These Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs are perfect for busy weeknights or an elegant holiday dinner! Made with homemade meatballs, beef broth, cream and perfectly seasoned, the slow cooker does all the work!
November is here and we are officially well into comfort food season (if we weren’t already a month or two ago!).
Meatballs are one of my favorite comfort foods, and I love how many ways there are to do them up! We’ve been loving these Sweet and Sour Crockpot Meatballs and Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs for a long time now.
These Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs are one of my favorite new recipes for a few reasons:
- The slow cooker makes weeknight dinners manageable during this crazy season! And Reynolds Kitchens Slow Cooker Liners make clean up pretty much non-existent — done in 8 seconds or less!
- They’re saucy — like my toddler, I’m all about the sauces, the dips and the garnishes. I like my meat smothered in something creamy and delicious, and this Swedish meatball sauce definitely does the trick!
- They’ll do double duty: need an easy meal to throw in on a busy night? Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs! Need a potluck offering for a holiday dinner? Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs! Need something elegant to serve guests that won’t make you lose your mind? Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs!
So go grab your slow cooker, your Reynolds Kitchens Slow Cooker Liner, and let’s get this party started 😉
How to make Swedish Meatballs:
- We’re making our meatballs from scratch, but they come together quickly with just a few ingredients. I like to use a combination of lean ground beef and pork (and I do this often when I make burgers as well!), but you can use all beef or even chicken or turkey if you like. When I make meatballs, I love to make a big batch, bake them off, and freeze so they’re ready to just throw in the slow cooker.
- Stir together the sauce — and you can do this in about 3 seconds 😉
- Throw both together in the slow cooker lined with a Reynolds Kitchens Slow Cooker Liner, and let the magic happen — clean your house, put up your feet, or sip a glass of something bubbly before your guests arrive.
- Scoop and serve! There’s nothing to do before serving, which makes it easy to get your side dishes in order.
What’s in Swedish Meatball Sauce?
There are a couple of different ways to make Swedish meatball gravy, and I’m a little opinionated on the matter for one reason: I don’t like sour cream.
It’s a weird preference I have: no sour cream, no mayo, no dressings. But once I figured out how delicious Swedish meatball sauce is made with cream and no sour cream, I feel head over heels in love.
My Swedish meatball sauce is made with beef broth, cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and parsley. It is so easy and so flavorful!
Many people swap the cream for sour cream, and you can absolutely do that if you prefer.
Can I use frozen meatballs for these Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs?
Absolutely!
If you know me, you know I’m all about taking advantage of smart shortcuts when you need them.
You can swap the homemade meatballs for frozen, store bought in these Crockpot Swedish Meatballs and no one will know, which makes this recipe even more weeknight-friendly.
Can I skip the baking and just throw the meatballs right in?
I recently tested this recipe with the raw meatballs added to the slow cooker with the sauce and cooked.
It worked fine, but the meatballs will release more of the meat juices into the sauce as they cook. This can lead to the sauce looking “fatty” or being thinner than expected.
The meatballs themselves were great and the sauce was still delicious.
Can I sear the meatballs on the stove top instead of baking?
You can absolutely sear the meatballs before adding to the slow cooker rather than bake them.
I usually bake my meatballs because, with 3 kids running around, it is easier and requires less of my attention.
To sear, simply heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of oil.
Add the meatballs in a single layer, leaving a little room in between each. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and brown the other side.
You do not want them to cook completely, as they will finish cooking in the slow cooker. Our goal is just to keep the juices inside the meatballs.
What should I serve with easy Swedish Meatballs?
I like to keep my sides simple as a blank slate to soak up all of that gravy — these Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes are the perfect complement, but plain boiled egg noodles work just as well!
Add something green — a salad, some steamed broccoli, green beans or asparagus — and you’re good to go!
More slow cooker meals you’ll love:
- Slow Cooker Chicken Breast
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast with the BEST gravy!
- Crockpot Chicken and Noodles recipe
*This post has been generously sponsored by Reynolds Kitchens and I was compensated for my time in creating this recipe. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Recipe Rebel!
Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 slices soft bread (white or brown)
- 3 tablespoons milk (or water)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- ½ onion (grated or finely chopped)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
- 1 ¼ cups low sodium beef broth
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Instructions
Baked Meatballs
- Tear bread into small pieces and place in a food processor or blender. Process until the bread is in fine crumbs and combine with milk. Stir and let sit for a few minutes (*If you don't have a food processor, you can soak the bread chunks and then mash into fine crumbs)
- Stir together soaked bread, beef, pork, onion, eggs, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large bowl just until combined — don't overmix.
- Shape meat into 1-1.5" balls and place 1" apart on baking sheet. (I get about 30-35 1.5" meatballs)
- Bake at 425 degrees Ffor 10 minutes, or sear in a hot skillet with a drizzle of oil, just until browned on the outside. This keeps the meatballs from falling apart in the slow cooker, and keeps the sauce from getting too fatty!
- Place in a 3-4 quart slow cooker (*At this point, once cooled, you can freeze up to 3 months for a variety of uses).
Swedish Meatball Sauce
- Stir together broth, heavy cream, corn starch, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, parsley, salt, thyme, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over meatballs in slow cooker.
- Cook on low until cooked through and sauce has thickened — about 3-4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.
- Serve with sauce over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Notes
- Fresh bread crumbs: you can substitute for ½ cup dried bread crumbs if need be. Increase the milk to ¼ cup.Â
- Ground beef and pork: you can use lean ground meat for less fatty meatballs, or go higher fat for more flavor (keep in mind this will make your sauce more fatty as well).
- Cream: for a lighter sauce, swap the heavy cream for evaporated milk.
Nutrition Information
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Maria says
Just had this for dinner and my family LOVED it! I didn’t plan ahead, so I just made this on the stove instead of a crockpot, but it worked perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Maria!
Crystal Musall says
I made this recipe today. I actually used frozen meatballs cause i was in a hurry. Your sauce was so delicious! I already shared the recipe with my siblings. Thanks
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Crystal! I’m so glad you liked it!
Laura Stearns says
Did you braise the meatballs first or just throw them in the crock pot in the sauce
Annick Lamoureux says
It was delicious… it is a keeper… the instruction are very easy to follow.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you!
Emma S says
Delicious! I made this last night for my roommates and I. I was short on time, so I cooked mine on high for two hours. I was worried at first bc my sauce hadn’t really thickened up, so I separated it from the meatballs and simmered it on the stove. I added a little more cream and another tbs of corn starch, as well, and that did the trick! The meal turned out great and the meatballs were flavorful and juicy. Thanks for this recipe! You’re my favorite food blogger!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much Emma! I’m glad you liked them!
Stacy says
The flavor of the sauce was good, but unfortunately the meatballs were very dry and lacked flavor. I followed the directions to a tee. We won’t be making this one again.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that! I would make sure that you do not leave them in the slow cooker longer than the recipe calls for.
Angela says
We used premise turkey meatballs and it was excellent! Great sauce, so delicious over mashed potatoes.
Angela says
*pre-made
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Angela!
Dixie says
I’m counting my calories. How many meatballs would be considered a serving ? I’m making these now
Ashley Fehr says
If you get 35 meatballs as I did, then 4-4.5 meatballs is one serving according to the nutrition information listed
Karen says
That’s not what “kcal” means. Kcal stands for kilocalorie; we just use “calorie” as a shortened version of this word.
Darcey says
This recipe is soooo confusing. The way that it is written, you make it seem like, you make the meatballs and then crockpot.
Ashley Fehr says
Well, that is what you would do, if you are making homemade meatballs. If you are using frozen meatballs, you can just throw them right in.
Steven Dimiris says
I’m making it now and the sauce isn’t thickening please help
Ashley Fehr says
I would make a slurry with additional corn starch and stir it in. It will take a bit of time for the corn starch to thicken after adding, so wait a bit before adding more.
ashley says
I made this for hubby and I, and my sauce broke and the meatballs were over cooked ðŸ˜
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it!
