FEATURED COMMENT:
These meatballs... holy smokes, these things are next level... If I could give this more stars I would. You, my dear, are a marvel.- Peggy
How to Make Vegan Swedish Meatballs from scratch:
To a food processor add the lentils, onion, walnuts, and garlic and pulse until you reach a slightly crumbly paste-like texture. Add the vital wheat gluten, water, soy sauce, parsley, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg and pulse, stopping to scrape the mixture from the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough. Pinch off some of the dough and roll into a vegan meatball about the size of a golf ball and set aside on a plate or dish. Repeat until all the dough is used up and you have made about 18 meatballs. Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the meatballs to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 - 30 minutes. Once the steaming is done, you can either prepare them right away (see below), or allow them to cool completely and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze them for later. *Note, I always find seitan has the best texture if chilled in the fridge overnight, but it is still great freshly made. To serve the meatballs and make the gravy: In a large skillet or non-stick frying pan, heat the light oil over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs until golden brown and heated through, 5 - 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set them aside on a plate. Return the pan to the heat and add the vegan butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour to make a paste. Cook the flour paste while whisking, then pour in the broth and the cream and mix. Bring to a simmer and cook until the gravy begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Return the meatballs to the pan with the gravy, and heat through for another minute or two. Serve the vegan Swedish meatballs hot on mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles. Sprinkle some fresh parsley for a pop of colour and freshness too!These vegan Swedish meatballs are...
- incredibly meaty saucy delicious
- great for making ahead and freezing
- better than Ikea.
More vegan seitan recipes to try:
The Best Vegan Turkey Roast Vegan Italian Seitan Meatballs Vegan Seitan Tenders (vegan chicken breast) Vegan Seitan Steak If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram. Bon appetegan! Sam Turnbull.(click stars to vote)
Vegan Swedish Meatballs
These Vegan Swedish Meatballs are so meaty, that you might just fool a meat eater! Delicious homemade seitan meatballs are covered in a rich and creamy gravy for the ultimate comfort food. These taste better than IKEA's!
Servings: (makes 18 - 20 meatballs)
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Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 cup cooked lentils, (I used canned)
- ½ yellow onion, quartered
- ½ cup walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten, (there is no substitution for this)
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the Gravy:
- 1 tablespoon light oil, (canola or vegetable oil) for frying
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups vegan "beefless" broth or mushroom broth
- ½ cup vegan culinary cream, (or sub cashew cream or full-fat coconut milk)
Instructions
- To a food processor add the lentils, onion, walnuts, and garlic and pulse until you reach a slightly crumbly paste-like texture. Add the vital wheat gluten, water, soy sauce, parsley, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough.
- Pinch off some of the dough and roll into a vegan meatball about the size of a golf ball and set aside on a plate or dish. Repeat until all the dough is used up and you have made about 18 meatballs.
- Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the meatballs to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 - 30 minutes. Once the steaming is done, you can either prepare them right away (see below), or allow them to cool completely and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze them for later. *Note, I always find seitan has the best texture if chilled in the fridge overnight, but it is still great freshly made.
To serve the meatballs and make the gravy:
- In a large skillet or non-stick frying pan, heat the light oil over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs until golden brown and heated through, 5 - 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the vegan butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour to make a paste. Cook the flour paste while whisking, then pour in the broth and the cream and mix. Bring to a simmer and cook until the gravy begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.
- Return to the meatballs to the pan with the gravy, and heat through for another minute or two. Serve hot on mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
Notes
Vital wheat gluten is essential to this recipe, and there is no substitute. Therefore this recipe cannot be made gluten-free. For a vegan gluten-free meatball recipe try my bean ball recipe in Fuss-Free Vegan which has a gluten-free option.
Steaming tips: you need to steam the vegan meatballs before using them. I recommend getting a steamer pot if you plan to make seitan often, or you can use a DIY method if you do not have a steamer.
Cleaning tips: vital wheat gluten is very sticky and can destroy dish brushes and cloths. So what I like to do is save old clothes, sheets, or towels that are too shabby to donate, and cut them into rags. I use these rags to clean up after preparing a seitan recipe and discard the rag once finished.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 4 servings) | Calories: 466kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1077mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 674IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 5mg
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Holly says
I loved these! And they're so easy to make. I've adapted them as burgers as well, with more crispy surface area. Thank you!!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Terrific! We're so glad you like them!
Sunny says
hello! can i sub cashews for walnuts and maybe do a tomato sauce instead of the gravy?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yes the nut substitute should work fine. You may also want to check this recipe over if you'd prefer a tomato based meatball:
Vegan Italian Seitan Meaballs
Suzy says
These were really good! I, too, followed the recipe, except I cut the recipe in half for the two of us, so it yielded 10 "meatballs" (I agree with Dr. J; I cooked my own lentils as well). Next time I will cut to 1 1/2 servings next time, it was too filling for us. I served over mashed potatoes with some steamed carrots as the side. I agree that the balls were softer than I anticipated. I'm wondering if a bit more vital wheat gluten would have given them a bit more tooth. I'd like a bit more spunk to the gravy as well. I salted more than I normally care to, so I'd like to find some herbs that would boost the flavor. But honestly, it's a great meal and I will definitely make them again!
Dr. J says
These were pretty good! I followed the recipe to the letter (though, who buys canned lentils? had to boil my own...) and they came out great. The texture was a little softer than I had anticipated, but I liked that they weren't heavy the way meatballs made with faux burger (such as Beyond) are, and the taste was on point. The gravy was heavenly. My wife absolutely loved them and said she wanted to have them again.
Brenda says
Wow these meatballs are the best. Perfect consistency and amazing flavor. Yummy!!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're so glad you liked them!