This recipe for Turkey Swedish Meatballs is a lightened-up, yet just as delicious, version of classic Swedish Meatballs. Served in a simple, creamy sauce, these Swedish Meatballs made with ground turkey make an easy, wholesome family meal that is perfect for any night of the week.

My recipe for Swedish Meatballs is better than Ikea's. There I said it and I am not afraid to own it! Inspired by my mom's recipe, this recipe for Turkey Swedish Meatballs is lower in fat and cholesterol than traditional Swedish Meatballs, but every bit as delicious thanks to a few key steps!
Paired with homemade mashed potatoes or egg noodles, these Turkey Swedish Meatballs make for a delicious, wholesome dinner perfect for any night of the week.
What Makes These Turkey Swedish Meatballs the Best
- Seasoned Right. Lean ground turkey has the reputation of being dry and flavorless. This recipe, just like my recipe for Turkey Taco Skillet, proves that it does not need to be the case. Sauteed onion, soaked bread, and herbs are mixed into the ground turkey adding flavor and moisture, creating the best-tasting turkey meatball ever!
- Baked with a Special Technique. Just like my Italian meatballs, these turkey Swedish meatballs are baked with a bit of broth at a high temperature. This keeps the exterior crispy, as though they were fried, but the interior stays tender and moist. It is truly magical!
- Homemade Gravy. The from-scratch gravy is incredibly simple to make but features wholesome ingredients. No canned condensed soups here! It is creamy and flavorful and just simply the perfect accompaniment to these Swedish meatballs.
Notes on Ingredients

- Ground Turkey: Because Swedish Meatballs are so packed with flavor, this is a great time to use lean ground turkey, even ground turkey breast. However, if desired, you can use pork or beef (or a combination of the two) in place of the ground turkey for a more traditional Swedish Meatball.
- Bread: You need a couple of slices of sliced bread to make the meatballs. Avoid using seeded or multigrain bread, as that can impact the texture of the Swedish meatballs. Use plain white bread, plain wheat bread, or plain gluten-free bread.
- Milk: Both the meatballs and gravy use milk. Use any fat percentage of milk you like.
- Onion: Use a minced yellow onion which will add a nice savory flavor to the meatballs.
- Thyme: Use fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme leaves, not ground thyme as it can easily overwhelm the dish.
- Allspice: A small amount of allspice will give the meatballs a warming flavor and is a traditional addition to Swedish meatballs.
- Nutmeg: I love to add nutmeg to cream sauces, but it is always better in terms of flavor to grate whole nutmeg using a Microplane instead of using ground nutmeg.
- Stock: You will need stock for both cooking the meatballs and preparing the sauce. Use low-sodium storebought or homemade chicken stock or turkey stock to control the sodium.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour to create the roux for the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce: Will add amazing depth to the Swedish meatball sauce, making it taste like it has been simmered for hours.
Recipe Modifications
- Gluten-Free Swedish Meatballs: Use gluten-free bread in place of regular bread in the meatball mixture and use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce for the sauce.
- Egg-Free Swedish Meatballs: Instead of using an egg in this recipe, use an additional 1 slice of bread and 2 tablespoons of milk. The extra bread will work as a binder for the meatballs.
- Replace the bread with stuffing. Swedish Meatballs are a great recipe to use leftover stuffing. In place of the bread slices, use leftover stuffing. In fact, the stuffing is packed with tremendous flavor, making the meatballs some of the best you have ever had.
Tips for Making Swedish Meatballs
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Soak the bread in milk. This recipe uses bread instead of breadcrumbs to help bind the meatball together. The bread keeps the meatballs really moist and tender.

Saute the onion and thyme. Using the time to saute the onion and thyme in a bit of butter while the bread is soaking in the milk, will help to remove the pungent flavor of the raw onion and develop the thyme's natural flavor.

Wait to add the ground turkey. It is best to first mix together the soaked bread, egg, and onions until well combined, before adding the turkey. This will help prevent overmixing the meatballs, which can result in tough meatballs.

Use a medium cookie scoop to form meatballs. This will help to ensure all your meatballs are even in size and bake evenly.
Bake the meatballs with a bit of stock. Pouring 1 cup of chicken or turkey stock around the meatballs is the secret to baking really moist and tender meatballs.

Prepare the gravy while the meatballs bake. While the Swedish meatballs are baking, use that time to prepare the cream sauce that is the classic accompaniment with Swedish meatballs.

Serving Suggestions
Swedish meatballs are classically served over buttered egg noodles but are also delicious when served over mashed potatoes. Round out your meal by adding a side of Green Beans Almondine or Roasted Broccoli.

