Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs (+Video)
Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs is an easy recipe made with frozen meatballs, sour cream, steak sauce, cream of mushroom and seasonings.
A SIMPLE, FLAVORFUL SWEDISH MEATBALL RECIPE
After I shared the Crock Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe a couple of weeks ago, I got a bunch of emails from folks asking for more recipes like that one. It really is the simple things, isn’t it? Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs is now one one of the most popular recipes on The Country Cook. Also, if this recipe tempts your tastebuds, you’re definitely gonna want to make my Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I usually serve these meatballs with egg noodles. If I am making a full-on dinner, I’d serve it with some steamed green beans and my Butter Swim Biscuits. And for dessert you gotta have my Easy Homemade Blueberry Cobbler.
Yes. Just make sure you have a large enough slow cooker to fit the doubled ingredients. If I’m serving for a crowd, I will mix together cooked egg noodles with the meatballs and keep my crock pot on the ‘warm’ or ‘buffet’ setting. But when it’s just my family, everyone can serve themselves and grab as many meatballs and sauce as they like.
No. The internet foodie world is quick to remind me of that fact since the day I posted this recipe but I’m never changing it – so there. Yes, I do know “real Swedish Meatballs are made from scratch with nutmeg” – etc. Move along – this recipe clearly isn’t for you.
Absolutely. If you have your own favorite Swedish meatball recipe then go for it. However, I would cook them almost completely before adding to the slow cooker or else the gravy in this will end up too oily from the grease that the meatballs release when cooking (unless you plan to use turkey instead of ground beef or a super lean ground beef.) You will probably just have to adjust cooking time to make sure your meatballs are cooked all the way through.
Just use your favorite frozen meatball brand here. It doesn’t have to specifically be a Swedish-style meatball. They aren’t always easy to find but I’ve made this recipe with many different kinds of frozen meatballs and it all works great just don’t use Italian meatballs. Those flavors won’t work with these flavors. Try to look for a “Homestyle” meatball flavor.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator (in an airtight lidded container) for up to 3 days. Just put it in a pot on the stove to reheat or in the microwave.
This dish can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool then put in a freezer safe container. If you do freeze, try to reheat slowly so the gravy doesn’t separate. I don’t think I would try freezing with the noodles if you made those and mixed it all together. The noodles will continue to absorb any liquid and get mushy.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- cream of mushroom soup – my family don’t really like mushrooms but you do not get any kind of mushroom flavor or from this and we all love it. Honestly, no one knows that it was used except me. However, having said that, you can substitute with other cream soups but you really should try it this way. Or perhaps try making a Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup!
- beef broth – I recommend a low or no sodium broth because most of the other ingredients have plenty of salt in them. If you have sodium issues, make sure to choose low or no sodium options where possible.
- dry onion soup mix (or make your own Homemade Dry Onion Soup mix) – this is going to add a lot of flavor but won’t make it taste super “onion-y”. If you want a stronger onion flavor, try sautéing up some sliced onions then add them to the pot.
- A1 steak sauce – this is my little secret ingredient. I think that is what really sets this recipe apart from others. It is not a strong overwhelming flavor. It just adds that background flavor that has everyone wondering what is added to this dish that they can’t quite put their finger on. You could substitute with a dash of Worcestershire sauce as well. Or if you just can’t possible stand the idea, just leave it out (but you’re really missing out on good stuff!)
- frozen meatballs – I talk more in detail about these above in the FAQ section (Frequently Asked Questions).
- sour cream – this is going to give you that delicious creaminess. You could substitute with plain Greek yogurt or a little bit of heavy cream. If you don’t like it creamy, just leave it out.
- egg noodles – this is just for serving. You serve it however you like! Mashed potatoes are yummy too!
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT SWEDISH MEATBALLS:
In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup with beef broth, onion soup mix and steak sauce. Stir well.
Then add in frozen meatballs.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-5 hours.
When meatballs are ready, stir in sour cream.
At this time, put a pot of water on the oven to boil for your egg noodles (make according to package directions.) Drain noodles well when done.
Mix noodles and meatballs together.
Or serve meatballs on top of noodles
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: May 2015
Updated & republished: April 2019
Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs (+Video)
Ingredients
- 10.75 ounce can cream of mushroom soup (low sodium)
- 14 ounce can beef broth (low sodium)
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 2 Tablespoons A1 steak sauce
- 2 pound bag frozen meatballs
- 16 ounce package egg noodles
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, mix 10.75 ounce can cream of mushroom soup (low sodium) with 14 ounce can beef broth (low sodium), 1 packet dry onion soup mix and 2 Tablespoons A1 steak sauce. Whisk together well.
- Then add in 2 pound bag frozen meatballs and stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-5 hours.
- Just before meatballs are done, put a pot of water on the oven to boil for your 16 ounce package egg noodles (make according to package directions.) Drain noodles well when done.
- After meatballs have finished cooking, stir in 1 cup sour cream.
- Mix noodles and meatballs together or serve meatballs on top of noodles.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can store leftovers in the refrigerator (in an airtight lidded container) for up to 3 days. Just put it in a pot on the stove to reheat or in the microwave.
