Vegan Swedish meatballs with creamy gravy is an elegant dish featuring healthy, plant-based chickpea and mushroom balls, smothered in a luscious sour cream gravy. Serve this dish over pasta or mashed potatoes for the ultimate comfort food.
The distinctive flavor of Swedish meatballs is probably best known for those power-trips to IKEA. I tried them in a past life. What I remember most was the warmth of nutmeg and allspice.
And, full disclosure, I previously published this recipe, taking a different approach to the meatballs. When I revisited them, I just wasn't satisfied. So, I did what I do - reworked and retested without compromise until I discovered a Swedish meatball, made without vegan mince (Beyond Meat) and added oil that has a meaty, tender texture with full-on flavor. Add to that the creamy sour cream and parsley gravy, and wow - I'm ready to make it again (and again).
If you're looking for more chickpea recipes with a creamy base, don't miss easy creamed chickpeas and mushrooms, chickpeas with harissa sauce, or Marry Me chickpeas and kale.
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Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Enjoy mouthwatering vegan meatballs that don't require expensive plant-based ground meat that often contains excess salt, oil, and additives.
- The entire recipe is made with a minimum of processed ingredients. I used 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in the gravy, with suggested substitutes below.
- If you want to meal prep, the meatball mixture and gravy can be made ahead for a quicker weeknight dinner.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chickpeas. Use a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). If you need a substitute, I recommend white beans, such as cannellini.
- Mushrooms. Nothing fancy, use 4-5 button mushrooms, white or chestnut, and dice them to make 1 cup. They add moisture and meaty flavor.
- Vegan Sour Cream. I used homemade cashew sour cream for this recipe. You can also try my sunflower seed sour cream recipe for a nut-free substitute. Or use your favorite commercial plant-based sour cream.
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch (cornflour) is used to thicken the gravy. Other thickeners include arrowroot, ground flaxseeds, or chia seeds.
- Rolled Oats. Rolled oats are ground as a binder for the meatballs. If you want a substitute, you can use ½ a cup of chickpea, quinoa, oat, or whole wheat flour.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Heat a small frying pan or skillet, then add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften them. Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened and released their moisture.
In a food processor, grind the rolled oats until they break down.
Add the cooked onions and mushrooms, plus the chickpeas, ¼ cup vegan sour cream, allspice, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and parsley. Pulse to blend, leaving a little texture.
Form small balls (16-18) and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray.
Bake in a preheated oven (400 F/200 C) for 20-25 minutes until the chickpea balls are firm and golden brown.
Mix a cup of vegetable broth and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small dish. Add it to the gravy after simmering the rest of the ingredients. Add chopped parsley after the gravy thickens.
How to Make Perfect Vegan Meatballs
- Pulse to blend the ingredients, leaving a little texture.
- Test the meatball mixture by forming a ball with your hands. If it crumbles, it's too dry. Blend a few more turns and test again. If that doesn't work, add a teaspoon of vegan sour cream and pulse again. If the balls are too moist, they won't hold their ball shape and will melt into your hand. In this case, add more ground oats, or for a quicker fix, add a tablespoon of flour.
- Keep them on the small side and relatively the same size. Don't be afraid to play with the mixture a little, adjusting the size of the balls as needed.
- Before baking, preheat the oven. A cold oven will encourage the balls to flatten while browning the outside and not firming the middle.
Top Gravy Tips
- Mix the cornstarch with a cup of the broth before adding it to the gravy. This keeps it from clumping and forming those annoying lumpy balls.
- The gravy needs about 10 minutes to thicken. If you're waiting for the meatballs, turn it on low or turn it off, then give it a quick 5-minute reheat before serving.
- Remember, the longer you simmer, the thicker the gravy. Add broth to thin it if needed.
Serving Ideas
Serve your perfect veggie Swedish meatballs and creamy gravy over your favorite pasta or noodles. I used wide semolina wheat pappardelle, but often I use vegan fettuccine or tagliatelle. And since it's gravy, mashed potatoes make the ultimate comfort meal.
