Easy Homemade Ikea Swedish Meatball Recipe

Who doesn’t love Ikea Swedish meatballs? You can make them at home with this copycat recipe.

homemade Swedish meatballs and gravy on a plate and in a bowl

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Ikea Meatballs Served at In-Store Restaurants

Iā€™m sure that most of you have spent some frustrating hours puzzling out how to assemble a piece of Ikea furniture. I know that I have. However, if you visit one of Ikeaā€™s iconic stores, after youā€™ve picked out your future puzzle and arranged to have it delivered, you can relax in Ikeaā€™s in-store restaurant and enjoy some delicious food, including Ikea meatballs which everyone associates with Sweden. You donā€™t have to fret about assembling your new furniture until you get home.

Itā€™s Not Just About Furniture Anymore

You can just pop into an Ikea in-store restaurant for a quick snack or a tasty treat or sit down for a hearty meal. The menu not only includes some classic Swedish dishes, but it also caters to kids and those who want to eat organic, vegetarian, or healthy food.

You can read more about the evolution of Ikeaā€™s restaurants by clicking here. Some people like Ikeaā€™s eateries so much, they go to Ikea just to eat. When Ikea introduced the idea of eating inside an Ikea store, an Ikea executive was quoted as saying:

I firmly believe there is potential. I hope in a few years our customers will be saying, ā€˜Ikea is a great place to eat ā€” and, by the way, they also sell some furnitureā€™.

Surprise, Surprise! Swedish Meatballs Are Not Swedish!

According to an article published in the UKā€™s Guardian newspaper, people in Turkey reacted with undisguised glee when Sweden came clean that their countryā€™s signature national dish is, in fact, Turkish. It turns out that Swedish meatballs are actually based on a recipe the Swedish King Charles XII brought home from Turkey in the early 18th century.

More on What Happened to Charles XII

Charles was variously known as the Lion of the North and the Swedish Meteor for his early successful military exploits. However, in 1709, the Swedish Meteor came undone by taking on Russia.

After losing a key battle, Charles and what was left of his army took refuge in what is now Moldova, then part of the Ottoman Empire. The king then spent the following six years in exile in and around what is now present-day Turkey. And, he obviously spent a lot of time enjoying Turkish food.

More on the History of Swedish Meatballs

Having acquired a taste for the local Turkish cuisine, Charles eventually went back to Sweden in 1714 to bring with him the recipe for the spicy beef and lamb meatballs that in time became the Swedish staple.

He also imported the recipe for a popular Swedish stuffed cabbage dish and introduced the Swedes to drinking coffee. You can read the complete Guardian article by clicking here.

Ingredients

Hereā€™s what you need to make Swedish meatballs and sauce:

  • Russet potatoes
  • Ground beef
  • Ground pork
  • Egg
  • Heavy cream
  • White onion
  • Salt
  • Ground white pepper
  • AllspiceĀ (optional)
  • All-purpose flour
  • Butter
  • Soy sauce
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Water
  • Heavy cream

Ikea Swedish Meatballs ingredients

How to Make Ikea Swedish Meatballs

  1. Place potatoes into a large pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Cook potatoes over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are tender. Drain, and set aside.
  2. In a small skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of butter and chopped onion. Cook until tender, but do not let the onion brown.
  3. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, 1 egg, heavy cream, cooked onion, salt, and white pepper.
  4. Add 3/4 cup cooked potato to the bowl. Use aĀ mixerĀ to combine the potato into the mixture. Beat until smooth.
  5. Form small balls out of the meat mixture. Drop the meatballs into flour and roll gently in the flour.
  6. Cook the meatballs in a large skillet with a tablespoon of butter. Turn the meatballs every few minutes while cooking so they cook evenly.
  7. Cook the meatballs for 15 minutes or until done. The meatballs will be browned on all sides when they are finished.
  8. To make the gravy, you may need to add another tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the skillet.
  9. Cook the roux for about two minutes then add the water and the heavy cream to the roux stir continually over medium heat. The sauce will thicken. Add soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Cook and heat through.
  10. For the remaining potatoes not used in the meatballs, you can make mashed potatoes out of them.
  11. Place warm cooked potatoes into a bowl and add in butter and cream. Mix with aĀ blenderĀ until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Ikea Meatballs

Ikea sells approximately two million meatballs every day in its 340 in-store restaurants worldwide. However, you donā€™t have to go to Ikea to eat these delicious meatballs. You can make them at home with my easy recipe, and theyā€™ll taste just as good as the ones in Ikea.

