Recipes › Easy comfort dinners› Swedish meatballs with lingonberry and mashed potatoes
Easy comfort dinners · Easy · Serves 4

Swedish meatballs with lingonberry and mashed potatoes

Tender Swedish meatballs in a creamy pan sauce, served with mashed potatoes, fresh dill, and a small spoonful of lingonberry. The Sunday dinner of my Swedish grandmother.

Anna Lind Harper
by Anna Lind Harper
Tested twice · Published 2026-06-06
A black cast iron skillet of about a dozen small golden brown Swedish meatballs sitting in a glossy creamy pan sauce, scattered with fresh dill and freshly cracked black pepper, on a white marble counter. Beside the skillet: a wide cream-speckled stoneware bowl of fluffy mashed potatoes with a pat of butter melting on top, a small cream-speckled stoneware dish of bright deep-red lingonberry preserve with a small light oak spoon resting in it, a folded striped cream-and-blue linen tea towel, and a small bunch of fresh dill sprigs. Soft afternoon light from the kitchen window.
Prep
20 min
Cook
30 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
easy

These are the meatballs my grandmother made on Sundays. Small and tender, browned in butter in a cast iron pan, finished in a creamy gravy with just a touch of soy sauce and dijon for depth, and served the way they should be: piled over creamy mashed potatoes with a generous spoonful of lingonberry preserve on the side.

The lingonberry is the small detail that turns a familiar comfort dinner into something specifically Swedish. Its sharp-sweet tartness cuts through the cream and pulls the whole plate into balance. If you can't find lingonberry, a quality cranberry sauce or red currant jam works in a pinch, but it's worth tracking down (most well-stocked grocery stores carry it, or any IKEA).

“Small and tender, browned in butter, finished in cream gravy. The Sunday dinner of my Swedish grandmother.”
Why this one earns a weeknight

What you'll love about it

  • 01The Sunday dinner of my Swedish grandmother. Tender, comforting, just a little fancy.
  • 02Two warm spices (allspice and nutmeg) and the panade keep the meatballs tender and unmistakably Swedish.
  • 03The cream sauce is built right in the same pan, picking up all the browned bits from the meatballs.
  • 04Lingonberry is the small Nordic detail that pulls the whole plate together. Sharp, sweet, just tart enough.
A hand in a cream cable-knit sweater with sleeves pushed to mid-forearm holding a wooden spoon over a black cast iron skillet of about a dozen small Swedish meatballs browning in melted butter on a lit gas stovetop. The meatballs are at varied stages of browning, with some showing deep golden sears and others still pale. Cast iron grates surround the skillet with a small blue flame visible underneath, a marble subway-tile backsplash sits directly behind the stove, and a white shaker base cabinet flanks at the left.
Brown the meatballs slowly, turning every minute or two. Crowding the pan means steaming; the browned bits in the pan are the foundation of the cream sauce.
Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • 1 lbground beef (or ground beef and pork mixed, half and half)
  • ½ cupfresh breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cupwhole milk
  • 1small yellow onion, very finely diced
  • 1large egg
  • ¼ tspground allspice
  • ¼ tspground nutmeg
  • 1 tspkosher salt
  • ½ tspblack pepper
  • 2 Tbspunsalted butter

For the cream sauce

  • 2 Tbspunsalted butter
  • 2 Tbspall-purpose flour
  • 2 cupslow-sodium beef broth
  • ¾ cupheavy cream
  • 1 tspsoy sauce
  • 1 tspdijon mustard
  • to tastekosher salt and black pepper

For the mashed potatoes

  • 2 lbyukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 4 Tbspunsalted butter
  • ½ cupwarm whole milk
  • 1 tspkosher salt

To serve

  • a generous spoonful per platelingonberry preserve
  • fresh dill, chopped, for scattering
  • cracked black pepper
Method

