The BEST Vegan Recipe for Meatballs

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This is the best vegan recipe for meatballs ever! Healthy and so easy to make with simple ingredients! Moist but not mushy and they won’t fall apart either!

Black Bean & Quinoa Vegan Meatballs with roasted red pepper sauce in a black ramekin

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Get ready for the best vegan recipe for meatballs EVER! 

A common misconception about a plant-based diet is that it’s just salads and smoothies. This could not be further from the truth, right friends?

Once in a while, I like to cook proper vegan comfort food just to prove this point to die-hard carnivores! My favorite meal to cook when I have a mix of vegans and carnivores over for dinner are these easy vegan meatballs!

 They are the perfect example of how healthy vegan meals can be just as hearty and satisfying as meals with animal products.

If I told you that I would actually take these vegan meatballs over regular meatballs, would you believe me? Yep, this vegan recipe for meatballs is a real keeper my friends.

You will want to print it out and pin it on your fridge. 

Why this is the best vegan recipe for meatballs: 

These vegan meatballs are all kinds of awesome! 

  • They are packed with flavor and plant-based protein
  • they don’t fall apart
  • are super moist and juicy,
  • without being too soft or mushy. 
  • Plus they are easy to make

Healthy Vegan Meatballs with Black Beans tossed with roasted bell pepper sauce in a black dish

I love serving these vegan meatballs with my homemade Instant Pot Roasted Red Pepper Sauce – absolutely DIVINE!

The smoky sweetness of the red pepper sauce goes so well with the nutty flavor and the well-balanced spiciness of these vegan meatballs! 

Smothered with roasted red pepper sauce these would also taste amazing in an Italian Vegan Meatball Sub and I would totally add a whole bunch of fresh basil for good measure.

I also had them with Marinara sauce and zoodles the other night. If you want to go crazy, toss them in salsa and serve them with guacamole,  and a big old dollop of vegan sour cream!

 Or make Vegan Swedish Meatballs using this vegan gravy recipe  and serve them with my vegan creamy cucumber salad.

Vegan Black Bean Meatballs with roasted bell pepper sauce

How to make the best vegan meatballs: 

What I love about this vegan recipe for meatballs is that I usually have all the ingredients in my pantry. If you eat plant-based, I am pretty sure you have everything you need. 

These are the ingredients for making vegan meatballs: 

  • black beans 
  • quinoa, cooked and cooled
  • vegan parmesan (I make my own using this recipe)
  • onion
  • ground spices
  • sambal oelek 
  • fresh parsley 

Pretty straightforward, huh? 

What do I serve these vegan meatballs with? 

What I love about this vegan recipe for meatballs is how versatile it is. You can serve these vegan meatballs over spaghetti obviously! 

For a vegan meal that is lower in carbs, serve them with spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles.

Got a craving for a good old sub? Make it a vegan meatball sub! Yep, anything you would do with regular meatballs, you can do with these vegan meatballs.

Vegan Meatballs with black beans served with red pepper sauce

Tips for making this vegan meatballs recipe: 

  • To prevent your vegan meatballs from being mushy, you really want to make sure your beans are dried out properly and start to crack. Don’t skip this step! 
  • Make the quinoa in advance! It should be cooled, or even better chilled as that will make shaping your vegan meatballs way easier! 
  • For this vegan meatballs recipe, I use vegan parmesan cheese which I make myself using this easy recipe. You can also buy it here. 
  • I serve my vegan meatballs with my Instant Pot Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Marinara will do just fine, or you can toss them with salsa and serve them with guacamole and vegan sour cream

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Did you make and love this vegan recipe for meatballs? Give it your review below! And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!

Healthy Vegan Meatballs with Black Beans with roasted bell pepper sauce in a black dish
4 from 1 vote
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The BEST vegan recipe for meatballs

This is the best vegan recipe for meatballs I have ever made! Super easy, with just a few simple ingredients! Moist but not mushy and they won't fall apart either!

