Vegan Swedish Meatballs

5 from 6 votes

These Vegan Swedish Meatballs are delicious! The meatballs, made with Ikea plant protein, have so much texture and flavor, and the sauce made with cashew cream is creamy and silky and quite amazing. You will fall in love, guaranteed.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Swedish inspired

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings (6 meatballs each)

Calories: 359kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Large skillet

Ingredients

For the vegan meatballs:

1.65 pounds Ikea Världsklok plant mince (Or use 1 ½ packages of Beyond Beef or Impossible Burger. This quantity of mince makes approx 48 meatballs )
½ onion (finely minced)
100 grams panko breadcrumbs (Approx 1 cup. Run them through a food processor to make them extra fine. Regular breadcrumbs are fine. If gluten-free use gf breadcrumbs.)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup avocado oil or any neutral oil (The meatballs won't absorb most of this, but it helps to have a good ¼ inch layer in the frying pan so they turn a nice golden-brown.)

For the cream sauce:

1 cup raw cashews
4 cups mushroom stock, plus
8 dried mushrooms (use the mushrooms from the stock)
2 tablespoons vegan butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour (gluten-free all purpose or rice flour would work too)
4 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari)
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoon parsley (minced, for garnish)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the meatballs:

Place the thawed vegan mince, minced onion, finely ground panko breadcrumbs, and salt and ground black pepper in a bowl. Mix well. You should easily be able to form meatballs with this mixture. If it doesn't hold together, add a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed in a tablespoon or two of water.
Once you've formed the meatballs (I got about 48) heat the oil in a skillet. Fry the meatballs without overcrowding, in batches if necessary, turning them on all sides so they brown evenly.
Remove the meatballs to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.

Make the cream sauce:

Place the cashews in a blender with the mushroom stock and mushrooms. If your blender is not high-powered, let them soak for up to 30 minutes. Then blend into a very smooth cream.
Place the vegan butter in a skillet (you can use the same skillet you fried the meatballs in but remove any oil that remains and wipe the skillet with a paper towel).
Once the butter melts add the flour for the roux. Mix well and continue stirring over medium-low until the flour browns (not too much, see the picture above).
Add the cashew cream and mix well. You can use a whisk to ensure the roux mixes thoroughly with the cream.
Stir in the soy sauce and dijon mustard.
Once the sauce comes to a boil turn down the heat and let it simmer 2-3 minutes. Add salt and ground black pepper. Turn off the heat.To serve, pour the sauce over the meatballs. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Notes

Serve the meatballs and sauce over vegan mashed potatoes. Dollop some lingonberry jam-- or raspberry jam--on the side for a true Ikea style meal without the long lines. :)
You can also serve the meatballs and gravy over a ribbon pasta.
To make the recipe nut-free, use rolled oats instead of cashews, or 1 cup of any white beans. Blend into a very smooth paste with the stock and mushrooms and proceed. Keep in mind that a gravy made with beans will end up thickening faster, so you might want to skip the roux or add more stock during cooking.
To make the recipe soy-free, use a tablespoon of tomato paste instead. Mix it into the skillet right after the roux has browned, and before adding the cashew cream. Let the tomato paste cook for a couple of minutes over medium heat before adding the cream.
For gluten-free diets, replace the flour for the roux with rice flour or gluten-free all purpose flour. Replace the breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
For longer storage place the sauce and meatballs in separate airtight containers and freeze for up to three months. Thaw the sauce and reheat. Meatballs do not need to be thawed--you can reheat them in an oil-sprayed skillet until warmed through.

Nutrition