Vegan Swedish Meatballs Recipe (2024)

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This is the best vegan Swedish meatballs recipe – These no-meat balls “Koettbullar” are incredibly delicious, rich in plant-based protein from lentils, meaty in texture and can be made soy-free and gluten-free. They are coated in a simple creamy vegan gravy, making it to the perfect comfort food for vegans and non-vegans alike!

I love trying new recipes from countries all over the world! I’ve already shared my vegan cinnamon rolls with you, which originate from Scandinavia. So I thought it’s about time to share a hearty lunch or dinner recipe from northern Europe! Anyway, today’s vegan Swedish meatballs recipe is inspired by the popular “Koettbullar” which is a classic Swedish dish, that is also served at Ikea and anyone loves it! So if you love it, too but went vegan or vegetarian, this meat-less version is what you need!

The Best Healthy Vegan Meatballs recipe

What I love about this recipe is that it is so healthy, satisfying, and rich in nutrients! I made my vegan Swedish meatballs with lentils as I did in this lentil meatballs with Indian curry sauce recipe but adjusted the flavors and tossed the no-meat balls in a simple cream sauce. Thanks to the lentils, the meatballs are packed with vegan protein, keeping you full for several hours. Along with the wholesome oats, they contain also a lot of fiber which is important for your digestive system. Is there anything better than enjoying a delicious meal, that is even nourishing and healthy? I don’t think so!

Serving Suggestions

I served my vegan Swedish meatballs in a simple gravy over Fussili here, but you can use any pasta of your choice or serve them with homemade spaetzle. However, they’re also delicious over mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, rice or quinoa which are all great gluten-free options. And if you follow a low-carb diet, simply serve this recipe as a main dish with vegetables on the side or over protein pasta like chickpea, lentil or pea noodles.

How to store, freeze & make-ahead

This recipe makes not only a great lunch or dinner to enjoy at home, but it is also perfect for meal prep to take to work. You can store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freeze the uncooked balls for longer storage. Just be sure to store the vegan Swedish Meatballs and the gravy separately! Otherwise, the meatballs will get soft and mushy. When ready to serve, simply reheat in the microwave or in the oven for a crispier result.

How to make Vegan Swedish meatballs

This recipe is pretty easy to make in just a few steps, requiring simple pantry ingredients! However, I highly recommend watching the recipe video too!

Step 1: Prep the vegan meatball mixture

Start by making the Meatballs: Cook the lentils in 1 ½ cup of water for 20 minutes, or according to the package instructions. In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, until fragrant. Then add the chopped mushrooms and cumin and continue sautéing until the mushrooms are tender.

Step 2: Form the balls and bake

When ready to form the balls, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form the lentil mixture into balls with wet hands. (This will prevent the lentil-mass from sticking to your skin.) Then place them on the prepared baking sheet and brush or spray them with a little oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning them halfway through.

Step 3: Make the vegan gravy

To make the gravy add all the ingredients as written in the recipe card below (except the cornstarch and water) to a pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. In a smaller bowl or cup whisk together the cornstarch and 2-3 tablespoons of water to dissolve. Then whisk it into the gravy and bring it to a boil again, stirring occasionally. Simmer for a few minutes, until the gravy is nice and thick. Serve the gravy with these best vegan Swedish meatballs over pasta or mashed potatoes!

A little note: If you love mushrooms, feel free to serve these vegan meatballs with my mushroom gravy or mushroom stroganoff.

These Vegan Swedish Meatballs (Koettbullar) are:

Meat-less
Egg-less
Dairy-free
Healthy
Can be made soy-free and gluten-free
Hearty
Easy to make
Tossed in a creamy gravy
Perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep
Incredibly delicious!

Looking for more dishes with vegan meatballs, be sure to check out the following recipes:

Lentil meatballs in Indian Curry Sauce
No-Meat balls with Vegan Gravy over Mashed Potatoes
Vegan Meatballs with Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce
Vegan sweet potato falafel
Or how about Vegan Lasagna or Mexican One-pot Taco Pasta?
Also, my Lentil Bolognese and the classic Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese are incredibly delicious!

Anyway, if you try this recipe for Vegan Swedish Meatballs (Koettbullar), please leave a comment and rating! And if you take a photo of your delicious no-meat balls and share it on Instagram, please make sure to tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Happy cooking!

Author: Bianca Zapatka

Ingredients

Vegan Meatballs

½ cup (100 g) dry lentils green or brown
1 ½ cup (360 ml) water
1 tbsp oil + more for brushing
1 onion diced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup (150 g) mushrooms roughly chopped
2 tsp cumin
¾ cup (70 g) rolled oats gluten-free if needed
3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (or sub 1 tbsp dried herbs)
2-3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari sauce (if gluten-free)
⅓ tsp salt or to taste
½ tsp black pepper or to taste

Gravy

1 cup (240 ml) vegetable broth
1 14 oz can (400 ml) light coconut milk or other non-dairy milk
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (if gluten-free)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot flour

To serve (optional)

pasta of your choice

Instructions

Vegan Meatballs

Cook the lentils in a pot with 1 ½ cups of water for 20 minutes, or according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, until fragrant. Then add the chopped mushrooms and cumin and continue sautéing for about 3 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender (*see step-by-step photos and recipe video above).
Place the oats in a blender or food processor and process them into flour. Then add in the cooked lentils, sautéed onions, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Pulse until combined, but not puréed, leaving a little texture. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Then set the mixture aside for 10 minutes (or refrigerate overnight if you want to continue the next day).
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Form the mixture into balls with wet hands and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush or spray the balls with a little oil and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning them halfway through.

