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Try this new take on Vegan Swedish Meatballs! This recipe skips the meat substitutes and is made with baked whole cremini mushrooms simmered in a plant-based dairy-free creamy gravy! DIVINE! Gluten-free , Nutfree options.
Coming at you with a new take on Vegan Swedish Meatballs! Instead of trying to replicate the texture of meatballs using lentils or vegan meat crumbles, we take a different approach to this comfort food classic. Enter mushroom balls!
Yes, I use whole mushrooms in this recipe as a stand-in for meatballs! No meatballs rolling and shaping is needed. We’re talking about battered mushrooms that are baked into juicy delicious perfection! These make for a great sub for meatballs and tossed with a classic meatball gravy, they are just to die for.
The vegan mushroom gravy is made with homemade cashew milk, mushroom broth and a vegan roux, making it rich and creamy without any dairy. Serve this recipe to any vegan or carnivore and they are sure to be pleased.
You can serve the vegan Swedish meatballs on a bed of pasta, creamy mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice if you’re looking for a low-er carbs version. A little lingonberry jam on the side is also not a bad idea.
More vegan meatballs recipes:
- Pesto Spaghetti with Vegan Meatballs (Chickpea Walnut balls)
- Vegan Meatball Subs
- Jackfruit Meatballs Tacos
- Malai Kofta -Indian veggie balls with tomato cream sauce
- Cauliflower Kofta curry
Easy Vegan Swedish Meatballs with Mushroom Balls
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound whole cremini or white or baby bella mushrooms, about 14-16
For the marinade:
- 3 tablespoons vegan yogurt
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon all spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice flour, or use all purpose flour
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour or use a gluten free blend to keep it gluten free
- 1 cup mushroom broth , or 1 cup water plus 1 teaspoon dried mushroom powder
- 2 cups cashew milk, (blend 1/3 cup of raw cashews and 2 cups of water until smooth) See notes for Nutfree
- 1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley or dried italian herb of choice
- black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Bake the mushrooms:,Wash the mushrooms and cut the top of the stems off and set aside to dry.
- Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients under marinade until the mixture is well combined. It will be a pasty thick mixture.
- Add the mushrooms to the bowl and toss well to coat all the mushrooms really well.
- Spread the mushrooms on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 c) for 25-30 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. when you try to insert a toothpick or a knife through the mushrooms. The center should not have any friction.
- For the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegan butter and wait for it to melt.
- Then add in the flour and mix in and cook for a minute or two until the flour is evenly bubbling.
- Then gradually add the mushroom stock by adding in a 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time and then mixing in and then add the rest of it into the mixture.
- Then add in the worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, salt, and herbs and mix in. Add 1 tablespoon of any leftover mushroom marinade as well. Then add the cashew milk and mix in and bring to a good boil.
- The mixture will thicken as it starts to boil. Thicken to your preference. If it’s thickening too much, add in a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of more mushroom stock. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
- Once the sauce has thickened to preference, take off heat.
- Add your baked mushroom meatballs in the sauce and drizzle some of the sauce over the meatball and serve immediately with some garlic bread or pasta or mashed potatoes.
Video
Notes
- gluten-free use a gluten-free blend or rice flour for making the gravy
- Nutfree : blend 3/4 cup firm or silken tofu with 1 1/4 cup water until smooth and use you can also use a blend of pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds instead of cashews
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- we need about 14-15 cremini or white or baby bella mushrooms – those have the perfect size
- before baking, we marinate the shrooms in vegan yogurt and herbs
- the marinade is seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, allspice, ground nutmeg, salt, parsley and vegan Worcestershire sauce
- rice flour or all-purpose flour allows for the marinade to stick to the mushrooms
- for the mushroom gravy, we make a roux with vegan butter and all-purpose flour
- the sauce gets its earthy flavor from mushroom broth
- homemade cashew milk adds creaminess
- vegan Worcestershire sauce adds umami along with dijon mustard
- some dried parsley or dried Italian herb of choice to finish off the gravy
Tips:
- for gluten-free use a gluten-free blend or rice flour for making the gravy
- don’t have mushroom broth? You can cheat by mixing 1 cup of water with 1 teaspoon dried mushroom powder
- this dish tastes best served fresh as the mushroom balls will get soggy with time
- feel free to just make the sauce and make lentil mushroom balls instead of the mushroom balls
How to make Vegan Swedish Meatballs:
Wash the mushrooms and cut the top of the stems off and set aside to dry.
Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients under marinade until the mixture is well combined. It will be a pasty thick mixture.
Add the mushrooms to the bowl and toss well to coat all the mushrooms really well.
Spread the mushrooms on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 c) for 25-30 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender when you try to insert a toothpick or a knife through the mushrooms. The center should not have any friction.
For the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegan butter and wait for it to melt.
Then add in the flour and mix in and cook for a minute or two until the flour is evenly bubbling.
Gradually add the mushroom stock by adding in a 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time and then mixing in and then add the rest of it into the mixture.
Then add in the Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, salt, and herbs and mix in. Add 1 tablespoon of any leftover marinade as well.
Then add the cashew milk and mix in and bring to a good boil.
The mixture will thicken as it starts to boil. Thicken to your preference. If it’s thickening too much, add in a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of more mushroom stock. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
Once the sauce has thickened to preference, take off heat.
Add your baked mushroom meatballs to the sauce and drizzle some of the sauce over the meatball. Serve immediately with some garlic bread or pasta or mashed potatoes.
Storage
Store the baked balls separately and reheat separately then plate and serve.
New to the vegan life and this is our new favourite!
awesome! welcome 🙂
Hi! So excited to make this. How long do you marinate the mushrooms for? Thanks!
you bake them right away.
I love this recipe! It’s creative and delicious. I multiplied up the number of mushrooms because (a) they’re so tasty and (b) the recipe makes a lot of sauce. Thank you for posting these recipes Richa!
Awesome
I made this for supper tonight and my husband and I loved it! I followed the recipe exactly and served on mashed potatoes. Divine. We thought the mushroom balls were so good, I will absolutely make them over and over again – I think they will go great with other dishes, too. Thanks, Richa, for this creative, flavourful recipe.
Yay!
Hi Richa, these sound wonderful. I usually don’t have vegan butter. Do you think it is absolutely necessary? A little oil, maybe?
Yes use a bit of oil
Our oven has been overtaken by mice 🙁 so everything is stovetop these days. I sautéed the mushrooms with onion and all the “baking” ingredients then added the flour and milk and bubbles to thick and creamy 🙂 toasted pine nuts and sautéed snap peas “mwah” delicious! Thank you Richa 💕
Oh no. Glad you made it however you could and loved it!