Summer says
If using frozen meatball do they need to be thawed first ?
Ashley Fehr says
No, you can just throw them in frozen 🙂
Sarah says
This recipe is delicious! But how do I get my sauce to thicken?? I added more corn starch near the end but it still separated and turned runny.
Ashley Fehr says
A little corn starch mixed with cream should do the trick! Your liquid does need to be simmering or boiling for corn starch to thicken though
Beth Pierce says
I made these over the weekend for my family and they just loved them! Thanks for the great recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Beth! I’m glad to hear that!
Carissa says
How many frozen meatballs do you suggest using for the recipe?
Ashley Fehr says
I would aim for about 2 lbs to match what the homemade recipe makes. How many that is will depend on how large they are. Maybe 2-3 dozen.
Katie says
Are you supposed to use half and half or heavy whipping cream. You alternate back and forth in the description. Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
You’re right! I’m sorry, that is confusing. You can absolutely use either!
Stephanie says
Yummy recipe and making it again. My question is if you half the recipe, how long do you cook it on low for? Plan on putting about 25 meatballs in the crockpot.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Stephanie! I’m so happy to hear that! I wouldn’t it change it too much, maybe check 30 minutes to one hour sooner
Shelley says
This recipe is confusing. It’s labeled slow cooker meatballs so I didn’t see that the first part of the recipe was for baked and they were seperate recipes. So now I baked and put in the Crock-Pot and I have disgusting overcooked meatballs that I just have to toss in garbage.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Shelley. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy them! Baking meatballs, and then slowly simmering in a creamy sauce is not an uncommon technique and should not results in overcooked garbage meatballs. Most slow cooker meatball recipes will require fully cooked or at least browned meatballs, so I didn’t think this would come as a surprise.
Nicole says
If doing the crock pot method you don’t cook the meatballs before correct?
Ashley Fehr says
If using the homemade meatball recipe, they should be baked or seared before adding to the crockpot
Kelly M says
Hello! If I want to make the meatballs (not frozen) and slow cook it- would I add the meatballs raw or bake them first and then add to slow cooker?
Thank you! So excited to try this.
Ashley Fehr says
I would bake, broil or pan fry first, even if they are only browned on the outside and not cooked through. It will keep in some of the juices and prevent your sauce from getting all fatty.
Dani Brady says
Do I have to use that Reynolds wrap liner ? Is the purpose just for easy cleanup or will it be ruined if I don’t use it ? 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
No, you don’t have to use it 🙂
Meg Fehr says
Served these meatballs overtop of cream cheese mashed potatoes (recipe also from Recipe Rebel) and dinner was a huge hit! I elected to add a little more cornstarch near the end of cooking to thicken the sauce up a bit more, but the flavours were awesome and all the plates were scraped clean!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Meg! I’m so glad to hear that!
Kim says
If we are using frozen meatballs do we cook them first or just thaw and put in the crockpot?
Ashley Fehr says
You can just put them in!
Kendra says
My sauce never thickened in the slow cooker – I cooked it on 5 hours on low. Any idea what I might have done wrong? I mixed everything up the night before (double checked all the ingredients) so I could throw it in the slow cooker in the morning… could that have caused the issue?
Ashley Fehr says
I don’t think that caused an issue! I’m wondering if your meatballs were frozen or maybe they were very juicy and released extra moisture? I would just stir together some extra cream and corn starch to thicken the sauce
Nikki says
What is half and half please for this Aussie ??
Nikki says
I just found it 1/2 milk 1/2 cream.
Sorry
Ashley Fehr says
No problem! You could use whole milk or regular cream as well 🙂
Carlee Collins says
What about heavy whipping cream instead of half and half? 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
You can definitely switch up the cream and it won’t change the recipe at all!
Tracy says
I am getting ready to try this recipe, but I noticed in the first step to bake the meatballs that egg is listed to add, but it isn’t in the list of ingredients. Can that be corrected?
Ashley Fehr says
You’re right! Sorry about that. All fixed!