This is the best vegan Swedish meatballs recipe – These no-meat balls “Koettbullar” are incredibly delicious, rich in plant-based protein from lentils, meaty in texture and can be made soy-free and gluten-free. They are coated in a simple creamy vegan gravy, making it to the perfect comfort food for vegans and non-vegans alike!

I love trying new recipes from countries all over the world! I’ve already shared my vegan cinnamon rolls with you, which originate from Scandinavia. So I thought it’s about time to share a hearty lunch or dinner recipe from northern Europe! Anyway, today’s vegan Swedish meatballs recipe is inspired by the popular “Koettbullar” which is a classic Swedish dish, that is also served at Ikea and anyone loves it! So if you love it, too but went vegan or vegetarian, this meat-less version is what you need!

The Best Healthy Vegan Meatballs recipe
What I love about this recipe is that it is so healthy, satisfying, and rich in nutrients! I made my vegan Swedish meatballs with lentils as I did in this lentil meatballs with Indian curry sauce recipe but adjusted the flavors and tossed the no-meat balls in a simple cream sauce. Thanks to the lentils, the meatballs are packed with vegan protein, keeping you full for several hours. Along with the wholesome oats, they contain also a lot of fiber which is important for your digestive system. Is there anything better than enjoying a delicious meal, that is even nourishing and healthy? I don’t think so!

Serving Suggestions
I served my vegan Swedish meatballs in a simple gravy over Fussili here, but you can use any pasta of your choice or serve them with homemade spaetzle. However, they’re also delicious over mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, rice or quinoa which are all great gluten-free options. And if you follow a low-carb diet, simply serve this recipe as a main dish with vegetables on the side or over protein pasta like chickpea, lentil or pea noodles.

How to store, freeze & make-ahead
This recipe makes not only a great lunch or dinner to enjoy at home, but it is also perfect for meal prep to take to work. You can store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freeze the uncooked balls for longer storage. Just be sure to store the vegan Swedish Meatballs and the gravy separately! Otherwise, the meatballs will get soft and mushy. When ready to serve, simply reheat in the microwave or in the oven for a crispier result.

How to make Vegan Swedish meatballs
This recipe is pretty easy to make in just a few steps, requiring simple pantry ingredients! However, I highly recommend watching the recipe video too!

Step 1: Prep the vegan meatball mixture
Start by making the Meatballs: Cook the lentils in 1 ½ cup of water for 20 minutes, or according to the package instructions. In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, until fragrant. Then add the chopped mushrooms and cumin and continue sautéing until the mushrooms are tender.




Next, place the oats in a blender or food processor and process them into flour. Then add in the cooked lentils, sautéed onions, garlic, mushrooms and the other ingredients for the Meatballs (see recipe card below). Pulse until combined, but not puréed, to get the perfect texture! Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Then set the no-meat lentil balls mixture aside for 10 minutes or refrigerate overnight, if you want to continue with the recipe the next day.




Step 2: Form the balls and bake
When ready to form the balls, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form the lentil mixture into balls with wet hands. (This will prevent the lentil-mass from sticking to your skin.) Then place them on the prepared baking sheet and brush or spray them with a little oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning them halfway through.


Step 3: Make the vegan gravy
To make the gravy add all the ingredients as written in the recipe card below (except the cornstarch and water) to a pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. In a smaller bowl or cup whisk together the cornstarch and 2-3 tablespoons of water to dissolve. Then whisk it into the gravy and bring it to a boil again, stirring occasionally. Simmer for a few minutes, until the gravy is nice and thick. Serve the gravy with these best vegan Swedish meatballs over pasta or mashed potatoes!
A little note: If you love mushrooms, feel free to serve these vegan meatballs with my mushroom gravy or mushroom stroganoff.

These Vegan Swedish Meatballs (Koettbullar) are:
- Meat-less
- Egg-less
- Dairy-free
- Healthy
- Can be made soy-free and gluten-free
- Hearty
- Easy to make
- Tossed in a creamy gravy
- Perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep
- Incredibly delicious!

Looking for more dishes with vegan meatballs, be sure to check out the following recipes:
- Lentil meatballs in Indian Curry Sauce
- No-Meat balls with Vegan Gravy over Mashed Potatoes
- Vegan Meatballs with Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce
- Vegan sweet potato falafel
- Or how about Vegan Lasagna or Mexican One-pot Taco Pasta?
- Also, my Lentil Bolognese and the classic Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese are incredibly delicious!
Anyway, if you try this recipe for Vegan Swedish Meatballs (Koettbullar), please leave a comment and rating! And if you take a photo of your delicious no-meat balls and share it on Instagram, please make sure to tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Happy cooking!