Gravy

Add all ingredients (except the cornstarch and water) to a pot or saucepan and bring to a boil.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2-3 tablespoons of water to dissolve. Then, whisk it into the gravy and bring to a boil again, stirring constantly. Simmer for a few minutes, until the gravy is thick and creamy.
Place the vegan meatballs in the gravy and serve over pasta, spaetzle or mashed potatoes!
Enjoy!

Notes

Storage: Store leftover sauce and vegan meatballs separately in the refrigerator or the balls will get mushy. Reheat leftover meatballs gently in the microwave or in the oven for a crispier result.
Sauce: You can also serve these vegan meatballs with mushroom gravy or mushroom stroganoff.
Please read my blog post for further information about this recipe!

Nutritions

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.4g | Protein: 12.4g | Fat: 7.3g

Nutrition is calculated automatically and should be used as estimate.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @biancazapatka or tag #biancazapatka!

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FAQs

What is the sauce for Swedish meatballs made from? ›

The sauce for Swedish Meatballs is a creamy gravy that is made with butter, beef broth/stock, thickened with flour and made creamy with cream. But the most important flavour for the a really good creamy gravy is the pan drippings after searing the meatballs.

Read On ›

Why is my Swedish meatball sauce not thickening? ›

How to Thicken Swedish Meatball Sauce. The all-purpose flour in this recipe should do the trick to thicken your Swedish meatball sauce to the right consistency. But if it doesn't, you can add a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of water) to thicken it up.

Why do Swedish meatballs taste different? ›

The Seasoning

While both varieties include ingredients such as grated onion and panade (milk-soaked bread) or bread crumbs, plus the usual salt and pepper, Swedish meatballs traditionally use spices like allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, and sometimes ground ginger as flavoring.

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What are Ikea Swedish meatballs made of? ›

The standard meatballs that you might put in a spaghetti sauce or a meatball sub are usually made with ground beef. But, Swedish meatballs from IKEA are made from both pork and beef! And, of course, there is a creamy gravy rather than a red sauce when you serve it.

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Why are my Swedish meatballs falling apart? ›

But too much bread crumbs make them too loose, and not enough bread crumbs won't help them hold together either. Similar issues can be caused by eggs: Too many eggs, and the meatballs will be too soggy.

Tell Me More ›

What is Ikea meatball sauce made of? ›

Iconic Swedish cream sauce: Melt 40g of butter in a pan. Whisk in 40g of plain flour and stir for 2 mins. Add 300ml of bouillon (or consommé) and continue to stir. Add 150ml double cream, 2 tsp of soy sauce and 1 tsp of (Dijon) mustard.

Know More ›

How do you thicken vegan sauce? ›

Adding a roux—a mixture of flour and butter—is a classic way to thicken dishes ranging from gravies to stews. While you can't add butter to vegan dishes, you can still use flour to add some substance to watery sauces. All types of flour work well for thickening, including wheat flour, coconut flour, and chickpea flour.

What's the difference between homestyle and Swedish meatballs? ›

Swedish meatballs are typically smaller than the Italian style. Seasonings are different for Swedish meatballs but every recipe for them has variations on spices. Both types of meatballs use a 50–50 of mixture of beef and pork. Many Italian meatballs use sweet Italian sausage.

Read The Full Story ›

Is beef stroganoff and Swedish meatballs the same thing? ›

Not at all. Meatballs are made from minced meat (beef, pork or a mix of both). Beef Stroganoff is made from strips or cubes of beef cooked in a sour cream sauce.

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Why did Ikea stop selling meatballs? ›

STOCKHOLM - Swedish furniture giant Ikea became entangled in Europe's widening meat scandal Monday, forced to withdraw meatballs from stores across Europe amid suspicions that they contained horse meat. Stores in the U.S. and Canada were not affected, Ikea said.

Why are Ikea meatballs so cheap? ›

To do that, they entice people with cheap meatballs. The hope is that a cheap and delicious meal will get people to come to Ikea and then once they're there, they'll get lost in the maze of a store and purchase a few other things along the way like Ikea's kitchen line.

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What are Ikea vegan meatballs made of? ›

Developed with meat lovers in mind, the plant ball is made from pea protein, oats, potato and apple. The meaty taste is achieved by adding umami flavors, such as mushroom, tomato and roasted vegetables.

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What is served with Swedish meatballs? ›

Traditional Swedish way: Do not make the cream sauce at all. Serve meatballs over plain or stewed macaroni, plain or mashed potatoes, and lingenberry jam (optional)

Learn More Now ›

Is bolognese sauce the same as meatball sauce? ›

Meatballs are not a sauce, they are balls of meat. A sauce has to be runny, or at least flowing. Done correctly, a bolognese sauce isn't particularly meaty. The meat is meant to be finely ground and incorporated into a standard spaghetti sauce, and the meat so fine it should stick onto the pasta in little specks.