These plant-based Vegan Swedish Meatballs are made with quinoa, chopped mushrooms, and sunflower seed butter before smothering in a buttery vegan gravy. They don't require any vegan meat substitutes and have an incredible flavor combination. With plant-based ingredients, they still hit that the cozy comfort food vibe!
This totally unique Vegan Swedish Meatballs recipe is best in the cozy cooler months. I make them most from November through February. They were based on my Dairy-Free Swedish Meatballs recipe, which can also be made vegan with a vegan ground meat substitute.
Pair this recipe with Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes without milk or butter, Baked Cottage Fries, Parsley Potatoes, or Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts for a full meal.
For more quinoa recipes, check out my Arugula Quinoa Salad and Salmon Quinoa Salad with roasted vegetables.
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How to make it (with photos)
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
You need 8 main ingredients plus 5 common spices to make these tasty Vegan Swedish Meatballs.
Cooked Quinoa
Quinoa provides a surprisingly ground-meat-like quality to these vegan meatballs! When combined with finely chopped mushrooms, the texture can almost pass for ground meat or a ground meat substitute. It also adds a delightful slightly nutty taste that my taste testers and I enjoyed.
Mushrooms
Finely chopped mushrooms help to add back some of the meat-like flavor and texture in these plant balls. I used cremini mushrooms for an appearance most similar to ground meat, but you can use another meaty mushroom variety like white mushrooms or portobello mushrooms.
Plant Milk
I think cashew milk has the most neutral and buttery flavor out of all the plant milks, but I also tried it with lite coconut milk and it tasted great as well. While any vegan milk should work, I recommend one with a smooth and rich flavor for best taste.
Unsweetened Sunflower Seed Butter
Unsweetened sunflower seed butter replaces the need for eggs in vegan meatballs. It also adds a little extra protein. As a substitute, choose another neutral tasting nut or seed butter like almond butter.
Instant Mashed Potato Flakes
I really like using instant mashed potato flakes in meatballs as a gluten-free replacement for panko. It adds a little flavor, soaks up the extra liquid, acts as a binder, and is readily available and affordable. You can substitute panko, breadcrumbs, or gluten-free versions of those in place of the potato flakes.
If you're short on time, you can also make Instant Mashed Potatoes in place of regular mashed potatoes to make this a full easy weeknight dinner.
Tapioca starch
Tapioca starch makes a Swedish meatball sauce that's thick and gooey and sticks well to meatballs. Cornstarch or potato starch can be used as a substitute, but start with half the amount and increase to reach your desired consistency.
You also need vegan butter or coconut oil, onion, garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper, nutmeg, and ground allspice to make this recipe.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients with quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Learn how to make vegan Swedish meatballs in five easy steps.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (215 degrees C) and line a large baking sheet with a silicone liner. If you don't have a silicone liner, use vegan butter to grease the pan well.
- Meatball mixture: Mix all meatball ingredients and meatball spices together in a medium mixing bowl with your hands, until well-mixed.
- Roll into balls: Use your hands or a small cookie dough scoop to form compact 1-inch balls. Place on the lined baking sheet with 1-2 inches between vegan meatballs. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm when pressed.
- Vegan gravy: Melt vegan butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spices and tapioca starch. Mix until smooth (without clumps) with a silicone coated whisk. Add broth in ~¼ cup increments and whisk well with each addition to make smooth. Add coconut milk in the same fashion. Then bring the gravy to a low boil for 3-5 minutes to thicken, whisking on occasion. Add extra broth as needed to get your desired gravy consistency.
- Assembly: Place the vegan meatballs that you plan to eat immediately in the gravy. Leave any potential leftover meatballs separate for storing later (see notes for storing leftovers). Push them around gently to get them nice and saucy! Serve hot and garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley if you like (optional).
Expert Tips
Make amazing vegan Swedish meatballs on the first try with these expert tips.
Keep the plantball size small.
Since there are no eggs or meat in these vegan meatballs, they are more delicate than traditional meatballs. Keep the size small so they cook through quickly and retain their size and shape.
Store meatballs and gravy separately.
The gravy can soften the meatballs too much when left together overnight. Store any leftovers separately and reheat the meatballs in a microwave or oven (not in a skillet).
Make the quinoa ahead of time.
I make quinoa in the instant pot, usually earlier in the day or the night before to keep meatball prep simple. I recommend this recipe by Detoxinista for instant pot quinoa (the 1-minute version), but swap out the water for vegetable broth for best flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this Vegan Swedish Meatballs recipe. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll answer within two business days.
Store the vegan meatballs and gravy in separate containers if possible (the gravy can soften the plantballs too much when stored together). Leftover Vegan Swedish Meatballs will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Unsweetened sunflower seed butter or almond butter can be used in place of eggs in vegan meatballs to add protein and help bind the meatballs together.
Related vegan dinner recipes to consider...
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
Vegan Meatballs
- 2 cups cooked quinoa , cook in vegetable broth for best flavor
- 1 ¼ cups mushrooms , finely chopped
- ¼ cup onion , finely chopped
- ½ cup lite coconut milk
- ½ cup unsweetened sunflower seed butter or almond butter
- ¾ cup instant mashed potato flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Vegan Gravy
- ¼ cup vegan butter or coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
- ½ cup lite coconut milk or cashew milk
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (215 degrees C) and line a large baking sheet with a silicone liner. If you don't have a silicone liner, use vegan butter to grease the pan well.
- Meatball mixture: Mix all meatball ingredients and meatball spices together in a medium mixing bowl with your hands, until well-mixed.
- Roll into balls: Use your hands or a small cookie dough scoop to form compact 1-inch balls. Place on the lined baking sheet with 1-2 inches between vegan meatballs. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm when pressed.
- Vegan gravy: Melt vegan butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spices and tapioca starch. Mix until smooth (without clumps) with a silicone coated whisk. Add broth in ~¼ cup increments and whisk well with each addition to make smooth. Add coconut milk in the same fashion. Then bring the gravy to a low boil for 3-5 minutes to thicken, whisking on occasion. Add extra broth as needed to get your desired gravy consistency.
- Assembly: Place the vegan meatballs that you plan to eat immediately in the gravy. Leave any potential leftover meatballs separate for storing later (see notes for storing leftovers). Push them around gently to get them nice and saucy! Serve hot and garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley if you like (optional).
Juni says
These are super fun! I’m not vegan but I do like to eat plant-based when I can. I love the texture of the quinoa. Some other vegan meatballs I had are just too mushy. And the sunbutter is so good! I’ll be making these again!