The meatless meatball
What looks and tastes like meat, but contains no meat? That would be our new plant ball of course. It has the look, taste and juicy bite of its meaty counterpart, but only 4% of the climate footprint. And rumor has it, once you’ve tasted it, you’ll be back for more.
Interview with Sharla Halvorson, Health & Sustainability Manager, and Alexander Magnusson, Chef & Project Leader, at IKEA Food.
The future is plant-based
By increasing the proportion of our plant-based food – such as the plant ball – we are getting closer to our goal of becoming climate positive by 2030. Meat lover or vegan, making sustainable choices benefits us all, and we plan to make the world a greener place, one plant ball at a time. We sell around 1 billion meatballs a year, so converting even just some of them into plant balls will make a real difference.
We actually hope that we sell less meatballs."
Sharla Halvorson, Health & Sustainability Manager at IKEA Food
Where vegans and meat lovers meet
Developed with meat lovers in mind, the plant ball is made from pea protein, oats, potato and apple. The meaty taste is achieved by adding umami flavors, such as mushroom, tomato and roasted vegetables. It does not include any animal-based ingredients which makes it a more sustainable choice, and is therefore suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets.
The process of extracting protein from peas for a meatless meatball.
Have a ball
The plant ball is part of our ever-expanding HUVUDROLL family, and can be bought in our Swedish Food Market. For an even fresher experience, you can try the plant ball in-store where it is served with mashed potatoes, cream sauce, lingonberry jam and broccoli – just like the traditional meatball plate – and at the same low price.