Vegan Meatball Sauce (Sweet and Spicy)
This sweet and spicy vegan meatball sauce makes the best vegan meatball appetizer ever! This quick and easy recipe can be made from frozen vegan meatballs in about 15 minutes and is the hit of every party!
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Why make this recipe
If you need an easy vegan appetizer that vegans and non-vegans will love, these sweet and spicy veggie meatballs are it. The sauce comes together in about 10 minutes and is made with just a few simple ingredients.
We love vegan meatballs in red sauce, vegan buffalo sauce, vegan honey garlic sauce, or vegan BBQ sauce, but these agave sriracha meatballs are my family’s new obsession. I love that they are super easy to make and so full of flavor.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Vegan Meatballs – you can use premade frozen vegan meatballs or you can make homemade vegan meatballs. I usually use the Aldi brand meatballs since they are a good price and easy to find. You can also use Gardien, Beyond, or Impossible brand vegan meatballs. (You can also make gluten-free vegan meatballs from TVP.)
- Olive Oil – or any neutral flavored oil to saute garlic.
- Garlic – I like to use fresh garlic, but you can also use garlic powder and omit the oil.
- Agave Nectar – or any liquid sweetener. You can also use maple syrup or even honey if you are plant-based and not vegan.
- Sriracha – to give the sauce a ton of flavor and make the meatballs spicy. You can reduce the sriracha by half if you don’t like things too spicy.
- Ketchup – this helps to mellow out the spiciness of the sriracha.
Helpful tools
- Frying Pan – to cook the sauce and coat the vegan meatballs in the sauce.
- Baking Sheet – to bake the vegan meatballs before adding them to the sauce.
How to make vegan meatballs with sweet sauce
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 400° F and place frozen vegan meatballs on a baking sheet (or make homemade vegan meatballs.)
Step 2 – Place the meatballs in the oven for 15 minutes until heated all the way through. (or follow package or recipe directions)
Step 3 – While the vegan meatballs are baking, warm 3 cloves of minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil for about 3-4 minutes, then add 1/3 cup of sriracha, 1/3 cup ketchup, and 1/3 cup of agave nectar.
Step 4 – Heat the sauce over low heat for another 6-7 minutes until warm and bubbly.
Step 5 – Add the baked vegan meatballs to the sauce and carefully stir so that you don’t break the balls.
Step 6 – Place toothpicks in the meatballs so your guests can easily eat them and serve them hot. Garnish with fresh herbs like green onions or parsley if desired.
Pro Tips
- Heat the garlic in the oil over low heat and be careful not to burn the garlic.
- You can also serve these vegan meatballs in a crockpot set on warm to keep them hot throughout your party.
How to make them gluten-free
The sweet sriracha sauce is naturally gluten-free, so you only have to be sure to use gluten-free vegan meatballs to make it gluten-free. You can use Beyond meatballs, Impossible brand meatballs, or make my homemade TVP meatballs to make this recipe gluten-free.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: Leftover meatballs will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in an airtight container.
Reheating: Reheat the sweet and spicy meatballs in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes until heated through.
A great vegan sauce is the key to flavorful plant-based meatballs, and this sauce will not disappoint. Check out my other vegan sauces too like vegan sriracha mayo, vegan garlic aioli, vegan honey mustard, vegan Chick-fil-A sauce, and more.
You can also use my vegan sweet and sour sauce to make vegan sweet and sour meatballs.
More vegan appetizers
- Vegan Sausage Rolls
- Vegan Summer Sausage
- Fried Oyster Mushrooms
- Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
- Fried Cauliflower
- Mushroom Pate
- Vegan Polenta Pizza Bites
- Vegan Cheese Ball
Vegan meatball sauce recipe
Vegan Meatballs with Sweet and Spicy Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 (12.7 oz) packages frozen vegan meatballs, or homemade TVP meatballs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup sriracha
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs , for garnish (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and place frozen vegan meatballs on a baking sheet (or make homemade vegan meatballs.)
- Place the meatballs in the oven for 15 minutes until heated all the way through. (Or follow package or recipe directions)
- While the vegan meatballs are baking, warm 3 cloves of minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil for about 3-4 minutes, then add 1/3 cup of sriracha, 1/3 cup ketchup, and 1/3 cup of agave nectar.
- Heat the sauce over low heat for another 6-7 minutes until warm and bubbly.
- Add the baked vegan meatballs to the sauce and carefully stir so that you don’t break the balls.
- Place toothpicks in the meatballs so your guests can easily eat them and serve them hot. Garnish with fresh herbs like green onions or parsley if desired.
Notes
- Heat the garlic in the oil over low heat and be careful not to burn the garlic.
- You can also serve these vegan meatballs in a crockpot set on warm to keep them hot throughout your party.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
I made this for a NYE party for a friend who is egg, lactose & gluten free. It was enjoyed by everyone! Used Beyond Meat meatballs Since the ones from Gardein are not gluten free. After making the sauce following the instructions I found it to be WAY to spicy. I at least doubled the ketchup and honey to tone down the heat. It was still pretty hot but very tasty!
I’m glad that you liked the recipe. It is pretty spicy as written, but also different brands of sriracha are hotter than others too.