Ikea is famous for its furniture and home accessories, but no trip to one of its stores would be complete without a plate of its famous meatballs. It has now shared its famous recipe so those staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic can have a bash at making their own.
The Swedish meatballs debuted in stores in the 1980s after founder Ingvar Kamprad decided it was too difficult to do business with someone on an empty stomach. He wanted to offer quintessential Swedish food to shoppers via the Ikea food court, and the meatballs have now become one of the most popular items on the menu. They are traditionally served around the world with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam and allemansrätten cream sauce.
With many stores temporarily closed, Ikea UK shared a recipe that fans can follow for making its meatballs at home, with enough to serve four people. It requires 500g of beef mince, 250g of pork mince, a finely chopped onion, a clove of crushed or minced garlic, an egg, 100g breadcrumbs, five tablespoons of whole milk and salt and pepper. For the allemansrätten cream sauce, 40g of oil is required, along with 40g of plain flour, 150ml of vegetable stock, 150ml of beef stock, 150ml of thick double cream, two teaspoons of soy sauce and one teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
Alongside the standard meatball, of which over two million per day were served in Ikea stores worldwide prior to the pandemic, vegan and chicken options are also offered. For now, only the recipe for the standard beef and pork version has been shared, which should help to satisfy those who are missing their meatball fix.
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