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    Home > Vegan Entrees

    Copycat IKEA Veggie Balls

    By Emese Maczko on 02/17/2023 - May contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe Print Pin

    If you don’t have an Ikea nearby, try our copycat Ikea veggie balls recipe. We added eight different vegetables, the same as in the original, with a tasty mix of spices and herbs to get the flavors just right. 

    White plate full of small colourful balls with fried potato sticks and a small white bowl with red sauce. A blue yellow flag is stuck in one ball

    Are you into veggie balls? Try our other recipes, such as our vegan eggplant meatballs, vegan chickpea meatballs, vegan mushroom meatballs, tofu meatballs, and TVP meatballs.

    Jump to:
    • What to expect?
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Serving ideas
    • Storing ideas
    • More veggie balls recipes
    • Copycat Ikea Veggie Balls

    What to expect?

    To say that Ikea’s Huvudroll vegetable balls are veggie-packed is an understatement. Ikea describes them as “Clearly visible chunks of chickpeas, green peas, carrots, bell peppers, corn, and kale in a beautiful array of colors.”

    According to the packaging, the ingredients are chickpeas, green peas, carrots, red bell peppers, corn, kale, pea protein, onions, rapeseed oil, seasoning (salt, dried cane syrup, yeast extract, dried onion, spices [rubbed sage, black pepper, bay leaves], dried carrot, dried parsley, natural extracts of black pepper, turmeric, and pea starch.

    What does our copycat version contain? We tried to make it as close to the original as possible and added as many ingredients as possible. However, we opted to make them oil-free, so no rapeseed or other oil of any kind. Not to mention, we have no idea where to buy pea protein or pea starch, but we can do that without them just fine. 🙂

    The heart of all dishes is the spices and the herbs, aka the flavor. We tested several combinations of seasoning to make these veggie balls taste similar. In the end, we found that the mix of dried ground sage, dried ground parsley, turmeric, nutritional yeast, cane sugar, black pepper, and salt works the best.

    Close-up of small brown balls with red, yellow, green pieces in them.

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    Ingredients

    • Chickpeas – canned or precooked
    • Frozen spinach
    • Carrots
    • Red bell pepper – any other color will do
    • Sweet corn
    • Green peas – We recommend frozen since they are always sweeter and have a better texture. The canned ones are too soft.
    • Onion
    • Garlic
    • Oat flour – or all-purpose flour
    • Spices: sage, parsley, turmeric, nutritional yeast, cane sugar, black pepper, and salt

    🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Instructions

    Preparing the veggies

    1. Peel the onion and cut them in quarters. Peel the garlic cloves.
    2. Wash, peel carrots and cut them into 2-3 parts.
    3. Wash and cut bell pepper into 2-3 parts.
    4. Drain canned chickpeas.
    5. Add all chopped vegetables to a food processor.
    Food processor with roughly chopped carrots, onion, red pepper and garlic cloves
    1. Pulse until they are finely chopped. No need to puree them entirely. You can see the reference in the picture below.
    Food processor with red and orange veggie pieces.
    1. Take a large frying pan and heat it to medium-high heat. Add a bit of olive oil and spread the chopped veggies evenly. Cook them for 10 minutes until they are tender and soft, but not mushy.
    White frying pan with finely chopped carrots, onion, red pepper, and garlic pieces.
    1. Now add frozen but thawed or fresh spinach, the dried sage, and the dried parsley.
    White frying pan with finely chopped carrots, onion, red pepper, and garlic pieces topped with spinach pieces and spices.
    1. Mix and cook for 1-2 minutes. Set aside to chill them.
    White frying pan with finely chopped spinach, carrots, onion, red pepper, and garlic pieces.

