Vegan Swedish Meatballs

About This Vegan Swedish Meatballs Recipe

• Juicy and tender. These meatballs are crispy outside, tender inside, and they hold their shape well.
• The best dairy-free Swedish gravy. Simple ingredients, including flavour powerhouses like soy sauce, Dijon, and garlic powder, come together to make the best vegan version of this classic cream sauce I’ve ever tasted. It’s rich, silky, and coats the meatballs perfectly.
• Versatile. Serve your vegan Swedish meatballs over pasta, with rice or farro, or as a meatball appetizer for the holidays.
• Make them ahead. If you want to get a head start on this recipe, you can make the meatballs a day or two in advance, then warm them up in the sauce.

If you love meatballs as much as I do, be sure to save my vegan cranberry meatballs and classic vegan spaghetti and meatballs, too.

Notes on Ingredients

Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions, and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.

For the Meatballs

• Roasted cauliflower – Roasting brings out the flavours. For extra depth of flavour, roast the garlic cloves in the same pan as I do for my vegan mashed cauliflower.
• Cooked quinoa – Here’s how to cook quinoa.
• Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer – You can also make a flax egg from flax meal and water.
• Red onion – Or another mild onion, like white onion or shallot.
• Garlic – Combined with sea salt and cracked black pepper to flavour the meatballs. Use freshly minced garlic, roasted garlic, or you can substitute 1 tablespoon of jarred garlic for each fresh clove.
• Breadcrumbs – Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed.
• Coconut oil – Or your preferred cooking oil for browning the meatballs.

Vegan Swedish Meatball Sauce

• Vegan butter – Use store-bought or make your own vegan butter.
• Flour – If needed, swap all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour.
• Vegetable broth – Here’s how to make your own vegetable broth. You can also use store-bought low-sodium broth.
• Coconut milk – Make sure you use canned coconut milk, not the refrigerated kind sold in big cartons!
• Garlic powder – Feel free to use fresh, finely minced garlic here. One clove should replace 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Light soy sauce – You can use liquid aminos here, too.
• Dijon mustard – Or yellow mustard, though the flavour will be slightly stronger.
• Parsley – Optional, for garnish.

How to Keep Vegan Meatballs From Falling Apart

If you find that your vegan cauliflower meatballs aren’t holding their shape, it’s likely because you haven’t blended the mixture smooth enough. Rice the cauliflower first, then blend it with the other ingredients until you have a smooth, cohesive dough. Here are some tips:

• Blend thoroughly. You shouldn’t see bits of quinoa and cauliflower in the mixture. Pulse it in your food processor until it’s very well-combined. The finished mixture shouldn’t fall apart when you try to form the meatballs.
• Beware of substitutes. If you decide to substitute any ingredients—like using store-bought riced cauliflower instead of making it yourself—be sure that you get any excess liquid out before adding it. Extra liquid will make vegan meatballs fall apart. 
• Press and roll firmly. I like to squeeze each meatball together properly before adding them to the pan, like you would with regular meatballs. 
• Roll the meatballs right before frying. This way, they’ll be tightly rolled right before they hit the hot pan to sear and seal their shape. Scoop a tablespoon of the vegan meatball mixture and form it into a ball with your hands. Then, place the meatball in the skillet and repeat with the remaining meatball mixture.

More Tips for Successful Swedish Meatballs

• Adjusting the sauce. I like a thick sauce here, but if you want to thin it out a bit, add up to 1/2 cup of additional broth, adjusting the seasonings as needed.
• Don’t skip the mustard! Even if you’re not a mustard fan, don’t worry—it doesn’t give the sauce a mustard-y flavour. Instead, it helps neutralise the flavour of the coconut milk. 
• Add more soy sauce if needed. I started with 1 tablespoon, then ended up adding an extra 1/2 tablespoon of light soy sauce and I felt like it really enhanced the flavour. So start with 1 tablespoon, and add more if you think you need it. Also, if you don’t use light soy sauce or liquid aminos, note that the sauce will be saltier, so adjust accordingly!

Serving Suggestions

Add these vegan Swedish meatballs to a hoagie for a Swedish meatball sandwich, or serve them over cauliflower rice, quinoa, or other grain. I also love them ladled over mashed potatoes or pasta. And they’re a favourite party appetizer served on toothpicks!

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing

• Make ahead. Prepare, roll, and cook your meatballs 1-2 days in advance. When it’s time to serve, prepare the sauce and add the meatballs. Done!
• Refrigerate leftovers. If you have leftover vegan Swedish meatballs, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Note that the meatballs will soften as they sit in the sauce, so the texture of the dish will change.
• Reheat. Reheat the meatballs in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat, or in the microwave.
• Freeze. You can freeze this recipe for up to 2 months in an airtight storage container. I recommend letting it thaw in the refrigerator and then reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan Swedish meatballs recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!

More Vegan Comfort Food Recipes

• Vegan Biscuits and Gravy
• Vegan Pot Pies
• Mashed Potato Casserole
• Vegan Chicken Parmesan
• Vegan Manicotti