Side your meal with a simple leafy green salad with maple mustard dressing or zesty oil-free pomegranate vinaigrette, or a quick side of steamed broccoli to get a bit of green on your plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store vegan meatballs separately from gravy in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Store the gravy in a separate container for 3-4 days.
The best way to reheat Swedish meatballs is to wrap them in foil and reheat them in the oven. You can also reheat in the air fryer at 375F (190C) for 1-2 minutes. Reheat the gravy in a small saucepan, adding a little broth to thin it if needed.
Italian meatballs are seasoned with Italian spices, aromatic spices like onion powder or fresh garlic cloves, or parmesan cheese. Swedish meatballs have warm spices, including nutmeg and allspice, and are paired with a white gravy rather than a tomato-based sauce.
Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F to make oil-free veggie meatballs. Place the meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook for 14 minutes. Rotate the meatballs halfway through so they cook evenly. agent.
This recipe is entirely gluten-free as written. Be sure to check that your rolled oats are certified gluten-free. Sometimes oats are processed alongside gluten-containing ingredients. Also check that your vegetable broth brand is gluten-free.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Vegan Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Gravy
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Ingredients
Swedish meatballs ingredients
- ½ cup onion - chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms - chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - minced or pressed
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups chickpeas - a 15-ounce/400-gram can rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup vegan sour cream - (see note 1)
- ¾ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley - (Italian parsley) roughly chopped
Gravy ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch - (see note 2)
- ½ cup vegan sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley - (Italian parsley) chopped
Instructions
- Heat a medium frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften them. Stir frequently. If the onions start to stick, add a tablespoon of water.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms, stirring frequently, and cook for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms soften and release their moisture, allowing any excess water to dissipate. Remove from the heat.
- In a food processor with a metal blade, grind 1 cup of oats until they break down. They don't need to be as fine as flour.
- Add the onions and mushrooms to the oats, then add the chickpeas, ¼ cup sour cream, ¾ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Pulse to combine the ingredients, leaving a little texture. After the first few turns, use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom.
- To test the meatball mixture, form a small ball with your hand. If it crumbles, continue blending a few more turns. Add another teaspoon of sour cream if needed. If the mixture is too moist and melts, into your hand, add a tablespoon or more of ground oats, or add chickpea flour or another flour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with ½ a cup of water until it is smooth. Slowly add half of the mixture to the gravy and stir until it thickens. Add more until the sauce has thickened to the desired consistency.
- Make 16-18 small balls and place them on the baking tray, separated and in a single layer. I used about 1 ½ tablespoons of meatball mixture per ball.
- Place the meatballs in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the meatballs are firm and golden brown.
- To make the gravy, combine 1 cup of vegetable broth with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, forming a smooth slurry.
- In a medium saucepan, add 3 cups of vegetable broth, ½ cup vegan sour cream, 1 tablespoon mustard, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Set on medium heat and whisk the ingredients until they start to bubble.
- Add the cornstarch slurry and continue whisking and simmering on low until the gravy thickens. Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust the spices as needed.
- Serve Swedish meatballs and gravy over pasta or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- I used homemade vegan sour cream for this recipe. You can also make sour cream using sunflower seeds for a nut-free option, or buy vegan sour cream at your local supermarket.
- Baking times vary depending on the size of the meatballs. Keep them on the small side. Bigger meatballs can get too dark on the outside before the middle is fully cooked.
- The meatball mixture can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking.
- Instead of baking, air fry the meatballs at 375 F (190 C) for 12-15 minutes, Shake halfway through. Be sure to monitor them closely the first time, because air fryer models vary in heat and cooking times.
- Store meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Store the gravy separately.
- To reheat, wrap the meatballs in foil and heat in the oven or air fryer. Reheat the gravy in a saucepan, adding a small amount of vegetable broth if it becomes too thick.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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