National Dish Sweden: Köttbullar (Recipe)
In this article
Köttbullar are small meatballs served with cream sauce, mashed potato, lingonberry jam and pickled cucumber. All four accompaniments are part of the dish. The meatballs alone, with ketchup, are a different and lesser thing.
About Kottbullar
Swedish meatballs are made from a mix of beef and pork with breadcrumbs soaked in milk, and they are seasoned with allspice rather than the herbs that go into Italian ones. They are small, around 3 cm, and fried in butter.
The cream sauce is made in the same pan, deglazed with stock and finished with cream and a spoonful of soy for colour.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 500 g mixed minced meat (beef and pork)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
Shopping for the ingredients
Beef and pork in roughly equal parts. Allspice, kryddpeppar, is the traditional spice and matters more than the cinnamon. Lingonberry jam is sold in IKEA and Scandinavian shops and is not optional.
Preparing the dish
Soak the breadcrumbs in a little milk or cream before mixing them into the meat; that is what keeps the meatballs tender. Chill the mixture for half an hour so it holds its shape. Fry in butter, not oil, and shake the pan rather than turning each ball.
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat the butter in a pan and fry the onions until soft and golden brown; cool.
- Soak the breadcrumbs in a little milk or cream for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the minced meat with the cooled onions, the soaked breadcrumbs, the spices, sugar and mustard powder.
- Chill the mixture for 30 minutes, then shape into small balls with wet hands.
- Fry them in butter over medium heat, shaking the pan, until browned all over and cooked through.
- For the sauce, deglaze the pan with stock, add cream and a dash of soy, and simmer until it coats a spoon.
- Serve the köttbullar with mashed potato, the cream sauce, lingonberries and pickled cucumber.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Use gluten-free breadcrumbs and thicken the sauce with cornflour. For lactose-free, soak the crumbs in plant milk, fry in oil and use an oat cream, which holds together well in a pan sauce.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Plant-based meatballs are genuinely mainstream in Sweden now and IKEA sells more of them than anyone. Lentil and mushroom balls with the same allspice seasoning work well, with an oat cream sauce and the same lingonberries.
More tips and tricks
Soak the breadcrumbs. Chill the mixture. Shake the pan instead of turning each ball, which is faster and gives an even colour. And do not skip the lingonberry: the sweet-sour against the cream sauce is the whole balance of the plate.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Allspice in place of the cinnamon is more traditional. A grated raw onion rather than fried gives a sharper flavour. Some households add a spoonful of the cream to the mixture.
Ingredient substitutions
Beef alone works but is drier. Cranberry sauce substitutes for lingonberry at a pinch. Oat cream for dairy cream in the sauce.
Drink pairing ideas
A cold Swedish lager. Aquavit at a julbord. Lingonberry cordial for the plain version.
Serving and presentation ideas
Mash on the plate, meatballs beside it, cream sauce over the mash, lingonberry in a small heap and pickled cucumber at the edge. That arrangement is fixed. Do not pour the sauce over the meatballs.
A bit of history
In 2018 the official Sweden Twitter account announced that köttbullar were based on a recipe Charles XII brought back from the Ottoman Empire in the eighteenth century, which caused some distress. Whatever the origin, they are thoroughly Swedish now and anchor Swedish cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Kottbullar
Köttbullar are small beef and pork meatballs fried in butter with a cream sauce, mash, lingonberry and pickled cucumber. Soak the crumbs, chill the mixture, and serve all four accompaniments.
