My mom was a meatball fiend when I was a kid. I think that was a thing in the early 90’s. Meatballs were huge. I think they are back, at least I like to think so because I love these meatballs! Swedish meatballs was a signature dish of my mom’s. I loved them so much. They are one of the things I really miss from before going vegan. So, I made my own. These vegan Swedish meatballs are my new jam. You may agree.
This is a super quick weeknight meal. The meatballs take about 5 minutes to throw together, then another 5 minutes to cook, the sauce maybe takes 10 minutes, so let’s say a 20 minute meal! Heck yes! That is literally all I can muster up to make during the week.
After cooking all day, I don’t have a lot left in me for dinner time, so this quick meal is perfect! You can put them over noodles, or serve them alone or with a veggie side. They are amazing no matter what! I love mine with a great big pile of vegan mashed potatoes! The gravy for the meatballs goes really well with some creamy mashed potatoes!
The meatballs are processed in a food processor, just the tempeh, bread crumbs some flax and seasonings. They brown so beautifully! This is one of those meals I always tell you is great for a cast iron skillet! The cast iron gives them such a great crust! My mouth is watering as we speak, thinking about those brown and crusty tempeh meatballs!
I am fairly certain your whole family will love this meal, herbivores and omnivores alike. Maybe even carnivores. The best damn vegan Swedish meatballs are super excited about you eating them! You won’t regret it! These vegan Swedish meatballs are THE BEST!
Perfect tempeh meatballs, browned to perfection and smothered in the best dang vegan Swedish meatball sauce ever!
- 8 oz. pkg Tempeh
- 2 Tbsp. Flax meal+3 Tbsp. Water
- 1/2 C. Bread crumbs, vegan I used Edward and Sons
- 1/2 C. Panko bread crumbs, vegan I used Ian's
- 1/4 C. Water
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. Parsley
- 1 tsp. Garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. All spice
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Oil for browning the meatballs
- 1/4 C. Vegan butter
- 1/4 C. All purpose flour
- 2 C. Vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp. Braggs amino acids or soy sauce
- 1 C. Coconut milk, full fat, I used Native Forest from Edward and Sons
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. Red wine vinegar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
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Make the meatballs first, mix the flax and 3 Tbsp. of water together to make a flax egg. Now add all the meatball ingredients to a food processor including the flax egg and process until the mixture starts to come together and is smooth. The mixture should easily form balls if pressed together. If it doesn't press together and hold, add a tablespoon more water and process until it comes together.
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Now shape balls out of the tempeh mixture. Grab about a tablespoon or so of the mixture, press together and roll into a ball. Repeat until all the mixture has been rolled.
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Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet on medium high. Brown all the meatballs on each side. It will take a minute or two on each side. Reduce heat as needed. Once the meatballs are brown, remove from pan.
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Wipe any excess oil out of the pan, and make the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low. Add the vegan butter and flour to the skillet. Make a roux by whisking the flour and butter so they form a paste.
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Now whisk in the vegetable broth, amino acids, coconut milk( I used Native Forest from Edward and Sons), mustard and vinegar. Whisk until fully combined. Bring heat up to medium and bring to a simmer so there are little bubbles. Simmer, reducing heat if needed until the sauce gets nice and thick. It may take 5-10 minutes.
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Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs back into the sauce. Coat the meatballs with the sauce. Remove from heat and serve immediately with noodles, potatoes, veggies or just by themselves!
If you can't find vegan bread crumbs(there are many brands, but if they don't have them locally for you), you can just use your favorite vegan bread dried out a bit and processed to crumbs in a food processor.
These look and sound so delicious!! Can you tell me about how many meatballs this recipe makes? I’m looking to feed 5 people and am wondering if I should double it. Thank you!
Yay! This recipe makes 12-14 meatballs, so I would probably double it if you are making it for 5 people. I hope you enjoy!
Just made this for dinner tonight. IT. IS. DELISH! I’m a fan!! Thanks for sharing!!!! ❤️
Yay! This makes me incredibly happy!😍
These sound amazing! I’m hoping to make them this weekend! I usually meal prep all my meals on the weekend. Do you think these would get soggy or crumbly if left sitting in the sauce for several days? Thanks!
