This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
My vegan meatballs are guaranteed to become a new weekly staple. They’re made with NO beans, legumes, or eggs and come with a spicy, sweet sauce!
Need more vegan recipes? Try my vegan pizza, cabbage steak, and cauliflower steak next.
I try to cook plant-based dinners at least once a week in my house, and my plant-based meatballs continue to be one of my most requested dishes.
With a little help from Beyond Meat, these meatballs turn out incredibly juicy and tender, with an irreplaceable meaty flavor and the perfect balance of spices. And the sauce…don’t even get me started on the sauce! You’ll probably notice most vegan meatball recipes feature a simple tomato or marinara sauce, but not these ones!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- No legumes or nuts. Most vegan meatball recipes call for lentils, oats, or cashews, but these use neither and taste the most like real meatballs.
- They’re nourishing. Just like regular meatballs, these are packed with protein yet relatively low in fat.
- Freezer-friendly. These meatballs make an easy freezer meal. Just take them straight from the freezer and put them in tomato sauce or microwave them over spaghetti.
- Easy to customize. Enjoy them in this sweet chili sauce or tossed in marinara sauce. Personally, I love to use them in my meatball subs!
Ingredients needed
- Beyond Meat beef. My go-to ground beef substitute when I want a true meaty flavor and texture. Impossible Meat is a good substitution, but I prefer Beyond beef.
- Garlic and ginger. Preferably freshly minced for maximum flavor.
- Olive oil. To sauté the meatballs.
- Salt. To taste.
For the sweet and spicy sauce:
- Bell peppers. I used red and yellow bell peppers for more color.
- Onion. Quartered.
- Ketchup. For sweetness, tanginess, and tomato flavor.
- Sweet chili sauce. For the spicy-sweet flavor.
- Hot chili sauce. To add extra heat to the sauce.
- Soy sauce. For saltiness and umami flavor.
- Cornstarch. To thicken the sauce and give it a glossy finish.
- Water. To thin out the sauce.
- Scallions and sesame seeds. For garnish.
How to make vegan meatballs
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the meatball ingredients. Using your hands, shape the mixture into small meatballs.
Step 2- Sauté. Add oil to a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sauté the meatballs until fully browned. Place them on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.
Step 3- Build the sauce. Clean the frying pan and add more oil. Sauté the onion and peppers for 1-2 minutes, then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Let simmer until thickened.
Step 4- Combine. Add the meatballs back to the pot and coat it with the sauce.
Can I bake these in the oven?
Yes, if you’d like a more hands-off recipe, you can make them in the oven.
Start by preheating the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Once the meatball mixture has been made, shape them into balls and place them on the baking sheet. Bake them for 20 minutes or until they’re browned. Serve them with the sauce.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the meatballs. So they stay perfectly round.
- Use tomatoes. If you don’t have ketchup, use canned or fresh tomatoes for the sauce. Since tomatoes are juicy, you won’t need to add extra water.
- Add nutritional yeast. If you are afraid your meatballs will crumble and fall apart, add a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast. It’s a good binder with more flavor than breadcrumbs.
Variations
- Add spices. Season the meatballs to match whatever spices you’re serving them with. If I’m serving them with red sauce, I like adding fennel seeds or dried herbs.
- Swap water for vegetable stock. Using vegetable stock for the sauce helps create a richer flavor.
- Use any sauce. These meatballs can be served with any sauce of choice: marinara, cream, etc. Prep the meatballs as instructed, then toss them through your favorite sauce. I’ve tested them with my pomodoro sauce and also sugo– both fabulous tomato-based options. If you don’t follow a super strict vegan diet, my cottage cheese alfredo is also a fab idea.
Storage instructions
To store: Place leftover meatballs in sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
To freeze: Meatballs, cooked or uncooked, are best frozen without the sauce. They will last for up to six months. If they are already in the sauce, freeze them in a shallow container for up to two months.
