The Best Ikea Swedish Food Market Items You Should Always Put In Your Cart

Though this store started with humble beginnings as a small-goods shop in a small Swedish town in the 1940s, Ikea has since grown to a global powerhouse offering homewares, textiles, and even toys. And though it might be best known for its signature clean aesthetic and infuriatingly difficult-to-put-together furniture, there's another, often-overlooked category of goods where it's setting a high bar: food.

This iconic Swedish store has not only a sit-down restaurant — at most locations — offering Scandinavian specialities, but also has a bountiful grocery marketplace where customers can stock up on their favorites to enjoy at home — and luckily, no assembly required. Among the countless packaged items, frozen goods, and beverages, there are a few mouthwatering customer favorites that are perfect for delicious breakfast, snacks, gourmet dinners, and everything in between. Next time you head to Ikea, keep an eye out for these top items that are sure to become regular additions to your shopping list.

To many, Ikea is not only synonymous with affordable furniture but with an iconic Swedish delicacy: meatballs. Though the Swedish furniture store may be best known for the sweet meatballs in a creamy, umami sauce that they serve in their cafe, patrons can also buy the beef meatballs frozen in the grocery section. For those that prefer a leaner style, they also offer a chicken variation and a meat-free, veggie version.

The beef variety has nearly all 5-star reviews, with upwards of 1,500 customers raving about this tasty treat. Bake, sauté, or even air fry the frozen morsels, cook up mashed potatoes, and serve with lingonberry jam. Don't forget to top everything with the distinct sauce that's fast and easy to whip up at home with a few simple ingredients like beef stock, cream, soy sauce, and flour. Just like that, in a few easy steps, you can recreate the iconic Ikea cafe meal in the comfort of your own home.

Looking for a snack with the perfect blend of sweet, savory, and spicy? Look no further than Ikea's ginger thins. These cookies are the ideal companion for coffee, making them a staple for mid-afternoon or after-dinner snacking to satisfy your sweet tooth.

The ultra-thin cookie has classic ginger snap flavor — like molasses, brown sugar, and of course, ginger — with the addition of large pieces of almonds throughout, giving the cookie a unique and chunky texture. They are perfect for dunking in warm drinks like coffee, lattes, or tea to soften them up a bit without completely disintegrating. Ginger is also a powerhouse ingredient filled with antioxidants that helps minimize inflammation and aid digestion, so these cookies not only taste delicious but are good for you, too.

Eat the cookies on their own or use them as the base for other common desserts, like ice cream cookie sandwiches (try pairing it with classic vanilla bean ice cream or even more decadent alternative flavors like caramel or coffee). They'd also be a delicious sub for the graham cracker crust in recipes like cheesecake or a fruit tart.

While Ikea may be best known for its savory foods like meatballs, don't overlook its dessert selection. The frozen daim cake is a dream for chocolate lovers, making it a must-buy item to keep on hand when a craving strikes. With over 300 reviews and an average rating of 4.9 stars, it's one of Ikea's most-loved food items.

This decadent creation is a Swedish staple. Typically made with alternating layers of almond cake and crunchy caramel almond brittle, the cake is finished with a rich milk chocolate coating. While you can make this cake from scratch, it's a labor-intensive process that is not for the faint of heart. It requires a dacquoise, mousseline, caramel brittle, and chocolate glaze that would make even an experienced baker think twice.

Luckily, Ikea's frozen version is equally delicious as homemade and ready to eat after just 20 minutes of defrosting. An added bonus? It's also gluten free. Pair it with coffee for a mid-afternoon treat or enjoy after dinner to get your daily chocolate fix.

Though you can find frozen waffles in almost any grocery store, consider adding them to your shopping list next time you head to Ikea instead. This breakfast staple has a crispy, crunchy exterior and a soft, slightly-sweet interior, creating the perfect textural balance and delicious bite.

