Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

Name: Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 485 min
Ingredients: 10.75 ounces cream of mushroom soup; 2 cups beef broth; 1 cup fresh mushrooms (sliced); ½ onion (diced); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 Tablespoons steak sauce (A1); ½ teaspoon paprika; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon pepper; 28 ounces frozen meatballs (homestyle); 1 cup sour cream

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60 Comments

4.92 from 25 votes

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Slow Cooker Swedish Meatball is an easy, family-friendly recipe made with frozen meatballs, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, and fresh mushrooms.

Slow cooked to perfection, these Slow Cooker Swedish meatballs make a hearty and comforting dish. Paired with the creamy mushroom gravy, they’re great served as a main course with mashed potatoes, but stand alone as an amazing appetizer as well.

If you like Ikea’s famous meatballs, you are going to love these Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs. These are so easy to make and taste just as good as anything you’ll get at Ikea. It literally took me 5 minutes to throw these together in the morning and they were perfectly cooked by dinnertime.

These crock pot Swedish meatballs are a delicious, hearty dish. We love them served as a main course paired with egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

A slow cooker containing chopped mushrooms, diced onions, spices, and liquid mixture.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

To make these slow cooker Swedish meatballs, you will need the following ingredients:

Cream of Mushroom Soup
Beef Broth
Mushrooms
Onion
Garlic Powder
A1 Steak Sauce
Paprika
Salt & Pepper
Frozen Meatballs
Sour Cream

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

A whisk stirring a light brown mixture in a black pot.

A slow cooker filled with meatballs in a creamy sauce with sliced mushrooms.

How to Make Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

Whisk together cream of mushroom soup and beef broth in your slow cooker.
Add mushrooms, onion, garlic powder, steak sauce, paprika, salt and pepper and mix until combined.
Add meatballs and mix until meatballs are coated in sauce.
Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
Stir in sour cream the last 30 minutes of cooking (to keep it from curdling, you will probably want to turn it to low or warm for this step).
Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Frozen Meatballs vs. Homemade Meatballs

We used frozen meatballs in this recipe, but homemade meatballs will work just as well. You can use this recipe for homemade meatballs (just use the steps 2-8). To use homemade meatballs, brown them on all sides first, and then add them to the recipe.

A white bowl filled with meatballs, mushrooms, and creamy sauce garnished with chopped herbs.

Recipe Substitutions

We know there are several people who are allergic to mushrooms (or who really don’t love them). You can substitute cream of chicken or cream of broccoli soup in place of the cream of mushroom soup. You can also omit the chopped mushrooms entirely with not too big of a difference.

Storage Suggestions

You can store the meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

To freeze, mix together soup, broth, mushrooms, onions, garlic powder, steak sauce, paprika, salt, pepper, and meatballs. Place in a freezer bag, then flatten the bag, squeeze all the air out, and seal the bag. Freeze for up to 30 days.
To reheat, thaw the freezer bag in the fridge for 24 hours, then cook (starting with instruction #4).

Enjoy More Delicious Hot Appetizers

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Questions & Reviews

MaryEllen says:

When do you add the sour cream? Thanks!
Matt Robinson says:

My boys love the Ikea meatballs, and these look even better. Can't wait to try these!
Maureen Foster says:

Where does the sour cream go? On top, or mixed in?
Elyse says:

I am so sorry! You just mix it in the last 30 minutes of cooking. We have updated the recipe. Thanks!
Elyse says:

Hi MaryEllen! I am so sorry I left that out on accident! You just mix it in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Thanks!
Cannady says:

I accidentally mixed in the sour cream with cream of mushroom & beef broth... Do you think it'll still be okay?!! Oops :(. Thank you!!
Danielle says:

Do you need to thaw the meatballs or do they go in frozen?
Tiffany W says:

I lived in Sweden for several years and the gravy recipe I learned for meatballs was simpler, though I don't know if it would work as well for a crockpot. 1 cup beef broth 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk 2 tbsp. flour Soy sauce Salt and pepper Carefully whisk flour into the beef broth and mix until smooth. Add the cream and cook gently until thickened. Season to taste with sauce sauce, salt, and pepper. Swedish meatballs are ridiculously easy to make as well. Only requiring a beef/pork mixture, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, milk, and salt and pepper. The jars of lingonberry jam from Ikea are a perfect accompaniment to the meatballs and gravy. Also, if you really want to be authentic and eat the meatballs Swedish style, try them with small peeled boiled potatoes. That was the most popular side dish with meatballs in the south of Sweden.
Tiffany W says:

