Vegan Swedish Meatballs & Gravy

If you’re looking for vegan comfort food, look no further! These vegan Swedish meatballs are meaty and flavorful. The dairy-free gravy is creamy and rich. Serve over a bed of whipped mashed potatoes or noodles for a plant-based meal that is loved by kids and grown-ups alike.

What are Swedish Meatballs and Gravy?

After doing some reading, it turns out that Swedish meatballs aren’t all that, well…Swedish. In any case, I’m going for what we’re familiar with when we think of Swedish meatballs and gravy. If you haven’t tried this type of comfort dish, the meatballs differ from Italian ones in a couple of ways:

1) The seasonings are different – Swedish meatballs have a warm spice flavor to them, usually from allspice.

2) Swedish meatballs are often smaller than Italian ones (more surface area for that creamy gravy!)

Swedish gravy is often made by adding beef broth and sour cream to a roux (flour and butter paste). For this vegan recipe, I used a vegan beef stock and instead of using flour and sour cream, I opted for cashews. Cashews impart a lovely buttery flavor once blended and make the sauce so velvety and rich. Vegan Worcestershire sauce provides the allspice and deep umami flavors.

Tips for Perfect Vegan Swedish Meatballs and Gravy:

• When dicing the mushrooms, make sure they are small and equal in size. Later, when adding them to the bean and onion mixture in the food processor, pulse only until they are incorporated and you can still see them. The mushrooms contribute flavor and but also texture.
• Blending and them kneading the vegan meatball mixture works the gluten which is partly responsible for the balls structure.
• When rolling your veggie meatballs, use a 1.5 tbsp scoop if you have one. This makes the work easier, and the balls uniform in size.
• Roll the balls tightly so they don’t fall apart.
• Let the balls sit for a few minutes once they come out of the oven. They will be delicate at first, but will firm up once they rest.
• Don’t let the meatballs hang out in the gravy because they will absorb the moisture and fall apart. They’ll taste amazing but no longer be pretty. Ladle the gravy over the meatballs just before serving, and store leftover meatballs and gravy in separate containers.