Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs
Enjoy your favorite thing about Ikea right at home!
I have been known to stop for lunch at Ikea and never set foot in the actual store to look at furniture. And while that might be going a little bit overboard, what I’m trying to say is that there’s so much more to love about Ikea than just their furniture — there’s also their meatballs! Let’s be real, they’re kind of a cult favorite — and for good reason — and now you can have them at home.
Whether you live too far from an Ikea to stop into the food court or you just want to be able to make them in your own kitchen whenever you please, this copycat recipe gives you those spiced meaty Swedish spheres complete with that signature creamy gravy just as you know and love them. All you need to do is find some lingonberry jam to go alongside them.
Ikea uses both pork and ground beef in their meatballs and that’s absolutely key to getting the right flavor. They are pretty simply seasoned, with just onion, garlic, and a couple of spices in the mixture, but the trick is in how the onion goes into that mixture. You want to grate the onion into a bowl and add chopped bread to that same bowl and let it soak in the onion juice. This not only acts as a binder for the meatballs, it also carries mild onion flavor throughout the whole meatball. (No chunks of onion here!)
Be careful not to over-mix your meat so you keep a texture that’s tender but once it’s all come together, just roll it into balls and brown them up in a skillet. You’ll want to remove the meatballs from the skillet while you build the sauce and then pop them back in to finish cooking through at a simmer. The sauce is also simple — just flour whisked into some butter, followed by beef broth, and a small hit of heavy cream.
But simple is often best and it’s especially great when you get to recreate a favorite like this in your own home. These are easy enough for any weeknight and always feel like a treat.
There’s only one way to serve these and that’s over mashed potatoes with a side of lingonberry jam, which is easy enough to find in your average grocery store, thank goodness. Enjoy!
Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed and chopped
- 3/4 lb ground beef
- 3/4 lb ground pork
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For serving:
- Mashed potatoes
- Lingonberry Jam
Preparation
- Grate onion into a medium bowl, along with any accumulated juices. Add chopped bread and mix to combine. Set aside for bread to soak in juices; if there's not enough liquid, add a splash of milk.
- Add ground beef, ground pork, egg, nutmeg, allspice, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to the bowl. Using your hands, mix until just combined.
- Scoop out in tablespoon-sized balls and roll into shape.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs in batches to avoid crowding pan, and brown all over, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate or tray.
- Once all meatballs are browned, lower heat to medium. Add butter and melt, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Whisk in a small amount of the beef broth, then gradually add the remaining broth, whisking as you go.
- Bring to a simmer, then add meatballs and any accumulated juices back to skillet.
- Increase heat and let simmer until meatballs are cooked through and sauce has thickened, 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in cream, season to taste, and let cook 2 minutes more.
- Serve over mashed potatoes with a side of lingonberry jam and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Recipe Tin Eats.