Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs
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. 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.
Made it for dinner tonight – turned out perfect and SO good!! Thank you so much – even my picky eaters really loved it!
– Theresa
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 doesn’t 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). But you do not need 2 pounds of meatballs if you want more sauce instead of meatballs. A one pound bag will feed four people with plenty of sauce.
- sour cream – This ingredient is always controversial because inevitably, someone’s hubby hates sour cream. 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 (optional) – 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 and stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-5 hours.
When meatballs are ready, stir in sour cream. If you want to serve this with egg noodles, 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.
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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 (see notes below)
- 1 cup sour cream
For serving:
- 12 ounce package egg noodles
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.
- If serving with egg noodles: just before meatballs are done, put a pot of water on the oven to boil for your 12 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.
- The noodles are just for serving. You can mix them in with the mixture or put some on a plate and serve the meatballs and sauce on top. Use as little or as much as you like.
- If you want more sauce instead of meatballs, just use a one pound (16 ounce) bag of meatballs instead of two bags – it should be enough meatballs to feed 4 people (depending on how many meatballs everyone wants to eat) with plenty of sauce. It’s hard to give an exact number of meatballs per person because although the bag may come in 16 ounces, the size of the meatballs can vary by brand.
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.
Originally published: May 2015
Updated & republished: April 2025
My family absolutely devours this every time I make it. Only differences are I omit the A1 but do add a packet of brown gravy and a teaspoon or two of Kinder’s Cowboy Butter. Needless to say it’s a well loved dish on our dinner rotation!
A very easy crockpot meal. It was very good even though I forgot to add the sour cream at the end.
My daughter made this for our family! I love that she is starting to get interested in trying to make things on her own. She found your recipe and it was nice and simple for her. We went shopping for the ingredients and she made it today. We all really enjoyed the flavor! I just wanted to thank you for all your step by step photos and your great recipe instructions. She understood it all on her own and she could see how it was supposed to look along the way (also, that cook mode button is FANTASTIC!) We love your site Brandie!! Thank you for all you do!!
Oh my goodness, thank you Janie! What a wonderfully kind comment! That made me so happy to read. I am so glad she found the photos and instructions helpful to follow along with. I absolutely love when kids find an interest in cooking. If she has any questions, please tell her to reach out and I’ll be happy to help!
So good! Will definitely keep in my regular meal rotation!
The cooking time on high says 3-5 hours. That’s a somewhat big timeframe. What is a more precise time to cook?
It depends on your type of slow cooker. It is impossible to give an exact time as there are so many different models of slow cookers and they all can cook a little differently. Some older models cook much slower than newer ones. Round ones can take longer than oval ones. Metal ones can cook faster than ceramic. You will need to go by the knowledge of your slow cooker with how fast it cooks. Keep in mind, you are already using cooked meatballs so you’re just warming it up, not actually cooking anything.
Is this your first time trying a slow cooker recipe? They always give a two-hour timeframe. With my slow cooker, I find I can stop it at the shorter time or let it go until the longer time, and the food will be okay either way.
Everyone loved it. Added garlic and sauted mushrooms for toppers. Sprinkled with chives. My meatballs were 22 oz so used 2 and doubled the sauce. Bought regular soup and it was very salty as low sodium is important but the sr cream helped cut. Will def make again!
This is my third time making this recipe and honestly, I would not change a thing. Good work!
Looks great! Would I be able to follow the same steps for the meatballs using an instant pot?
I haven’t tried this in an instant pot, I’m sorry!
Hi Brandie,
In the process of making this recipe for dinner today. Question…will the Sour Cream thicken the gravy a little or should I use cornstarch? The smell is driving family nuts! Can’t wait. Thanks,’
Connie R.
Hi Connie, it will thicken it 🙂 But if you want it super thick, you can certainly do a cornstarch slurry
If serving over mashed potatoes would you still add the sour cream at the end? I’m thinking no.
Personally I would but it is up to you and your tastes
These Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food
From one Ann to another, I totally agree with you.
Has anyone made this using home-made meatballs? Curious of the cooking time/temp of raw meatballs in the crackpot.
TY
By cream of mushroom soup do you mean the condensed canned soups? I plan on making this recipe this weekend and don’t know what kind of soup to buy
Yep exactly. I have an ingredient picture above if that helps
I double the gravy recipe and we serve these over mashed potatoes, so easy and yummy. The steak sauce is a great addition. Thanks for a great recipe.
Easy and delicious. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand so I came out looking like a magician! Will definitely use this recipe again.
my whole family really enjoyed this. we will make it again!
I came across your recipe and I was getting packed to leave for vacation in qla cabin. I am so glad that I did!! I made this and my husband has mentioned it several times about ho much how loves this recipe!!! Thank you for sharing this!! ☺️
Love this. Didn’t have steak sauce. Added chopped onion and garlic powder to meatballs. Served over egg noodles with a side of green peas and garlic bread.
made it we loved it. will be making this again. so good!!
making it now..smells delicious!
making it tonight looks so good
So good will be my go to from now on
So easy and SO good!
Absolutely loved this recipe. It turned out great! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for taking the time to come back and review and comment – so happy you loved this one!
I have used this recipe dozens of times now and it tastes every bit of creamy and delicious, every time. This is one of my favorite meals because it is so incredibly easy. It really does remind me of the Swedish meatballs my mom used to make.
