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gluten-free swedish meatballs in creamy gravy

Gluten-Free Swedish Meatballs

5 from 2 votes
Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life
Tender meatballs, creamy gravy & mashed potatoes? COUNT ME ALL THE WAY IN! This gluten-free Swedish meatball recipe is the perfect cozy comfort food. 
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
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Servings: 6 -8 servings
Calories: 429kcal

Ingredients

For The Meatballs:

  • 3/4 cup fresh gluten-free breadcrumbs*
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 pound ground pork*
  • 1 pound ground beef* (we like 90/10 or 93/7)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil for cooking

For The Gravy & Garnish:

  • 5 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup gluten-free measure-for-measure flour*
  • 3 cups beef broth*
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or gluten-free tamari
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or heavy cream
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley minced
  • optional: 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

First, Make The Meatballs:

  • Make The Panade. In a large bowl, combine gluten-free bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon allspice. Mix well to combine, then set aside about 5 minutes to soak.
  • Mix Up The Meatballs. Add ground pork and ground beef to the panade mixture and gently stir with a fork or your hands until just blended. Try not to overwork the mixture.
  • Scoop & Roll Meatballs. Use a medium cookie scoop to measure 1 1/2 Tablespoon size meatballs and roll each smooth with your hands. (I can usually get about 35 meatballs.) Place on a baking tray or plate, while you heat the oil.
  • Brown Meatballs. In a large 12-inch skillet with high sides (or a Dutch oven if you don't have a large enough skillet!), heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add about half of the meatballs and cook undisturbed 3-5 minutes or until well browned on the bottom. Flip each meatball and cook on the other side another 3-4 minutes until well browned. Remove browned meatballs to a clean plate and set aside. Add the other 1 Tablespoon olive oil to the pan and repeat this process with the second half of the meatballs. Drain any excess fat from the pan (but don't worry about any browned bits! We actually want those, to help flavor our sauce!)

Next, Make The Gravy:

  • Make Roux. Add butter to the pan and melt over medium heat. Sprinkle gluten-free flour over the melted butter and cook 1-2 minutes, to toast slightly, doing your best to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  
  • Whisk Gravy. Add beef broth, and whisk in Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon allspice. (Add Dijon mustard here, if using). Whisk over medium heat 3-5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.
  • Simmer Meatballs. Add all the browned meatballs to the gravy in a single layer and simmer over medium heat 10-12 minutes (without stirring), or until meatballs are cooked through (the interior should register at least 145 degrees F. on an instant read thermometer).
  • Finish Sauce. Add sour cream or heavy cream and gently stir through until evenly blended. Garnish with fresh parsley (and another sprinkle of black pepper, if you like!)
  • Serve & Store. Enjoy warm over mashed potatoes, with a dollop of lingonberry jam, if you like! Store leftover Swedish meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days.

Notes

  • Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs. I actually tear up fresh slices of gluten-free bread for this rather than using dried bread crumbs. If dried bread crumbs are all you have, you'll probably need closer to 1/2 cup. 
  • Pork & Beef. We HIGHLY recommend the combination of lean ground beef (90/10) and ground pork for flavor and texture. Swapping in leaner types of meat, like ground chicken or ground turkey will pretty drastically change the flavor and texture here. 
  • Gluten-Free Flour. ONLY use a 1:1 or measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend (like King Arthur Measure-For-Measure or Bob's Red Mill 1:1) for this roux. Coconut flour, almond flour, oat flour, etc. will NOT work here and will ruin the texture of your gravy. 
  • Dijon. If you're using heavy cream instead of sour cream, you may want to add a little Dijon mustard to mimic that extra little tang. The acidity does wonders for brightening the flavor of this creamy sauce! 
  • Onion. If you'd like, you can grate about 1/3 cup of onion to add to the meatball mixture! 

Video

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef, comfort food, meatballs

Nutrition

Serving: 0.125(1/8) recipe | Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.7g | Protein: 24.6g | Fat: 31.9g | Saturated Fat: 13.4g | Cholesterol: 154.2mg | Sodium: 723mg | Potassium: 435.4mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 1.3g | Vitamin C: 2.3mg | Calcium: 59.9mg

Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.