I lived in Sweden for several years and the recipe I learned for gravy was a little easier, but I don't think it would work very well for the crockpot. Swedish cuisine is actually very light on spices and seasoning. Here is my gravy recipe that I love. 1 cup beef broth 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk 2 tbsp. flour Soy sauce Salt and pepper Carefully whisk in the flour into the broth in a pan over low heat. Mix until smooth. Then add the cream and stir until thickened. You can turn up the heat a little bit to get it a bit thicker. Once thickened season to taste with soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Swedish meatballs are also very simple to make. I make about 500 or so meatballs every year for a Swdish mid summer party. I have a meatball making party at my house and we roll meatballs-the help is necessary to churn out that number of meatballs quickly. My recipe calls for 1/2 lb ground beef, 1/2 lb. ground pork, 1 finely minced medium onion, 1 egg, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 3 tbsp. whole milk, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp white pepper. Mix and form into meatballs. You can fry these in batches or bake them in the oven at 375. I usually bake them. If you make your own meatballs, then use the pan drippings to make the gravy instead of broth.
Liz says:

Thank you for the nice recipe.
stephanie says:

The recipe sounds really easy & good ! However do you think I could make my own meatballs?3
Andi says:

I made these for dinner tonight & served them over egg noodles. My 16yo loved them, of course everyone else did too
Cyd says:

Your own meatballs will work fine in this recipe!!
Cyd says:

Just throw them in frozen!
Ashley says:

After cooking and cooling these, could they be frozen and reheated later? If so, any specific steps to follow?
Cyd says:

Hi Ashley. You could certainly freeze them and reheat later. :) Just put them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
Darlene says:

A-1 Sauce is basically Worcestershire sauce and ketchup -- mix some up and you'll be happily surprised! One less prepared sauce to keep on hand!
chris says:

Do you think this recipe could be doubled in the slow cooker or is that going to be too much and not cook adequately?
Jody says:

Any substitute suggestions for the mushrooms. My family and I don't like, therefore don't eat, mushrooms. But the rest of it sounds wonderful.
Joy Barker says:

I actually love mushrooms and I have made the real sweetish meat balls while in school in homeck and they were delicious and the gravy was also very good and yummy !!!
Cyd says:

I would only double it if your crockpot was 6 quart or bigger. It may take a little longer to cook. Just watch closely and check for doneness.
joni coward says:

Stumbled across this recipe while looking for a Swedish meatball recipe. Had to take the time to tell you that I too come from a family of six sisters, no boys. It has been a really cool thing for us all to grow old together. We all live all across the United States, from Baltimore to Alabama. Still stay in contact, and still cherish my sisters. Here, here to being a part of my six sisters! Joni Coward Graniteville, South Carolina
ehren says:

Did these as a standalone for a Christmas hors d'oeuvres buffet this year and they killed. As about half my family is allergic to mushrooms, I subbed in cream of broccoli instead with no ill effects. As good as they were, I would advise against doubling; we had leftovers for days ;)
Diane says:

Made these today and they were delicious. But how do I keep the sour cream from curdling? I'm going to try a lighter version with turkey meatballs and light sour cream next time.
brinniewales says:

Thank you for the recipe. I live in a country without processed foods (frozen meatballs?!?) so 'from scratch' ideas are great.
Bonnie B says:

Just don't add the sliced mushrooms. As far as the cream of mushroom soup, the mushrooms in it are cut so tiny, you won't even know it's in there.
Katherines Corner says:

Pinned and I will be sharing at Katherines Corner on Tuesday xo
Lori says:

My son requested these, so I made this recipe and am waiting for it to finish. It smells amazing. However, when I stirred it the last couple times I noticed the "gravy" is not gravy-ish; it is very runny. I followed the directions exactly. Will the sour cream thicken it enough?
Ann says:

I had to make a dish for a pot luck and chose this because I had some frozen meatball. Everyone raved about it and asked me for the recipe.
Kari says:

Too salty; sauce too runny. While the recipe was a good starting point, these were not comparable to Ikea meatballs.
Kristina Cargill says:

We made these exactly....sort of...tonight. We used HP sauce because we did not have A1 and we used M&M meatballs which just happened to be italian. Other than that, this was an amazing dinner served over rice. My son (17) pretty much licked his plate clean and my husband was making yummy noises. This was our first recipe from the Six Sister's collections but won't be our last!! Thank you. I'm glad I purchased all six of the e-cookbooks when they were on sale.
Cyd says:

