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Swedish Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce

There are so many things to adore about this Swedish meatballs with sour cream sauce recipe! We have moist tender meatballs swimming in a modified version of my popular sour cream sauce; and if that doesn’t win you over, these meatballs are served with zoodles!!

Two deep plates of meatballs with a cream sauce .There is a salad and a pan of meatballs in the background

There are so many versions of Swedish meatballs out there. Each of my family members make it different. My sister makes a sweet and sour version, but I prefer a savory sauce with my meatballs. That is unless it’s my bourbon meatballs which have a little sweetness to them.

When I came up with this recipe, I actually started thinking about my sour cream enchilada sauce and how I could use it on something other than enchiladas. So I thought of Swedish meatballs. I adore this sauce and make it different ways to suit whatever I’m serving it on.

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Just wait until you taste it.

Why do these meatballs stand out from other recipes?

These meatballs stand out because of the herbs and spices in the meatball mixture in combination with my yummy sour cream sauce.

Do I have to spoon these dish over zoodles?

Nope! You can ladle these Swedish meatballs over pasta, egg noodles, rice, toast or even eat them by themselves!! They’re good every which way.

Helpful tips

  • You can make these with either ground beef, turkey or chicken. When you use ground beef, always use grass-fed because it has a much better taste
  • When you brown the meatballs, don’t flip them too often, but let the the sides of the meatball become a little crispy. The insides will stay moist and delicious
  • You don’t have to sprinkle parsley on the dish, but I love the fresh flavor
  • You can make the sour cream sauce ahead of time, but just know that it will thicken somewhat once it sits for a bit. When that happens, just add a little chicken broth to loosen it
  • This dish freezes well, but I would be surprised if it isn’t gobbled up fast

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How to make these meatballs

Step one

Make zoodles with your spiralizer.

Step two

Gather the beef, egg, herbs and spices.

Herbs, spices, egg and beef on a table with a bowl of zoodles

Step three

In a medium mixing bowl, place grass-fed ground beef, an egg, Worcestershire sauce, all the herbs, spices and salt.

Beef, egg, herbs and spices in a bowl ready to be mixed into meatballs

Step four

Use your hands to mix the beef mixture. Roll into medium sized meatballs.

Step five

Heat a sauté pan on medium and add olive oil and once that heats up, place the meatballs in the pan and sauté them for 10 – 12 minutes, turning them every once in a while.

(Browning them gives the outsides of your meatballs a firmer texture and a nice flavor, so don’t rush them. Once they are done, turn the heat off under the pan)

Meatballs cooked in a sauté pan with some napkins in the background

Time to work on the sour cream sauce. If I’m going to use white flour, as I do in this recipe, I always use this brand.

Step six

Gather 3 tablespoons of flour and butter. (1)

Step seven

Heat up a sauce pan on medium low and add 3 tablespoons of butter.  Once it melts, add 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk together for at least a minute.  It will turn into a paste.

Flour, sour cream and butter in the upper photo and the scour cream sauce in a pan

Step eight

Add chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, nutmeg, salt and parsley.  Stand there and whisk the mixture until it thickens a little. (2) If you want more detailed photos of how to make the sauce, go here.

Step nine

Turn the heat off under the sauce pan and let it cool for 5 minutes before adding the sour cream (so it doesn’t curdle).  Stir it all together.

Step ten

Turn the heat under the meatballs to medium and pour the sour cream sauce on top and heat for 5 minutes before sprinkling dried parsley on top.

Let’s look at this dish from above.

Overhead view of the pan of Swedish meatballs with sauce. There is also a plate of zoodles on the upper right

Time to serve them.

Pan of Swedish meatballs with a cream sauce front and center with two plates of zoodles in the background

I like my meatballs on the side and Christopher likes his on top of the zoodles.

A close up view of a deep dish of Swedish meatballs with sauce on zoodles

Yum.

Other popular meatball recipes

I hope you enjoyed this Swedish meatballs with sour cream sauce recipe!  Please leave me a comment to share how you make your Swedish meatballs.

