These vegan Swedish meatballs are so meaty you could fool a meat eater! Delicious homemade seitan meatballs covered in a rich and creamy gravy for the ultimate comfort food. This tastes better than IKEA!
The secret to getting the meatiest texture in these meatballs is using essential wheat gluten. Essential wheat gluten is a flour made from wheat protein, and it’s what gives bread its bouncy stretchy texture and what makes pizza chewy. Using lentils, walnuts, onions, garlic and seasonings with signature hints of allspice and nutmeg makes for the tastiest Swedish-style meatballs. Delicious even before adding gravy!
Essential wheat gluten is very high in protein which makes it great for athletic people. A vegan Swedish meatball (without gravy) is only 68 calories and contains 8 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fat!!
The meatballs can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or they can be frozen. When they’re ready to enjoy, let them defrost (if necessary), then fry them in a skillet and whisk in regular gravy. Serve vegan Swedish meatballs over garlic mashed potatoes or enjoy over rice or noodles.
How to Make Vegan Swedish Meatballs from Scratch:
In a food processor add the lentils, onion, walnuts, and garlic and pulse until you reach a somewhat crumbly paste-like texture. Add the essential wheat gluten, water, soy sauce, parsley, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg and pulse, scraping down the sides as needed, until combined into a crumbly dough.
Pinch some dough and roll it into a golf ball sized vegetarian meatball and set aside on a plate or dish. Repeat until all the dough is used and you have made about 18 meatballs.
Add a few inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the meatballs to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25-30 minutes. Once steaming is done, you can either prepare them right away (see below), or let them cool completely and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze them for later. *Note, I always find that seitan has the best texture if refrigerated overnight, but it’s still great fresh.
To serve the meatballs and make the gravy:
In a large skillet or non-stick frying pan, heat a little 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 aside on a plate.
Return the pan to the heat and add the vegan butter. Once melted, whisk in flour to form a paste. Cook the flour paste while simmering, then stir in the broth and cream. Bring to a simmer and cook until the gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Return the meatballs with the gravy to the pan and heat through for another minute or two. Serve Vegan Swedish Meatballs over hot potatoes, rice or noodles.
These vegan Swedish meatballs are…
- Incredibly meaty saucy is delicious
- Great for going ahead and accumulating
- Better than Ikea.
More vegan seitan recipes to try:
The best vegan turkey roast
Vegan Italian Seitan Meatballs
Vegan Seitan Tender (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.
Hungry!
Sam Turnbull.
Vegan Swedish Meatballs
These vegan Swedish meatballs are so meaty you could fool a meat eater! Delicious homemade seitan meatballs covered in a rich and creamy gravy for the ultimate comfort food. This tastes better than IKEA!
Serving: 4 (Makes 18-20 meatballs)
Calories: 466kcal
material
For the meatballs:
- 1 the cup Cooked lentils (I used canned)
- ½ yellow onion quarter
- ½ the cup walnut
- 2 cloves garlic Minced or pressed
- 1 ¼ the cup Essential wheat flour glue (there is no alternative)
- 6 tablespoon the water
- 2 tablespoon I am Willow
- 1 tablespoon Dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon Bell pepper
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the gravy:
- 1 tablespoon light oil (canola or vegetable oil) for frying
- 3 tablespoon Vegetarian butter
- 3 tablespoon All-purpose flour
- 2 the cup Vegan “beefless” broth or mushroom broth
- ½ the cup Vegan Culinary Cream (or sub cashew cream or full fat coconut milk)
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instructions
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In a food processor add the lentils, onion, walnuts, and garlic and pulse until you reach a somewhat crumbly paste-like texture. Add the essential wheat gluten, water, soy sauce, parsley, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg and pulse, scraping down the sides as needed, until combined into a crumbly dough.
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Pinch some dough and roll it into a golf ball sized vegetarian meatball and set aside on a plate or dish. Repeat until all the dough is used and you have made about 18 meatballs.
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Add a few inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the meatballs to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25-30 minutes. Once steaming is done, you can either prepare them right away (see below), or let them cool completely and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze them for later. *Note, I always find that seitan has the best texture if refrigerated overnight, but it’s still great fresh.
To serve the meatballs and make the gravy:
Comment
Steaming Tips: You need to steam the vegan meatballs before using them. If you plan to make seitan often, I recommend getting a steamer pot, or if you don’t have a steamer, you can use a DIY method.
Cleaning Tips: Essential wheat gluten is very sticky and can destroy dish brushes and clothes. So what I like to do is save old clothes, sheets or towels that aren’t too shabby to donate and shred them into rags. I use this rag to clean up after preparing the seitan recipe and throw the rag away once I’m done.
nutrition
Worship: 1Servings (recipe makes 4 servings) | Calories: 466kcal | Sugars: 29g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 11g | Monounsaturated fats: 7g | Trans fats: 0.1g | Sodium: 1077mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 674IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 5mg