Get excited about these unique and tasty Vegan Swedish Meatballs! Buttery vegan gravy with 'meatballs' made from cooked quinoa, chopped mushrooms, and sunbutter give this recipe amazing texture and flavor. They are truly unique and family-friendly. Better yet, they have a 'meat'-y appearance that will fool your carnivore friends!
Swedish Meatballs are one of the coziest holiday and winter meals. Maybe you grew up eating them, or maybe, like me, you were introduced to them at Ikea! They always bring back memories of shopping with my mom and cozy holidays spent with friends and family.
Why you'll love this recipe:
- totally unique
- a perfect cozy vegan treat
- excellent flavor profile
- can eat a ton without feeling sick
- amazing nutty flavor
- comforting and delicious!
This recipe is a fun and creative take on my super popular Dairy-Free Swedish Meatballs! You can make that recipe with a ground meat substitute like Beyond Meat for a vegetarian meatball (there are 2 eggs), or commit to whole food plant-based ingredients with this one! We like to make both recipes all winter long.
Pair these Vegan Swedish Meatballs with Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Baked Cottage Fries and Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts for a full healthy meal. And if you love quinoa, check out our Zesty Arugula Quinoa Salad and Salmon Quinoa Salad with roasted vegetables.
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Ingredients
You need 8 main ingredients plus 5 common spices to make these tasty Vegan Swedish Meatballs!
Vegan Meatballs and Gravy Ingredients
- cooked quinoa
- mushrooms
- onion
- lite coconut milk
- unsweetened sunflower seed butter
- instant mashed potato flakes
- vegan butter or coconut oil
- tapioca starch
Spices
- garlic powder
- salt
- ground black pepper
- ground nutmeg
- ground allspice
Instructions
Preheat the oven: 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.
Make the 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: Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm when pressed.
Make the gravy: Meanwhile, melt the 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.
Putting it all together: 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).
Substitutions
Cashew Milk - You can replace the lite coconut milk with cashew milk in equal amount for a similar result. I make this recipe with both and can't tell the difference.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- large baking sheet
- silicone baking sheet liner (optional)
- small cookie dough scoop (optional but helpful for forming small uniform vegan meatballs)
- large skillet
- silicone coated whisk
Storage
Store the meatballs and gravy in separate containers if possible -- the gravy can soften the meatballs too much when stored together.
The Vegan Swedish Meatballs and gravy will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Use a microwave or oven to reheat the vegan meatballs. Reheating them in a skillet will likely cause them to fall apart since they are more fragile than a traditional meatball.
Tips before you start
Keep the meatball 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.
Other Vegan Dinner Recipes you'll love:
- Creamy Vegan Golden Beet Soup
- Super Tasty Baked Cottage Fries
- Super Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Unbelievably Dairy-Free Scalloped Potatoes
- Herby Vegan Alfredo Pasta
- Foolproof Gluten-Free French Baguette
Tasty Vegan Swedish Meatballs
Flavorful Vegan Swedish Meatballs with a meat-y texture and 8 ingredients plus common spices! Ready in 40 minutes. Gluten-free.
Note: there are only 11 total ingredients plus salt and pepper, but I separated them by task so the list looks longer than it really is!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner, Holiday
- Method: Baking, Skillet
- Cuisine: Swedish inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Vegan Meatballs
- 2 cups quinoa cooked in vegetable broth
- 1 ¼ cups mushrooms, finely chopped
- ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup lite coconut milk
- ½ cup unsweetened sunflower seed butter
- ¾ cup instant mashed potato flakes
Meatball Spices
- 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 coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: 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.
- Make the 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: Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm when pressed.
- Make the 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.
- Putting it all together: 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).
Notes
Storage: Store the meatballs and gravy in separate containers if possible -- the gravy can soften the meatballs too much when stored together. The Vegan Swedish Meatballs and gravy will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheating leftovers: Use a microwave or oven to reheat the vegan meatballs. Reheating them in a skillet will likely cause them to fall apart since they are more fragile than a traditional meatball.
Substitutions
- Cashew Milk - You can replace the lite coconut milk with cashew milk for a similar result. I make this recipe with both and can't tell the difference.
- This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Keywords: vegan meatballs, vegan gravy
I hope you love this unique and healthier take on a traditional swedish meatball!
xo, Jamie
Juni
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!
★★★★★