    Making veggie balls

    1. Depending on the size of your food processor, you should work in batches. Add the canned chickpeas (without the water) and the pre-cooked vegetable mixture (chilled, not too hot).
    Food processor with chickpeas, finely chopped spinach, carrots, onion, red pepper, and garlic pieces.
    1. Pulse until they are combined. The chickpeas should be cut up in small chunks (close to puree, but with “clearly visible chunks of chickpeas,” as Ikea would say).
    Food processor with red, yellow, and green crumbly puree.
    1. Take a large bowl and add the veggie ball dough mix from the food processor, the cooked green peas, the canned sweet corn, and all the remaining seasoning (turmeric, cane sugar, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper).
    Glass bowl with corn, green peas, spices and crumbly veggie puree
    1. Mix well with a spatula or spoon until combined. Depending on the moisture you have from the veggies, you need to add oat flour. Start with ½ cup and add more to get the consistency shown in the below picture. The mixture should be soft if you press it, but firm enough that you can make balls easily.
    A glass bowl with red, yellow, green veggie ball dough forming a large ball.

    Let’s bake!

    To make IKEA-sized small veggie balls, I used the Tablespoon measure spoon. I scooped up a ball like ice cream and then finished forming it with my hands. Look how lovely, vibrant yellow and perfectly rounded are they while standing in well-behaved order on the parchment paper (see below picture). They are the size of a golf ball.

    Small brown balls with yellow, red, green pieces on a white parchment paper standing scattered.

    Take your frying pan, add a bit of oil and fry them on medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side. If it is a truly non-stick like, then you wouldn’t need to add any oil and the vegetable balls will still get a crispy brownish crust. However, we prefer to keep it oil-free or at least minimal oil. Therefore, we recommend baking them in the oven on a parchment paper or baking sheet.

    Serving ideas

    When your veggie balls are ready, you can serve them in many ways. In the Ikea Food Court, they also offer it in different variations. Not like the iconic Ikea Swedish meatballs, which always goes together with lingonberry sauce and mashed potato.

    • Our favorite way to enjoy them is with potatoes: either French fries, or vegan mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes.
    • You can also choose other side dishes like fried rice, or any combination of veggies like roasted asparagus, sauteed carrots, sauteed mushrooms.
    • Drop them into our homemade vegan marinara sauce and serve it with spaghetti.
    • Top them with lots of grated cheese to turn them into a pasta bake or casserole.
    • Put them on a stick or skewer, add a dip, and serve them as appetizers. They go great with tomato-based sauces like chunky salsa sauce, or sweet dips like spicy sweet chili sauce, or smoky vegan BBQ sauce.
    A fork is pierced through a brown veggie ball. In the background fried potato chips on a white plate and a small white bowl with red sauce. A blue yellow flag is in the background.

    Storing ideas

    You can keep it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days tops without any problem. We recommend storing the Ikea veggie balls alone and not dipped in any sauce.

    We recommend freezing after frying or baking, not as an uncooked mixture. They can moisten up after thawing. If you are ready to enjoy them, pop them back in the oven or warm them up in a frying pan to get the crispy crust back.

    Small brown balls with yellow, red, green pieces placed on top of each other to form a hill. A blue and yellow flag is stuck in one of them.

    More veggie balls recipes

    • Several mushroom meatballs on top of spaghetti with yellow creamy sauce served on a black plate. A fork is taking on meatballs from the middle.
      Vegan Mushroom Meatballs
    • Overlay photo of a frying pan. Lot of small eggplant balls in marinara sauce
      Vegan Eggplant Meatballs
    • A skillet from above with several baked brown meatballs in bright red sauce and chopped green herbs. A spoon is taking one ball from the middle.
      TVP Meatballs
    • Black cast iron skillet with red marinara sauce and crispy brown tofu meatballs. It is sprinkled with chopped fresh green herbs.
      Tofu Meatballs
    • White plate with several brownish-redish balls on top of each other sprinkled with sesame seeds. In the background a small glass jar with red sauce.
      BBQ Vegan Chickpea Meatballs

    THANK YOU so much for visiting our website. Please comment below if you have tried this recipe. We LOVE hearing from you! If you loved the recipe, please don’t forget to give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ RATING. We appreciate all of our readers.  

    Different colorful vegetables drawn as icons on an orange background in a shape of a heart.

