Browned plant balls bring a meatball-style bite to a restaurant plate with creamy sides and lingonberries. IKEA designed the ball to echo its classic meatball while using plant ingredients. [I1] [I5]
A new member of the ball family
IKEA made its plant ball from yellow pea protein, oats, potatoes, onion and apple to give it a meatball-like flavor and bite. Its earlier, more vegetable-forward veggie ball dates to 2015 in IKEA Canada’s chronology. [I1] [I3] [I7]
The plant ball itself contains no animal ingredients. IKEA’s launch restaurant plate added cream sauce and mashed potatoes with dairy, making that served meal non-vegan. [I1]
A staggered rollout
IKEA announced plant balls in July 2020, described a European launch that August and set September 28 as the U.S. in-store start. It offered a restaurant plate and a frozen bag in the Swedish Food Market. [I1]
IKEA Canada announced a March 1, 2021 introduction with mashed potatoes, broccoli, lingonberries and cream sauce on its restaurant plate. [I3]
The U.S. web menu checked September 30, 2026 lists 8-, 12- and 16-piece plant-ball entrées plus a kids meal. [I2]
Nutrition needs a plate and a place
IKEA’s U.S. Food Facts label gives 630 calories for one 411 g plant-ball plate with mashed potatoes and accompaniments. The label does not print a ball count; the full nutrient panel appears below. [I8]
A separate U.S. teriyaki plate with rice, beans and sauce weighs 306 g and has 530 calories. A Saudi FY21 menu lists 591 calories for its own plant-ball plate. [I9] [I4]
One U.S. plant-ball plate with mashed potatoes and accompaniments · IKEA Food Facts · 411 g; ball count not printed
| Nutrient | Documented value |
|---|---|
| Energy | 630 kcal |
| Fat | 23 g |
| Saturated fat | 4 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg |
| Sodium | 1010 mg |
| Carbohydrate | 85 g |
| Fiber | 6 g |
| Total sugars | 44 g |
| Added sugars | 38 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
Official U.S. label checked Oct 1, 2026. The menu’s 8-, 12- and 16-piece listings do not identify this label’s ball count; no per-ball or priced-entrée total is inferred.
Prices by market and format
At its July 2020 U.S. launch announcement, IKEA priced an adult restaurant plate at $5.99, a kids plate at $2.99 and a side at $1.25. [I1]
The U.S. web listing checked September 30, 2026 shows $8.99 for 8 pieces, $10.49 for 12 pieces, $11.99 for 16 pieces and $4.49 for a kids meal. IKEA Canada’s 2021 announcement separately priced both a frozen bag and its restaurant dish at 6.99 CAD. [I2] [I3]
Restaurant, freezer and geography
IKEA also sells HUVUDROLL frozen plant balls for home cooking. [I6]
- Plant ball ≠ earlier veggie ballIKEA introduced the veggie ball years earlier and designed the plant ball to feel more like the meatball.
- Balls ≠ plated mealSauce and sides change the nutrition and dietary context of the restaurant entrée.
- One market ≠ every marketU.S., Canadian and Saudi menus carry distinct launch dates, sides and prices.
On the record
- Earlier veggie ball appears
IKEA Canada’s retrospective places the veggie ball’s introduction in 2015; plant balls are a later, distinct item. [I3]
- Plant ball announced
IKEA introduces the meatball-like plant option and a U.S. restaurant plan. [I1]
- U.S. restaurant start
The date given in IKEA’s U.S. announcement. [I1]
- Canadian introduction
IKEA Canada announces its own rollout and plate. [I3]
- U.S. menu check
IKEA’s web listing shows 8-, 12-, and 16-piece entrées and a kids meal. [I2]
Sources & photo rights
- I1 IKEA announces a new plant ball
IKEA US · July 16, 2020 announcement; edited October 19, 2023. States US launch date, initial US prices, recipe and serving context.
- I2 IKEA Swedish Restaurant menu
IKEA US · US web listing checked September 30, 2026. Lists 8-, 12-, 16-piece entrées and kids meal; actual local offerings may vary.
- I3 IKEA Canada rolls out the new plant ball
IKEA Canada · March 2, 2021 release says Canadian introduction began March 1 and distinguishes 2015 veggie balls.
- I4 IKEA Saudi Arabia restaurant mobile menu FY21
IKEA Saudi Arabia · Official FY21 menu shows 591 calories for a plant-ball plate with mashed potatoes, peas, cream sauce and lingonberry jam. Ball count and macros are not supplied; this is not a US value.
- I5 IKEA Plant Balls 1 2023-05-08
Fastily / Wikimedia Commons · Photographed US restaurant meal on May 4, 2023 (Commons date and EXIF; filename says May 8). CC BY-SA 4.0; photo depicts a specific plate, not a standard portion claim.
- I6 IKEA HUVUDROLL plant balls, frozen
IKEA US · Swedish Food Market frozen product. Related formulation, but its bag and price are not the restaurant entrée or a source for restaurant calories.
- I7 Introducing the new plant ball
IKEA US · IKEA’s product-development account describes the attempt to echo a meatball’s texture and the distinction from earlier veggie balls.
- I8 Plant ball with mashed potatoes, restaurant Food Facts
IKEA US · Official U.S. 411 g restaurant plate label: 630 kcal and listed nutrients; ball count unprinted. Checked October 1, 2026.
- I9 Plant ball teriyaki plate, restaurant Food Facts
IKEA US · Official U.S. 306 g teriyaki plate label: 530 kcal. Distinct meal; ball count unprinted. Checked October 14, 2026.