The frozen format makes it easy to prepare quickly in the morning – simply pop them in the toaster, fry them up in a skillet or on a griddle, or even air fry them for an easy meal. Top them with classics like butter and syrup or think more outside the box for a tasty concoction. Jam, fruit, and a dusting of powdered sugar creates an even sweeter meal, while the addition of lox, sour cream, and chives offers a savory alternative. You can even use them as the bun in your favorite breakfast sandwich. And though the heart shape doesn't have any impact on the flavor, you can't deny it makes them a little bit more fun to eat than their boring round counterparts.

Though you'll often find sparkling apple juice as a common, alcohol-free alternative to carbonated wines like champagne, Ikea is offering a new (arguably better) option. Ideal for holiday parties, weddings, or even just casual weeknight dinners, this sparkling pear beverage is the perfect option for anyone looking to avoid the undesirable symptoms of a champagne hangover.

The delicious drink strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tangy, delivering the just the right flavor and level of carbonation to make any meal feel more festive. Unlike many sparkling apple ciders, however, it doesn't have the unpleasant, cloying taste that coats your tongue. Instead, it's refreshing, light, and even easy to pair with food. The only downside? Once the bottle is opened, it goes flat quickly so you'll either need to drink it all in one sitting or be okay with a less-than-fizzy second serving the next day.

Mustard and dill is one of cooking's most timeless flavor pairings. Ikea has taken this time-tested duo and used it to create a mildly sweet mustard and dill condiment that is endlessly versatile. Though mustard and dill flavors are commonly found paired with salmon or lox, it's a jack-of-all-trades sauce that you can incorporate into countless dishes.

In addition to salmon, add the sauce to nearly any protein from seafood like crab to poultry and meat like pork, ham, or chicken. Use it as a meat marinade, the base of a pan sauce, a dip for crudité, or even thinned out with some oil as a salad dressing. Only the sky's the limit to how you can incorporate this savory condiment into your favorite meals. And with an unbeatable price tag of $2.99, you can stock up your pantry without breaking the bank so you never have to go without.

Swedish candy has taken the internet by storm, and for good. The Scandinavian country's chewy, bouncy, and often sour candy is frequently made with healthier ingredients than similar American styles. Real sugar instead of corn syrup and glucose instead of gelatin in most Swedish sweets not only helps to avoid highly processed ingredients, but also makes the candies vegan and gluten free, too.

This bag of Ikea candy is no exception. With an airy and foam-like texture that sits somewhere between gummy bears and marshmallows, this sour foam candy is a unique product that is unexpectedly addicting. Each bag has two flavors — pear and forest fruit — that each are the ideal balance of sweet and tart to keep you coming back for more. Each piece is also shaped like a little house that, though has no impact on the flavor or texture, makes it even more fun to eat. Try mixing and matching it with Ikea's other candy to create your own, at-home mix-and-pick candy store for an authentic Swedish experience.

Though this unassuming crisp may not look like a must-have as you're scanning Ikea's grocery market, it's a popular item you might not want to miss. With nearly 500 5-star reviews, it's a fan-favorite that tops many customers' lists thanks to its crispy texture, distinct flavor, and healthy, whole ingredients.

This rye cracker is the perfect size — between a regular cracker and a slice of bread — for making open-faced style toasts with all of your favorite toppings. It also has the ideal texture for satisfying crunch with every bite. But the cracker's flavor is the real star. With the same earthy, nutty flavor as rye bread, it offers a bolder alternative to wheat or white crackers that gives this product amazing range. Pair it with similar flavors you would with rye bread like eggs, lox, avocados, or even classic Reuben ingredients like corned beef, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing.

The savory, nutty flavor of oats and the rich, decadent taste of chocolate combine to create Ikea's delicious oatmeal cookies. A layer of gooey dark chocolate is sandwiched between thin, crispy oatmeal cookies to create this sweet treat. Perfect for the Swedish tradition of fika — or coffee and cookies with friends – they're the ideal afternoon snack to satisfy your sweet tooth. With over 100 5-star reviews from satisfied customers, they're an undeniable crowd favorite among Ikea shoppers. It's also a cookie you can feel good about purchasing because they're Rainforest Alliance Certified to support sustainable agriculture.

