Crock-Pot Swedish Meatballs for a Tasty Dish That is Super Simple
These super-simple crock-pot Swedish Meatballs are a family and friend favorite. Keep reading for different ways to make this dish for your family or friends.
My boys are big on meat.
One of their favorites is meatballs.
Instead of the regular red sauce, I decided to try my hand at making Crock-Pot Swedish meatballs they would love.
The first time I made this was for my eldest son’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor.
A crock full of meatballs should be plenty for the small group, I thought.
This post contains affiliate links that may generate a commission for purchases made through them. There is no additional charge to you for using them.
But, I underestimated how tasty the meatballs would be.
And, I forgot that teenage boys will eat a ton of food if left unchecked.
We came home with an empty crock…
Since then, we have made these a few times for dinner.
This recipe makes a great option for days when we are out of the house for hours.
And instead of having them as an appetizer, we will serve them over egg noodles.
Swedish Meatballs will be all ready to go along with cooked egg noodles.
Instead of 30+ minutes to fix dinner, it takes only as long as cooking the egg noodles and warming up a vegetable.
Alternatively, make some mashed potatoes and a vegetable for your sides.
Then put a dollop of Lingenberry Preserves or Lingenberry Sauce on the side.
Yum!
Items You’ll Want When Making Crock-Pot Swedish Meatballs
A crockpot is a staple in our house.
We actually have more than one crockpot as each meets a different need for our family of 6.
Crock-Pot SCCPVL600-R Cook’ N Carry 6-Quart Oval Manual Portable Slow Cooker, Red
I used a programmable 6-quart crockpot for this recipe. A smaller one needs you to cut the recipe in half.
Mine is an original model from years ago in white which came with a second, divided crock.
Soon, I plan to order a new one: a 6-quart programmable cook n carry so we can take it on the road. The lid locks into place for transport.
This will make our annual Soup dinners at our church less messy compared to a crock that lets it all slosh around.
PanSaver Slow Cooker Liners with a Sure Fit Band, 4 Count
If you want a quick clean-up of your crockpot, grab a crock pot liner before adding the ingredients.
These are wonderful for when dish patrol comes around. And, for some dishes like my Red Beans and Rice, it means no staining of my white crockpot.
Some liners just get folded over your crock, but the Pansaver Slow Cooker Liners with Sure Fit Band will not slip around!
Hamilton Beach Travel Case & Carrier Insulated Bag for 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 Quart Slow Cookers (33002)
When it comes to transporting your awesome Swedish meatballs, you need a way to do it.
No one wants to put have some of your wonderful dish end up sloshing around in the car or getting cold.
Even if you have a locking crockpot, a Crockpot carrier will help insulate everything.
Plus it is a lot easier to hold onto the carrier than just the crockpot.
I have used a travel carrier just like this one and love how well it helps keep my dishes together.
Jokari Hands-Free Baggy Rack Clip Food Storage Bag Holder, 2-Pack
Finally, be prepared to put your leftovers (IF you have any!) into bags using these Jokari Hands-Free Baggy Rack Storage Bag Holders.
Whether it is leftovers or if you are prepping freezer meals, these are a super ‘handy’ tool to have in the house.
I know that holding a bag open on my own is one of the challenges when pouring food into it. Usually, I end up with several bites on the counter and a mess on the side of the bag.
That’s not a problem when using these holders.
Get leftovers into freezer bags quickly and with little or no mess!
Making Crock-Pot Swedish Meatballs
This is the recipe I am using for now.
Below, you can see the specific brands we used at least once with this recipe.
My boys do not mind the small bits of mushroom in the cream of mushroom soup.
If they enjoyed mushrooms, I’d be adding about 1 cup of sliced mushrooms to this recipe.
Since they complain, I just leave them out for now.
Make your own Cream of Mushroom Soup (easy to do gluten-free or vegetarian, too!)
The other ingredient I left out is a bit of ground nutmeg. This spice is traditional, but as my husband is not a fan I kept it in the cupboard.
When you first put everything into the crock–pot, the look is not super appetizing.
However, the final result is super tasty!
Simple Meal Planning Spreadsheet
Simplify your meal planning with our basic spreadsheet.
Links to several recipes are included!
Additional Tips (FAQ) On Making CrockPot Swedish Meatballs
These are suggestions for the recipe based on comments.
If mushrooms are not for you at all, you can use Cream of Celery or Cream of Chicken Soup instead. We’ve tested both.
The final flavor is a little different, but I’ve still seen the batch disappear quickly.
Homemade meatballs are absolutely fine!
Just shorten the time in the crockpot if they are warm when you start. So, 1 to 2 hours on high versus 4.
If you did not precook the meatballs, you will need to let them cook longer.
We mix up this hearty meatloaf recipe and just freeform the meatballs from it!
When making homemade meatballs, you can control the size of them.
I prefer to make small ones for this dish, just like you would get from the freezer section.
As for cooking the meatballs, I like to bake them on a broiler pan so that fat can drain while cooking.
Alternatively, you can cook them on the stovetop with a bit of oil. We do this in a large cast-iron skillet. This will give you a crispier outside to the meatball.
For anyone eating gluten-free like me, make the meatballs using ground oats instead of breadcrumbs and purchase a gluten-free cream soup.
I make a homemade gluten-free cream soup as the commercial ones we’ve tried have been lacking.
If you want to thicken the sauce, use your favorite flour.
I’ve done rice flour or cornstarch to keep it gluten-free for me. Ground oats would work as well.
Yes! You can set the slow cooker to low heat for 8 hours. When you get home, add the sour cream shortly before serving.
