Marcus Samuelsson's Authentic Swedish Meatball Recipe. (2024)

Published: Jan 27, 2016 · Modified: Jan 15, 2022 by Lea Ann Brown · This post may contain affiliate links

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This Authentic Swedish Meatballs recipe is rich and deep in flavor. Made with ground beef, veal and pork, cream and honey. Marcus Samuelsson’s Swedish Meatballs are a treat.

Marcus Samuelsson's Authentic Swedish Meatball Recipe. (1)

Authentic Swedish Meatballs

Every culture has its version of the mighty meatball and with the arrival of Ikea in Denver a few years ago, I’ve been given the impression that Sweden is the king of meatballs.

Not wanting to depend on a prefab, assemble yourself furniture store to set my bar for the Swedish Meatball standard, Idecided to consult a famous Chef.

And with two side by side ss’s in his last name, I trusted Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s recipe to be authentic and very special.

Before Christmas we watched the Lidia Bastianich Christmas special in whichshe invited several celebrities to share their Christmas meal memories and traditions.

Chef Marcus Samuelsson was on the show and his segment was dedicated to his family’s Swedish Christmas tradition, their Authentic Swedish Meatballs recipe.

Why This Recipe Works

With many of the classic ingredients that we relateto Swedish and Scandinavian food culture, these meatballs are rich and deep in flavor with ground beef, veal and pork, cream and honey. Decadent!

Cream and lingonberry preservers make a unique and unforgettable sauce.

Pickled cucumber adds a powerful compliment and served with mashed potatoes and a dollop of lingonberry preserves on the side, smooth, simple and refined.

My favorite thing about these meatballs? There’s pickle juice in the meat sauce mixture.

Note: I found lingonberry preserves at Whole Foods, and I’ve also seen them at Ikea.

Recipe for Marcus Samuelsson’s Swedish Meatballs

I hope you give this Swedish Meatballs recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe and give the recipe a star rating.

And if you have a favorite meatballs recipe, let me know, I’m a meatball fanatic. I’d love to give it a try.

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Marcus Samuelsson’s Authentic Swedish Meatballs Recipe

Made with ground beef, veal and pork, cream and honey. Marcus Samuelsson's Swedish Meatballs are authentic and a treat.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course Beef

Cuisine: Swedish

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

▢ FOR THE MEATBALLS
▢ 1/2-3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
▢ 1/4 cup heavy cream
▢ 2 Tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 medium red onion finely chopped
▢ 1/2 pound ground chuck or sirloin
▢ 1/2 pound ground veal
▢ 1/2 pound ground pork
▢ 2 tablespoon honey
▢ 1 large egg
▢ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
▢ 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
▢ FOR THE SAUCE
▢ 1 cup chicken stock
▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream
▢ 1/4 cup lingonberry preserves
▢ 2 Tablespoons pickle juice from quick pickled cucumbers below,
▢ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
▢ FOR THE QUICK PICKLED CUCUMBERS
▢ 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
▢ 1 1/2 cups water
▢ 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
▢ 1 cup sugar
▢ 1 bay leaf
▢ 2 whole allspice berries
▢ 1 English cucumber

Instructions

FOR THE MEATBALLS
Combine the bread crumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl, stirring with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the bread crumb-cream mixture and mix well. With wet hands (to keep the mixture from sticking) shape the mixture into meatballs the size of a golf ball, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.
FOR THE SAUCE
Return the skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves, and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, preserves, and Quick Picked Cucumbers.
FOR THE QUICK PICKLED CUCUMBERS (makes 1 1/2 cups)
Slice the cucumber as thin as possible (use a mandoline or other vegetable slicer if you have one. Put the slices in a colander, toss them with the salt, and let stand for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf, and allspice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
Rinse the salt off the cucumbers, and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Put the cucumbers in a medium bowl and add the pickling solution; they should be completely covered by the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours before serving.

Notes

Note: I found lingonberry preserves at Whole Foods, and I’ve also seen them at Ikea.

Nutrition

Tried this Recipe? Please leave a comment and star rating below. Or tag me on InstagramMention @CookingOnTheRanch or tag #cookingontheranch

Marcus Samuelsson’s Authentic Swedish Meatballs Recipe … It’s Whats for dinner.

