Craving comfort food? These Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs are just the thing for dinner. Hearty meatballs are simmered in a creamy, delicious sauce for the perfect entrée to serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Recipes that are simple enough to make any day of the week but impressive enough for the holidays or Sunday supper with the family are my favorite. And these delicious meatballs are exactly that.
Aside from whisking the ingredients together for the sauce (which takes less than 5 minutes), it’s a dump-and-go recipe that you’ll come back to again and again.
Using frozen meatballs makes this recipe doable even when you’re pressed for time. Although homemade meatballs would be just as delicious in the cream sauce, using packaged frozen meatballs saves time and effort so you can focus on other things.
Serve them over wide egg noodles, a big pile of homemade mashed potatoes, or rice! They’re delicious with all those options, and stretching them with pasta makes this a great meal to feed a hungry crowd.
These juicy meatballs are typically served as a main dish instead of an appetizer. If you want appetizer meatballs, try my Crockpot Meatballs with Grape Jelly and BBQ Sauce or Crockpot Meatballs with Coca-Cola.
Ready to get started on this easy dinner? Gather your ingredients and let the slow cooker do all the work for you! The whole family will love these tasty meatballs.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs
This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Frozen Meatballs — Grab a 32-ounce bag of homestyle meatballs to make this Swedish meatball recipe. Do not use Italian-style meatballs; you’ll be adding different seasonings.
- Beef Broth — Use a low-sodium version. You’ll add salt separately. If your broth is not low sodium, omit the extra salt in the recipe.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup — This is the base for the creamy, delicious sauce.
- Half and Half— Amp up that creamy, rich flavor with some half and half. Heavy cream works for a creamier sauce, too.
- Sour Cream — Add extra creaminess and a slight bit of tang with sour cream. Plain Greek yogurt may also work, but the full fat versions of sour cream or yogurt are best for flavor and to prevent curdling.
- Cornstarch — Use cornstarch to thicken the sauce so it perfectly clings to the meatballs.
- Worcestershire Sauce — This gives the sauce a boost of umami flavor.
- Seasonings — I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika in equal measure to perfectly season these Swedish meatballs.
- Chopped Parsley — Use the fresh chopped parsley for garnish. This is optional; if you don’t have any on hand, don’t sweat it!
Equipment You’ll Need for Slow-Cooker Meatballs
Gather your kitchen tools and ingredients before you begin. It’ll make cooking so much simpler!
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Crock Pot
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
How to Make Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Place meatballs in the slow cooker.
Step 2: Add the beef broth, soup, half and half, sour cream, cornstarch, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings to a large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients with a whisk until they are completely smooth and incorporated.
Step 3: Pour the creamy sauce over the meatballs, and put the lid on the crockpot.
Step 4: Cook the meatballs on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 7 hours.
Step 5: When the meatballs are ready to serve, garnish with fresh parsley. Serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the meatballs over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. You can also use another type of pasta or quinoa, though these may alter the flavor a bit.
If you’re looking for a vegetable side dish, green beans or Creamed Spinach are delicious additions to your meal. Pan Seared Asparagus is another great recipe, but you’ll want to skip the soy sauce when serving it with these Swedish meatballs.
For bread to sop up all that creamy gravy, try rye bread or my tasty Potato Rolls if you’re feeling ambitious and have some leftover mashed potatoes on your hands.
This comforting meal deserves an equally yummy deserve, like Apple Pie Crescent Rolls or Apple Crisp.
Storage and Freezing Crockpot Swedish Meatballs
Store leftover Swedish meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let them cool completely first before refrigerating.
You can store the meatballs in the freezer for up to 3 months, but I don’t recommend freezing them. Dairy (such as in the half and half, sour cream, and creamy soup) tends to break down after freezing, changing the flavor and consistency.
To reheat the easy way, place individual servings in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 to 60 second increments until heated through. Alternatively, you can reheat the meatballs in a saucepan on the stove.
Easy Swedish Meatballs Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Throw a liner in your slow cooker to make cleanup a breeze.
- If you want to make these quickly instead of in the slow cooker, bake the meatballs according to the package directions while you make the sauce (all the other ingredients) in a saucepan on the stove. Once the meatballs are baked, toss them in the sauce, and you’re good to go!
- Although traditionally a main course, you can insert toothpicks and serve them as an appetizer as well. Just make sure you keep them heated in the sauce until right before serving.
- Double this recipe if you’re making them for a crowd! Just make sure your slow cooker is big enough. Keep them on the warm setting until serving.
Additions and Variations
Add different spices. Spices like nutmeg and allspice are delicious in Swedish meatballs. Omit the paprika if you’re using these.
Sear the meatballs first. If you want to keep the juices inside the meatballs, give them a sturdier mouthfeel, and get that nice seared coating, you can take a few minutes to sear the meatballs before adding them to the slow cooker.
Brighten with lemon juice. Cut through the rich flavors a bit by squeezing a little lemon juice over the meatballs a few minutes before they’re done.
Substitute steak sauce for Worcestershire sauce. If you’re out of Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce is an easy and tasty sub that will keep the flavor very similar.
Crockpot Swedish Meatballs Recipe FAQ
The differences are in the seasoning and the sauce. Instead of Italian herbs and marinara sauce, Swedish meatballs are served in a whitish or light brown sauce or gravy that’s flavored with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.
There’s no need to thaw the meatballs first since they’re already pre-cooked. Just toss them in frozen, and save yourself some time!
This sauce is super easy to make using cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, half and half, sour cream, cornstarch, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika).
I recommend serving these delicious meatballs over egg noodles or rice. However, mashed potatoes or quinoa are tasty options, too. Serve roasted or steamed vegetables on the side to round out your meal.
Yes, you can use uncooked meatballs, but make sure they’re thawed before adding to the slow cooker so they have time to cook through thoroughly. Also, as the fat cooks off, you may find that this creates an oily or thin sauce. That’s why I’d recommend pre-cooked meatballs instead of uncooked ones.
More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
- Best Crockpot Chili
- Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
- Crockpot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
- Crockpot Little Smokies
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steaks
- Crockpot Chili Mac
Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
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Print Pin Save RateIngredients
- 1 32-ounce package frozen homestyle meatballs
- 1 ½ cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Fresh chopped parsley, optional garnish
Instructions
- Pour the meatballs into the crockpot.
- In a large bowl, add the beef broth, cream of mushroom soup, half and half, sour cream, cornstarch, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Stir with a whisk until completely smooth and well incorporated.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs and cover with the crockpot lid.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours (or low for 6-7 hours).
- When the meatballs are ready to serve, garnish them with fresh chopped parsley (if desired). Serve with egg noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by a third party and intended to serve as an estimate only. The accuracy of nutritional information is not guaranteed.
can I use flour instead of corn starch?
I recommend corn starch but if you are unable to use it flour would be the next best option.
Very good and so easy. I don’t have a crockpot so just put everything in a Dutch oven and heated on low until meatballs were thawed and warm.
Hi. Your recipe sounds delicious and I love the fact that it is super simple! I want to make this for an upcoming party to serve as an appetizer, but my only concern is that by adding the dairy from the start there may be a possibility of it separating during cooking. Have you had any issues with this occurring and/or are there any solutions if this should happen? Thank you!
Hi- Great question! It does separate and can even have a curdled look but I just give it a good stir. If you are worried about how it looks since you will be serving at a party you can certainly wait until the last 15-20 minutes or so to stir in the sour cream.