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below.  I love hearing from you!  You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

A deep dish of zoodles with a cream sauce and meatballs - square

Swedish Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce

These meatballs are moist and delicious and the sour cream sauce is the BEST!
5 from 24 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Swedish meatballs with sour cream sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 16 meatballs
Calories: 227kcal

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 pound ground beef grass-fed
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon tarragon (dried)
  • 1 teaspoon parsley (dried)

For the Sauté

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil to sauté meatballs

Sour Cream Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons white flour
  • 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon parsley (dried)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup sour cream 3/4 to 1 cup – depending how thick you want it

Instructions

Make the Meatballs

  • Add all the meatball ingredients to a stainless steel bowl.  Use your hands to mix together the meat.  Roll meat into medium sized meatballs.  Mine made 16
  • Heat sauté pan on medium and add oil.  Once that heats up, place meatballs in pan and sauté for 10 – 12 minutes turning them every once in a while.  Once they are done, turn the heat off under the pan

Make the Sour Cream Sauce

  • Add butter in a medium sauce pan and heat it on medium low.  Once the butter has melted, add flour and whisk until it becomes a paste.  Make sure to whisk at least for 1 minute
  • Add all the other ingredients for the sour cream sauce EXCEPT for the sour cream.  Whisk together until it thickens somewhat – about 10 minutes
  • Turn heat off under pan and let the sauce cool for 5 minutes before adding the sour cream.  Stir until combined
  • If you are putting these on zoodles – you can make them before starting the recipe
  • Turn the heat back on under the meatballs and add the sour cream sauce to the pan.  Heat for 5 minutes.  If you are having zoodles, sauté them in a big pan for 3 minutes
  • Plate zoodles
  • (Decide if you want your Swedish meatballs on your zoodles or on the side.)  Ladle the meatballs with sour cream sauce on your zoodles
  • Serve
  • Eat
  • Enjoy
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Notes

You don’t have to have zoodles with this dish, but they are fabulous and low carb.
Use 1 cup for thicker sour cream sauce. I used 3/4 cup
Tips for making Swedish Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce:
  1. You can make these with either ground beef, turkey or chicken. When you use ground beef, always use grass-fed because it has a much better taste
  2. When you brown the meatballs, don’t flip them too often, but let the the sides of the meatball become a little crispy. The insides will stay moist and delicious
  3. You don’t have to sprinkle parsley on the dish, but I love the fresh flavor
  4. You can make the sour cream sauce ahead of time, but just know that it will thicken somewhat once it sits for a bit. When that happens, just add a little chicken broth to loosen it
  5. This dish freezes well, but I would be surprised if it isn’t gobbled up fast

Nutrition

Serving: 3meatballs | Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 137mg | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 2.2mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1.1mg
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From lighting up stages with her BA in theater to food journalist, Elaine Benoit's journey is a testament to passion's transformative power. As the CEO of Dishes Delish, she offers a blend of healthy, comforting recipes and exquisitely crafted cocktails. Beyond the kitchen, Elaine voiced her culinary adventures on her podcast, "Dishing," and co-owns Food Blogger Help, extending her expertise to guide budding food bloggers to success. Whether it's for a heartwarming dish or insights into food blogging, Elaine's diverse experiences make her a beacon in the culinary digital landscape.

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50 Comments

  1. Any meal with meatballs is a winner in my book. These look so moist and flavorful, I bet they just melt in your mouth.

  2. That sour cream sauce sounds delicious! A brilliant different way to serve meatballs that isn’t tomato sauce 🙂

  3. Ohhh that sour cream sauce looks perfect with those meatballs. I haven’t made Swedish meatballs in forever! Can’t wait to try!

  4. wow those made my mouth water just looking at them . I love the ingredients these may be addicting!

  5. I love Swedish Meatballs too! I usually deviate from the traditional recipe a little though, and make mine gluten free. I add extra egg white to the ground meat to make up for the fluffiness the bread usually adds. I like the idea of serving these over zoodles though! A great way to add veggies to the meal!

  6. How much sour cream do you add? I see it in the recipe but don’t see it listed in the ingredients. Otherwise, the recipe looks delicious!

  7. This looks like a really nice bowl of comfort food! I want to share this with my Swedish friend.

  8. I love the combination of hearty meat and tangy dairy- like a yoghurt based curry or this delightful meatball dish. Right down my alley !