Lea Ann Brown

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Jan Forstrom says
August 22, 2020 at 3:14 pm

I have made these meatballs many, many times. I make them in volume at Christmas time and use them throughout the holidays when entertaining. My neighbor kid is about to go off to college and I asked him what he’d like for me to cook for him for his “send off” dinner. So in mid-August I’m making a double batch of these meatballs. I make according to recipe, however I use fresh lingonberries flown in from Washington State for the lingonberry sauce.
Reply
- Lea Ann Brown says
  August 23, 2020 at 5:57 am
  Hi Jan. Thank you so very much for taking the time to send this note about those meatballs. I love your idea about making them in volume for the holidays. Why didn’t I think of that? And nice find for those fresh lingonberries. Fabulous. Again, thanks for the note and make it a delicious day.
  Reply
Julie Stevens says
October 27, 2019 at 10:12 am

Can I make these ahead of time so I am not cooking when guests arrive?
Reply
- Lea Ann Brown says
  October 28, 2019 at 2:17 pm
  Absolutely. I’d have them prepared about an hour before guests arrive. Keep them in a 200 degree oven, in an oven safe dish – covered. Sauce and all.
  Reply
Heather says
January 29, 2016 at 7:51 am
You know that I am a meatball fanatic.. And Swedish meatballs are at the top for being a fav! I really like the pickle idea!
Reply
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says
January 29, 2016 at 6:37 am
Beautiful presentation of the meatballs Lea Ann. I think Marcus is a very interesting chef. I haven’t had Swedish meatballs in ages and these look delicious.
Sam
Reply
Susan says
January 28, 2016 at 4:00 pm
I love the idea of pickle juice in the mixture! They look delicious!
Reply
danusha says
January 28, 2016 at 11:47 am
where is the recipe for these quick pickled cucumbers????
also what would you substitute for the ligonberry preserves? i can not find them
Reply
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
January 28, 2016 at 11:19 am
Marcus’s (I had to give you another pair of esses) Swedish meatballs are quite different from mine (posted last year), but I’m sure I could polish off a plate of them with no complaints! And they look pretty with the pickles!
Reply
cheri says
January 27, 2016 at 4:55 pm

Hi Lea Ann, my mom used to prepare something very similar to this, these look delicious!
Reply
John/Kitchen Riffs says
January 27, 2016 at 11:17 am
I haven’t had Swedish meatball in ages. And it’s been years and years since I’ve made them! Love them for parties, but they make a really good dinner too. Yours look fab — thanks!
Reply
Larry says
January 27, 2016 at 8:54 am
Swedish meatballs are good little fellers and these sound delicious.
Reply

FAQs

Marcus Samuelsson's Authentic Swedish Meatball Recipe.? ›

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.

Discover More Details ›

What is the sauce for Swedish meatballs made from? ›

Why do Swedish meatballs taste different? ›

The Seasoning

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.

Read On ›

What is the jam they put on Ikea meatballs? ›

It's lingonberry season and the small sour berries that thrive best in cold climates are ready to be picked. Swedes love eating the jam made from lingonberries with meatballs, mashed potatoes and cream sauce.

What are real Swedish meatballs made of? ›

Mix ground beef, ground pork, egg, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger with onion in the mixing bowl. Lightly mix in bread crumbs and cream. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoon meat mixture per meatball; form into balls.

Read On ›

Is Swedish meatball sauce the same as stroganoff? ›

Stroganoff sauce has mushrooms, while Swedish meatball sauce does not. Another key difference is the seasoning for each sauce. Swedish meatballs are typically seasoned with spices like nutmeg and ginger, while Stroganoff sauce includes paprika, onion powder, and thyme.

Do Swedes eat Swedish meatballs? ›

Swedish meatballs are as close to a national dish that we have in Sweden. Everyone has their own favourite recipe and many celebrity chefs serve their own versions in their restaurants. Most people will say that their mum's recipe is the best of course!

Discover More Details ›

What happened to IKEA Swedish meatballs? ›

Swedish furniture giant Ikea has withdrawn some of its meatballs in 14 European countries after horse meat was discovered in the Swedish-made product in the Czech Republic.

Get More Info ›

What are IKEA meatballs made of horse meat? ›

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.

Get More Info Here ›

What is a substitute for lingonberry jam in Swedish meatballs? ›

But we do know that Swedish meatballs. are commonly served with lingenberry jam. And that if you can't find it, good old fashioned cranberry sauce. makes for an acceptable substitute.