Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

If you’ve never made swedish meatballs at home before, you’re in for a treat. This slow cooker version makes the whole process super simple.

You just mix up the meatball mixture, roll them out, and let your slow cooker do most of the work. No standing over a stove browning them in batches.

The sauce comes together right in the slow cooker too. It starts with a flavorful broth base and finishes with heavy cream that makes it thick, creamy, and rich.

The meatballs turn out incredibly tender and full of flavor thanks to a blend of spices and two types of ground meat.

Toss it over some egg noodles, add a little parsley on top, and dinner is ready. This one is a crowd-pleaser for sure.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

The Sauce Is Incredibly Rich – The combination of beef broth, heavy cream, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard creates a savory, creamy gravy that is honestly restaurant-quality and miles better than anything you’d get from a frozen bag.

The Beef and Pork Blend Makes All the Difference – Using both ground beef and ground pork gives these meatballs a tender, juicy texture and a deeper flavor that you just can’t get from using one meat alone.

Warm Spices Give It That Authentic Swedish Flavor – The allspice and nutmeg are what make Swedish meatballs taste like Swedish meatballs, and they add a subtle warmth that sets this apart from regular meatballs in sauce.

The Slow Cooker Does the Hard Work – You spend maybe 20 minutes rolling meatballs and mixing the sauce, then the slow cooker takes over for hours, which means you can walk away and come back to a fully cooked, flavor-packed dinner.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1/2 lb Ground Pork
• 1/3 cup Breadcrumbs
• 1 large Egg
• 3 tbsp Whole Milk
• 1/4 tsp Ground Allspice
• 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

For the Sauce

• 3 cups Beef Broth
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 3 tbsp Cornstarch
• 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
• Egg Noodles, for serving

Directions

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, allspice, nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix gently until just combined. Roll the mixture into roughly 30 meatballs, about 1.5 inches each.

Step 2

Place the meatballs in the slow cooker in a single layer, stacking a second layer on top if needed.

Step 3

In a bowl, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, and dijon mustard. Pour the liquid over the meatballs.

Step 4

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until the meatballs are fully cooked through.

Step 5

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water until smooth. Stir the slurry gently into the slow cooker.

Step 6

Pour in the heavy cream and gently stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy.

Step 7

Serve the meatballs and sauce over cooked egg noodles, garnished with fresh parsley.

Pro Tips

Soak the Breadcrumbs in Milk First

Before you mix everything together, combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a small bowl and let them sit for about 5 minutes. This is called a panade, and it’s the secret to meatballs that stay tender and moist after hours in the slow cooker.

If you skip this step and just toss dry breadcrumbs into the meat mixture, they’ll absorb moisture from the meat itself. That leads to denser, drier meatballs.

Once the breadcrumbs have soaked up all the milk and look like a paste, add that directly into your meat bowl along with everything else.

Don’t Overwork the Meat

When you’re mixing the meatball ingredients, use your hands and gently fold everything together just until the spices and breadcrumb mixture are evenly distributed. Stop as soon as you don’t see any dry patches of seasoning.

If you keep squeezing and kneading the meat like dough, the proteins bind too tightly and you end up with meatballs that are rubbery and tough instead of soft and tender.

When rolling them into balls, use a light touch too. Gently shape them – they don’t need to be perfectly round. Loosely packed meatballs hold up just fine in the slow cooker and taste way better.

Sear the Meatballs Before the Slow Cooker

This step isn’t in the recipe, but it makes a big difference. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs on two sides for about 1-2 minutes per side. You’re not cooking them through – just getting a golden crust on the outside.

That sear adds a deeper, richer flavor to both the meatballs and the sauce they cook in. Without it, the meatballs can taste a little flat and look pale.

It also helps them hold their shape better in the slow cooker so they don’t break apart while sitting in the liquid for hours. If you’re short on time you can skip this, but it’s worth the extra 10 minutes.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta
• Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to brown the meatballs before putting them in the slow cooker?

Nope, you can skip that step entirely. One of the best things about this recipe is that the meatballs go straight into the slow cooker raw, and they cook perfectly in the broth without any searing beforehand.

That said, if you want a slightly firmer outside on your meatballs, you can give them a quick sear in a hot skillet for a couple of minutes before adding them. It’s totally optional though.