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 like this with rice
ive made this making my own meatballs with ground turkey and using spaghetti noodles. I call it white spaghetti.
Very delicious!
This recipe was simple and yummy, I did do one modification to the recipe only because I am allergic to milk and sour cream would have made it I am sure amazing but my stomach angry. I added 1 cup of Lactose Free Half and Half in the last hour of cooking and my family thought it was delicious. Very good recipe we have added it to our rotation, thank you for sharing.
Can you do this recipe in the instant pot just like it is in the recipe here including after cooking to add sour cream or can it not be done in the instant pot because of the cream of mushroom soup
Meatballs were excellent! I decided to replace the noodles with mashed potatoes (Yum!). Unfortunately, work called, the dog barfed, and the ceiling started crying A/C water so I burnt the holy hell out of the potatoes 🙁
Meatballs still made it worth it!!!
Thanks again 🙂
This recipe is super easy and it sounded really good, so I tried it. It didn’t taste like I expected. It was even better! This recipe is now one of my favorites. Thank you Brandie, for sharing it!
Great recipe…very tasty, not bland at all. Yummy satisfying comfort food in the crock pot, so you don’t have to fuss with it or babysit it. Fantastic!
P.s. I, too, had to use Italian style meatballs, but the only difference is the seasoning, and what sauce you put them in. So, don’t sweat it, Italian meatballs work fine.
Hi,
I made this for supper last night and it was so delicious! I substituted using the frozen President’s Choice (PC) Sirloin Meatballs for the Swedish Meatballs because that is what I had on hand. I followed your recipe exactly as stayed and added a bit of dry Dill at the end of the cooking time. What a beautiful blend of savoury flavours!
We were more than satisfied with this recipe and I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing. I love simple recipes that call for ingredients that I most likely have in house. Also, your videos are great! I love that I can engage all of my senses.
Take care during these uncertain times that are more likely keeping many of us housebound and possibly cooking more.
I’m not a fan of sour cream so I used half sour cream and half cream cheese. Very tasty!
Holy shizznizzle this is soooo good! And so easy! Just finished making it, followed your recipe, except I’m serving it over mashed potatoes instead of noodles because that’s my dad’s favorite. I’m having it now for lunch, and I’ll probably have it for snack and dinner too. Thank you Brandie!
Love that this recipe is easy to follow and love that there are leftovers!
I have tried home style and Italian style frozen meatballs separately and it gives it two distinct flavors. Both good.
Due to the stores being out of so much do you think I can use a can of French onion soup in place of the soup mix and steak sauce?
Can you use any type of frozen meatballs? I have the Great Value Home-style meatballs; will that work?
Can you use fresh not frozen meatballs ?
Hi Debbie – yes you could but you will want to use a very lean meat so it won’t come out greasy. 🙂
Does this recipe make a lot of sauce to begin with or would I be okay to double it?
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it. Where did you find that spoon? It’s beautiful!
I HAVE A 12 oz BOX OF MEATBALL’S FROM OMAHA STEAKS.. IF I JUST WANT TO USE THEM, SHOULD I CUT BACK ON ANYTHING??? THANK YOU….
Not to sound weird but is there anything you could use as a substitute for the Cream of mushroom soup?
Hmmm…is it the taste you don’t like or because of allergies?
I made this recipe last week, I added mushrooms as a personal preference, it was AMAZING!
I am making it again right now as a request from my 4 year old! I had to use chicken broth instead of beef, but I know it will still be amazing!
This was the best tasting Swedish meatballs I’ve made so far. Thank you for the recipe!
Yay! Thank you so very much Jojo!
My family LOVED this recipe. It was delicious!!!
This is one of my go-to recipes, even my 3 year old loves it!
Do you think there’s a way to make it in an instant pot/pressure cooker (so it takes less time than the slow cooker)?
I make mine in an insta pot takes about 1-1.5hrs depending on what device you use.
Do you use high pressure or cook on crock pot setting? Do you adjust the liquid in the recipe any?
does it matter that the frozen meatballs are fully cooked does that impact the cook time?
This is now my go-to meal when having a busy day. It’s delicious!! I make it just as the directions state. Thank you!
I will be making it the day before, can I add sour cream the next day before serving?
I don’t see why not! 🙂