This makes me so happy to read Brianna!! Thank you so very much and it means a lot that you took the time to come back and comment!!
can I I use fresh meatballs
I talk about that above in the frequently asked question section 🙂
love this recipe. I use it to make hamburger stroganoff and my family loves it. it was one of those meals I just had everything but didn’t want to take the time to make meatballs .
Loved it. Wondering if it can be made on the stove? Want to make it on our houseboat trip but won’t have a slow cooker. If so, how long to cook?
It definitely could. I haven’t personally experimented but you’re basically just heating everything up together. The meatballs are already cooked so I think you could cover and just simmer on low for maybe 20-30 minutes (just taking my best guess there) – so happy you love them!
simple and fast
Can you use regular sodium cream of mushroom soup or do you really recommend low sodium for best results? (I like salt)
I do. It would be pretty salty. You can always add more salt if you like things salty but you can’t take it out once it’s in 🙂
I have made this over and over again, and it never lasts long. Everyone in the house devours it! Easily one of my top favorite recipes to date.
This was amazingly good and the kids (my teens) kept raving that we have to make this part of our regular menu rotation. The sauce is absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! Thank you!
It was very simple to make a let my daughter do it by herself and we all can’t wait to eat dinner
I made this yesterday and while I have a massive cold and can’t taste anything, my husband had two helpings and said this “must go in the rotation”. I look forward to regaining my taste to try it!
Can you use fully cooked meatballs and add them to the sauce?
I answer that question in more detail above in the Frequently Asked Questions section 🙂
Hey quick question, if I were to do heavy cream instead of sour cream, is it a 1:1 substitution? Or should I use less?
I would suggest starting with less (about a 1/2 cup) and stir and see how you like it and if the thickness works for you. You can always stir in a bit more if you’d prefer 🙂
I tried this recipe and it was delicious. I had to make a minor change as I did not have A1 sauce so I substituted HP sauce in its place but all other measurements remained unchanged. As a single person I used only 1/2 of the frozen meatballs but I also caramelised 2 onions and added them into the crockpot and there will be enough sauce for any left overs. Thank you for a tasty meal
Been making your recipe for years although I saute shallot garlic and extra mushrooms to add to mine. Also we love extra sauce so we double the ingredients to make extra. Thanks for the excellent recipe.
I have been making your recipe for at least 5 years! I take it to parties, pot lucks, and church activities!
EVERY ONE LOVES IT!!
I usually add a can of mushrooms
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS
I am so happy you finally commented!! I love hearing this. It’s always SO nice to hear when someone loves a recipe!!
Made it for dinner tonight – turned out perfect and SO good!! Thank you so much – even my picky eaters really loved it!
Can I use worsteshire sauce instead of A1?
I don’t see why you couldn’t. I’ve never tried it personally – let me know how it turns out for you!
I add both and it turns out great I just do half of each
The first time I made this I didn’t have A1 so I used worstershire and it turned out delicious. Since A1 isn’t a typical sauce used by my family, I have just used the worstershire every time.
Can I used heavy whipping cream instead of sour cream? My husband hates sour cream.
I actually answer this very question with other options above in the ingredient listing in the post 🙂
I made these last week and again today. Absolutely delicious. Thank you.
Thanks so very much Rebecca! I really do appreciate when folks take the time to come back and comment – it really helps me understand the recipes folks are loving!
I’ve been meaning to comment on this recipe forever. I’ve been making your recipe for years and no matter who I make it for, they always comment on how much they love it. It is a winner. Thank you so much for all your amazing recipes. I haven’t had a single one do me wrong yet!!
Do they come out good if you cook on high or is it better to cook on low
I make this on high every time and the meatballs are very juicy.
what store brand meatballs works best for this recipe?
I think it depends what store is near you and what they carry. Some store brands actually carry Swedish Meatballs (as you can see in my ingredient image above – that is Kroger brand) so I would go with that. the Great Value brand is pretty good as well.
thanks for answering this I bought the swedish meatballs from Kroger and I wasn’t sure. making this right now
I’ve been making this recipe for probably 5 years. I’ve made it a bazillion times for church potlucks and family get-togethers! It has been requested over and over. People always ask me for the recipe. It’s so easy and DELICIOUS!
Can I put everything in the crock pot the night before, and put it in the fridge and in the morning start it before I go to work
I don’t see why not. I haven’t personally tried it but I don’t think there’s anything in it that would keep you from doing that. Just be careful if you have a ceramic crock pot. I don’t know how those react to being cold then getting hot in the crock pot. I am sure it would be fine but I know with ceramic – going from cold to hot and vice versa can affect the ceramic (cracking, etc.). Just don’t add the sour cream until you get home so it doesn’t curdle.
First time making and probably a stupid question but do you with the condensed mushroom soup do you add the water as well?
Nope, I would’ve added that in the instructions for you if you needed additional water – not a stupid question 🙂
Thank you so much for the quick reply! Currently cooking and I went ahead without the water but put my mind at ease to hear from you haha.
Thanks again!
This was sooo good!! We doubled the sauce and then reduced the liquid a little before adding the cup of sour cream and some grated nutmeg! It was delicious!
I’d like to make this for a potluck. Can I add the sour cream and have it sit in crockpot or does it need to be added last minute before eating?
I prefer to add it in before serving, then keep the crock pot on the warm setting. We just don’t want the sour cream to curdle. Not that it would happen necessarily but some crock pot brands run really hot so just to be safe, that is what I would advise.