Whether theyā€™re really Swedish or Turkish, youā€™ll still find them delicious. And, if you want a Scandinavian dessert to go with your Ikea meatballs try this Scandinavian Almond Cake.

Swedish meatballs and gravy on a plate and in a bowl

Love meatballs? Try these recipes

More Ground Beef Recipes

Be sure to check out more of my easy beef recipes and popular restaurant copycat recipes.

homemade Swedish meatballs and gravy on a plate and in a bowl

Ikea Swedish Meatballs

You can makeĀ Ikea Swedish meatballs with a sauce just like they do!
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Swedish
Keyword: Ikea Meatballs
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 650kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped white onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice optional
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 ounces butter divided use
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Mashed potatoes

  • remaining potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

  • Place potatoes into a large pot, add enough water to cover the potatoes. cook potatoes over medium-high heat. Cook potatoes for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are tender. Drain, and set aside. 
  • In a small skillet heat together 2 teaspoons of butter and chopped white onion. Cook until tender, but do not let the onion brown. In a large bowl combine ground beef, ground pork, 1 egg, heavy cream, cooked onion, salt, and white pepper. Add 3/4 cup cooked potato to the bowl. Use a mixer to combine the mixture. Blend until the meatball mixture is smooth.
  • Form small balls out of the meat mixture. Drop the meatballs into flour and roll gently in the flour. Cook the meatballs in a large skillet with a tablespoon of butter. Turn the meatballs every few minutes while cooking so they cook evenly. Cook the meatballs for 15 minutes or until done. The meatballs will be browned on all sides when they are finished. 
  • To make the gravy, you may need to add another tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the skillet. Cook the roux for about two minutes. Add the water and the heavy cream to the roux stir continually over medium heat. The sauce will thicken. Add soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the gravy. Cook and heat through. 

Remaining potatoes

  • For the remaining potatoes not used in the meatballs, you can make mashed potatoes out of them.Ā  Place warm cooked potatoes into a bowl, and add in butter and cream, and mix with a blender until smooth.Ā  You will want to adjust for seasoning.

Nutrition

Calories: 650kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 598mg | Potassium: 948mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 800IU | Vitamin C: 9.2mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 3.3mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. DC

    hi, thank you for the recipe
    1 pound ground beef
    1 pound ground pork
    really like that , then why ikea shows different proportions ?
    here on their site they show
    https://www.ikea.com/pl/pl/local-apps/food/#/salesareas/restaurant/8e2cdfec-faa8-46d2-b1f6-cd8b8651a016

    beef 51%,
    pork 25%

  2. Sarah

    5 stars
    Holy dang. These were delicious! I was probably a little heavy-handed with the seasonings (just over what was called for), but I followed the recipe other than using chicken broth in place of water. This turned out so well! I paired it with air fryer Brussels sprouts, garlic-salted the mashed potatoes, and made a berry sauce from cranberry jelly and three-berry jam. Now I don’t have to be sad about skipping the cafĆ© at IKEA today! Thank you so much.

  3. Wings

    5 stars
    The food looks really good, I like this dish, Thanks for the blog you shared the way, I can make it myself. Thank you.

  4. Emma Warner

    5 stars
    I never knew how to make good meatballs until I found this recipe. I normally make mine with just ground beef and they still taste great. I’ve used the combination of pork, beef and veal and they are equally good.

  5. Eileen Ross

    5 stars
    I have never seen a meatball recipe that I thought would be great. I make my own Swedish, Italian, etc. a certain way, and that’s how we like them. I have always been disappointed in restaurant meatballs. But this….this one is an exception. Absolutely delicious. Thanks so much for sharing!

  6. Patricia Ackerman

    5 stars
    Hi Stephanie.

    Love the recipe, I changed a couple items though. I did use allspice, ( wouldn’t be a Swedish meatball if I didn’t use it). omitted the flour and used coconut flour for rolling them in and to replace the potato as coconut flour does swell up when added to a liquid. for the cream gravy, I used Thick-It-Up. delicious as an Atkins meal…

  7. diane mandt

    5 stars
    You are adorable. How do you do this????? Well, now I’m inspired to invite friends and dine in on this wonderful repast!!!!!

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