If you love Ikea’s Swedish meatballs (köttbullar) but want to stay on track with points, this recipe is for you! This lightened-up Weight Watchers-friendly version blends lean beef and chicken—baked or air-fried—and pairs them with a creamy yogurt sauce you’ll love.
Ready in 30 minutes with just 2 Points per serving, you’ll want to keep these in your weeknight dinner or party food rotation. Looking for more easy, satisfying dinners? Don’t miss our other Weight Watchers dinner ideas—perfect for busy nights!
What Makes These Lighter
Most Swedish meatball recipes build their sauce on heavy cream, sour cream or cream cheese. This one doesn’t use any of them. The sauce is skim milk thickened with a teaspoon of cornstarch and finished with low-fat plain Greek yogurt off the heat, which gives you the same tang and the same cling without the points.
The meatballs themselves are half lean ground beef and half ground chicken breast. You keep the beefy flavour that makes a Swedish meatball taste like a Swedish meatball, and the chicken lightens the whole thing without anyone noticing. They bake or air-fry instead of pan-frying in butter.
Recipe Overview
- Serving Size: 260 g (about 9 oz)
- Number of Servings: 4
- Time to Cook: 30 minutes
- 2 WW Points Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)
Ingredients in Swedish Meatballs
For the meatballs:
- 250 g (about 9 oz) lean ground beef
- 250 g (about 9 oz) ground chicken breast
- 1 egg
- 1 slice white sandwich bread, crust removed
- 2 tablespoons skim milk (30 ml)
- ¼ onion, grated
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooking spray or 1 teaspoon oil (optional, only if pan-frying)
For the creamy sauce:
- 1 cup skim milk (240 ml)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (3 g), dissolved in a little cold water
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 6 Oz low-fat plain Greek yogurt
- Salt and pepper to taste
For serving (optional):
- 1 teaspoon cranberry jam per person
- Cauliflower mash or regular mashed potatoes
- Green peas
- Roasted broccoli
Instructions for making Swedish Meatballs
- Place the bread in a small bowl and pour the two tablespoons of milk over it to soften. In a separate large bowl, combine the ground beef and ground chicken. Add the grated onion, egg, soaked bread, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix everything by hand or with a spatula until fully incorporated, but don’t overmix to avoid tough meatballs.
- Form ping-pong-sized balls and place them on a baking tray lightly greased with spray. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C (390 °F) for 20–22 minutes, or cook them in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 190 °C (375 °F), flipping halfway through. You can also brown them slightly in a skillet with just a teaspoon of oil.
- While the meatballs cook, prepare the sauce. Heat the milk in a small saucepan, and once it begins to simmer, stir in the cornstarch-water mix and the mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat, wait a few seconds, then stir in the Greek yogurt. Mix well and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the meatballs hot with the sauce on top and, if you like, a teaspoon of cranberry jam. Add a bit of cauliflower mash, green peas, and roasted vegetables for a complete, satisfying meal that stays within your WW plan.
Tips and Tricks Section for Swedish Meatballs
If you want these to taste as close as possible to authentic Swedish meatballs, follow these tricks:
- The bread trick is non-negotiable. That slice of bread soaked in milk isn’t just filler—it’s what keeps your meatballs tender and juicy. Make sure to really mash it up with a fork before mixing it in, and let it soak for at least 5 minutes.
- I use a small ice cream scoop to make them all the same size—about the size of a ping-pong ball. This way, they all finish cooking at the same time.
- Always let the milk mixture cool for about 30 seconds before adding the Greek yogurt, or it will curdle. I learned this after ruining more than one batch.
- Make extra and freeze them. These meatballs freeze beautifully after cooking. Just reheat them in the oven with a splash of broth to keep them moist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of sour cream in Swedish meatballs?
Low-fat plain Greek yogurt, which is exactly what this recipe uses. Stir it in off the heat, after the sauce has cooled for about 30 seconds — yogurt splits if you boil it. You get the same tang and body as sour cream for a fraction of the points.
What is the secret ingredient in Swedish meatballs?
Warm spice. The nutmeg and cinnamon are what separate a Swedish meatball from an Italian one, and it’s why these taste like the Ikea version even though they’re baked and made with lean meat. Don’t skip them, and don’t increase them either — half a teaspoon of nutmeg and a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon is the whole trick.
Can I make these in the air fryer?
Yes — 15 minutes at 190 °C (375 °F), flipping halfway through. That’s the fastest route and it’s how I make them most often.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Keep the meatballs and the sauce in separate containers in the fridge for up to three days. The meatballs also freeze well after cooking — reheat them in the oven with a splash of broth so they don’t dry out. Reheat the sauce gently and stir it, and don’t let it boil or the yogurt will split.
Related Recipes
Once you’ve made these, the rest of our lightened-up meatballs are worth a look. The Greek turkey meatballs use the same bake-don’t-fry approach with a completely different flavour, our chicken meatballs are the fastest of the lot, and the Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs are the one to make when you want dinner to cook itself. If weeknights are the problem, everything in 30 minutes or less is built for exactly that.
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 250 g lean ground beef
- 250 g ground chicken breast
- 1 egg
- 1 slice white sandwich bread, crust removed
- 2 tablespoons skim milk, 30 ml
- ¼ grated onion
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooking spray or 1 teaspoon oil, optional, only if pan-frying
For the creamy sauce:
- 1 cup skim milk, 240 ml
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 3 g, dissolved in a little cold water
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 6 Oz low-fat plain Greek yogurt
- Salt and pepper to taste
For serving
- 1 teaspoon cranberry jam per person
- Cauliflower or regular mashed potatoes
- Green peas
- Roasted broccoli
Instructions
- Place the bread in a small bowl and pour the two tablespoons of milk over it to soften. In a separate large bowl, combine the ground beef and ground chicken. Add the grated onion, egg, soaked bread, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix everything by hand or with a spatula until fully incorporated, but don’t overmix to avoid tough meatballs.
- Form ping-pong-sized balls and place them on a baking tray lightly greased with spray. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C (390 °F) for 20–22 minutes, or cook them in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 190 °C (375 °F), flipping halfway through. You can also brown them slightly in a skillet with just a teaspoon of oil.
- While the meatballs cook, prepare the sauce. Heat the milk in a small saucepan, and once it begins to simmer, stir in the cornstarch-water mix and the mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat, wait a few seconds, then stir in the Greek yogurt. Mix well and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the meatballs hot with the sauce on top and, if you like, a teaspoon of cranberry jam. Add a bit of cauliflower mash, green peas, and roasted vegetables for a complete, satisfying meal that stays within your WW plan.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