- This dish can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool then put in a freezer safe container. If you do freeze, try to reheat slowly so the gravy doesn’t separate. I don’t think I would try freezing with the noodles if you made those and mixed it all together. The noodles will continue to absorb any liquid and get mushy.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I’m making this as I type. I used cream cheese instead of sour cream. Hope it’s just as good!
Is it possible to prepare this ahead of time ?? My son is having surgery and with a 1 yr old and a wife working full time I wanted to make some meals ahead of time and freeze so that all they would need to do is take it out of the freezer and pop in a slow cooker.. What if I mixed all the ingredients and put in a freezer bag and freeze? All they would need to do is add the sour cream and boil the noodles.. Thanks!
Did it work to freeze before slow-cooking? How long did you leave in crock-pot?
Hi Brandi, Love your website and recipes. I have tried many recipes of yours–all are great!! The key ingredient to Swedish Meatballs is 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg to one pound of ground chuck. An alternative to those that don’t like canned soup. I make a sauce of 2 Tablespoons of butter ,3 Tablespoons of flour, 2 cups of beef broth. 3 beef bullion cubes and cook till it thickens and then add a cup of sour cream. add meatballs and bake. Keep up the good recipes! I look for them every week! Margaret
Thanks so much for those tips Margaret and for being a loyal reader 🙂
Was wondering if you had to use the frozen meatballs or if u could use home made meatballs
Of course, you could use homemade meatballs in this recipe
I made this for dinner, got super busy and forgot the sour cream! 🙁 It was still yummy, however, it was so salty!!! Did anyone else experience this? I used homestyle meatballs, and low sodium soups.
I used low sodium beef broth, seemed fine to me and i never salt my foods
Got the ingredients for this tonight. Going to make this for our potluck at work on Wednesday. I'm sure my co-workers will love it!
Coworkers loved ’em. They were a hit! Doing this again for our next potluck this Friday!
Loved these once I did them correctly. I may be the only one this dumb but the low sodium soups are not just a health thing. It will be WAY to salty if you use regular soup (that was all I had on hand). In addition, my husband salted the water for the noodles. I am pretty sure we are still retaining fluid! Tried again with low sodium soups and it was perfect!
These are wonderful. Smell great when you walk in the house. YUMMY
Made these for dinner last night, fantastic! Easy and delicious is always a winner.
I have been making this for years and we are never disappointed. I have even had the meatballs at parties they are always a hit. I use Worcestershire sauce instead of the A1 other than that it is the same recipe I have always used. I have found you can sub cream of celery or golden mushroom soup if you want, and the flavor is so close to the original one it is hard to tell the difference. I'm glad to see someone else making these.
Saw this recipe this morning & immediately ran out to Trader Joe's. They didn't have Swedish meatballs, but I just grabbed a regular bag. I can't wait to try it. Thanks & sorry that people are being rude!!! Xoxo
I live in CT & Stop & Shop carries the frozen Swedish Meatballs. Will try this dish soon cuz family & friends will love it I'm sure!
I am so excited to try Swedish meatballs and have always loved them but never met known anyone that ever made them.. There in the crockpot as I'm writing this and I will comment after we have dinner m..
Made this tonight,it was awesome and so simple! I used 1 can cream of mushroom, 1 can condensed french onion and I added a pack do french's brown gravy mix in addition to the lipton onion soup mix. I did add a cup of water. It came out perfect, hubby was so impressed! Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe.
So glad you and hubby enjoyed it.
This looks like a great alternative to the long tedious recipe that my husband tried for Swedish meatballs. Plus it’s a crock pot recipe, a winner for sure since we are busy with after school activities now.
Yes, this is super easy to make. Hope it is a winner for your family.
The Ninja 4-i is absolutely the best!! The spice in Swedish Meatballs is Nutmeg–
Made this today and it was amazing!!! I'll definitely be making this again. Easy and delicious
We found your site very early this morning and put the recipe to the test in our crock pot. We just finished two big helpings of this fantastic recipe and it was really good! Thanks so much for sharing it, Brandie. We've bookmarked your site because we've spotted many other fabulous recipes we will be trying. Keep up the good work!
My crockpot is Crockpot brand and it boils the crap out of everything, even on the low setting. I'll have to try the Ninja and see if I like it.
I love my Ninja, you should really treat yourself! I am going to sell my crock
pot at the next yard sale!!!!!
This recipe looks so delicious, I'm going to have my family over tonite for dinner and will be serving this dish…I think it is going to be a big hit! I'll let you know tomorrow…can't wait for supper!
I hope it is a big hit with your family!
Oh I would be daydreaming too! Hope they were just as good the second time as the first.
Making this for the second time today. I'm sitting at work day dreaming about it cooking at home. Can't wait for dinner!
This is one of my favorite recipes…thank you! Definitely use low sodium soup and broth because it will be way too salty. My husband isn't crazy about noodles, so I serve it over rice. Delicious!!
Katherine that is awesome! So glad they will curb his cravings when you can't get there. Thanks so much for letting me know how great they were.