In addition to pairing them with coffee, try crumbling them over your favorite vanilla ice cream for a warm-weather treat or dip them into a glass of milk for a classic, refreshing duo. The only downside? At nearly $10 per package, they're significantly more expensive than many other name-brand sandwich cookies like Oreos.

Ikea's frozen Swedish pancakes, or pannkakor, are a versatile staple to always have on hand. The thin pancakes fall somewhere between crêpes and traditional American pancakes, making them the ideal base for a variety of both sweet and savory toppings. While Swedes traditionally pair these pancakes with a Scandinavian soup, they're also known to pair them with another Swedish signature: lingonberry jam.

Though these pancakes are fairly straightforward to make on your own with just a few pantry staples, nothing beats the ease of popping these frozen, individually folded Ikea pancakes into the microwave. Just be sure not to overheat them, or you'll run into a rubbery, unpleasant texture.

The best part? The mildly sweet, flour-based pancakes complement a plethora of flavors. From brunch-inspired dishes that feature lox, sour cream, and chives to Nutella and strawberry combinations akin to classic French crêpes, the options are truly limitless to what you can create.

A Swedish meatball meal isn't complete without the signature lingonberry jam, and Ikea is serving up a classic. This organic fruit spread perfectly blends sour and sweet for a delicious condiment you'll want to put on almost anything. For those who have never had lingonberries, the flavor is most similar to a cranberry, with a tart and acidic taste. Like cranberries, lingonberries are seldom eaten raw because of their intensity — but they are the ideal fruit for adding sugar to create mouthwatering preserves like Ikea's.

The thick, jelly texture spreads effortlessly on toast, pancakes, or waffles; it complements savory flavors like beef or turkey; and it works well in fruit desserts like cookies and cakes. Bursting with antioxidants, these berries are not only delicious but also help improve gut health, making them not only delicious but good for your microbiome. They can also help reduce inflammation and may reduce the risk of chronic disease, making this fruit spread a health-conscious purchase on your next Ikea excursion.

Coffee lovers, rejoice! This organic, dark roast coffee blend delivers a delicious taste and much needed jolt of caffeine in the same cup. The UTZ-certified, 100% Arabica-bean-blend is a medium to full-bodied concoction that has notes of dark chocolate. The robust, smoky flavor is stronger than light or medium blends, making it ideal for those who are looking for something a bit more intense.

And this coffee is the real deal. It has all the markers of a high quality cup of Joe; a balance of acidity and sweetness, smooth flavor, and no overwhelming bitterness. Though it's meant to be brewed hot, you can also drink it over ice during the summer months for a delicious cup of coffee that will help keep you cool. Buy it in the Ikea marketplace, or purchase a cup of this hot coffee in the cafe and enjoy it while you browse the store — or even do both to double-down on this impressive brew.

A Swedish market wouldn't be complete without the addition of gravlax, a dill-cured salmon dish that is central to Scandinavian cuisine. Ikea's rendition boasts a delicious, slightly smoky flavor and an exterior edge coated in herbs. Each pack has several thick slices of fish, perfect for topping toast, adding to a salad, or even eating on its own.

Not only is it delicious, but it's eco-friendly, too. Ikea's frozen smoked salmon is also ASC-certified, a designation reserved only for fish and fish products harvested and produced in a sustainable, eco-friendlyway that you can feel good about. When you're ready to eat the fish, move the package from the freezer into the fridge to allow it to slowly defrost and prevent unwanted bacteria from forming. Once thawed, you can pair it with your favorite accoutrements for a knockout dish like smoked salmon sushi or smoked salmon and shrimp pasta that will impress even the toughest critics.