Vegan Swedish Meatballs
Author:Ingredients
Vegan Meatballs
- ½ cup (100 g) dry lentils green or brown
- 1 ½ cup (360 ml) water
- 1 tbsp oil + more for brushing
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup (150 g) mushrooms roughly chopped
- 2 tsp cumin
- ¾ cup (70 g) rolled oats gluten-free if needed
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (or sub 1 tbsp dried herbs)
- 2-3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari sauce (if gluten-free)
- ⅓ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper or to taste
Gravy
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 14 oz can (400 ml) light coconut milk or other non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (if gluten-free)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot flour
To serve (optional)
- pasta of your choice
Instructions
Vegan Meatballs
- Cook the lentils in a pot with 1 ½ cups of water for 20 minutes, or according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, until fragrant. Then add the chopped mushrooms and cumin and continue sautéing for about 3 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender (*see step-by-step photos and recipe video above).
- Place the oats in a blender or food processor and process them into flour. Then add in the cooked lentils, sautéed onions, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Pulse until combined, but not puréed, leaving a little texture. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Then set the mixture aside for 10 minutes (or refrigerate overnight if you want to continue the next day).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Form the mixture into balls with wet hands and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush or spray the balls with a little oil and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning them halfway through.
Gravy
- Add all ingredients (except the cornstarch and water) to a pot or saucepan and bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2-3 tablespoons of water to dissolve. Then, whisk it into the gravy and bring to a boil again, stirring constantly. Simmer for a few minutes, until the gravy is thick and creamy.
- Place the vegan meatballs in the gravy and serve over pasta, spaetzle or mashed potatoes!
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover sauce and vegan meatballs separately in the refrigerator or the balls will get mushy. Reheat leftover meatballs gently in the microwave or in the oven for a crispier result.
- Sauce: You can also serve these vegan meatballs with mushroom gravy or mushroom stroganoff.
- Please read my blog post for further information about this recipe!
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I am impressed by your post that make a new post and prepare a new recipe, it is not suitable for everyone but you have done it, I think you will become a more successful person in life.
Thank you. 🙂
This is a spectacular ratio of ingredients for making meatballs. I did change a couple of things – I tossed my mushrooms in tamari and smoked them over mesquite, and I cook without oil which made these WFPB. The textures were great, the flavor was unreal, and I am very satisfied with how inexpensive the ingredients are. I did my own sauce, but I have to say that these meatballs were delightful.
Great, thanks for your feedback! Glad you enjoyed these! 🙂
Excellent recipe! It is easy and soooo delicious!
Glad you love it! Thanks 😊
I bought my meatballs so I didn’t try that part, but I did make the sauce. It’s delicious and easy! I did have to double the amount of cornstarch to thicken it enough, but that’s easy. Also note that if you don’t have a can of coconut milk and use another non-dairy milk, vegan butter is great to give it the missing fat content!
Glad you love this sauce, thanks for your feedback! 🙂
I only made the sauce but it was really good over mashed potatoes. I did add more cornstarch to thicken it up alittle more and added mushroom seasoning for extra richness. Thank you for the recipe!
I am thrilled to hear that the sauce was tasty for you! Thanks a bunch for making it! 🙂
These were amazing! Very flavourful.. we made them on toasted buns and it was delish!
That’s great! Thank you! 🙂
I followed this recipe to a tee and as other comments have pointed out the meatballs are very mushy and the gravy was super watery and never thickened. I had to make some changes. I’m sorry but I really didn’t enjoy this.
When you overcook the lentils in too much water, your vegan meatballs may turn out mushy. Therefore make sure to cook the lentils until just tender. Otherwise, you can also add more oat flour if the lentil meatball mixture is too soft. If the gravy is still too liquid, you can thicken it with more cornstarch or cook it longer until desired consistency. Also make sure to use a new spoon when tasting the graving as saliva contain enzymes that break down starch so it won’t thicken.
I’ve made meatless balls before, with much more ingredients, and well to say the least, all the extra ingredients are necessary. These balls was complete mush even after cooking it for 40+ minutes (recipe calls for 25-30 mins). Also i noticed in the video there were waaayyy more than 1 cup of mushrooms used and waayyyy less than 1 whole onion. Idk if that could have played a factor in texture but this recipe was definitely missing a firming ingredient. I almost knew it would be mushy by the ingredient list but I still gave it a try. Oh well
I highly recommend measuring the ingredients in grams and ml to be sure you have the correct amounts.
This is one of my favorite recipes! Super easy to throw together on a busy weeknight and to make it even easier I use Beyond meatballs. The gravy tastes just like the savory Swedish meatball sauce you’re hoping for. Yum!!
Awesome! I’m very glad that you liked it! 🙂
Thank you so much for your great feedback! 💓
These were so easy to make and amazing to eat; yum. I served them with mash potatoes some pickled cucumbers and of course some lingonberries. Thank you; I got many compliments from the family.
Awesome! Thank you so much for your great feedback! ❤️