This Crockpot Swedish Meatballs recipe is more than just a recipe — it’s a dinnertime savior. When life gets crazy (which happens more often than not, amiright), let the slow cooker do the heavy lifting for you when dinnertime rolls around. Add lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes and just like that, you have a satisfying, family-friendly dinner ready to go.
(NOTE: This post was originally published in 2019. We’ve since then updated it with new photos, but it’s the same recipe you know and love.)
Crockpot Swedish Meatballs Recipe
In case you’ve missed it on Instagram, we officially moved! We’ve settled back into apartment life in the Twin Cities after spending last month in Wisconsin with my parents and the six months before that traveling the country in an RV, as one does. We’ve spent the last few days unpacking all of our things — which, since moving out of a less-than-200-square-foot space and into a 1,000-square-foot space, isn’t too much — and making our place feel like home.
So much has changed in the last year for us, and yet, so much hasn’t — including our love for the slow cooker. From house life to RV life to apartment life, I’ve schlepped my slow cooker to and fro and used it to make meals everywhere. And these crockpot Swedish meatballs always reign supreme in my household — wherever that has been or will be.
How to Make Crockpot Swedish Meatballs
Swedish meatballs actually hold a special place in our family’s heart, as Elliott’s grandma Marlyn often makes them for us when we visit with her. His side of the family is majorly Swedish, so I didn’t know anything about this meatball magic (save a few trips to IKEA, but that is so not the same) until marrying into the family. These crockpot Swedish meatballs are based directly off of Marlyn’s own version, but in slow cooker form, where everything — including the gravy — is made in the slow cooker.
Truth be told, it’s my favorite new way — and likely the only way henceforth — to make Swedish meatballs. The results yield tender, flavorful meatballs and a creamy, ever-so-slightly tangy gravy thanks to the sour cream. Just spoon a few (or in my husband’s case, at least a dozen) on top of mashed potatoes or noodles, add a generous drizzle of gravy and a dollop of lingonberry jam and just like that, dinner is served.
Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
Here are a few tips to make these crockpot Swedish meatballs cook like a dream:
- When shaping the meatballs, don’t make them too big! Small, 1-inch, almost walnut-sized meatballs are perfect for this recipe so they cook through in the slow cooker to tender perfection, and don’t fall apart in the process.
- When placing the meatballs in the slow cooker, be sure to fill the entire bottom of the slow cooker first with a layer of meatballs. Then, start a second layer around the edges of the slow cooker — where they’ll cook faster, as the perimeter is where the crockpot gives off heat.
- These are freezer-friendly Swedish meatballs, dontcha know? After cooking the meatballs, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the cooker. Let them cool completely at room temperature, then transfer them to a freezer-safe airtight container to freeze. If you want to save the cooking liquid for making gravy, too, let it cool down as well, and then pour into a freezer-safe airtight container. Both should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I made these meatballs twice for my family while we lived with them last month — once for dinner, once as part of an epic appetizer spread for New Year’s Eve — and they devoured them happily. I have a feeling I’ll be making them often in our new kitchen, too. They’re just too easy and delicious to pass up on the regular.
If you’re looking for a satisfying, family-friendly dinnertime savior, these crockpot Swedish meatballs are it, my friends. And on that note, I’ll just be here unpacking boxes and dreaming of meatballs for dinner, as one does.
Crockpot Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 cup beef broth
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
- 1 pound lean ground beef, at least 80%
- ½ pound lean ground pork
- ¾ cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoons onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sour cream, room temperature
- Lingonberry jam, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Pour beef broth and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce into 6-quart slow cooker.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir remaining 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, onion powder, pepper, milk and egg together until well mixed. Use hands to shape into 1-inch balls; place in slow cooker in single layer. When the bottom of the cooker is covered, add the second layer starting at the outer edge (where it cooks faster). Cover and cook on High 2 hours.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove cooked meatballs from slow cooker. Whisk butter, flour and sour cream into cooking liquid in cooker until well combined. Cook uncovered on High 30 minutes until thickened. Return meatballs to slow cooker; stir to coat in sauce.
- Serve meatballs with lingonberry sauce, if desired.
Notes
- Serve with mashed potatoes or cooked egg noodles for a complete meal.
- You can swap the ground pork for ground turkey, if desired.
- Room temperature butter and sour cream will help keep the gravy from curdling as it cooks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Sounds delicious! Could this be done on low heat to cook all day?
CWilliams, It depends on your slow cooker! My slow cooker has a higher heat range, so it tends to cook foods on Low heat in a shorter amount of time than usual. The meatballs do cook fairly quickly in this recipe, as they’re small (as opposed to, say, a meatloaf). That being said, I think you could definitely cook the meatballs on Low for 4-6 hours, followed by the Warm setting for up 1-2 hours. I hope that helps!