Swedish Meatballs
Small, tender beef-and-pork meatballs scented with allspice and nutmeg, browned in butter and simmered in a creamy, savory pan gravy — no flour or breadcrumbs.
Nutrition per serving
6 meatballs with gravy- Net carbs
- 3.6g
- Calories
- 699kcal
- Protein
- 38g
- Fat
- 59g
- Total carbs
- 4.9 g
- Fiber
- 1.2 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Nut-free (pork rinds): Finely crushed pork rinds replace the almond flour in the meatball mix; the gravy is unchanged.
- Crush the pork rinds to a fine powder and use them in step 1 in place of the almond flour.
Dairy-free: Olive oil instead of butter, broth in the meatballs and full-fat coconut milk in the gravy. Beef broth, Worcestershire and Dijon keep it savory.
- Use broth in the meatball mix and olive oil for browning and the gravy. Simmer the gravy with the coconut milk 4–5 minutes, until it coats a spoon.
Turkey meatballs: Ground turkey makes a lighter meatball that still turns golden in butter and soaks up the gravy.
- The turkey mixture is soft, so chill the rolled meatballs 15 minutes before browning. Simmer in the gravy until the centers reach 165°F (74°C), 8–10 minutes.
- Meatballs
- Cream gravy
- Nice to have (optional)
- Meatballs
- Cream gravy
- Nice to have (optional)
- Meatballs
- Cream gravy
- Nice to have (optional)
- Meatballs
-
½ lb ground porkleave out - Cream gravy
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $16.48 for 4 servings ($4.12 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Whisk the egg, 2 tablespoons cream, almond flour, grated onion, allspice, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a large bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Add the beef and pork and mix gently with your hands until just combined.
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With damp hands, roll into 24 small meatballs about 1¼ inches (3 cm) across, roughly 30 g each. Swedish meatballs are smaller than Italian ones, so they brown quickly and stay tender.
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Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the meatballs in two batches, turning often, 6–7 minutes per batch, until browned all over. Transfer to a plate; they finish cooking in the gravy.
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Pour off all but a thin film of fat, then melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the pan. Add the broth and scrape up the browned bits. Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the surface and whisk vigorously until smooth.
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Whisk in the ½ cup cream, the Worcestershire and Dijon and simmer 3–4 minutes, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon. Taste for salt.
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Return the meatballs and simmer gently 5–7 minutes, spooning the gravy over, until the centers reach 160°F (71°C). Sprinkle with parsley and serve with cauliflower mash or buttered shirataki noodles.
Tips for success
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Grate the onion rather than chopping it so it melts into the meat — that's the secret to the fine, smooth texture of good Swedish meatballs. - Lingonberry jam is the traditional partner but is mostly sugar. A spoonful of raspberry chia jam gives a similar sweet-tart contrast.
- If the gravy gets too thick as it simmers, loosen it with a splash of broth.
Nice to have, not needed
- A small cookie scoop portions 24 even meatballs fast — a tablespoon and damp hands work too.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Warm covered over low heat with a splash of broth, stirring gently, 8–10 minutes, until hot through.
Prep tip: Freeze the fully cooked meatballs out of the gravy; thaw them overnight and warm them through in freshly made gravy.
Refrigerate in the gravy up to 4 days. Freeze the fully cooked meatballs, lifted out of the gravy, up to 3 months and make the gravy fresh.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosNut-free (pork rinds)
DietFinely crushed pork rinds replace the almond flour in the meatball mix; the gravy is unchanged.
- blanched almond flour → pork rinds
3 g net · 686 kcal · 40 g protein · 57 g fat · ≈$4.15 per serving (−0.6 g net carbs vs the original)
Dairy-free
DietOlive oil instead of butter, broth in the meatballs and full-fat coconut milk in the gravy. Beef broth, Worcestershire and Dijon keep it savory.
- heavy cream → beef broth
- butter → olive oil
- butter → olive oil
- heavy cream → full-fat canned coconut milk
3.5 g net · 647 kcal · 38 g protein · 54 g fat · ≈$4.15 per serving (−0.1 g net carbs vs the original)
Turkey meatballs
ProteinGround turkey makes a lighter meatball that still turns golden in butter and soaks up the gravy.
- ground beef (80/20) → ground turkey
- no ground pork
3.4 g net · 538 kcal · 42 g protein · 40 g fat · ≈$3.92 per serving (−0.2 g net carbs vs the original)
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