Storage & Reheating Instructions
Leftover Swedish Meatballs can be stored in an airtight container along with the sauce for up to 3 days. Reheat the sauce and meatballs in 1-minute intervals in the microwave until warmed through. While the meatballs freeze well, the sauce does not, so this is not a recipe I recommend freezing.
More Delicious Meatball Recipes
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If you enjoyed these Turkey Swedish Meatballs, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

Easy Turkey Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
Swedish Meatballs
- 2 slices sandwich bread
- ¼ cup milk or half and half
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup yellow onion diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves optional
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 large egg
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
Swedish Meatball Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup half and half or milk/cream
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
Swedish Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Spray a rimmed sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, soak 2 slices of bread in ¼ cup milk.
- While the bread is soaking, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter has melted, saute the onions and thyme leaves until the onion has just softened.
- Add the sauteed onions and thyme to the bowl with bread, along with the salt, pepper, allspice, and egg. Whisk or mix together until the bread falls apart and the ingredients are well combined. Add the ground turkey to the mixture and using your hands, gently mix together until the seasonings are well distributed throughout the meat. Be careful to not overwork your meatballs, to prevent tough meatballs.
- Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture, using a tablespoon measuring spoon or medium cookie scoop, and then gently shape into 1-inch meatballs. Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet. Slowly pour 1 cup of chicken stock around the meatballs.
- Bake the turkey meatballs for 25 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 162-165 degrees F. (They will continue to rise a few degrees as they rest after baking.)
Swedish Meatball Sauce
- While the meatballs are baking, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Once the butter has melted, slowly whisk in the flour, until a thick paste forms. Cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste from the sauce.
- Slowly add in chicken stock, whisking to incorporate. Season with salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, and 2 sprigs of fresh thyme. Bring gravy to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Add in half and half and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until sauce is thick, whisking often.
- Remove the gravy from the heat, remove the thyme sprigs, and stir in the Worcestershire Sauce. Serve the sauce over the baked meatballs with noodles or mashed potatoes, as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Amy
Delicious! I can’t believe I’ve never made Swedish Meatballs. These were spot on and soo flavorful! Not dry at all! Thanks for sharing!
Kristen Chidsey
You are so welcome, Amy! I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed the meatballs.
Cathy
These were light and tender with subtle hint of thyme and spices. Served with spaghetti squash to keep the carbs and cal lower. 😋
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing, Cathy! Happy to hear you enjoyed these meatballs.
Robert
I made these for a church gathering. I followed the recipe exactly but just doubled it. So simple and, YES......they blow away the meatballs from IKEA lol (and IKEA's are pretty good) Thank you.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Robert! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe so much!
Kate
I got some ground turkey on sale and then set out to find a recipe that would allow the turkey to be the star without drying it out like I usually do. I followed this recipe to a tee. It was delicious. The thyme makes a dramatic difference and I could have used more. I made turkey stalk after thanksgiving and used that. I served it over rice and it was a hit. Next time (and there will definitely be a next time) I will add some cayenne pepper to the gravy for a little zip. Thanks for the recipe
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing you enjoyed this recipe Kate!
Beth
This was yummy! All 3 of my picky kiddos loved it. I was trying to use up what I had in the fridge, so I used sour cream instead of the cream/milk. I didn't measure, but it was about half a tub of sour cream. The broth made enough liquid so it was fine. I added paprika and about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to give it an extra kick. So good!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Beth! I am so happy to hear you and your picky kids enjoyed the meatballs. Even better that you were able to use up what you had on hand.
Paula
How many meatballs should this make?
Kristen Chidsey
Approximately 18 meatballs. Enjoy!
Julie
These were super good! I was feeling lazy so I threw the ingredients in the food processor instead of mixing by hand, added dried thyme instead of fresh (it was all I had), and made without the gravy. Cooking the meatballs with broth really made them cook up nicely. There were none left after dinner, my family loved them. I can't wait to try it with the gravy next time!!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad your family enjoyed Julie! You will LOVE this with the gravy!
Emy
This recipe was delicious, thank you for sharing it! My daughter ate them all (and she is really difficult to please).
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that your daughter enjoyed Emy!
Lisa
I have been craving Swedish meatballs, and these were delicious. Meatballs are always a pain to make, but these were worth the work. Everyone devoured them, even my picky kid. Thanks for the recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing your family enjoyed Lisa! Thanks for sharing.
Cherilyn Klomp
These were AMAZING! My almost 9 year old son (my pickiest eater) licked his plate clean...twice!!! The meatballs were tender, flavorful and just plain delicious. The gravy/sauce was divine. Thank you for a lightened up version that doesn’t skimp on taste!
Kristen Chidsey
WAHOO!!! I love when a meal pleases the picky eaters!! Thank you for letting me know your family enjoyed.
Joanie
What a fabulous recipe! We loved it with ground turkey but I love that you can also use beef or pork. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Joanie! I love using whatever meat I have on hand. Enjoy!
Sarah
Swedish meatballs are a family favorite. Thanks for sharing this variation!
Kristen Chidsey
YAY Sarah, I am so glad you enjoyed these meatballs.