Vegan Swedish Meatballs

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vegan swedish meatballs with hasselback potato
There are plenty of ways to make vegan Swedish meatballs these days.

Meatballs
Frozen tofu is the secret to creating these amazing Swedish meatballs. The texture fits the bill for that realistic meatiness, it also does not hurt that these vegan Swedish meatballs are high in protein. Tender and light meatballs are spiced with all-spice and nutmeg creating a wonderful flavor reminiscent of winter and the holidays. 

Hasselback Potatoes
We paired them with a Hasselback potato that is roasted to crisp perfection and drenched with garlic, lemon, and vegan butter.

Gravy
What is a crisp potato and meatball without a creamy lightly spiced gravy? This gravy highlights all of the flavors in the meatballs and the Hasselback potato, we use a classic gravy cooking technique of light roux and cashew to the gravy in place of using heavy cream. The high-speed blender creates a smooth gravy, so rich and flavorful, you wouldn’t know it was vegan. 
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WHAT YOU NEED…

  • Frozen tofu is the anchor to this classic dish. By freezing and then thawing the tofu, you get an authentic texture in your meatballs. 
  • Nutmeg is an important spice in both the meatball and the gravy.
  • Yellow Onions are yet another ingredient that you most likely have in your refrigerator. Yellow onions are a magical ingredient, cooking the onions slowly with extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt brings out sweetness and richness. 
  • Garlic brings depth and complexity to the meatballs and the potatoes. 

How To Make Vegan Hasselback Potatoes

cutting potato for hasselback potato
Using wooden spoon handles as a guide, slice the potatoes but not all the way through.
adding melted vegan butter to sliced hasselback potato_
Spread oil in between the potato slices.
lemon zest adding to butter herb and panko_
Herb lemon butter with Panko breadcrumbs.
baked hasselback potato with herb vegan butter_
Add to the Hasselback potatoes for the final touch.

How To Make Vegan Swedish Meatballs

PRESSING TOFU FOR SWDISH VEGAN MEATBALLS
Press the excess water from the frozen and thawed tofu.
TOFU SEASONED FOR VEGAN SWEDISH MEATBALLS
Next, you will add the seasonings and other ingredients then mash them into a crumble.
MIXING TOFU FOR SWEDISH MEATBALLS
Mix thoroughly.
FORMING SWEDISH MEATBALLS
Lightly coat with flour after forming the tofu meatballs.
COOKING SWEDISH MEATBALLS
The vegan Swedish meatballs should be cooked to a golden brown color and crispy on all sides.

How to Make Swedish Meatball Gravy

ADDING FLOUR TO VEGAN BUTTER TO MAKE ROUX_
Melt vegan butter then add the flour to make a roux.
ADDING VEGETABLE BROTH TO VEGAN GRAVY
Cook for about 3 minutes then add the vegetable stock.
ADDING MOLASSES TO GRAVY
Continue to cook and add the spices and molasses to the gravy.
ADDING CASHEWS TO SAUCE
Add the soaked cashews.
BLENDING VEGAN GRAVY
Blend until smooth.
ADDING LEMON ZEST TO VEGAN GRAVY
Return the gravy to the sauce pot and add the zest of 1 lemon.
ADDING PLANT MILK TO GRAVY
Add the plant milk and adjust the salt to taste.

Chefs Tips

  • Start with the Hasselback potatoes as they take the longest to cook.
  • Using frozen and then thawed tofu creates a very meaty texture for the meatballs.
  • Make the gravy the day before. It will get better after a day.
vegan SWEDISH MeatballsBALLS with hasselback potato

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Dinner, Meatball, Vegan
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 15 Meatballs
Calories: 115kcal
Author: Those Vegan Chefs
There are plenty of ways to make vegan meatballs these days. Frozen tofu is the secret to creating these amazing Swedish meatballs. The texture fits the bill for that realistic meatiness, it also does not hurt that these vegan Swedish meatballs are high in protein. Tender and light meatballs are spiced with All-spice and nutmeg creating a wonderful flavor reminiscent of winter
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Ingredients

MeatBalls

Creamy Spiced Gravy

Instructions

Meatball Method:

  • Place one package of tofu in the freezer the night before, honestly, I always have a pack in the freezer at all times you never know when you will need it. After fully frozen, defrost the tofu in the refrigerator overnight. Place the thawed tofu in a tofu press and start to press the water out, the tofu will release more than you expect so working near the sink is a good idea. Continue to tighten the press extracting more liquid. This should not take more than 30 minutes.
  • Heat a pan over medium heat, add enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil to just cover the bottom of the pan, add the onions, and using your microplane grater, grate the garlic right into the onions, stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cook the onions until translucent, there should be coloring of the onions cooking for about 5-8 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow to cool in the pan.
  • Remove the tofu from the press and place in a large bowl. Add the nutmeg, all spice, salt and tomato paste. Using your hands to break up the tofu into small pieces and mix the seasoning into the tofu.
  • Add the cooked onions and garlic to the bowl, followed by the parsley, garbanzo bean flour, all purpose flour, the panko bread crumbs, maple syrup and the Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
  • Using your hands, start to knead the mixture. The mixture should start to hold its shape, and start to become a little sticky. Place in refrigerator for 30 minute to hydrate.
  • Using your hands to press and form into small meatballs, after forming all of the balls, place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for a minimum of 20- 30 minutes. This allows the the dry ingredient to hydrate more and firm up.
  • Heat a heavy sauté pan over high heat, add a generous amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the pan. There should be enough oil to pan fry the meatballs. Gently roll the meatballs in the flour and tap the excess off, place the meatball in the hot oil and repeat with the remaining meatballs. Cook the meatballs until gold brown on all sides, place the cooked meatballs on the baking sheet with parchment paper. Keep the meatballs warm in the oven set at 250 degrees until ready to eat.

Gravy Method:

  • Heat a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Whisk the all purpose flour until combined. Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the vegetable broth, the molasses, cashews, nutmeg, all spice and kosher salt, stir to just mix a little. Reduce heat to low, cooking for 30-40 minutes, make sure to stir as it starts to thicken.
  • Puree gravy until it the smoothest gravy ever, preferably using a high speed blender. Place back into the pan. Zest the lemon into the sauce, adjust the seasoning and adjust the thickness with plant milk.

Notes

Nutritional values are an estimate.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Ounces | Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 350mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 102IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

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