Course Main Course
Cuisine #Vegan, American
Keyword best vegan meatballs, meatballs with black beans, vegan black bean meatballs
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Chilling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Author Kiki Johnson

Ingredients

  • 250 g black beans, drained a generous 1 1/2 cups cooked from dried or canned, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 red onion diced
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/8 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 200 g quinoa 1 1/2 cup, cooked and chilled
  • 25 g grated vegan parmesan 1/2 cup
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 bunch chopped parsley about 1/4 cup chopped, packed
  • 1 tsp sambal oelek
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 x roasted red bell pepper sauce or marinara - see notes

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Blot your beans dry and spread them onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until they look quite dry and start to crack open. Remove from the oven and dial the oven temperature up to 375F!

  2. In the meantime, heat coconut oil in a pan on medium heat and fry diced onions for seven minutes or until softened and starting to brown. 

  3. Place black beans, onion, and spices into the bowl of your food processor and pulse until coarse meal forms. We're not looking for a paste, but a coarse mixture.

  4. Add quinoa, grated parm, parsley and sambal and blend until a tacky mass forms. Again, no we do not want a paste, but a tacky mass that holds together when pressed. 

  5. Season the meatball mixture with more salt, if needed. Now, taking one tbsp of mixture at a time, roll meatballs and place them on a plate. Cover with plastic film and chill.

  6. Heat one tbsp of coconut oil in an oven-safe skillet on medium-high heat and fry meatballs just until a crust starts to form. Transfer skillet to the oven for another 20 minutes. 

  7. Serve with my Red Bell Pepper Sauce and a generous sprinkling of parsley. 

Recipe Notes

  • To prevent your vegan meatballs from being mushy, you really want to make sure your beans are dried out properly and start to crack. Don't skip this step! 
  • Make the quinoa in advance! It should be cooled, or even better chilled as that will make shaping your vegan meatballs way easier! 
  • For this vegan meatballs recipe, I use vegan parmesan cheese which I make myself using this easy recipe. You can also buy it here. 
  • I serve my vegan meatballs with my Instant Pot Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Marinara will do just fine, or you can toss them with salsa and serve them with guacamole and vegan sour cream
Easy Vegan Meatballs with Black Beans and Quinoa! This is the best vegan recipe for meatballs! So easy to make with simple ingredients! Moist but not mushy and they won't fall apart either! Packed with plant-based protein and so healthy! #glutenfree #cleaneating

0 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I think even a meat lover (like me) would devour these meatballs. What a great “meatless” alternative. We do have several meat free dinners a week. This recipe would be great to try.

  2. 5 stars
    These look so perfect for dinner or even a cute party appetizer! I have to admit I’ve never actually tried vegan meatballs, but I keep meaning to! Now I have no excuse not to! 😉

  3. 5 stars
    I’m always looking for a great meatless Monday type of dinner. And I looooove meatballs so I can’t wait to try a meatless version. And thanks for the tips on the black beans and cooking the quinoa in advance.

  4. My 3 year old and 10 month old LOVE meatballs, but we try to limit our red meat intake. We’ve been doing chicken meatballs recently, but I can’t wait to try these! We eat a lot of black beans and quinoa already – I am sure my kids will love these.

  5. Thanks for the tip on baking the beans first to dry them out. While I don’t eat vegan often, I do occasionally make meatless meatballs and burgers..i have always found them to be mushy..now I know why!

  6. 5 stars
    I have to give these a try! We love meatballs in our house and I am always in for trying new ones! Love everything you have packed in one meatball!!

  7. Hallöchen, ich würde die Meatballs gerne nachkochen.Dazu eine Frage, ist Quinoa vor oder nach dem Kochen abgewogen? Roh erscheint mir zwar sehr viel, das ergäbe sicher 600 g gekocht, aber zur Sicherheit frag ich dich lieber. Vielen herzlichen Dank. Liebe Grüße Sabine

  8. 4 stars
    Danke für das das Rezept! Ich habe es nun das zweite Mal nachgeholt, da mir die Beanballs beim ersten Mal auseinadergefallen sind beim Braten. Nun habe ich den Quinoa länger im Kühlschrank stehen lassen, mehr Quinoa genommen und die Bohnen länger trocknen lassen. Soweit so gut, beim Servieren haben die Bällchen auch zusammengehalten. Je länger die Bällchen in der Sauce waren desto mehr haben sie sich jedoch aufgelöst. Die Gewürze würde ich das nächste Mal auch anpassen (finde auch 1/8 TL schwierig abzuschätzen) aber die Idee finde ich gut.

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