Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs Recipe (2024)

Some people go to Ikea to buy furniture or other things for the house, but these copycat Ikea Swedish meatballs always reminds me of why I love it there! You need to give this recipe for Ikea meatballs a try. I was really excited with how these gluten free Swedish meatballs turned out. So now you know how to make Swedish meatballs…but can you put together that shelf?!?

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A good Swedish meatball recipe with a creamy gravy means you can avoid the Ikea crowds and make them yourself at home. And you can put these together without a complicated diagram or having two screws left over at the end!

Ikea Meatballs Ingredients

For this copycat recipe, use two parts beef to one part pork. I also add onion, garlic, egg and milk for these Ikea meatballs. In this version, I used gluten free breadcrumbs because I wanted gluten free Swedish meatballs, but you can use any kind.

The sauce for these homemade Ikea meatballs includes butter, flour (gluten free optional), beef broth, vegetable broth and cream, as well as soy sauce and mustard for a piquant flavour. This recipe for beef bone broth is a delicious option if you want homemade.

Knowing how to make Swedish meatballs is definitely a skill worth having, because they are just so good! These copycat Ikea Swedish meatballs taste just like the ones in the store. Try them and you’re sure to agree!

How to Prepare this Swedish Meatball Recipe

Once you have combined the ingredients for the meatballs, you can make shape them with an ice cream scoop or your hands. They should be about 2 inches across.

Next you fry these copycat Ikea Swedish meatballs for around five minutes, or until they are browned all over. They are then finished to perfection in a hot oven.

This recipe for Ikea meatballs also has a wonderful creamy sauce. You can make the sauce while the meatballs are in the oven. The butter and flour make a roux in the pan and then the other ingredients go in there.

After simmering, you can serve the meatballs with the sauce poured over. Fresh parsley makes a nice garnish but is optional. In Sweden, parsley is a typical garnish for meatballs.

Knowing how to make Swedish meatballs is a skill you need. Not many meatball recipes beat this one! Although, Italian meatballs do rank very highly for me!

In Ikea, you get a plateful of these tasty meatballs for just a few dollars. They come with mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes, depending on location, plus cream sauce and some lingonberry jam. Egg noodles are a tasty option when making this recipe at home. For a low carb option, try pairing with mashed cauliflower.

Ikea also serves chicken meatballs, but I prefer these copycat Ikea Swedish meatballs to the chicken ones. You could always swap some of the meat in these gluten free Swedish meatballs for chicken if you prefer.

Swedish Meatballs: Some Tips for Perfection

This recipe is authentic, since Ikea itself shared how to make it a while back. You will know this recipe for Ikea meatballs is authentic as soon as you bite into one!

Follow the recipe exactly if you want that same wonderful flavour. For the true Ikea experience, serve lingonberry jam with it. Lingonberry jam is available from Ikea or Amazon. If you can’t get it, cranberry jam is quite similar. Lingonberries are small red berries which aren’t quite as tart as cranberries.

For an authentic Swedish meatball recipe, use whole milk in it (or swap it for heavy whipping cream which also works) along with good quality beef and pork. Don’t use extra lean meat here, because a little bit of fat in there helps keeps the meatballs juicy.

The onion should be very finely chopped. Minced would also be fine, and you can mince onion by rubbing it back and forth over a grater. You don’t want big chunks of onion in this Ikea meatballs recipe.

You might want to add a pinch of allspice to the meatball mixture. Although Ikea doesn’t use it in their Swedish meatball recipes, a lot of Swedish cooks do add this aromatic spice.

I love making gluten free Swedish meatballs because they’re versatile and go just as well with potatoes as with egg noodles, pasta shapes or even rice.

These meatballs are served in 340 stores all over the world. It’s one of the best-loved and most popular dishes on Ikea’s restaurant menu. The Ikea in Hyderabad, India, offers a vegetarian version.

Swedish Meatball FAQs

Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs Recipe

These offer a change of pace from Italian meatballs, if you’re in the mood for a Scandinavian supper.

I promise this copycat Ikea Swedish meatballs recipe is really easy. Learning how to make Swedish meatballs is a breeze. Now you can get you Ikea meatball fix easily at home. It’s certainly easier than assembling an Ikea bookcase or making the trek to Ikea stores!

Let me know if you give this recipe for the homemade version of Ikea’s Swedish meatballs a try. I was really excited with how these gluten free Swedish meatballs turned out.

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