What To Eat At IKEA – Plus The BEST Copycat Recipes - All Spiced Out (2024)

If you’re like us, and you find yourself at IKEA often, you might be wondering what to eat at IKEA. Read on to learn about some of the best IKEA Restaurant menu items.

IKEA not only offers affordable home designs, but also some of the best deals around for a satisfying meal for your whole family.

But if you don’t live close by to a location, don’t despair. We’ve also included the best copycat recipes. You can easily prepare these at home anytime.

Plus, we’ll add some IKEA Food Market tips, including some delicious easy recipe ideas for those delectable seafood groceries once you get them home.

If you’re unable to get to IKEA, you’ll be happy to know that many grocery stores carry similar seafood items you can use in our recipes.

IKEA’s Restaurant is definitely worth going to every time you take a trip there. We make the hour long trip quite often, and are always sure to have breakfast, lunch or dinner in IKEA’s restaurant.

In fact, knowing there’s a delicious and affordable meal involved that our whole family enjoys is a big part of IKEA’s charm for us.

Especially since Björn is originally from Sweden and is able to get many of the meals and groceries from IKEA’s Supermarket that he can’t otherwise easily find locally.

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Sure enough, we have even made spontaneous pit stops along the way of our camping road trips at the sight of a location.

Our kids enjoy many items on the menu. From mac and cheese, to chicken fingers, fries, and even baked salmon, they always find their favorites.

There’s almost nothing more exciting than a trip to IKEA with a Swede, by the way.

If you’ve ever wondered what all of the product names in Swedish mean, for example!

Such as, what is a Gubbröra?

Interestingly enough, it’s a spatula as well as a savory recipe!

But I digress…

Now back to the food.

Best IKEA Dishes – What To Eat At IKEA

These are our go to dishes that are always part of our lunch or dinner order.

We love these so much that we also make copycat recipes at home, with seafood ingredients that we stock up on from IKEA Supermarket or local grocery store.

IKEA Swedish Meatballs

This is the obvious choice for many, including us, every time we go.

In addition to beef meatballs, you can also order veggie balls, plant balls, chicken meatballs and salmon meatballs.

Plus, all are usually available for purchase at the IKEA Supermarket, to take home and enjoy another time.

Side dishes are usually mashed potatoes, and lingonberry jam. We love lingonberry jam and purchase a couple of jars from the Supermarket also.

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IKEA Smoked Salmon Gravlax Salad

We never miss a chance to order IKEA gravlax salad

Another great frozen seafood option to keep on hand in your freezer, smoked salmon is so versatile.

Stored in flat packaging, it thaws quick for use in your favorite recipes and makes for easy entertaining!

Lax can be made into smoked salmon salad sandwiches and is often included in a buffet style Swedish sandwich table (smorgasbord).

IKEA Shrimp Sandwich

Cold water shrimp are the best shrimp for shrimp sandwiches.

As it turns out, cold water shrimp are never farmed and they taste more tender, juicy and are sweeter than other shrimp types.

Their flavor is exquisite. You will love them in your creamy shrimp salad sandwich.

They are the perfect shrimp for an easy and super delicious homemade IKEA shrimp sandwich with sliced egg.

They are also the shrimp to use in toast Skagen shrimp toast.

Grab a package or two at IKEA food mart and enjoy in a multitude of ways, in your favorite recipes with shrimp.

IKEA Salmon Fillet With Lemon Dill Sauce

We love to order IKEA salmon fillets at IKEA Restaurant and then get some frozen packages to-go at the end of our visit at IKEA grocery.

Our recipe is simple, with a lemon butter sauce that you can serve as is or include a drizzle of Läckergom lemon dill sauce over top.

We also love IKEA salmon fillets in this seafood restaurant inspired Maple Glazed Salmon (with lingonberry jam!).

What To Eat at IKEA – Soup

IKEA Restaurant soups are excellent in both flavor and value. The menu varies but you’ll definitely want to check out the soup du jour.

We particularly love their tomato vegetable soup (minestrone style) and their mushroom soup. Both are super delicious and filling.

What To Eat at IKEA – Dessert

I don’t think you can go wrong here.

From apple cake to almond cake, chocolate cake and princess cakes, these are all fantastic choices to satisfy any cravings for sweets.

Enjoy these at IKEA Restaurant or purchase some packages to-go at the Food Market.

At IKEA’s Food Market, you’ll also find Kafferep oat biscuits, almond cookies, ginger thins and more.

There is also a good selection of Swedish gummy candies (lordagsgodis), licorice and chocolates.

What To Eat at IKEA Breakfast

If you’re out shopping early, you won’t want to miss breakfast at IKEA Restaurant.

A typical IKEA breakfast includes an arrangement with items like eggs, meat, baked beans and potatoes, pancakes, waffles or toast. The breakfast menu can vary by location.

Don’t forget to pour a nice cup of coffee (or two)!

Again, an economical and hearty meal awaits, the perfect fuel for your shopping trip.

Best IKEA Groceries

Before you head out of IKEA, be sure to visit their supermarket for some goodies.

You can grab some Swedish groceries that are difficult to find elsewhere outside of Sweden.

