Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs + Dairy Free Sauce

Gluten free Swedish meatballs made with a blend of seasoned ground beef and turkey baked in the oven and tossed with a creamy dairy free sauce. This recipe for these easy dairy free Swedish meatballs also saves time and reduces dirty dishes. For visual instructions make sure to watch the how-to video!

Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs With Dairy Free Sauce

Swedish meatballs were one of my favorite childhood recipes that always made me ask for more! But since I can’t eat dairy and gluten anymore I had to adapt my mom’s recipe into a more allergy friendly one.

My recipe for gluten free dairy free Swedish meatballs is made with ground beef and turkey as the main ingredients and gluten free breadcrumbs (as the softening component) – making them celiac friendly. When accompanied by a creamy dairy free meatball gravy, these gluten free Swedish meatballs create the perfect comfort food combo during cold weather.

Another recipe with a similar creamy sauce you might like is this Whole30 Scallops In A Dairy Free Cream Sauce – it’s a delicious protein addition to some pureed or roasted vegetables.

The recipe is featured in my gluten and dairy free cookbook, and if you would like to find more gluten and dairy free dinner recipes, please check it out!

For your kids you could try these Turkey Meatballs or Beef Meatballs, they are also gluten free and dairy free.

Related: Light Beef Meatballs + Mango Sauce (Healthy, GF, DF)

Gluten Free Dairy Free Swedish Meatballs

This dairy free Swedish meatball sauce is probably what makes these gluten free meatballs mouthwatering. I know people are fretting about Ikea’s Swedish meatballs but I actually never tried them due to my food sensitivities.

Unlike the authentic Swedish meatballs recipe that uses spices like all spice and nutmeg, my recipe is a little different. It’s a hybrid of flavors and spices from Moroccan meatballs and the white dairy free Swedish meatball sauce is adapted to meet gluten free and dairy free dietary restrictions.

See This.

I also left out the lingonberry jelly, mixing the dish with sugar it’s not a wise decision, but in the end it’s your choice!

While the gluten free meatballs are quite easy to make, the dairy free Swedish meatball sauce needs a little bit more customization to achive a similar taste to the authentic Swedish meatball sauce.

The combination of coconut cream, a touch of tangy brown mustard and a rich beef or chicken stock actually makes a delicious dairy free gravy. The addition of seasonings and coconut aminos brightened up the flavor considerably. To thicken the sauce I used some cassava flour.

How To Make Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs

Step 1. Prepare ingredients for meatballs:

• Toast and ground the gluten free bread (store bought or homemade) into bread crumbs with a food processor. This way I’m replacing the store-bought bread crumbs with gluten free bread crumbs (I’m using my homemade gluten free bread).
• I also replaced the pork meat with some lean ground turkey. Turkey meatballs are lighter than traditional Swedish Meatballs plus healthier.

Step 2. Mix the meatball ingredients:

• Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic until soft. Set aside to cool down because we’re going to add all the other ingredients in the same skillet to save dirty dishes. Or transfer to another large bowl.
• To the sautéed onions and garlic, add the bread crumbs, the egg, plant milk, seasonings, the ground beef and the ground turkey. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hand until everything looks uniformly combined, don’t overwork it. Pinch the meat between your fingers rather than kneading it.

Step 3. Form the meatballs:

• Pinch off a piece of the meat mixture and gently roll between your hands to form 1-inch meatballs (about 1.5 tablespoons each).
• Place on a baking sheet (I used 2 oblong glass baking dishes) and repeat until all meatball mixture is used up.

Step 4. Roast the meatballs in the oven:

• Bake the gluten free meatballs in a preheated oven at 410-425F for 20 minutes. The high temperature will give the meatballs a nice brown color on the surface.
• You can roast the meatballs under the broiler (for the last 2 minutes) for maximum browning and crispy-edged effect.
• Cooking these gluten free Swedish meatballs in a skillet on the stove, works too but it takes more effort and makes a big mess.