To reheat: Heat over the stovetop with a splash of water to thin out the sauce, or microwave in 30-second intervals until warm.
Frequently asked questions
IKEA offers several types of meatballs, including vegan ones. These plant-based meatballs are made from pea protein, potatoes, onion, and apples.
Plant-based meatballs can be a great source of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. While they may be lower in protein than real meatballs, they’re also lower in saturated fat.
More vegan dinners
Vegan Meatballs
Video
Ingredients
Sweet and spicy sauce
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
- 1 small onion quartered
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1/4 cup hot chili sauce or more sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the beyond beef, ginger, garlic, and salt. Using your hands, shape them into small meatballs.
- Add olive oil to a large non-stick pan and fry the meatballs until fully cooked on the outside. Remove them from the heat and place them on a paper towel to mop up excess oil.
- Clean the pan and add extra oil. Sautee the onion and bell peppers for 1-2 minutes, then add the ketchup, sweet chili sauce, hot chili sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch and water. Let it simmer until it has thickened before adding the meatballs back in and coating them in the sauce.
- Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
These look awesome, Arman! Can’t say I’ve tried anything from Gardein yet but it seems like I really should soon! 🙂
Please do, Cyrus- It’s delicious!
Wow, I would have never guessed that these had no meat in!
right? You should try it with ground beef, it’s delicious!
Arman, these sound fantastic! I love your recipe for meatless meatballs. I have never tried vegan meatballs before, but these look so good! All I need is a little side of pasta with this and I am good to go!
Right? that sounds delicious, Catherine- If I recall, you have one up your sleeve 😉
yep, I have some of these crumbles in the freezer right now (fighting for space with the oh, maybe SIX bags of their Fishless Filets… meatballs look so good – I love the sweet + spicy!
Oh Geebuz… a true fan hey! 😉
OBSESSED. These are totally my kind of meatballs and I can’t wait to try them out! I’m a 5 alarm spice kinda gal- I usually can’t get enough 🙂
Please do- And we need to totally have a spice off 😉
What the… your post didn’t show up in my BL until now. Fail whale. And I’m the biggest wimp when it comes to spicy foods. Sometimes even mild salsa is too much for me…
Fail. Bloody. Whale.
Don’t say that about salsa….:p
Yum! I love Gardin! Have you tried Beyond Meat yet? It’s too much like meat for me sometimes. I need to remind myself it’s not a dead animal and nothing suffered for me to eat it. I highly recommend it to new vegans as a transitional food.
I’m definitely not going vegan but these were a great substitute- I love Gardein!
Bravo!!!! This healthy vegan is completely enamored. You can bet that I’ll be making these soon. Thanks Arman.
Thanks Linda! Thanks for constantly inspiring me!
I am fairly sure you don’t get anything alike in Germany. But I am intrigued to try. Sounds really worth trying!
My spice tolerance is outstanding. None of my friends can keep up with me. Hot sauce and spices are my best friends in the kitchen 🙂
You will find it in London- It’s called Quorn 🙂
I would really like these “meatballs”! I reviewed Gardein last year and definitely loved the meatless crumbles! I even had my son foo that it was real meat when I used it in a “meat” sauce.
Please do- I was shocked how similar to meat they were!
Wow, now those are some impressively juicy vegan meatballs! I love that you thought to recreate them to offer a gluten-free version. Brilliant!
Thanks so much, Sarah 🙂
I love that the meatballs are meatless!!
Thanks so much, Cathi!
Love what you did with these–they should sell these!
Naw, thanks buddy!
love how you made your own meatless meatballs out the gardien products! Great idea! I used the meatballs for mine, love sweet and spicy together! Good job Buddy! 🙂
Ohhhhh nice! Checking it out NOW! 😀
We don’t have this brand in the UK, but we do have Quorn, so I am going to make something similar soon. The flavours sound yummy.
YES! I based this off the recipe I made and we have quorn back home!