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
OMG – this was by far the best and easiest Swedish Meatball recipe I have ever made!
Made this tonight. Wow! Super good and so quick and easy!
I want to make this for an appetizer for 24 people. Would I just need to double sauce since not serving over noodles? How many meatballs?
I made this recipe for the first time the other day and absolutely loved it! Have tried so many variations of swedish meatball recipes over the years that I have lost count. Yours was the best so far. I was a little skeptical about using the onion soup mix and the steak sauce, boy, was I glad I did. I followed this recipe exactly which I hardly every do. One other reader was correct, the steak sauce brought it to another level. And you know what, I have tried authentic swedish meatball recipes using nutmeg (which is not a favorite spice of mine anyway). I think it ruins a meat recipe. Anyway, who cares if this is not authentic, all I care about is that is tastes fantastic and my family devoured it, even the grandkids ate it. This recipe is a keeper!
Don’t you think you are being a bit rude? Just because she wants to add a little nutmeg doesnt mean she hasn’t read the entire post. And she said they turned out great and other than the nutmeg, she followed your exact instructions so she obviously likes your recipe!
No I don’t
This was dynamite!
Thanks so much Kevin!!
So easy to make and delicious! Will definitely make it again!
Love this quick and easy recipe! Delicious
New to Crockpot cooking. This was so easy and so delicious. I will be absolutely trying your different recipes.
trying to make this recipe now looks delicious.
Hey there ,
I need to make this for a wake this coming weekend so I need to triple the recipe. I’m not doing the noodles but just wondering if tripling everything would work. I may need to make maybe 5 lbs of meatballs. 2 crockpots worth. thanks
when you say a little bit of heavy cream, how much should I use, im new to this, so please be kind. thanks. ans should it go in at the end?
Hi Darlene, are you talking about substituting the sour cream? It can be used but I haven’t tested it out myself with the heavy cream. I just say start with a little (maybe 1/4 cup – because heavy cream is thinner in texture than sour cream) and add more to get it to the taste and consistency you like.
I have Frozen Italian meatballs! Can I use these with your recipe?
Made it exactly to the recipe and it was a HUGE hit at my work potluck. I wish I would’ve made two because everyone ate it so fast (and there was lots of other food on the table that no one touched lol) and I had SO many people ask for the recipe so you know it was a hit. Thank you!!
I have made this so many times I can’t count! It’s a family fave. My favorite way to tweak the recipe is I add a package of halved portobello mushrooms, especially when I only have a smaller bag of meatballs, in with everything and sometimes if I don’t have the onion soup mix on hand, I add caramelized onions instead or let the onions cook in butter by themselves before adding everything else.
lt was great. served with egg noodles and a pea salad and green beans. I didn’t have the A1steak sauce so I googled the recipe and made it to add to the ingredients. Will definitely make it again
This sounds delishious! And I just happen to have all the ingredients on hand! Lucky me! I will make these tonight, or maybe tomorrow night, as it’s my sons 41st birthday tomorrow, and he loves this idea as well. Thank you for the awesome idea! I also saw another poster say she serves with a side of cranberry sauce. Sounds great!
I made these Swedish meatballs in the crock pot last night and they were delicious! So rich and creamy. I always have homestyle frozen meatballs from one of the big box stores on hand and I make lots of different kinds of meals with them. This Swedish meatball entree was one of my absolute favorites and will be made again and again! I needed to use up some potatoes so I served the meatballs and gravy over garlic mashed potatoes with steakhouse style green beans on the side. Don’t leave out the steak sauce if you make these because it truly is the secret ingredient. All of the recipes I’ve made of Brandie’s have been a hit.
I’ve been looking for a Swedish meatballs recipe, and so glad I found this!! They were amazing…found the frozen meatballs you used and tweaked the recipe a little by adding some Dijon, Worcestershire and a brown gravy packet. So good!! I’m anxious to try other recipes on this site. Thanks again!!
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
I go into more detail above about that in the frequently asked questions section 🙂
I rarely comment on a recipe but these meatballs are easy and delicious. I made them as part of our daughter’s home wedding/reception during covid. I’ve made them multiple times for our small group Bible study at church. They are a hit every time. Leftovers are great too!
Love hearing that Pat! I wish more people would comment on recipes. Sometimes it is hard to judge if anyone is enjoying the recipe when no one comments on it. I have totally overhauled recipes because I thought it wasn’t doing well and all of a sudden, I hear from a ton of people asking why I changed it. It’s because I didn’t know it was being seen or enjoyed at all LOL. So please always comment when possible. It is so helpful to recipe creators – thank you!
I love this recipe. It’s so tasty, I’ve made it multiple times. I think next time I’ll double the “sauce” ingredients.
These turned out great! I added a dash of nutmeg but otherwise followed the recipe as written and they were delicious.
This is delicious! I love serving it with a side of cranberry sauce.
Oh cranberry sauce, yes! Thanks for the idea! A little tangy sweetness to cut the delishous creamyness of the meatballs and sauce. Brilliant! And I just happen to have a can on hand! 🙂