Have you made Swedish Meatballs in a crock-pot before?
Is this the kind of dish your family would love?
More Crockpot Recipes to Try
Both the crockpot and pressure cookers (electric or stovetop) get a workout in our house. They are wonderful tools to have in the kitchen as they help you make delicious meals without constant supervision.
Another family Crock-Pot favorite is my Red Beans and Rice.
I don’t make it only on a Monday as is a Southern tradition. And, I get serious thumbs up from everyone who’s had it.
Slow Cooker Beef Broccoli
Southwestern Breakfast Casserole in Crockpot
Celebrating National Slow Cooker Month
Recipes for Meatball Lovers
If you just adore a good meatball, visit Epic List of Meatball Recipes to Make at Home where you will find over 150 different recipes with meatballs.
GET OUR collection of easy and delicious dishes to make in a pressure or slow cooker.
When you join our newsletter
Crock-Pot Swedish Meatballs
Delicious Swedish Meatballs are easy to make in this recipe for the crock-pot.
Ingredients
- 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Steak Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (28 ounce) bag frozen homestyle meatballs (this is about 1 3/4 pound of meatballs)
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- In the crock pot or a large bowl, mix the cream of mushroom soup and beef broth with a whisk.
- Add remaining seasonings and stir in the frozen meatballs.
- Cook on high for 4 hours.
- Add the sour cream, mixing it well, and allow to cook for another 30 minutes.
- For a meal, serve over egg noodles.
Notes
Yes, you can use homemade meatballs. Just shorten the cooking length to 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low to allow the components to meld into the wonderful sauce.
If you want to add nutmeg, use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 186Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 1085mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g
TAKE CHARGE OF MEALTIME
Weekly Meal Planner
Meal planning can be a daunting task, but with the Weekly Meal Planner in spreadsheet format, it’s a breeze!
It comes with a list of meal ideas to help you plan breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week ahead. Plus, you can put together your shopping list, so you can make sure you have everything you need.
The planner is the perfect way to make meal planning easy and fun!
Hello! Sounds delicious. How long would you recommend on a low setting? I will be gone most of the day and need it to take longer than a couple of hours.
Thank you!
Hi Laura!
It can sit on low for hours; all day is perfect. The only step you don’t want to do early in the day is adding the sour cream.
Laura
If I want more sauce, would I double the recipe? Then, I could still use one bag of meatballs. Also, can I add fresh mushrooms at the beginning? Thank you.
Chantal,
I don’t think you’d need to double the recipe for more sauce. Unless you want a TON of sauce. I find it already has a good amount.
And, you can add mushrooms at the beginning if you’d like.
I Misread the instructions & added the sour cream with everything at the first will that make a difference
Oh I just did this! Did it make a difference? I accidentally read it wrong too.
In the picture it shows Better than Bouillon, but in the recipe calls for for 2 cups of beef broth…do you add bouillon to the beef broth and if so how much? Thanks!
Hi Penny,
The first times I made this recipe, I used Better than Bouillon to make the beef broth following the ratios on the container. Now I use a powder from Azure Standard to make the beef broth.
Hi!
I have made a recipe similar to this before with frozen meatballs and I only cooked them on high for two hours. This recipes seems like it would be the same…. Why 4 hours on high? Has anyone else tried just 2 hours on high and been fine?
I use this recipe on the stovetop and it comes out great every time! The only other change I make is to use half the sour cream. My toddler DEVOURS this meal. It’s a quick and hearty meal.
Great to know it works on the stove top as well.
Yes, you can cut the amount of sour cream if desired and still have a tasty product. I’ve never had a bunch of leftovers from this dish either at home or when we bring it to a potluck.
Dumb question, after freezing do I defrost before adding to the slow cooker or put it in frozen?
Hi Rose,
Personally, I would let it defrost for a bit before adding it to the slow cooker. If you don’t want to wait until it is thawed, I would keep it on low so the sauce doesn’t boil away before everything has time to warm up.
Delicious recipe! If I wanted to add some extra canned mushrooms should I do it at the beginning of the cooking process or more toward the end? Thanks!
Hi Rachelle,
Sorry I missed seeing your question.
You should be able to add the mushrooms early on in the cooking process.
What kind of steak sauce do you recommend? I typically use A-1.….
Amber,
A-1 should be just fine. Each will have a slight variation in flavor.
What I am going to recommend (and need to update the recipe!) is to not add any salt until the flavors have had a chance to meld. I’ve become way more sensitive to the amount of salt in things lately and some of the ingredients for this dish have a fair bit.
Hi there! I mistakenly bought more worcestershire sauce instead of steak sauce (thinking we needed one, which we didn’t, and not the other). Will I be missing much on flavor for not adding the steak sauce? Thank you in advance!!
It may come out a little differently but should still be okay. I’d just use less Worcestershire Sauce than the steak sauce.
I made these for an office potluck and they were a huge hit! I doubled it & eyeballed all the ingredients as I threw them together at 6AM before leaving for work and people RAVED about them! I served them as an appetizer just with toothpicks. Several people asked for the recipe! Definitely make if you’re considering it! They’re so easy and so delicious!
Thanks for the glowing review, Mellie.
We’ve never had leftovers when making this dish.
Either as an appetizer for a potluck or on top of egg noodles for dinner at home.
I am using 64 oz of meatballs
I would just double everything?
Joyce,
I apologize for responding earlier.
Did you end up just doubling the rest of the ingredients?
That’s what I’d probably do unless I was making them to serve as an appetizer. Then I’d need less ‘sauce.’
Joyce how doubling work? I’m preparing as appetizers for a farewell party. Thanks