These Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs are perfect for busy weeknights! Made with homemade meatballs, beef broth, cream and perfectly seasoned, the slow cooker does all the work!
Enjoy more of my favorite meatball recipes like Porcupine Meatballs, Sweet and Sour Meatballs and Turkey Meatballs!
Table of Contents
- Why we love this Crockpot Swedish Meatballs Recipe:
- Reader Review
- Swedish Meatballs Ingredients:
- How to make Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to store leftover Swedish Meatballs
- Can I freeze Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs?
- Reheating tips
- Can I skip the cooking and just throw the raw meatballs right in?
- Serving suggestions:
- More Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Love!
- Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs Recipe
These Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs are perfect for busy weeknights or an elegant weekend dinner! Made with homemade meatballs, beef broth, cream and perfectly seasoned, these meatballs always get tons of compliments.
The best part? The slow cooker does all the work for you! Once the meatballs are prepared, everything gets tossed into the Crockpot and slowly cooked to creamy, savory perfection.
I love these saucy meatballs all year round. However, they’re especially satisfying when the temperature starts to drop and I need a little bit of comfort on the dinner table!
Why we love this Crockpot Swedish Meatballs Recipe:
- Easy: The slow cooker makes weeknight dinners manageable when life gets crazy! I love to prep the meatballs in advance (and even freeze them!) so this meal is quick to throw together.
- They’re saucy: Like our kids, 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? Need a potluck offering for a holiday dinner? Need something elegant to serve guests that won’t make you lose your mind? Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs always fits the bill.
Reader Review
“Absolutely d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! Another one of your recipes I will be making again” — Jena
Swedish Meatballs Ingredients:
- Fresh Breadcrumbs: You can substitute for ½ cup dried bread crumbs if need be. Increase the milk to ¼ cup.
- 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.
- Broth: I recommend using low-sodium broth. That way, you can add more salt as needed and better control the amount of sodium in your dish.
- Cornstarch: This is used to thicken the creamy sauce.
- Worcestershire Sauce: No Swedish meatballs recipe would be complete without this!
- Seasonings: You’ll need garlic, parsley, thyme, nutmeg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to create the very best flavor. Feel free to adjust as needed.
- Milk: Any kind of milk will do the trick.
- Eggs: These are used to bind the meatballs together.
- Onion: It can be a white or yellow onion.
How to make Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
These Crockpot meatballs are so easy to make! For more detailed step by step instructions, scroll down to the very bottom of this page.
- Add all of the meatball ingredients to a bowl. Mix until fully combined.
- Cook the meatballs.
- Make the creamy sauce by whisking everything together.
- Add the meatballs and sauce to the slow cooker. Cook until the sauce has thickened.
Variations and Substitutions
- Change the meat: You can swap the ground pork and beef with really any other meat you prefer, like ground turkey or chicken.
- Frozen meatballs: 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 Swedish Meatballs and no one will know, which makes this recipe even more weeknight-friendly.
How to store leftover Swedish Meatballs
You can store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat for just 30 seconds at a time in the microwave until warmed all the way through.
Can I freeze Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs?
Yes! Let the meatballs and cream sauce fully cool to room temperature prior to freezing in an airtight container for up to 3 months. They’ll need to defrost in the fridge for a few hours prior to reheating.
Reheating tips
To reheat, I like to add a splash of water or broth and reheat in the microwave on high, or if I’m reheating a lot (like the whole batch), I do it on the stove top.
Can I skip the cooking and just throw the raw 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.
Serving suggestions:
I like to keep my sides simple as a blank slate to soak up all of that gravy – these Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes or Garlic Mashed Potatoes are the perfect compliment, but plain buttered noodles work just as well!
Or, serve with Roasted Red Potatoes and some of Mom’s Homemade Buns to soak up that gravy.
Add something green – a salad, some Air Fryer Broccoli, Roasted Green Beans or Cheesy Baked Asparagus – and you’re good to go!
More Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Love!
- Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs — so juicy!
- The BEST Crockpot Pulled Pork — perfect for meal prep.
- Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken — another dreamy sauce!
- Check out more of my Best Crockpot Recipes here!
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.
- 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 😭
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!