Recipes

Vegan Swedish "Meatballs"

Serves 4

| Prep Time: 30 minutes

| Cook Time: 45 minutes

| Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

You may need: Swedish Savory Sweet

Discover The Recipe

Swedish meatballs are probably the best known Scandinavian dish around the world. Easy to make, they're tasty and satisfying. In this Vegan Swedish "Meatballs" recipe, we adapt the classic dish and and lightly spice the vegetarian meatball version with our proprietary Swedish Savory Sweet spice blend. 

These “meatballs” are made from a base of lentil, rice, oats and beets for a little holiday color. They are packed with protein and fiber, and many other nutrients! Serve with noodles, mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam and our yummy mushroom gravy for a festive meal!

Use the Swedish Savory Sweet blend to season meats, gravies, or even baked goods with authentic Scandinavian flavor. In fact, we thought about calling this blend Swedish Allspice because we think you can find so many uses for it!

Ingredients

  • Vegan Swedish "Meatballs"

  • 3/4 cup chopped onion 

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 3/4 cups rolled oats, milled in a blender or food processor

  • 2 medium beets, peeled and roasted

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils

  • 1 cup cooked short grain brown rice

  • 2 teaspoons Piquant Post Savory Sweet blend

  • 1-2 teaspoons sea salt to taste

  • Black pepper to taste

  • Mushroom Gravy:

  • 1/3 cup vegan butter

  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour

  • 2 cups mushroom stock

  • 1 cup plant based milk, unsweetened (almond, soy, oat, etc…)

  • 1 teaspoon miso

  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried

  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Notes

We baked these “meatballs” to firm them before pan frying, so don’t skip that step! While frying and before serving, season them with salt and pepper to taste to enhance the savoriness. 

It can get a little messy to roll the meatballs, so if you have a scooper that is the right size, that can make the process quicker and cleaner!

If the meatball mixture is too soft to roll into balls, add more oat flour to firm it up! 

When making the gravy, make sure that you add the liquid little by little so that the gravy remains creamy and doesn’t break, or separate. Whisk constantly while doing this to help it keep it’s beautiful texture.

Instructions

To make the lentil meatballs, sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic in a small pan until translucent. Set aside. 

Add the rolled oats to a blender or a food processor and process until a flour is formed.

Add the cooked beets to a food processor and process until a fine purée is formed. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked onion, garlic, milled oats, puréed beets, cooked lentils, cooked rice, Piquant Post Savory Sweet blend, sea salt and black pepper to taste. Mix until well combined. 

Form into balls that are about 1” in diameter and put onto a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the sheet tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the balls and return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Makes 42 meatballs.

To make the gravy, heat the vegan butter in a pan until completely melted. Add the flour to the vegan butter and cook on low for about 2-3 minutes, whisking frequently. Add the mushroom stock little by little, whisking while you pour it in to create a creamy base. Add the miso, dijon mustard, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes to thicken and then add the plant based milk. Simmer until the gravy has thickened (about another 5-10 mins) and season to taste. 

To finish the meatballs, heat a little oil in a sauté pan and cook until crispy on all sides. 

To serve, ladle some of the hot gravy over the meatballs and garnish with chopped dill. Serve with mashed potato on the side and lingonberry jam for a Scandi feast!

Alternatives & Substitutions

  • If you’re not a fan of beets, you can substitute mashed or roasted potatoes, or sweet potatoes instead. The finished balls will be a brown color. 

  • This gravy is wonderful with all kinds of dishes! It has an earthy, warm flavor to it. It can be served on the side of the meatballs, or ladled over them in a serving dish at the table. It’s great with mashed potatoes too!

  • For our meat eaters, try our traditional Swedish Meatballs recipe or our spiced Swedish Meatloaf and Gravy

  • Try another Scandinavian classic comfort dish: Danish Breaded Pork patties (Karbonader)

  • Our Swedish Savory Sweet spice blend also works great in soups and stews like this easy minestrone soup or vegetable beef soup. Use 1 tbsp in place of other spices called for in the recipe (except for herbs) and taste before adding more. You may also enjoy our Potato Latke recipe with this delicious spice blend. 

  • Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.

  • Post pictures of your masterpiece meal on social media and tag us. We repost!

Vegan Swedish "Meatballs"

Serves

4

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Total Time

1 hour 15 minutes

Piquant Post spice you'll need: Swedish Savory Sweet

Ingredients

  • Vegan Swedish "Meatballs"

  • 3/4 cup chopped onion 

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 3/4 cups rolled oats, milled in a blender or food processor

  • 2 medium beets, peeled and roasted

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils

  • 1 cup cooked short grain brown rice

  • 2 teaspoons Piquant Post Savory Sweet blend

  • 1-2 teaspoons sea salt to taste

  • Black pepper to taste

  • Mushroom Gravy:

  • 1/3 cup vegan butter

  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour

  • 2 cups mushroom stock

  • 1 cup plant based milk, unsweetened (almond, soy, oat, etc…)

  • 1 teaspoon miso

  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried

  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. To make the lentil meatballs, sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic in a small pan until translucent. Set aside. 

    Add the rolled oats to a blender or a food processor and process until a flour is formed.

    Add the cooked beets to a food processor and process until a fine purée is formed. 

    In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked onion, garlic, milled oats, puréed beets, cooked lentils, cooked rice, Piquant Post Savory Sweet blend, sea salt and black pepper to taste. Mix until well combined. 

    Form into balls that are about 1” in diameter and put onto a parchment lined baking sheet. 

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the sheet tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the balls and return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Makes 42 meatballs.

  2. To make the gravy, heat the vegan butter in a pan until completely melted. Add the flour to the vegan butter and cook on low for about 2-3 minutes, whisking frequently. Add the mushroom stock little by little, whisking while you pour it in to create a creamy base. Add the miso, dijon mustard, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes to thicken and then add the plant based milk. Simmer until the gravy has thickened (about another 5-10 mins) and season to taste. 

  3. To finish the meatballs, heat a little oil in a sauté pan and cook until crispy on all sides. 

  4. To serve, ladle some of the hot gravy over the meatballs and garnish with chopped dill. Serve with mashed potato on the side and lingonberry jam for a Scandi feast!

Notes

  • We baked these “meatballs” to firm them before pan frying, so don’t skip that step! While frying and before serving, season them with salt and pepper to taste to enhance the savoriness. 

  • It can get a little messy to roll the meatballs, so if you have a scooper that is the right size, that can make the process quicker and cleaner!

  • If the meatball mixture is too soft to roll into balls, add more oat flour to firm it up! 

  • When making the gravy, make sure that you add the liquid little by little so that the gravy remains creamy and doesn’t break, or separate. Whisk constantly while doing this to help it keep it’s beautiful texture.

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