These Vegan Swedish Meatballs are delicious and deceptively decadent. The meatballs have great flavor and texture from mushrooms, beans and oats, and the creamy, silky, velvety sauce is mostly made with beans but it’s so tasty, your family and friends will lick up their plates. Guaranteed.
Our home has been alive with the sound of sneezing these last few days. Jay has been under the weather with a cold, and yesterday he finally succeeded in passing it on to me.
After wallowing in self-pity for a day, I decided I deserved a treat. Like these Vegan Swedish Meatballs in the creamiest, silkiest gravy possible.
And don’t tell anyone, but that gravy is made mostly with beans.
If you’ve ever eaten Swedish Meatballs (likely at an Ikea, if you live outside Sweden ;)), you know they are not an everyday indulgence. The meatballs, made with beef and pork and other meats, are served in a sauce made mostly of cream. The great thing about this vegan version is that not only do you not have to slaughter every animal on the farm to make them, you could have them every single day of your life if you wanted to, and still look as svelte as can be.
That’s because everything in here is plant-based, of course, and good for you. Every. Single. Thing.
Beans. Oats. Mushrooms. More beans. Cashews. What’s not to love?
Before you ask me if you can sub the cashews with more beans, let me say that I wouldn’t really advise it. The cashews not only add the creaminess that is such a great feature of this sauce, but they also keep the sauce from drying out, as many creamy vegan sauces tend to do. You could serve this one hours after you make it and you can be sure the sauce will be as creamy as when you just took it off the stove.
I am majorly in love with this gravy — I think I’ll be making it everyday. 🙂 The meatballs are great served by themselves with some mashed potatoes and a salad, or you could serve them on top of a luscious pile of papardelle pasta, like I did. The silky sauce sticks to every fat, flat strand and the chunky meatballs add a pop of texture and delicious flavor.
Sprinkle a little parsley on top and you’ve got a dish that’s as pretty to look at as it is tasty to eat.
If you make these vegan Swedish Meatballs and gravy, and I hope you do, don’t forget to come back and let me know if you liked it.
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More vegan comfort food recipes from the blog:
Vegan Barbecue Meatballs
Creamy Curried Crockpot Chowder
Instant Pot Vegan “Beef” Stew
Vegan Penne alla Vodka
Classic Vegan Lasagna
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Vegan Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 cup dry shiitake mushrooms
- 1 15-oz can kidney beans
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- 1 tsp dry sage or rosemary
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp liquid aminos
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
For the gravy:
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 heaping cup raw cashew nuts or pieces
- 1 cup cannellini beans
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp liquid aminos
- 1 tsp dry rosemary
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp parsley, minced
Instructions
Make the meatballs:
- Pour a cup of boiling water over the dry shiitake mushrooms in a bowl and let them steep for 20 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and squeeze out as much water from them as possible. Reserve the stock for use in the gravy.
- Place the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse five or six times until they are broken down into small bits. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, to the food processor and pulse a few times until they are thoroughly mixed and the mixture holds together when you form a ball.
- Shape into 20 meatballs. Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the meatballs, turning them to brown all over. Remove the meatballs to a plate and use the skillet to make the sauce.
Make the gravy:
- Place the cannellini beans, cashews, liquid aminos, nutmeg, garlic and onion powders, rosemary, salt and ground black peppers in a blender with 1 cup of water. Blend until very smooth.
- Heat oil in the same skillet you used to fry the meatballs. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour becomes a light brown.
- Add half the reserved mushroom stock to the skillet and, using a whisk if necessary, mix quickly to form a smooth paste. Add the remaining stock and mix.
- Pour in the bean-cashew mixture and bring the gravy to a simmer. Continue heating for a couple more minutes. If it appears too thick at this point, thin out with some water or vegetable stock. Check for salt and ground pepper and season with more if needed.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet and warm through. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Nutrition
Hi there. If I have a bit allergy, what is a substitute for the cashews? Thank you!
Use pumpkin seeds, or more beans.
Tastes really amazing. Thank u for this recepie!
I have been looking for vegan Swedish meatballs recipe for quite some time now. Your recipe sounds absolutely delicious. I’m going to give this a try some time soon.
Dear Vaishali,
Are the canned beans drained first?
Thank you,
Yes, always drain canned beans.
Dear Vaishali,
Oh My! Even though I didn’t drain the beans this time, this recipe is so fantastic! It’s nutritious with the bean gravy and you are an absolute genius in how the flavors are developed. Now ~this~ is truly a talent! Thank you, Vaishali!
The mushroom flavor in the GRAVY is amazing from those dried shitakes. I can see making mushroom soup and other soups from this base. Also, I think the MEATBALL mixture can be made into very nice patties for like hamburgers, or with other seasonings, it could be like breakfast patties because the meatballs brown up so very nicely!
We had it over white rice with a green salad and cranberry sauce side. Yummy! The guests ate it all up so I’m making it again today!
5-star, love it.
Hey Vaishali—hope you feel better soon. Please be sure to rest—this recipe and the new one for cupcakes sound so wonderful, but you have to take care of yourself. Flu season never scared me until this year—perhaps because I will be 64, but also because of it severity.
The meatballs sound excellent. I actually had a very similar white bean gravy this morning on breakfast hash)–kale and sweet potatoes and cubed baked tofu. Really enjoyed it. I didn’t grow up eating white gravy, but I find it comforting and delicious now.
Omg, these look fabulous! Can’t wait to get some mushrooms to make them!
These look terrific! My husband and I are going to Sweden in June and we’ve already done our research on the best Vegan restaurants in Stockholm. One question though, why use dried mushrooms? Will fresh mushrooms be too juicy?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try your recipe.
You are seriously brilliant. I can’t wait to try this one.
Hi Vaishali, thanks for all your woderful recipes. I can’t wait to try each and every one of them.
May I ask a question about the swedish meatballs: would it be ok to use fresh shitake mushrooms instead of dry ones?
Daniele
Hi Daniele, if you use fresh mushrooms, sauté them first in a skillet with a little salt — you don’t need to add oil –until all moisture evaporates, then proceed with chopping them in the food processor.
Thank you Vaishali!