This easy recipe takes the classic Swedish meatballs dish and turns it into a creamy meatball soup perfect for any chilly day.
What I love most about this recipe is how the homemade meatballs stay tender and juicy, while the creamy broth develops rich flavors, and the soup is ready in no time at all!
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This easy recipe is adaptable to whatever cooking method you prefer. While I love using my Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker because it makes cooking quick and simple, you can use any method from pressure cooking to a large pot on the stove.
Suggested Kitchen Tools for Swedish Meatball Soup
While you don't need any special equipment or kitchen tools for making this soup, the following will make the process a little quicker.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large bowl for mixing the meatballs
- (affiliate link)1 tablespoon scoop for meatballs
- Large pot (if not using pressure cooker)
- Airtight container for leftovers
Ingredients & Substitutions
While you can use premade meatballs in this recipe, I really hope you take the time to make them homemade so you can add in the special touches that really makes this soup stand out!
For the Meatballs
Ground Meat
Used in Recipe: 1 pound 80/20 ground beef and 1 pound 85/15 ground pork
What it Does in the Recipe: This mix of ground meat creates the perfect juicy meatballs with ideal fat content
Substitutions: You can use all ground beef or all ground pork. You can also use a combination of ground beef and ground turkey for leaner meatballs, but keep in mind the fat content is important for juicy meatballs.
If you want to use all lean ground turkey, then you may want to increase the egg in the recipe to 2 large eggs instead of one to keep them moist.
You can also use premade meatballs, but your flavors will be slightly different in the soup.
Seasonings
Used in Recipe: Sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, allspice, nutmeg. There is also dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce in the meatball mix for extra flavor.
What it Does: These spices create the classic Swedish meatball flavor and, while you may think the allspice and nutmeg are unusual spices in meatballs, they really make these meatballs so flavorful and delicious.
Substitutions: Garlic powder can be added or red pepper flakes if you want the meatballs a bit spicy.
You can omit or change any of the seasonings in the meatballs to suit your taste, but don't skip the salt! Without salt, the meatballs will be severely lacking in flavor.
Binders
Used in Recipe: 1 large egg, ½ cup bread crumbs, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
What it Does: Creates the perfect texture and moisture level and helps hold the meatballs together. The bread crumbs will bind with the fat from the ground meat. You can decrease or omit the bread crumbs if you are using a lean ground meat like turkey.
Substitutions: Can use sour cream instead of heavy cream or oats instead of bread crumbs.
Soup Base
Used in Recipe: 4 cups beef broth, 20 oz beef consommé, as well as salt, pepper, nutmeg, and allspice. I also use a touch of white wine vinegar, which is optional, but I found it balances all the other flavors perfectly.
What it Does: Creates a rich, flavorful soup base
Substitutions:
- Can use all beef stock, but the soup will not have as much richness
- Chicken broth works as an alternative
- Can mix broth and water
Noodles
I recommend using medium-wide egg noodles in this recipe for the best texture. The extra wide egg noodles can be used, but they end up being a bit big in the soup and a little harder to eat.
You can also skip the noodles and use diced potatoes, if desired, for a potato meatball soup. The PC time will depend on how big your potatoes are. For a 1" potato cube, I would PC for 2 minutes.
How to Make Swedish Meatball Soup in a Pressure Cooker
This recipe can be made in any electric pressure cooker that is 6 quarts or bigger. You do not need to change anything based on the size of your pressure cooker, but you may need to make adjustments in the sear/sauté heat level if you are using a stainless steel inner pot.
Making and Searing the Meatballs
If you are using a pressure cooker like the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper or Instant Pot, you can sear the meatballs directly in the bottom of the pot and then build your soup after they are seared.
You can either choose to sear the meatballs in batches or do what I do and, once they are seared on one side, flip them and let them sear on the other side and then push them over to the side of the pot to make room for more meatballs.
Mixing the meatballs
- Combine both types of ground beef in a large bowl
- Add egg, seasonings, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, and cream.
- Mix well with clean hands or you can use the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.
Searing the Meatballs
- Turn the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper or the Instant Pot on sear/saute. Set the temperature to medium-high or medium if using a stainless steel pot.
- Allow the pot to heat up for about 2 minutes and add in the oil and let it heat up about 2-3 minutes.
- Using a 1 Tablespoons scoop, scoop out the meatball mixture and drop it into the oil. You do not need to roll the meatballs into perfect round shapes. Repeat until the meatballs are covering the bottom of the pot.
- Sear on the one side for about 2-3 minutes and then gently flip them over to sear on the other side for about 1-2 minutes.
- Move the seared meatballs to the side of the pot to make room for the next batch.
- Repeat this process until you have used all the meat mixture. This will take a good 15-20 minutes and is very important to sear them or your meatballs may fall apart during the pressure cooking time.
Building the Soup Base
Once all of the meatballs have been seared, you will want to deglaze the pot with the beef broth. The pot should stay on sear/sauté for this process.
Once the liquid has been added, gently scrape along the bottom of the pot to release any stuck on bits (called fond) so they incorporate into the soup base.
This not only brings flavor into the soup, but it will also prevent the water or burn notice when you pressure cook, which can sometimes be triggered by stuck on food even when there is plenty of liquid in the pot.
Add in the beef consume, egg noodles, white wine vinegar, and spice blend.
