These Vegan Meatballs are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside! They’re loaded with flavor and easy to make. Enjoy them with pasta, in your favorite sauce, or a sandwich!
Let’s talk Vegan Meatballs! I know some people who don’t eat meat have a problem with vegan/vegetarian counterparts being referred to with the same name, like “vegan meatballs” or “vegan chicken patties.” Alas! Us bloggers have to optimize our posts for Google these days, and I don’t think many people are googling “veggie bean balls” 🙂
Vegan and vegetarian versions of meat products can sometimes be hard to nail when making them homemade. Many people expect them to have a similar texture as their meat counterparts. I find a lot of store-bought vegan meat products do have similar textures as the meat ones, but that isn’t always the case when preparing them at home using whole ingredients.
These Vegan Meatballs are not super meaty like a store-bought vegan meatball, but their texture holds up nicely.
Why Your Body Will Love This Recipe
- Digestive Health – Beans are high in insoluble fiber, which helps bulk up the digestive system and prevent constipation. The fiber in beans also acts as a prebiotic that feeds the good bacteria in the large intestine and carries out toxins in the system.
- Eye Health – Polenta also contains selenium and magnesium, protein, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants that prevent age-related macular degeneration.
- Heart and Bone Health – Chia seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids (like alpha-linolenic acid), which can help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. They’re also high in phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium, which are important for maintaining strong bones.
Vegan Meatball Recipe Ingredients
- Beans – I used chickpeas and dark red kidney beans for these vegan meatballs. I like chickpeas because they’re not as soft as other beans and have a very neutral taste. The kidney beans add a nice color and have a meatier texture.
- Polenta – I decided to try this on a whim, and it worked great! I just used a few slices from a tube of cooked polenta, and it acted as a nice binder and filler in the meatballs.
- Chia Egg – Lately, I’ve been using ground chia seeds rather than flax to make a vegan egg because chia seems to have more of an egg-like texture, but you can use either or a real egg if making it vegetarian.
- Breadcrumbs – I used plain Panko breadcrumbs. They help bind the vegan meatballs together nicely.
- Tomato Paste and Ketchup – These are very similar ingredients, but I like to use a mixture of the two because each has a slightly different flavor, and ketchup isn’t as thick as tomato paste. Feel free to use one or the other if needed.
- Fresh Herbs – I love adding fresh herbs! I used thyme and parsley, but you could use any fresh herbs you like. If you don’t happen to have any fresh ones on hand, dry is good, too.
- Spices – The beans and polenta are bland on their own, so the spices give these meatballs such great flavor.
- Nutritional Yeast – Growing up, my mom always added parmesan to her meatballs, which I loved. So I decided to throw a few Tablespoons of nutritional yeast in, giving them a very subtle cheese flavor I love.
What Makes These Vegan Meatballs So Delicious?
The flavors and texture of these vegetarian meatballs are really great, but I think the thing that makes them taste most like my mom’s turkey meatballs is that I roll them in flour before cooking them. It might sound like a small step, but it makes a huge difference! All you need to do is roll each meatball in some flour until it’s completely coated, just a light coating, and then place it in a hot pan with a good amount of olive oil.
This gives the meatballs a nice crust on the outside and adds great flavor. I don’t suggest skipping this step! Gluten-free AP flour or even almond flour will work great, too.
How To Make These Vegan Meatballs
- Add the polenta to a food processor and pulse a few times until it’s broken down. Next, add the chickpeas and kidney beans to the food processor and pulse a few more times until you have a thick mixture. You don’t want it completely blended into a paste.
- Add the mixture to a bowl and all the remaining ingredients except the flour. Mix until combined, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Longer is okay, too.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat until it’s hot, and then add olive oil (I used about 1 tablespoon). Use a 1 Tablespoon scoop to scoop the meatball mixture and then roll it between your hands. Roll in the flour until it’s completely coated, and then place it in the hot oil.
- Cook meatballs until brown and crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside, 7-10 minutes. Let them sit in the pan for about 5-10 minutes before serving, and they will firm up a little bit.
How To Enjoy These Meatballs
Obviously, you can enjoy these vegan meatballs however you like! But, in case you are curious, here are a few ways we like to eat them:
- My 1 1/2 year old likes to just take one in his hand and eat it plain as a snack 🙂
- I love these meatballs on spaghetti squash or regular pasta with tomato sauce. Classic and delicious.
- You could make a meatball sub with them by toasting a hoagie, adding tomato sauce, cheese, and meatballs, and heating in the oven.
- You can slice them up and add them to a pizza.
- You could heat them in some tomato sauce and enjoy them on top of a bowl of polenta.
Have a question about this recipe? Ask me in the comments, and I’ll get back to you ASAP!
Looking for More Delicious Filling Vegan Recipes?
Vegan Meatloaf with Lentils and Chickpeas
Polenta Parmesan with Spinach and White Beans
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Vegan Meatballs
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Vegan Meatballs are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside! They’re loaded with tons of flavor and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 3 (1/2 inch) slices of polenta from a tube, a little less than half
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 chia egg (mix one heaping tablespoon ground chia seed with 3 tablespoons water and let sit for 2 minutes)
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoons ketchup (I like to use True Made Foods sugar free ketchup)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon grated onion, or finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup flour
- Olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Add the polenta to a food processor and pulse a few times until it’s broken down. Next, add the chickpeas and kidney beans to the food processor and pulse a few more times until you have a thick mixture. You don’t want it completely blended to a paste.
- Add mixture to a bowl and then add all the remaining ingredients, except the flour. Mix until combined and refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes. Longer is ok too.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat until it’s hot and then add in olive oil (I used about 1 tablespoon). Use a 1 tablespoon scoop to scoop the meatball mixture and then roll between your hands. Roll in the flour until it’s completely coated and then place in the hot oil.
- Cook meatballs until brown and crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside, 7-10 minutes. Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes in the pan before serving and they will firm up a little bit.
Notes
If you want to cook them with tomato sauce, I would suggest browning them first and then adding in the sauce.
Recipe makes about 20 meatballs.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Dinner, Vegan
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian/American
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