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    Copycat Ikea Veggie Balls

    Emese Maczko
    If you don't have an Ikea nearby, try our copycat Ikea veggie balls recipe. We added eight different vegetables, the same as in the original, with a tasty mix of spices and herbs to get the flavors just right. 
    4.6 from 37 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Baking 20 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Appetizer, Main Course
    Servings 50 veggie balls
    Calories 19kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 can Chickpeas (canned) 400 g / 14 oz
    • 1 cup Frozen spinach
    • 3 Carrots (medium)
    • ½ Bell Pepper
    • ½ cup Sweet corn (canned)
    • 1 cup Green peas (fresh, frozen or canned)
    • 1 Onion (medium)
    • 3 cloves Garlic
    • 1 cup Oat flour start with ½ cup and adjust depending on the moisture content of the mix
    • 1 Tbsp Olive oil

    Seasoning

    • 1 tsp Cane sugar
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • ½ tsp Turmeric
    • ½ tsp Ground black pepper
    • ½ tsp Dried sage
    • ½ tsp Dried parsley
    • 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
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    Instructions
     

    Preparing the veggies

    • Peel the onion and cut them in quarters. Peel the garlic cloves. Wash, peel carrots and cut them into 2-3 parts. Wash and cut bell pepper into 2-3 parts.
    • Add all chopped vegetables to a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. No need to puree them entirely.
    • If you use fresh green peas, cook them in salted water or veggie broth until soft. If you use frozen ones, thaw them before using them.

    Pre-cook the chopped vegetables

    • Take a frying pan and heat it to medium. Add a bit of olive oil (or water/veggie broth if you follow a WFPB diet) and spread the chopped veggies evenly.
    • Cook them for 10 minutes until they are tender and soft but not mushy.
    • Now add frozen, but thawed or fresh spinach, the dried sage and the dried parsley. Mix and cook for 1-2 minutes.

    Making the veggie ball dough

    • Add the canned chickpeas (without the water) and the pre-cooked veggies (chilled, not too hot). Pulse until they are combined. The chickpeas should be cut up in small chunks (not puree).
    • Take a large bowl and add the veggie ball dough mix from the food processor, the cooked green peas, the canned sweet corn, and all the remaining seasoning (turmeric, cane sugar, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper). Mix well with a spatula or spoon until combined.
    • Depending on the moisture you have from the veggies, you need to add oat flour. Start with ½ cup and add more if needed. The mixture should be soft if you press it, but firm enough that you can make balls easily.
    • To make IKEA-sized small veggie balls, I used the Tablespoon measure spoon. I scooped up a ball like ice cream and then finished forming it with my hands.

    Frying

    • Take your frying pan, add a bit of oil, and fry them on medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side. If it is truly non-stick, then you wouldn’t need to add any oil, and the vegetable balls will still get a crispy crust.

    Baking

    • Preheat oven to 390 Fahrenheit (ca. 199 °C). Place the balls on parchment paper or a baking sheet. Bake them for 20 minutes until they have a crispy crust.
    Tried this recipe? Can we see it?Please share a picture with us by uploading an image to Pinterest below ours.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Copycat Ikea Veggie Balls
    Amount Per Serving (1 ball)
    Calories 19 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Sodium 55mg2%
    Potassium 51mg1%
    Carbohydrates 3g1%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 1041IU21%
    Vitamin C 3mg4%
    Calcium 8mg1%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    1.0K shares

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Anne

      November 18, 2022 at 11:32 pm

      Super easy recipe but sadly, totally lacking in favor. I followed the recipe and even increased the seasonings but found the cooked veggie balls flavorless and unlike IKEA veggie balls. What am I missing?

      Reply
      • Emese

        November 21, 2022 at 10:27 am

        Hi Anne, I am not sure what could have happened. We heard so far positive feedback.

        Reply
    2. Heather Flam

      September 28, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        September 29, 2021 at 8:36 am

        Hi Heather, yes you can use fresh spinach. We recommend wilting it a bit or blanching it in hot water before adding the the mixture.

        Reply
    3. Stella Marie Hem

      September 19, 2021 at 7:39 pm

      My husband and I just loved this recipe ! I can’t believe it was so easy to make! You folks really did a great job of copying it!