How I make it

  1. 01
    Soak the breadcrumbs.
    In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Let sit 5 minutes; the breadcrumbs will absorb the milk and turn into a soft paste. This is the panade and it's what keeps the meatballs tender.
  2. 02
    Mix the meatballs.
    In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, the soaked breadcrumb paste, the diced onion, egg, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands or a fork just until everything is evenly combined. Don't overmix; overmixed meatballs are tough.
  3. 03
    Roll the meatballs.
    Scoop heaping tablespoons of the meatball mixture and roll them between lightly oiled palms into small smooth balls, about 1¼ inches across. You should have about 24 meatballs. Arrange them on a parchment-lined sheet pan as you go.
    An overhead view of a pair of hands in a cream cable-knit sweater rolling a small Swedish meatball between cupped palms over a parchment-lined half-sheet pan, with ten already-rolled meatballs arranged in a neat row beneath, each handmade and slightly uneven. A large cream-speckled stoneware mixing bowl with remaining raw meat mixture and a wooden spoon sits at the upper-right of the frame, with small ceramic dishes of oil and warm spices flanking the sheet pan, and a folded striped cream-and-blue linen tea towel at the lower-right, on a white marble counter.
    Roll between lightly oiled palms. Slightly uneven is good; the small irregularities tell you they're handmade.
  4. 04
    Brown the meatballs.
    Heat the 2 Tbsp butter in a large cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat. Working in two batches if needed (don't crowd the pan), add the meatballs and cook, turning every minute or two, until deeply golden brown on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. They don't have to be cooked through yet; they'll finish in the sauce. Transfer to a plate.
  5. 05
    Make the cream sauce.
    In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the additional 2 Tbsp butter. Whisk in the flour and let it cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it smells lightly nutty. Slowly whisk in the broth, then the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, whisking. Stir in the soy sauce and dijon. The sauce will thicken as it simmers, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  6. 06
    Finish the meatballs.
    Return the meatballs to the skillet, nestling them into the sauce. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, turning the meatballs once, until they're cooked through (165°F internal) and the sauce has thickened to a glossy gravy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
  7. 07
    Mash the potatoes.
    While the meatballs simmer, cook the potatoes in a large pot of well-salted water until very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain. Return to the warm pot. Add the butter, warm milk, and salt. Mash with a potato masher or rice for fluffier potatoes. Taste; adjust salt.
  8. 08
    Plate and serve.
    Pile a generous scoop of mashed potatoes on each plate. Top with several meatballs and a ladle of the cream sauce. Add a generous spoonful of lingonberry preserve on the side of the plate. Scatter chopped dill over everything. Eat warm.
Macro close-up of one Swedish meatball cut cleanly in half on a small cream-speckled stoneware plate, the two halves resting cut-side-up on a small pool of glossy creamy pan sauce with visible cracks of black pepper. Tender interior crumb showing flecks of allspice, nutmeg, and finely diced onion. A small fresh dill sprig sits on each half and a generous mound of bright deep-red lingonberry preserve with visible whole berries sits at the right edge of the plate. A cast iron skillet with more meatballs in cream sauce and a bunch of fresh dill sit softly out of focus behind.
A note from Anna

Don't skip the panade (the milk-soaked breadcrumbs). It's the difference between Swedish meatballs and Italian-style meatballs, and it's what keeps them tender even after a long simmer in the sauce. Roll them small (about an inch and a quarter) and brown them slowly. If you crowd the pan, they steam instead of brown, and the browned bits in the pan are the foundation of the cream sauce. If you can't find ground pork, use all beef; just make sure it's at least 80% lean.

What to serve with it

Round out the table.

  • ·01
    A simple cucumber salad
    Thinly sliced cucumber, vinegar, sugar, salt, dill. Five minutes. The traditional Swedish side.
  • ·02
    Pickled beets or quick-pickled red onion
    Sharp, sweet, cuts the cream.
  • ·03
    A crisp lager or a glass of cold milk
    Both are traditional. Pick your spirit animal.
Storage & reheating

Keeping the leftovers good.

Fridge: Keeps for 3 days in a sealed container. The meatballs absorb the sauce and somehow get better the next day.

Reheat: Gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of milk or broth to loosen the sauce. Avoid a hard boil so the cream doesn't break.

Make ahead: Roll the meatballs and brown them up to a day ahead. Refrigerate. Make the cream sauce fresh and simmer the meatballs in it just before serving.

Freezer: Browned (uncooked-through) meatballs freeze well for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then finish in fresh cream sauce.

Recipe card

Swedish meatballs with lingonberry and mashed potatoes

Tender Swedish meatballs in a creamy pan sauce, served with mashed potatoes, fresh dill, and a small spoonful of lingonberry. The Sunday dinner of my Swedish grandmother.

Prep
20 min
Cook
30 min
Serves
4
Total
50 min
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef (or ground beef and pork mixed, half and half)
  • ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 1 small yellow onion, very finely diced
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ tsp ground allspice
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • to taste kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ cup warm whole milk
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • a generous spoonful per plate lingonberry preserve
  • fresh dill, chopped, for scattering
  • cracked black pepper
Method (short version)
  1. 01Soak the breadcrumbs.
  2. 02Mix the meatballs.
  3. 03Roll the meatballs.
  4. 04Brown the meatballs.
  5. 05Make the cream sauce.
  6. 06Finish the meatballs.
  7. 07Mash the potatoes.
  8. 08Plate and serve.

Nutrition information is an estimate. See full nutrition disclaimer.

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