Thanks Kristina for your sweet comments!! Glad to know the men in your life liked the meatballs!!
Nancy says:

Tonight was my second time making them. I forgot to add the sour cream at the end. I remembered after everybody had eaten. Opps! But then I realized that some members of my family have dairy sensitive tummys and I cut fat and calories by leaving it out. Everybody liked them anyway so it all worked out.
Carl says:

Light sour cream will curdle even more due to the low fat content.
Aleesha says:

I looooove Swedish meatballs. I've only ever made them from scratch before (which is time consuming), but this was a great tasting alternative. I cut the broth by about 1/2 a cup, added a hefty teaspoon of dry mustard and 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg and allspice. Only used half the sour cream at the end. Quick and easy fix for my cravings, thanks for the recipe.
Barb says:

These were really quite good. I only used half the sour cream called for. I also increased the amount of mushrooms called for. Also they make an extremely large amount! A great meal to serve over egg noodles while watching the Sunday football game.
Nicole says:

Mine is also turning out runny. I am thinking of adding some flour but don't want to ruin it. I noticed there are no replies to other comments that reported the same issue. Any suggestions?
Cyd says:

You can easily thicken it up with flour or corn starch mixture.
Jennifer says:

Is it possible to make this in an Instant Pot?
Cyd says:

This should work great in the Instant Pot. This post should help you. https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/how-to-convert-recipes-into-instant-pot-recipes/
Jessica says:

I have made these so many times and the last few times i made them in the instant pot. If making in the instant pot make sure to saute mushrooms and onions first .then add all other ingredients like normal. Cook on manual for 8 min with quick release. I usually decrease the beef broth a little as well . Yum!
Paula says:

Thank you for sharing. I like to make my own meatballs rather than store bought as I am really fussy about what goes into my meat etc. Thanks again.
Jamie says:

So good to know! Are the ratios 1:1?
Jules minnix says:

I’ve made this twice! Turned out great! The whole fam loved it!
Angela says:

This one never even made it to the freezer. My boyfriend decided he was throwing it in the IP right away! It was delicious. I think I'll add a little corn starch at the end next time to thicken, but otherwise so good!
Debbie Cervantes says:

I have this thawed and rady to go but forgot sour cream. How do you thin a little cream cheese would do or should i just omit it all together?
Momma Cyd says:

I'm not sure how good cream cheese would be for a substitute for sour cream. Plain Greek yogurt makes a good substitute if you have some on hand.
Wendy says:

I have made this recipe several times. In fact, I have a crockpot cooking now with the meatballs. My brother-in-law loves it.
Heidi Leah says:

Absolutely delicious! Perfect amount of sauce. We served over egg noodles.
Nancy D says:

I loved the flavor, but found it a bit salty. I've used frozen meatballs for other things & never found them salty. But between the prepared meatballs & the prepared soup, even my husband commented that it was overwhelming. I didn't add the salt recommended & I use no salt beef broth. Any ideas?
Momma Cyd says:

I'm not sure why it would have been so salty. We have not had that issue. Just use reduced sodium any way you can.
Stephanie P. says:

I tried this recipe knowing that my family is uber picky about meatballs. Sometimes they like them, most of the time they don't. This recipe was a hit!!! I thought we'd have lots of leftovers that no one would eat, but we didn't! Everyone was fighting over second helpings. I did omit the fresh mushrooms, as no one in my family will eat them, but overall... a really big hit! Will definitely make again (in fact, I'm taking some tonight to a friend that just had surgery.) Thank you for a wonderful recipe sisters!
Momma Cyd says:

So glad the family loved the Swedish Meatballs. And so nice of you to share with a neighbor in need!
Robin B says:

Everyone in the family loved it!!! Easy and delicious!
Momma Cyd says:

We are so glad your family loved the Swedish Meatballs.
Basia P says:

I'm not a fan of meatballs but I really did like this recipe. It had everything going for it, easy recipe, frozen meatballs, and a slow cooker . I am keeping this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Gale says:

Have you ever tried Golden Cream of Mushroom Soup instead of regular? Game changer for me. I use it when I cook a roast, we like hamburgers and gravy (great with mashed potatoes).
Momma Cyd says:

Sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing.
Jenny says:

I'd planned to do this tonight, but my meatballs are in the fridge instead of freezer. Will that make a difference?
Bobbi @ Six Sisters says:

You can use defrosted meatballs in this recipe, just check on them sooner as they'll heat through a lot quicker