Bring a taste of the hygge life to your kitchen by making our Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs recipe.
People from all over the world flock to Ikea, but not just for their furniture. Most Ikea stores also boast a Swedish Cafe, which offers breakfast, lunches, and dinners, including Swedish Meatballs. In fact, Swedish Meatballs may be Ikea’s most popular item, with the store stating they sell over a billion meatballs a year.
The Ikea Swedish Meatball recipe uses a few secret ingredients to keep you on your toes. Thankfully, our experienced palates could detect what they used, and now we’re giving you the 411. This comforting recipe is an excellent addition to any winter menu, but you can enjoy it anytime. It features juicy meatballs topped with a creamy, savory sauce without being too salty as some recipes use soy sauce. With every bite, you’ll be transported to Ikea’s bright aisles. Let’s get cookin’!
All About Swedish Meatballs
Swedish meatballs actually originated in Turkey, but Swedish King Charles XII brought the recipe back from a business trip. They have withstood the test of time, with many believing they’ve been a permanent fixture since the 18th century. Everyone has their version of Swedish Meatballs, but Ikea uses Lingonberry jam to make it unique.
If that ingredient is out of your reach, don’t worry. You can get the same effect with apple juice. Swedish Meatballs are served alongside extra Lingonberry jam, mashed potatoes, and pickles in Sweden.
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Cost to Make Ikea Swedish Meatballs
A plate of Ikea Swedish meatballs will cost you about $7.50. This plate comes with 8 meatballs, peas, and mashed potatoes. In contrast, you can make a batch of our Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs and have 24-32 (depending on your size) meatballs for just $8.09.
For about $3 more, you can throw in a box or two of instant mashed potatoes and some frozen peas for a true Ikea-style experience! Keep in mind that this total may differ based on your locale and ingredient availability.
Here’s how that breaks down:
- Parsley: $0.50
- Onion: $0.10
- Garlic: $0.50
- Ground beef: $2.00
- Ground pork: $1.50
- Panko bread crumbs: $1.50
- Powdered Parmesan: $0.50
- Eggs: $0.40
- Salt: $0.04
- Black pepper: $0.11
- Italian seasoning: $0.10
- Allspice: $0.05
- Nutmeg: $0.03
- Beef broth: $1.50
Additional Ingredients for Sauce:
- Butter: $0.50
- All Purpose Flour: $0.04
- Beef broth (or Beef Stock for lower sodium): $1.00
- Cream: $0.50
- Apple juice: $0.03
- Salt: $0.01
- Black pepper: $0.03
- Worcestershire sauce: $0.10
- Garlic powder: $0.03
- Onion powder: $0.03
Grand Total: $8.09
That is such an incredible price difference! With this many meatballs, you can feed your family or stash some away for a rainy day.
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How to Make Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs
Here’s how to make Swedish Meatballs that taste just like Ikea’s!
Step One: Saute the Onions
Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook until translucent. Then, add the fresh-pressed garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove from the stovetop and let cool.
Step Two: Create the Meat Mixture
Place the cooled onion and garlic mixture, ground beef, pork, bread crumbs, parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, allspice, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix until homogenous.
Step Three: Form the Swedish Meatballs
Form the meat mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You can use a cookie scoop to make the round balls more manageable and easier in the frying pan. It’s best to have uniform meatballs so they cook simultaneously in the frying pan. Place on a baking tray or dish and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. This helps the meatballs harden, keeping them from falling apart when cooking.
Step Four: Brown the Meatballs
Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs in small batches and brown on all sides. Once the meatballs are brown, add a dash of beef broth to help them steam (if using beef stock add generous salt to taste). This should take 3-4 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Step Five: Make the Roux
Turn the heat to medium-low. Melt the butter in the same skillet and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Stir in the flour and let cook until thick and golden brown creamy gravy.
Step Six: Add Cream
Create that signature sauce by adding the beef broth, cream, apple juice, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk until thick. Place the meatballs inside the gravy and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and top with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
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What to Serve With Homemade Ikea Swedish Meatballs
Homemade Ikea Swedish Meatballs are great served over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Storing Leftover Ikea Swedish Meatballs
You can store leftover Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs in the fridge for up to four days or freeze them for up to five months.
IKEA Swedish Meatballs Recipe: Comfort Food At Its Best
These days, everyone’s into creating a cozy lifestyle. Stay on trend by making our Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs. This recipe perfectly mimics Ikea’s version and is true comfort food. It features a juicy, perfectly spiced meatball base coated with a flavorful homemade sauce. It’s the ideal recipe for cold nights or when you need something filling.
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Saucepan
- Cookie Scoop
- Baking Sheet
- Large Skillet with Lid
Meatballs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (for pan)
- 1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
- 1/4 cup onion (finely diced)
- 2 count garlic cloves (fresh-pressed)
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup powdered parmesan
- 2 count eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup beef broth
Gravy
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons apple juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook until translucent. Then, add the fresh-pressed garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove from the stovetop and let cool.
Place the cooled onion and garlic mixture, ground beef, pork, bread crumbs, parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, allspice, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix until homogenous.
Form the meat mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You can use a cookie scoop to make this job more manageable. It’s best to have uniform meatballs so they cook simultaneously. Place on a baking tray and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. This helps the meatballs harden, keeping them from falling apart when cooking.
Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs in small batches and brown on all sides. Once the meatballs are brown, add a dash of beef broth to help them steam. This should take 3-4 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Turn the heat to medium-low. Melt the butter in the same skillet and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Stir in the flour and let cook until thick and golden brown.
Add the broth, cream, apple juice, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk until thick. Place the meatballs inside the gravy and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and top with chopped parsley. Enjoy!