Ikea Plans to Release Meatless Meatballs

No doubt, this is vegans’ year. With an increasing number of meat substitutes rolling out into grocery stores and fast food joints launching meatless options left and right (we still see you, Del Taco, with your Beyond Meat crumble tacos!), it’s no surprise Ikea has finally taken its beloved and iconic Swedish meatball — one that’s been served at Ikea for 35 years — and begun working on developing a meatless version of it.

Back in September, Ikea did the vegan world proud, releasing $0.75, 226-calorie veggie dogs topped with pickled red cabbage, roasted onions and spicy mustard that continue to sell at its bistros tucked inside its stores nationwide.

And, on May 2, the Swedish furniture retailer announced its plans to serve at all of its restaurants globally a new, plant-based meatballs that look and taste as close to its Swedish meatball as possible.

“We know that the IKEA meatballs are loved by the many people and for years the meatballs have been the most popular dish in our restaurants,” says Michael La Cour, managing director at Ikea Food Services. “We see a growing demand from our customers to have access to more sustainable food options and we want to meet that need. Our ambition is to make healthier and more sustainable eating easy, desirable and affordable without compromising on taste and texture.”

When can you expect the meatless meatballs to arrive to stores? No specific date has been released just yet, but we do know that Ikea plans to host its first customer-facing tests early next year.

These plant-based meatballs will join three twists on the Swedish meatball currently available at Ikea. They include the chicken, vegetarian, and salmon and cod, which was added in 2018.

Can we fast-forward through 2019 so we can try these meatless meatballs already?

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