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Tasty Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Side view of a skillet filled with vegan swedish meatballs in a buttery vegan gravy.
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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

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!

Ingredients

Units Scale

Vegan Meatballs

  • 2 cups quinoa cooked in vegetable broth
  • 1 1/4 cups mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup lite coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened sunflower seed butter
  • 3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes

Meatball Spices

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Vegan Gravy

  • 1/4 cup vegan butter or coconut oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. Make the meatball mixture: Mix all meatball ingredients and meatball spices together in a medium mixing bowl with your hands, until well-mixed.
    Overhead view of the vegan meatball mixture in a medium glass mixing bowl.
  3. 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.
    Overhead view of the vegan meatballs formed on a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner, ready for baking.
  4. Bake: Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm when pressed.
    Overhead view of the cooked vegan meatballs on a baking sheet with a silicone liner and two in a hand for a close up of the cohesive texture.
  5. 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.
    Overhead view of a skillet of golden vegan gravy.
  6. 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). 
    Side view of vegan swedish meatballs in a skillet with vegan gravy and parsley to garnish.

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

Find it online: https://vibrantlygfree.com/vegan-swedish-meatballs/