Buzz
Building on the popularity of their vegan hotdogs and soft serve, IKEA has revealed plans to introduce a plant-based version of their iconic pork and beef meatballs within the year. However, with the official launch scheduled for the summer of 2020, there's still some waiting to be done. If you're eager to try it sooner, don’t worry, I've got you covered. You don’t need obscure ingredients or hours of prep time to whip up delicious vegan ‘meatballs’ at home.
Before attempting to craft a vegan version of the dish, I had to recall the taste of IKEA's famous meatballs. It had been a while since I last had them—I’m more inclined towards fifty-cent hotdogs and lingonberry slushies—so I made my way to IKEA for a taste test. To my surprise, the meatballs were a bit more bland than I remembered. They had a mostly pork flavor with a subtle onion note. The texture was dense and chewy, more like uncased sausages than soft, fluffy Italian-American meatballs. The gravy, on the other hand, seemed to be a simple roux-based meat stock. The standout of the dish was, without a doubt, the vegetables—crispy, well-seasoned, and just buttery enough—but the meat was undeniably the highlight.
Creating a vegan version of this dish is tricky. You can’t simply replace the meat with vegetables and expect similar results. Often, replicating the texture and flavor requires special ingredients that are either expensive, hard to find, or both. Achieving the dense, chewy texture of the meatballs likely involves using plant protein powders, like vital wheat gluten, and possibly something like agar agar to help bind the ingredients. It wouldn’t surprise me if IKEA's version also relies heavily on these kinds of ingredients for their vegan meatball recipe.
I chose a different route for several reasons. I absolutely *hate* making seitan from scratch because it requires two rounds of cooking: first steaming it to ensure the dough cooks through and stays moist, then broiling or frying it to crisp it up. Skip the steaming and you get a dry, tough brick; skip the frying and you're left chewing on a wet sponge. I would never ask anyone to steam dozens of tiny meatballs and fry them in multiple batches. Plus, what’s the average person going to do with a mostly-full package of vital wheat gluten? Make more steamed-and-fried meatballs? No thanks. I was after a delicious, veggie-based mixture that could be rolled into balls, placed on a baking sheet, and popped in the oven.
To achieve this, I turned to some trusty vegetables: eggplant and white button mushrooms. Both absorb oil like nobody's business, which is perfect for this recipe. Cooking them down into a paste with onions, garlic, olive oil, soy sauce, and sugar creates a super-flavorful base—something vegan meatballs definitely need. Cashews bring some weight and a subtle nuttiness, while vegan mayo keeps the mixture moist; an outrageous amount of garlic powder and a touch of vegetable bouillon complete the seasoning. Panko is added at the end to bind everything together. Once rolled into balls, they go directly into the oven—no chilling or waiting.
They may not have the bounce of the originals, but the texture is otherwise spot-on, and the flavor is miles ahead of bland ground pork. Every bit of seasoning is absorbed by the eggplant and mushrooms; the slight kick of MSG from the bouillon keeps you coming back for more. Best of all, they hold their shape perfectly, even when smothered in gravy.
Now, let’s talk about the gravy, which, along with the lingonberry jam, is what really elevates IKEA’s meatballs. Most Swedish meatball recipes use sour cream gravy, but I didn’t detect any dairy in IKEA’s version. Still, I figured a little extra richness wouldn’t hurt, especially with boxed vegetable stock. So I added a scoop of the cooked vegetable mixture and some homemade cashew cream, then blended everything together with an immersion blender. The result is a rich, creamy, and deeply flavorful gravy—exactly what you want to pour over mashed potatoes, savory vegan meatballs, and, of course, lingonberry jam. Why wait for IKEA’s version when this one tastes so good?
Vegan Swedish-style 'Meatballs'
I’m all about flexible ingredient lists, but cashews are *the* nut for this recipe. They blend smoothly with just an hour of soaking and provide bulk without shouting, 'Look at all these cashews!' Even if you skip the homemade cashew cream (store-bought vegan or regular sour cream works just as well), don’t skip the cashews. I prefer unsalted (for once), but salted cashews are fine as long as you’re careful with the salt elsewhere.
This recipe makes about 50 small (one-inch diameter) balls and two to three cups of gravy, enough to serve at least six people. If you have leftovers, freeze the balls on a sheet pan until solid, then store them in a freezer bag for long-term use. They reheat beautifully in the microwave or oven.
*For the gravy:*
1/2 cup roasted cashews, preferably unsalted
2 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup vegan sour cream, or more (optional)
Lemon juice, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
*For the balls:*
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra if necessary
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 pound white button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 medium eggplant (1-1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup roasted cashews, preferably unsalted
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
Powdered vegetable bouillon, Trader Joe’s Mushroom & Company umami seasoning, and/or monosodium glutamate, to taste
Just under 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
For serving:
Your favorite mashed potatoes (these are flawless, and can be easily made vegan)
Lingonberry jam (substitute with canned cranberry sauce if needed)
To begin, prepare the cashew cream for the gravy by soaking half a cup of cashews in two or three cups of hot water. Set aside. (You can skip this step if you’re using store-bought sour cream.)
For the gravy, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and browned at the edges, about five minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper, stir in the garlic, and cook for another minute or until the garlic just begins to brown. Stir in the flour, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook while stirring constantly for two to three minutes. If the pan appears dry, add a bit more oil.
Add the vegetable stock, bring the gravy to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover the pot and let it simmer as you prepare the meatballs.
In your largest skillet, heat another two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it's almost blackened around the edges. Toss in the mushrooms and stir for a few minutes to deflate them. Then add the eggplant cubes, sliced garlic, and water. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables shrink significantly and start to stick to the pan. Add the soy sauce and sugar, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Stir half a cup of this vegetable mixture into the gravy and transfer the rest to a food processor. Allow it to cool slightly.
If your skillet is filled with browned bits stuck to the bottom, return it to the heat and deglaze with a little water, scraping the fond to dissolve it. You don’t need a lot of water—start with a few tablespoons and add more if necessary. Once it’s all dissolved, scrape the contents of the skillet into the gravy and stir to combine.
To form the meatballs, process the vegetable mixture with a cup of dry cashews (not the ones you're soaking), garlic powder, and mayonnaise until smooth. Season with powdered vegetable bouillon, MSG, or mushroom seasoning to taste. Then, add the panko to the food processor and pulse a few times until just incorporated. The result will be a rather unattractive grey-brown paste.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and adjust the consistency as needed. If it looks dry, add more mayo; if it's too loose, add more panko; and season to taste. Don’t worry if it seems a little runny—soft test batches still hold their shape in the oven.
Here comes the messy part. Preheat your oven to 350ºF, line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and wet your hands. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls, placing them onto the pan as you go. Make sure to rinse your hands occasionally to avoid the buildup of stickiness. Bake the balls on the top rack for 20-30 minutes until they are golden and crisped up.
While the balls bake, finish making the gravy. If you're using cashews, drain and rinse them, then blend them with a few tablespoons of water until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of this cashew cream (or sour cream if preferred) into the gravy and blend again until everything is smooth. A stick blender works great for both steps, but a regular blender will do just as well. Adjust the flavor of the gravy with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to your liking.
For the ultimate IKEA cafeteria experience, serve your delightful meatballs with the gravy, mashed potatoes, and a generous dollop of lingonberry jam or cranberry sauce. It's just as tasty as the real deal, but without the animal products—and definitely without the need for an actual trip to IKEA.
