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When life gets busy, let your slow cooker do the heavy lifting with these irresistible slow cooker Swedish meatballs! Simmered in a Crockpot in a creamy, savory sauce with just the right blend of spices, they’re the perfect cozy meal for any night of the week. Using frozen meatballs for a shortcut, this dish comes together effortlessly. Serve them over mashed potatoes or egg noodles for a dinner that’s pure comfort food—and guaranteed to be a family favorite!
This no-fuss recipe is so easy, you’ll want to make Crockpot Swedish meatballs often. They’re juicy and in a rich, creamy sauce over potatoes or pasta.
Also try sweet ‘n sour meatballs, creamy meatball stew, some skillet sweet and sour meatballs, Mississippi meatballs, or Salisbury steak meatballs.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to make: If you can add ingredients to a crockpot and give the mixture a stir, you’ll find this recipe a breeze to whip up!
Tastes amazing: This dish has wonderfully rich flavors and the garlicky, creamy mushroom sauce is really good.
Kid-friendly: Everyone at the dinner table is going to love this rich and creamy meatball dish, the little ones included!
Crockpot Swedish Meatballs Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Meatballs: I usually use frozen meatballs. You can use any kind you like, or even your own Swedish meatball recipe if you want to make them from scratch.
Aromatics: Plenty of garlic and onion adds lots of flavor.
Worcestershire sauce: For a rich kick of flavor.
Mushroom soup: Use cream of mushroom soup here.
Beef broth: I recommend low sodium beef broth in case your meatballs and/or mushroom soup are salty. Or try my beef bone broth recipe!
Half & Half: For a creamy texture.
How to Make Crockpot Swedish Meatballs
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Add the ingredients to a slow cooker: Add your meatballs to the slow cooker and then add the garlic and onion on top. Pour in the beef broth, mushroom soup and cream, and then add paprika and black pepper.
Cook the dish: Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, or until the meatballs are heated through, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
Serve and enjoy: Serve the Swedish meatballs hot, garnished with freshly chopped parsley if liked.
Substitutions and Variations
Meatballs: Use any frozen meatballs, such as Italian, angus beef or even turkey. You can also use fresh or frozen homemade meatballs.
Cream: You can substitute heavy cream for the Half & Half. Sour cream would work too but, if using that, stir it in at the end of the cooking time to prevent it from curdling.
Extra sauce: If you’re planning to serve this over egg noodles, mashed potatoes or similar, you might like some extra sauce, so add an extra ½ cup of beef broth.
Thicker sauce: Reduce the amount of beef broth used.
Add mushrooms: Add 8 ounces of sliced fresh mushrooms.
Optional add-ins: Add some onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, Dijon mustard, or even onion soup mix if you like.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Begin your meal with bacon-wrapped tater tots or million dollar deviled eggs.
Side dishes: Enjoy Swedish meatballs over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. They’re also good paired with polenta fries or sweet potato wedges. Or mix and match with these French onion meatballs too.
Dessert: Serve up strawberry cheesecake cookies for dessert.
How to Store Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
Store: Keep leftover Swedish meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze this in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: You can warm the meatballs back up in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Top Tips
Use a large slow cooker: I recommend using at least a 5-quart crockpot to make this. If you fill a slow cooker more than about ¾ full, it will struggle to cook your food evenly and the food on top will steam rather than simmer.
If using fresh meatballs: Cooking times can vary if you’re using homemade fresh meatballs. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 160°F.
Cool completely before storing: Let the meatballs cool to room temperature before storing them, so you don’t get condensation in the container which would make the dish watery.
Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs FAQs
Boiled or mashed potatoes are popular, along with lingonberries (I love this lingonberry jam!)
Sure, you can give each person 2 or 3, along with perhaps some bread or salad, or you can serve them as finger food, offering toothpicks or little forks so everyone can serve themselves.
Best Crockpot Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
Equipment
- Slow Cooker 5-Quart Minimum
Ingredients
- 36 Ounces meatballs, any kind, frozen
- 4 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ Teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 Can cream of mushroom soup, 10-Ounce Can
- 1 ½ Cups beef broth, low-sodium
- 1 Cup Half & Half
- ¾ Teaspoon black pepper
Optional Garnish:
- parsley, freshly chopped
Instructions
- Add the meatballs to a slow cooker and sprinkle the onion and garlic on top.
- Add the beef broth, mushroom soup, Half & Half, paprika, and black pepper.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 to 5 hours, or until the meatballs are heated through
- Stir halfway through the cooking time.
- Serve hot, garnished with freshly chopped parsley.
Notes
If using fresh meatballs: Cooking times can vary if you’re using homemade fresh meatballs. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 160°F.
Cool completely before storing: Let the meatballs cool to room temperature before storing them, so you don’t get condensation in the container which would make the dish watery.
Nutrition
Juicy meatballs in a rich and hearty mushroom sauce over creamy mashed potatoes makes such a cozy and delicious dinner that the whole family will love. You can use any meatballs, perhaps ground beef or pork, or even turkey, and slow cook them to perfection in your crockpot. This hearty meal is incredibly easy, as you just have to put the ingredients in your slow cooker and switch it on.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This recipe saved my weeknight dinner situation. I tossed everything in the slow cooker before work, and by the time I got home, the house smelled amazing. They were so creamy and satisfying over mashed potatoes.
These meatballs were a total win in my house! I threw everything in the slow cooker in the morning and came home to the most comforting smell.
The creamy sauce was incredible. Comfort food at its best!