delicious!) and the meatballs are soft and tender – just like you’d order at IKEA restaurants.
You can see the actual IKEA recipe here. We adapted our recipe slightly to reflect US Customary Measurements – only because that’s how we (and most of our US-based readers) cook.
Give this IKEA Swedish Meatballs recipe a try – then let us know what you think!
You may enjoy these other meatball recipes:
Swedish Meatballs (our own recipe) over Noodles
Porcupine Meatballs
Italian-Style Meatballs
Easy Freezer Meatballs
Keto Chicken Meatballs
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
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In a large bowl, mix ground beef, ground pork, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, salt, pepper and one tablespoon of oil. Mix just enough to combine and try not to overmix.
Use a one-once scoop and scoop out 55 one-ounce meatballs. Line them up on your cutting board and run a knife through each one which will yield 110 half-ounce pieces.
Roll each into a ball and line up on a sheet tray covered in parchment. Keep your hands wet while rolling.
Refrigerate on the sheet tray for one hour to set.
After one hour, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a second sheet tray with parchment paper.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with one tablespoon of olive oil and once hot, gently place one third of the meatballs in the pan and cook on all sides for about 4-5 minutes. Use a small spatula or tongs to continually turn the meatballs to brown evenly. Remove these browned meatballs to the prepared sheet pan.
Repeat for the next two batches of oil and meatballs.
Once all the meatballs have browned and are now lined up on the sheet tray, place the sheet tray in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, heat the vegetable stock, beef stock, heavy cream, soy sauce and mustard in a small sauce pan. Mixture needs to be hot to prevent lumping in the sauce but does not need to boil. Set aside.
In a 4-5-quart pot, over medium heat melt butter in oil and add flour to make a roux. Cook and stir continually for 3-4 minutes until the raw flour smell is gone.
Gradually add the liquid to the roux while whisking. Heat this mixture to hot and bubbly. If the mixture gets too thick, thin down a little with milk or cream.
When the meatballs come out of the oven, add to the sauce and serve with mashed potatoes, green beans, and lingonberry jam.
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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.
To do that, they entice people with cheap meatballs. The hope is that a cheap and delicious meal will get people to come to Ikea and then once they're there, they'll get lost in the maze of a store and purchase a few other things along the way like Ikea's kitchen line.
Ikea first said that it would not sell or serve any meatballs at its stores in Sweden after the Czech authorities detected horse meat in frozen meatballs that were labeled beef and pork, even though Ikea's own tests two weeks ago had not detected horse DNA.
STOCKHOLM - Swedish furniture giant Ikea became entangled in Europe's widening meat scandal Monday, forced to withdraw meatballs from stores across Europe amid suspicions that they contained horse meat. Stores in the U.S. and Canada were not affected, Ikea said.
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.
ANSWER: Usually when meatballs fall apart, it's the binder that is the problem. Most meatball recipes call for using bread crumbs and eggs. But too much bread crumbs make them too loose, and not enough bread crumbs won't help them hold together either.
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.
Meatballs are as quintessentially Swedish as it gets. 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.
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.
Although they can be a crowd favorite, the Swedish variety may not immediately come to mind when you think of meatballs. But this savory and somewhat rich dish is served with a creamy, gravy-like sauce, seasoned with a unique spice, and is typically enjoyed as a meal rather than an appetizer or on a sandwich.
They're famous – and one of the brand's most prized assets. But some of the romantic Swedishness of the meatballs, which are served with mash, light gravy and lingonberry jam, has been forever lost. Ikea's iconic meatballs originated in what is now modern day Turkey.
Are Ikea meatballs healthy? The meatballs are low in carbs but high in fat content, so while they're not healthy food, Ikea Swedish meatballs can be part of a healthy eating plan when enjoyed in moderation and as an occasional treat.
At the IKEA Swedish Restaurant, take a break from shopping for affordable home furnishings with delicious food! Enjoy all your favorite IKEA foods, like Swedish meatballs, salmon, kids meals, sweet treats and more. See the menu below.
Are Ikea meatballs healthy? The meatballs are low in carbs but high in fat content, so while they're not healthy food, Ikea Swedish meatballs can be part of a healthy eating plan when enjoyed in moderation and as an occasional treat.
Developed with meat lovers in mind, the plant ball is made from pea protein, oats, potato and apple. The meaty taste is achieved by adding umami flavors, such as mushroom, tomato and roasted vegetables.
The meatless meatball – a Swedish classic that's entirely plant-based. What looks and tastes like meat, but contains no meat? Our plant ball of course! It has the look, taste and juicy bite of its meaty counterpart.
Swedish meatballs are slightly smaller than traditional meatballs — think the size of a golf ball — so that they can be easily picked up by a toothpick and popped into your mouth. As for the sauce, Swedish meatballs are cooked in a rich, creamy gravy that is most often created from bone broth and cream.
Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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