Hello, my beautiful people! I hope you are having a great day today. I am so glad to have you here. For today’s blog post, I want to share the lingonberry sauce recipe, which many of you might know as the meatball sauce served at Ikea.
By the way, I love Ikea. I am so grateful that this brand exists. Ikea made it so easy and fun to make our home. And when my husband and I go to Ikea, we don’t only go furniture shopping; we also love dropping by the restaurant or cafe. You might have done the same and got to love the Swedish meatballs and the red sauce that is served together during winter. If you want to learn how to make the sauce, you are at the right place!
Then, let’s start with a little background information about the Ikea meatball sauce or Ikea meatball jam.
What Is the Ikea Meatball Sauce (Jam)?
Swedish Brand, Ikea
Ikea is a Swedish furniture and home goods brand, and therefore, it has a Swedish brand identity. There are a few things you can tell: their product names are in Swedish (they are the names of Swedish cities and villages), blue and yellow Ikea colors are the colors from the Swedish flag, and the restaurants serve Swedish food.
Typical Swedish Dish
So, with the Swedish identity, Ikea serves some varieties of typical Swedish dishes at their restaurants. And one of them is the Swedish meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, and some lingonberry sauce—the Ikea meatball sauce!
This is the picture I took when I was in Ikea in Norway, and my family ordered a variety of dishes here.
IKEA Lingonberry Jam Ingredients
The red sauce that comes with the meatballs at Ikea is called the lingonberry jam (tyttebærsyltetøy in Norwegian). It is very easy to make this lingonberry jam. The main ingredients are sugar, fresh or frozen lingonberries, and water.
Is It Lingonberry Jam or Lingonberry Sauce at Ikea?
People usually ask what “the red sauce” is at Ikea, but it’s actually a lingonberry jam! There are both lingonberry jam and lingonberry sauces, and they are different dishes.
The lingonberry jam is what we usually serve with the meatballs. It is made and tastes sweet like jam. Although it is called jam, it is served with savory dishes due to its strong tartness.
The lingonberry sauce, however, is made with other spices like pepper and juniper berries, and other ingredients like vinegar and butter are added for tart and savory flavor.
Meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, and the lingonberry jam on a plate and a cup of apple juice: The classic Scandinavian dinner plate.
How to Serve Lingonberry Jam
The most popular way to serve this lingonberry sauce is to serve it together with creamy mashed potatoes, meatballs, and cream gravy. This is served not only in Sweden but also in Norway.
Swedish Way to Serve Lingonberry Jam
According to the information on Ikea, this sweet and tart lingonberry sauce is served with other classic Swedish potato cakes, dumplings, and pancakes with pork.
Norwegian Way to Serve Lingonberry Jam
I live in Norway, so I’m more used to seeing lingonberry jam with Norwegian dishes. In Norway, these are served with autumn dishes like lamb and other roasts.
Lingonberries in Norway and Sweden
Lingonberries have many other names, such as mountain cranberries, wild cranberries, and cowberries. These beautiful red berries are called “tyttebær” in Norwegian and “tranbär” in Swedish, and they are popular fruits to cook with during the autumn season.
Lingonberries grow wild on low bushes in the forest in Northern Europe, and they become red and ripe in the autumn. I love going berry picking in the autumn in both Norway and Sweden.
Recently, I’ve been to Branäs, Sweden, and picked so many lingonberries there. You can read more about it here.
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Health Benefits of Lingonberries
Lingonberries are similar to cranberries in looks, tastes, and health benefits. No wonder lingonberries are called mountain cranberries. So if you know some of the health benefits of cranberries already, they are quite similar. Here are some of the proven health benefits of eating lingonberries.
- Anti-aging from many antioxidants (5.8% polyphenols, 2.9% flavonols, 1.9% phenolic acids, and 1.5% anthocyanins)
- May help with weight loss by inhibiting the absorption of fat and sugar
- Exceptionally great for heart, kidney, and liver function
Aren’t these little red berries amazing? Delicious and healthy, lingonberries are truly a gem.
This lingonberry jam recipe is not only delicious and healthy, but also incredibly easy to follow. Even among other jam recipes, lingonberry jam stands as an easy recipe to follow.
With no further ado, let’s dive right into the lingonberry jam recipe then.
Lingonberry Jam Recipe | Make Swedish IKEA Meatball Sauce at Home!
Swedish Lingonberry Jam
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare 1.1 pounds (500 g) of fresh or frozen lingonberries. If you have fresh lingonberries, wash them thoroughly.
- Pour the clean lingonberries into a pot. Add 1/3 cup of water to the pot and bring it to a boil.
- Once the water starts to boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Let it cook for 5 minutes. Then, press the lingonberries with a wooden spoon gently and slowly. Don’t mash all the berries.
- When the lingonberries are cooked, they will become soft and mashed easily. Once the lingonberries are roughly mashed, add the sugar and salt. Mix well.
- The sugar and salt will melt as you mix, and the lingonberry mixture will become glossy and smell wonderful. Cook on a low heat and mix for another 10 more minutes. You can add additional spices for flavors now if you want.
- Remove the jam from the heat. Let the lingonberry jam cool down. Your lingonberry jam is ready to be served!
Expert Tips for Lingonberry Jam Recipe
1. Store in Fridge
Once you have made the lingonberry jam, you can store your jam for a while. Lingonberries are full of antioxidants and therefore can last a while themselves. But when made into jam and stored in the fridge, it can surely stay stable for a while. I recommend eating it within 3 weeks, though, as this recipe does not have a lot of sugar.
2. Adjust with More Sweetener
Have a taste test once you follow this recipe. Then, adjust with more or less sweetener as you like. If you decide to add more sweetness, remember to add more water to adjust the consistency.
Summary of Lingonberry Jam Recipe
I’m not sure if I should call this a Swedish or a Norwegian recipe! This sauce is served in both countries and perhaps in other countries that can find lingonberries too. One thing for sure, though, is that this lingonberry jam is a very popular dish in the autumn. Tart, fresh, and sweet, this lingonberry jam is a beautiful sauce that tells you that autumn is near. I hope you savor the season better with this lingonberry jam.
I will see you again with another delicious post! (I am hooked on writing recipes for the fall season. 🍁🍂) Until then, you can check out my other scrumptious recipes.
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