Benefits of baking meatballs in the oven:

• you can cook a lot all at the same time
• you’re using less dishes and makes clean up easier
• you do not need to hover over the skillet, flipping the meatballs
• they are all cooked evenly throughout and the same
• you can achieve that brown crust too, with a higher temperature setting

How To Make The Dairy Free Swedish Meatball Sauce

Step 1. Gather the gravy ingredients and cook in a skillet:

• While the meatballs are baking in the oven prepare the gravy, it’s similar to a roux. 
• In a skillet melt the plant-based butter over low-medium heat. Add cassava flour, cook while whisking, until golden brown and bubbly, about 3 minutes. If you want the sauce on the thicker side add another tablespoon of cassava flour.

Step 2. Add stock to make the dairy free sauce:

• Then slowly pour in half of the chicken stock (or whatever stock you have). Whisk vigorously. The mixture will thin out as the remaining stock is whisked in. Then add the rest of ingredients.
• When everything is incorporated and smooth, increase heat to medium and whisk until thickens a bit. Then remove from heat.

Heat The Gluten Free Meatballs In Dairy Free Sauce:

• Remove the gluten free Swedish meatballs from the oven and pour the dairy free sauce in the same baking dish where the meatballs were baked. The juices leaked from the meatballs will add extra flavor to the gravy.
• Give it a good mix to coat the meatballs. Return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes to warm them up.
• Then serve the dairy free Swedish meatballs over mashed spiralized veggies, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower or your favorite gluten free pasta. It’s up to you! Enjoy!

Video: How To Make The Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs With Dairy Free Sauce

Make These Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs – Keto Friendly

You can totally make meatballs without breadcrumbs. Just replace the gluten free breadcrumbs with almond meal or if you can’t have nuts: some grated vegetables will make great keto meatballs.

You can use: zucchini, cauliflower or maybe even some mushrooms. For the gravy replace the cassava flour with arrowroot powder, same amount and leave it as it is or replace the coconut cream with the regular sour cream if you can have dairy.

Can You Make These Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs: Paleo or Whole30?

• For making whole30 meatballs, replace the breadcrumbs with grated veggies just like with the keto meatballs, but you have a larger choice here: sweet potatoes or carrots are also whole30 compliant.
• Make sure you use a compliant mustard, without sugar or white wine. I always use this apple cider stone ground brown mustard with simple great ingredients.
• For the meatballs: replace the breadcrumbs with almond meal or if you can’t have nuts: some grated vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots or cauliflower will do.
• For the dairy free gravy replace the cassava flour with arrowroot powder, same amount.
• If you must serve your gluten free dairy free Swedish meatballs with jelly then choose a sugar free whole30 compliant fruit jam like this one, but you can also omit it entirely.

Can You Make Egg Free Dairy Free Swedish Meatballs?

People usually add eggs to their meatballs because they will provide moisture and binding properties. The eggs will make the meatballs more spongy and a little bit denser. I like my dairy free Swedish meatballs with 1 egg, just enough to act as a binder. I think the meat contains enough protein for one meal.

I also tried these gluten free dairy free Swedish meatballs without egg and they didn’t fall apart, they were just a little bit tougher in texture but still delicious! So yes, you can definitely make gluten free Swedish meatballs without egg.

What To Serve With Dairy Free Swedish Meatballs

• serve over spiralized veggies
• mashed vegetables like white potatoes, sweet potatoes or cauliflower;
• gluten free pasta;
• boiled rice or boiled potatoes;
• rice noodles;
• stuffed in pita pockets with greens and other vegetables;
• oven roasted vegetables;
• along your favorite salad, like a coleslaw or beet salad (Vinaigrette);
• along a side of fermented veggies like this red cabbage sauerkraut, fermented beet sauerkraut or shaved carrot salad;
• polenta;

More Gluten And Dairy Free Dinner Recipes:

• Healthy Stuffed Cabbage Rolls With Ground Beef
• Whole30 Scallops In A Dairy Free Cream Sauce
• Savory Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
• 3 Chicken Cutlets Recipes (Keto, Gluten Free & Egg Free)
• Spaghetti Squash + Chicken & BBQ Sauce (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)

Enjoy this dairy free gluten free Swedish meatballs recipe and leave me a comment if you make it.

I would love to hear your thoughts! Your feedback is super helpful for me and readers. Thank you!

The how-to video is also available on my YouTube Channel here.