Some of our favorites are:

• Lingonberry Jam
• Blueberry Jam
• Cloudberry Jam
• Swedish Meatballs
• Salmon and Cod Meatballs
• Chicken Meatballs
• Veggie Balls and Plant Balls
• Pickled Herring and Crispbread Crackers
• Smoked Salmon Gravlax and Mustard Dill Sauce
• Salmon Fillets and Lackergom Lemon Dill Sauce
• Cold Water Shrimp
• Farmer’s Cheese
• Caviar or Seaweed Pearls
• Packaged Cinnamon Bun snacks, Gifflar brand
• Kefferep Cookies
• Ginger snaps
• Daim chocolate

IKEA Pickled Herring (Sill)

Pickled herring (sill, in Swedish) is one of the main features of a Swedish Midsummer menu and on sandwich tables (smörgåsbord).

Many flavor combinations exist except are hard to find outside of Sweden.

Your best bet is IKEA, they carry a few flavors but no where near what you’d find in entire grocery aisles dedicated to sill in Sweden.

IKEA Brand Herring (Sill) Types:

• Sill Senap – Marinated herring in mustard sauce
• Sill Dill – Herring in dill marinade
• Sill Inlagd – marinated herring with onion and carrot
• Sill Lök – marinated herring with onion
• Sill Matjes – spiced matjes herring in bits

IKEA Crisp Bread

IKEA sells crispbread called KNÄCKEBRÖD RÅGRye crispbread. IKEA’s crackers are round, although rectangular crispbread is more common in local grocery stores.

When you need a quick snack but want to keep it nutritious, crispbread is an excellent option.

It’s easy to top these multigrain crackers with any sandwich filling (canned salmon salad, smoked salmon salad, lobster salad, crab salad and shrimp salad).

And a personal favorite gubbröra recipe, a creamy mix of egg, anchovies (can sub pickled herring sill matjes), potatoes and seaweed pearls or caviar.

Just spread the sandwich filling on top of your cracker and garnish with fresh dill, chives or whatever you like!

You can also enjoy crispbread simply buttered or with meat or seafood toppings.

Choose any of the following for a quick and healthy snack:

• Pickled herring (sill)
• Smoked Salmon (gravad lax)
• Smoked oysters
• Canned Sardines in tomato sauce or plain
• Canned Mackerel in tomato sauce or plain
• Egg slices and anchovies
• Pâté and thinly sliced pickles, or just plain liver pâté

These options make entertaining easy! Plus you can always customize the crackers or canapes with your own favorite toppings.

You can simply mix and match for easy appetizers and snacks.

Or you can display the crackers and toppings as in a charcuterie board style and your guests can choose their own.

What To Eat At IKEA Bistro

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention IKEA Bistro.

Situated next to IKEA Food Market, it’s a hit with our kids for having slushies, hot dogs, pizza slices, soft serve ice cream and more. There are seasonal treats from time to time.

We usually make a quick stop to get a few treats for our kiddos to enjoy in the car ride home. It’s definitely a highlight of the trip for them.

IKEA Restaurant Special Events

Be sure to check out any special events offered at your local IKEA store.

From time to time, there are fun buffet style meals like IKEA Smorgasbords with many delicious menu and food store delicacies to try.

You can also keep a look out and mark your calendar for holiday buffets such as:

• IKEA All You Can Eat Midsummer buffet (Midsommar)
• IKEA All You Can Eat Holiday buffet (Julbord)
• IKEA All You Can Eat Easter buffet (Paskbord)
• IKEA Crayfish Party (Kraftskiva)

IKEA has had many innovative promotional events in the past and continue to offer new ones.

We especially love the Eat Your Receipt event, when it’s offered.

Basically, you can dine in the Swedish Restaurant (up to $30) and deduct the amount of your restaurant purchase (before tax) from any home furnishing purchase over $150! Keep a watchful eye for this one!

This year, in Canada, you can even fall in love with IKEA on Valentine’s Day.

IKEA Canada is having a Valentine’s Dinner for Two on February 14, 2024 at Canadian locations.

The price is $34.99 for three-course meal for two people. And children can enjoy kids meals for $5.99. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are selling out fast!

There’s always something new and exciting to check out at IKEA.

What are your favorite dishes at IKEA Restaurant? Or your go-to groceries at IKEA food market?

Have we missed any? Comment to let us know if we should add any to the list. Thanks so much!

Please share this with your IKEA loving friends and family!

Crave more homemade seafood excellence?

Read on for more suggestions for how to use IKEA Food Market seafood groceries for easy entertaining.

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Now that you’ve got all of those fabulous seafood groceries stocked up, let’s put them to good use!

Easy Entertaining Idea #1: Swedish Sandwich Cakes

When hosting a special brunch, you can prepare a Swedish Seafood Sandwich Cake (Seafood Smorgastarta) made with four layers of seafood sandwich mixes including cold water shrimp and smoked salmon gravlax from IKEA’s Supermarket.

In our home, we like to make a seafood smörgåstårta several times a year, for Easter, for New Year’s Eve and other occasions like Mother’s day, baptisms and birthdays.

And for the most special occasions, a milestone birthday for instance, an unforgettable Lobster Smorgastarta is guaranteed to please.

Easy Entertaining Idea #2: Homemade Sushi

You can also turn your IKEA seafood groceries into amazing easy homemade sushi rolls!

We whipped up these seven easy rolls (three of them with IKEA smoked salmon gravlax) for a DIY all you can eat sushi dinner at home.

These three sushi rolls: gravlax salmon maki, creamy gravlax sushi and gravlax salmon uramaki are easy to make with IKEA gravlax smoked salmon.

We also love these shrimp sushi roll uramaki that are prepared with IKEA cold water shrimp and IKEA Seaweed Pearls.

Be sure to check out all of our Swedish Recipes!