      Reply
    4. Prajakta

      September 09, 2021 at 8:48 pm

      5 stars
      These veggie balls were outstanding! They were quite close in terms of taste to the ones in IKEA. I didn’t have chickpeas at home, so used canned black beans in a pinch. Also, I didn’t have oat flour, so I used chickpea flour as suggested. I skipped nutritional yeast as well. Still tasted delicious!

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        September 10, 2021 at 11:29 am

        We are so happy you tried our recipe and loved it. Thanks for letting us know.

        Reply
    5. Raquel Gorny

      August 31, 2021 at 12:47 pm

      Hello, I don’t have a food processed, think I can use my vitamix?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        August 31, 2021 at 3:25 pm

        If you just pulse it a couple of times and not puree it, then absolutely.

        Reply
    6. Mike

      August 22, 2021 at 7:34 am

      If I have rolled oats can I somehow use this instead of oat flour?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        August 27, 2021 at 10:38 am

        If you pulse it with food processor to make a course oat flour, then yes. Otherwise, rolled oats may change the texture to more crumbly and the balls may not hold together. You can use other flours instead of oat flour to make sure that you can form the ball from the batter.

        Reply
    7. Erin

      May 31, 2021 at 12:00 am

      I’m not a vegetarian, but I love yummy food regardless of its title. IKEA’s veggie balls are my favorite menu item. I get them every time I go. I look forward to making these. Especially since reviewers swear they taste just the same, maybe even better.

      Reply
    8. kathy godwin

      May 24, 2021 at 7:24 pm

      4 stars
      i did everything as the recipe said but found it difficult to roll into balls after adding corn and peas, so blitz’d it again in my food processor and found it much easier ….delicious

      Reply
    9. Molly

      February 05, 2021 at 9:14 am

      I can’t consume Corn, what can I substitute it with?
      I’m so excited about this recipe!

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        February 05, 2021 at 9:26 am

        Hi Molly, you can skip corn and add the same amount in green peas.

        Reply
    10. Lindsay Sutherland

      November 12, 2020 at 6:03 pm

      Never has a copycat recipe come out EXACTLY like the original but these do in texture and taste!!! Exactly like the ikea ones, and maybe even better! Will be making these in bulk and freezing them for easy lunches and meals.

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        November 12, 2020 at 7:26 pm

        We are so happy that you loved the recipes. We tweaked it so many times to make it the closest and tastiest possible.

        Reply
    11. Jessica

      October 03, 2020 at 4:16 am

      5 stars
      These were wonderful! Used regular flour and baked them. Next time will add more red pepper and decrease pea amount. Big hit with the family.

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        October 03, 2020 at 4:24 pm

        We are so happy to hear you and your family like it. Thanks for trying our recipe.

        Reply
    12. Cynthia Fox

      September 07, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      I dont have nutritional yeast, can I omit this?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        September 07, 2020 at 7:26 pm

        Yes, you can.

        Reply
    13. Jen

      June 29, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      5 stars
      I can’t believe I’ve never had these before! We just moved and our new IKEA is so far away so making them at home will be so much easier for me, thanks!

      Reply
    14. Whitney

      June 29, 2020 at 1:01 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve never had them but they look absolutely delicious and I would totally dip them in marinara!

      Reply
    15. Annie @ Annie's Noms

      June 29, 2020 at 12:09 pm

      5 stars
      These look fantastic! I love the food from IKEA, but I just don’t feel safe going there just yet, plus I’ve seen the queues at our local IKEA, round the whole car park twice! Until then, I’m going to have to recreate IKEA classics at home and these are just perfect to add to our dinner rota!

      Reply
    16. Jacqueline Meldrum

      June 29, 2020 at 12:02 pm

      5 stars
      No I’ve never tried them, I am always keen to start shopping! I will look out for them now. No forget that, I will use your recipe and make them instead. They look lush! Sharing these!

      Reply
    17. kim

      June 29, 2020 at 11:33 am

      5 stars
      This recipe was fabulous! The taste was so good and it was really easy. A new go-to dinner idea, I will make often!

      Reply

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