Give the soup a good stir and then set the pot up for pressure cooking.
Pressure Cooking & Serving
- Put the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure the valve is to the seal position.
- Set the pressure to high and the time to 1 minute.
- Press Start.
It will take about 8 minutes or so for the pot to come to pressure and once the 1 minute pressure cook time is up, allow the pot to natural release the pressure for 1 minute and then manually release the remaining pressure.
This means the time display will count up from zero to 1 minute and then you move the pressure valve to vent.
Once all the pressure has been released the pin in the back will drop and it is safe to open the lid.
Finishing the Soup for Serving
The final step before serving the soup is to add in some heavy cream. This lightens the soup color and creates the rich flavors in a Swedish Meatball gravy.
Let the soup sit for a few minutes, and then serve and enjoy!
How to Make Swedish Meatball Soup on the Stove
The process is going to be exactly the same except you will simmer the soup on the stove in a large covered pot until the noodles are cooked to your desired texture.
I would also add an extra ½-1 cup of liquid, because there will be more evaporation with stovetop cooking than pressure cooking. You can judge how much to add during the cooking process.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
How to Store Leftover Swedish Meatball Soup
Refrigeration
Place leftover soup in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days.
Freezer
Make sure the soup is cold before freezing to avoid ice crystals. I recommend refrigerating leftovers overnight and then freezing them.
Frozen Swedish Meatball Soup is best when used within 3 months.
How to Reheat Swedish Meatball Soup
Stovetop
Place leftover soup in a pot on the stove and warm on low heat until warmed through.
Quick Tip
You may need to add some broth and heavy cream when reheating leftover Swedish Meatball Soup.
Slow Cooker
Place soup in slow cooker and heat on low until warmed through. The time it takes will depend on the amount of soup you are reheating and if it is frozen or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! While premade Italian meatballs will work fine in the recipe, they won't give you the same flavor as homemade. The homemade meatballs have specific seasonings like allspice and nutmeg that complement the soup and give us that authentic Swedish meatball taste.
I don't recommend doubling the recipe in a pressure cooker because the time to pressure will be much longer and you can end up with overcooked noodles.
You can cut the recipe in half and use the same timing.
If you are making it on the stove, you can certainly double all of the ingredients as long as your pot is large enough. You can also cut the recipe in half, but the cooking time will be about the same.
Certainly! If you wanted it to be thicker, simply mix 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour right into your cream before you pour it into your pot. You can also add more egg noodles (8 oz instead of 6 oz) which will release more starch and naturally thicken the broth
More Pressure Cooker Soups!
Using your pressure cooker to make quick and easy soups allows for tons of flavor to be developed in a short time. Here are some favorites!
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup (pressure cooker recipe)
- Pressure Cooker Beef & Barley Soup
- Vegetable Beef Soup ~ Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot Recipe
- Pressure Cooked Beef Stew in the Ninja Foodi
- Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Sausage & Spinach Tortellini Soup (Pressure Cooker or Stove Top)
- Cabbage & Sausage Soup (Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot)
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup in the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot
Swedish Meatball Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Homemade Meatballs
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 1 pound 85/15 ground pork
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream or whole milk
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
For the Soup Base
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups beef broth
- 20 ounces beef consommé
- ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 6 ounces medium wide egg noodles
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
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Instructions
Homemade Meatballs
- In a large mixing bowl, combine meatball ingredients and mix well with clean hands.1 pound 80/20 ground beef, 1 pound 85/15 ground pork, 1 large egg, ½ cup plain breadcrumbs, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, 1½ teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Searing the Meatballs
- Turn the NInja Foodi pressure cooker and air crisper on medium-high sear/sauté and add in the olive oil. Let the oil heat for 2-3 minutes.2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Using a 1 Tablespoon scoop, scoop out the meatball mixture and place the meatball into the inner pot. I do not worry about shaping the meatballs, just scoop and drop. Repeat this process until you have a single layer of meatballs in the bottom of the pot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and flip the meatballs and sauté for another 1-2 minutes on the other side. Move the meatballs to the side of the pot and scoop out another batch of meatballs to cover the bottom of the pot. Repeat this process until all the meatballs are seared on both sides and cooked 60-75% through. This process will take 15-20 minutes and is important so your meatballs don't fall apart while pressure cooking.
Making the Soup
- As soon as the meatballs are finished searing on both sides, deglaze the pot with beef stock. Scrape the bottom of the pot, careful not to break up the meatballs, to remove any stuck on bits from searing the meatballs.4 cups beef broth
- Add the remaining ingredients (except the heavy cream) and stir. Put the pressure lid on make sure the valve is in the sealed position. Select the pressure cook function and set the time for 1 minute and pressure start. Once the 1 minute pressure cook time is up, allow the pot to naturally release its pressure for 1 minute (this means do nothing while the display counts up to 1 minute). After the 1 minute of natural release, move the valve to the vent position and allow the remaining pressure to be released.20 ounces beef consommé, ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar, 6 ounces medium wide egg noodles, ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice
- Once all the pressure is released, open the lid. Add in the heavy cream and stir to combine. Serve and Enjoy!½ cup heavy whipping cream
Notes
Nutrition
About the Recipe Author, Louise Long
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.
Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and learning more about the appliances they love.
Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper 101
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information
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