Easy Swedish Meatballs {Crockpot, Instant Pot, or Stovetop}

easy Swedish Meatballs served over egg noodles

5 from 2 votes

Easy Swedish Meatballs {Crockpot, Instant Pot, or Stovetop}

Here’s an easy Swedish Meatballs recipe that requires just a few pantry staples and a bag of frozen meatballs. You only need 5 minutes of prep time, and then you can “set it and forget it” in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot…so easy! The result is delicious tender meatballs in a rich, creamy gravy sauce.

Prep Time5

Cook Time2

Total Time2 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 30-minute meal, beef, crockpot, easy recipe, ground beef, instant pot, meatballs, one-pot meal, stove top

Servings:

Calories: 490kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Meatballs:

2 lbs frozen cooked meatballs homemade or store-bought (see notes)

Cornstarch Slurry:

2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon cold water

Gravy:

1 ½ cups low sodium beef broth
10.5 oz. condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
⅓ cup whole milk (or ½ cup heavy cream instead of the milk & butter)
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika

To Finish:

½ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

Instructions

In a small cup or bowl, mix together the cornstarch and cold water to make the cornstarch slurry.
Pour the cornstarch slurry into the slow cooker.
Add the gravy ingredients to the slow cooker, and whisk to combine.
Add the frozen meatballs and mix together with the gravy.
Cover, and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or low for 4-6 hours.
Once done, turn off the heat and mix in the greek yogurt (or sour cream).
Add salt to taste (I usually add ¼ teaspoon).
Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice. Enjoy! :)

Video

Notes

Variations:

Add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms at the same time as the meatballs, and reduce the meatballs to 1.5 pounds. (We love mushrooms so this is usually what we do!)
You can use ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half instead of the milk & butter. (I don't usually have either of those on hand, so I use the 2 tablespoon of melted butter with ⅓ cup whole milk instead.)
You can use sour cream instead of full-fat Greek yogurt. I just like the added health benefits and bit of tang the Greek yogurt gives. (I use a 5 oz. container of Fage 5% Greek yogurt.)
See blog notes on "How to Serve" Swedish Meatballs.

Meatballs:

Store-bought Homestyle or Italian Style frozen meatballs will work for this recipe. (I have tried this recipe using 2 pounds of Costco's Kirkland Italian frozen meatballs, 48 meatballs to be exact. I've also used a batch of our Homemade Baked Meatball recipe...even more flavorful!)
See blog notes for tips on using thawed meatballs.

Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs Instructions:

For Instant Pot, reduce the beef broth to only 1 cup.

In a small cup or bowl, mix together the cornstarch and cold water to make the cornstarch slurry.
Pour the cornstarch slurry into the Instant Pot insert.
Add the gravy ingredients to the Instant Pot (but reduce the amount of broth to only 1 cup). Whisk to combine.
Add the frozen meatballs and mix together with the gravy.
Close the lid, and set the pressure valve to “sealing”.
Turn the Instant Pot to “Manual” mode for 6 minutes (or Pressure Cook on HIGH).
Once done, allow a 5 minute natural release, then set the valve to “venting”.
Once the pin has dropped, open the lid and stir in the Greek yogurt (or sour cream).
Add salt to taste (I usually add ¼ teaspoon).
Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice. Enjoy!

*Nutrition facts are for 1 serving, using 2 pounds (48 meatballs) of Kirkland Italian Style frozen meatballs, and regular cream of mushroom soup. You can reduce the sodium by using low sodium mushroom soup.

Nutrition