So, I have eaten them a few days later, and they do get a bit soggy, but not terrible. However, I would recommend making the meatballs and browning them and putting them in one container, then make the sauce and put in another container. Then you can just reheat separately and then pour the sauce over when you are ready to eat! I hope that helps😄
These are my family’s absolute favorite and have them at least once per week. Thank you so much for the recipe. Do you happen to have the nutritional info? Thanks 🙂
Yay! I am so happy to hear that! I calculated the calorie content for you. There are 1,400 calories in the entire recipe, so you can at least figure it out how many per serving depending on how many people you are serving. If there is any other specific nutritional information you would like let me know, and I will figure it out!
Sounds yummy just wondering do you use both bread crumbs and panko. Thanks can’t wait to try them.
Yes, I use regular bread crumbs and panko, but if you prefer one you can just use that one. I do like the texture they both create though.😊
Holy bananas, this sauce is amazing. I’m waiting for my rice to finish cooking and literally just eating the sauce 😛
Do you think the meatballs could be frozen after cooking?
This looks so very yummy! Is there a way to make the meatballs gluten free?
You could either try to find gluten free bread crumbs, or use oats instead!
I just made this and it is SO BOMB. THANK YOU!!!
Can these be prepped/shaped in advance and frozen prior to cooking? I would love to make these for my son’s birthday party this weekend!
I think that would work. I have premade them and put them in the fridge which worked well, but I think they would freeze fine as well.
Could the meatballs be baked instead? If so, how long and what temperature would you recommend?
Absolutely! I would bake them at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. I would flip them half way through baking!
I’m not sure if I cooked the meatballs long enough they were a bit “doughy’ in the middle. Should they have more of a meat like texture. I’m new to cooking and being a vegan.
So, they are definitely not going to get a completely meat like texture, if that is what you are used to. However, they should get nice and firm. If they aren’t getting to a firmness you like, you can try baking them. They get firmer the longer they are baked. When I bake tempeh meatballs, I usually bake them at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions, I am happy to help you out!
Sorry this may seem like a silly questions but when you say flax meal, does that mean you used flaxseed meal or ground flaxseed? Thanks in advance, I can’t wait to try this recipe.
There are no silly questions! Sorry if that is confusing. Just regular ground flaxseed, I just wanted to make sure no one got whole flaxseeds. It usually comes ground though.
Ahhh! I haven’t had swedish meatballs since I went vegan a few years ago. I’m super stoked to make these!
I normally don’t like tempeh, but this recipe sounds like it will be amazing and I think I have to try it.
These are one of my favorite things! I hope you enjoy!
Oh my word! This was AHHHHH MAZING!! I didn’t make the meatballs because I had some gardein in the freezer. But I made the gravy, then I served it over mashed potatoes. That gravy……Holy smokes….I could drink that. This will be made over and over again. I also literally ate leftovers for breakfast #noshame
Isn’t this gravy amazing! I love it so much, and I’m so happy you feel the same!
I just stumbled upon your website. Every recipe I have viewed makes my mouth water! I am so excited that I found you. I am making this recipe as I type. Due to time, I purchased pre-made vegan meatballs. I will try your recipe next time! Before our family being vegan/vegetarian we had Swedish meatballs weekly…..so happy to find your vegan version. Thank you so much for sharing your talent!
Awesome! The gravy is my favorite part anyways! You are so welcome!
We loved this! Had it over rice with fresh broccoli on the side. Next time, we will prepare the sauce with thick mushroom slices since we are such mushroom fans. I might saute onions (rings) for the sauce, too.
thank you so much for this amazing recipe, the flavours are absolutely awesome, and it always surprises me how quickly it’s done, too! This dish has become my favourite, and everyone loves it!!
Holy crap! This sauce is so dang good!! Definitely will be making this recipe again!!
I made this for dinner tonight with mashed potatoes and homemade ciabatta bread. It was DELISH and my husband loved it as well!
For the recipe: I’m not the biggest fan of coconut so I substituted cashew cream (1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in water for 20 mins and then blended with 1 cup of water). It doesn’t add much to the taste but it does make it wonderfully creamy and gives it a great colour.
Great recipe, thanks!
My wife is allergic to coconut and cashews. Do you think that a soy creamer would work in place of full fat iconic milk or cashew cream?
Yes! I think either of those would work. I have not tested this recipe with those alternatives, but I do think it would work!
These were delicious and simple! You could put that sauce on a shoe and it would be good! Can you freeze the balls omce coated with the sauce?
Yes, I have frozen them, and it works well!
Oh my gosh!! Came across your feed in IG because you liked one of my posts. Thank you!!! Your blog is amazing! So thankful for the connection! Switched to no meat nutrition 2 months ago and your recipes are so fresh and new! Can’t wait to try some of them!