  9. This recipe definitely brings back memories. I completely forgot about Smorgasbords! That sauce just sounds amazing too.

  10. Nice recipe. Specially the sour cream sauce sounds so delicious. and combining meatballs with the cream sauce is surely an amazing idea. This is a lovely dinner recipe for me. will try this weekend.

  11. The first time I had Swedish meatballs was in Amsterdam. I was in LOVE. I have tried a few versions but never got it to the same one I tried in Amsterdam. Going to try your recipe soon. It looks perfect. Love the sour cream sauce.

  12. I love Swedish meatballs, but have never tried to make them myself. For some reason I always thought they were hard to do. I’m going to have to give your recipe a try

  13. For some reason when I thought of Swedish Meatballs I thought of dill — I don’t know why. I like your combination of flavors. They sound so perfect with your sour cream sauce. And what a great idea to put it on top of zucchini noodles. Great recipe that I’ve got to try.

  14. I have to make these for John!! For years he has talked about the Swedish meatballs that one of his employees made when we lived in Miami, but we’ve never actually made them. He loves any kind of sour cream based sauce, so I know he’d love these. Pinning them, so I don’t lose the recipe.

  15. I love that you served these with zoodles! I really only think of serving zoodles with light tomato or garlic sauces, but a creamy sauce sounds perfect. The zoodles will help soak up that delicious sauce without adding unnecessary calories… so I can have seconds on the meatballs!

  16. I love Swedish meatballs! I think sour cream would make a great sauce, I can’t wait to try it!

  17. I love Swedish meatballs and I actually plan on making them within the next week or so. I may try your sauce though. It looks so creamy

  18. One of those rare recipes that is SO good you could cry when you’re eating it. I’m teary-eyed just writing this comment.

    1. Ooo. Good question. Here’s what I’ll say – first, make the sour cream sauce. Then make the meatballs and place them in a slow cooker. Pour the sour cream sauce over them and set the crockpot on low for 7 hours or if you want to streamline them for 4 hours on high. I do think the slower cook time would be better. It should come out great. I need to test them but I think it would be awesome! Thank you so much for your question!

      1. Hi Elaine, thanks for your reply. Here’s what I did over the weekend: I made the meatballs (64 of them) per your recipe and placed them in my crock pot and set it to low heat. Then about 30 minutes prior to serving I made the sour cream sauce on the stove (again per your recipe). After it had thickened, I poured it in the crock pot of meatballs and turned the heat to Warm. This worked perfectly as it kept the meatballs in the sauce warm for several hours without breaking down the sour cream. I also had 2 other kinds of meatballs: Grape Jelly/BBQ meatballs and the other was Bacon and Bourbon meatballs – 64 each of these as well. The sour cream meatballs vanished in about 10 minutes! I have lots of leftovers of the other 2 meatballs! Want some? These were a huge hit and EVERYBODY asked for the recipe – so I pointed them to your website.

        By the way, I had these meatballs a little over a year ago at a wedding I officiated. I begged the caterer for the recipe but he refused to give it up, so I’ve been on the hunt ever since. And on June 26, 2019 – I hit pay dirt by landing on your website! These are, by far, the best meatballs I’ve every had. Thank you so much for sharing!!

        1. Hehe. Yes, Michael, I’d love some meatballs! 🙂 I’m so glad the recipe worked in the crockpot. Thanks so much for letting me know! You made my day with your comment and I so appreciate it!! 🙂

  19. Excellent recipe. The herbs and spices are on point. I’ve made this several times and it’s delicious. I serve mine with a nice salads and organic pasta. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

    1. Thanks so much Penny! You made my day and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of my favorite recipes to serve guests!

  20. OMG!! I have never left a comment before on recipes I have tried, but this recipe is just so amazingly good! I used 1-1/2 pounds of ground turkey, increased the other ingredients as well, and served over rice. I didn’t use allspice because i didn’t have any, but the sauce was just so amazing. I make small meatballs so just trying to figure out how to compute the nutrition information. This is definitely going into the rotation!

    1. I am so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Suzanne. We love it here in my house and I have modified the sauce for different recipes. It’s my favorite sauce. Thank you so much for commenting.

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