Last updated - ; Published - By Rhian Williams 34 Comments
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
These Vegan Swedish Meatballs arerich and "meaty",seriously comfortingandcovered in a creamy gravy!
Swedish Meatballs (otherwise known as Ikea Meatballs) are little meatballs cooked in a rich, creamy gravy and served with mashed potatoes and tart-sweet ligonberry sauce. It's the best kind of comfort food: warming, hearty and satisfying. And what better if it was healthy, too?
These healthier Vegan Swedish Meatballs are made using creamy white beans, meaty mushroomsand earthy walnuts. I like to blend up the white beans first until they're completely smooth, and then add the mushrooms and walnuts at the very end so that they retain some texture.
I love how easy the mixture is to put together, as it doesn't require any flours, or any egg replacements like flax eggs or chia eggs.
Then all you need to do is use your hands to roll the mixture into little meatballs, before baking them in the oven.
I'm so pleased with how these meatballs came out - they're crispy and golden on the outside, and moist, tender and perfectly chewy on the inside. They're hearty and satisfying, and packed full of umami flavour.
But what makes the meatballs extra special, is the creamy gravy! It was inspired by the sauce for my Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff, and it's luxuriously velvety and seriously easy to make.
The base of the gravy is unsweetened almond milk thickened with cornflour, which creates a super creamy, neutral-tasting sauce. If you're not into almond milk, you can substitute it with unsweetened cashew or oat milk.
I also decided to add a little mustard for piquancy, soy sauce (or tamari) for a salty, umami taste, nutritional yeast for a little cheesiness, and black pepper for a little kick.
A sprinkle of chopped parsley adds freshness and extra flavour.
I love to serve these Vegan Swedish Meatballs with my Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes, a side of steamed veg, and some cranberry sauce, which tastes very similar to ligonberry sauce but is much easier to make/get hold of!
For more white bean recipes, check out my:
- White Bean Queso
- White Bean "Tuna" Salad Sandwich
- Vegan Fish Pie
- White Bean Scramble
- White Bean Mac and Cheese
- Pumpkin Sage White Bean Hummus
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog,I’d really love to hear anyfeedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes onInstagram! Thank you.
Helpful tools to make these Vegan Swedish Meatballs:
For the meatballs:
food processor
blender
hand-held stick blender
rectangular baking tray
baking paper
For the gravy:
measuring jug
These Vegan Swedish Meatballs are rich and meaty, seriously comforting and covered in a creamy gravy!
4.41 from 32 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Swedish
Keyword: vegan ikea meatballs, vegan swedish meatballs
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 385kcal
Author: Rhian Williams
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 tablespoon oil (olive, vegetable, rapeseed or coconut)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 400 g (14oz) tin of white beans, drained and rinsed (cannellini, haricot or butter beans)
- 70 g (2.5oz) mushrooms, roughly chopped (I used chestnut/button mushrooms)
- 50 g (½ cup) walnuts
- Salt + pepper, to taste
For the gravy:
- 530 ml (2 ¼ cups) unsweetened almond milk (or sub unsweetened cashew or oat milk)
- 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
- ½ teaspoon (Dijon) mustard
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, roughly chopped
To serve:
- Mashed potatoes
- Cranberry sauce
Instructions
For the meatballs:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
Heat up the oil and add the onion and garlic once hot
Fry for around 10 minutes until softened
Meanwhile, place the white beans in a food processor or blender (or hand-held stick blender) and whizz until completely smooth
Now add the cooked onion and garlic, along with the mushrooms, walnuts and salt + pepper
Blend very briefly so that the mushrooms and walnuts are cut up into smaller pieces, but still retain a little texture
Lay out some greased baking paper on a large baking tray
Wet your fingers (to stop the mixture sticking) and use them to mould the meatball mixture into small balls and lay them out on the baking sheet - you should be able to make around 18 meatballs
Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, until golden brown
For the gravy:
Measure out the milk in a measuring jug or container and add all the other ingredients
Mix very well, ensuring that the cornflour has completely dissolved
Heat the mixture in a pan on a low heat, stirring regularly to make sure the cornflour doesn’t clump
Slowly bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for around 5 minutes until the gravy is thickened - add some extra milk or water to thin out if necessary
Add the cooked meatballs just before serving, and sprinkle over chopped parsley, if desired
Serve alongside mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, if desired
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Swedish Meatballs (GF)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 385
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
