These vegan meatballs have an authentic meaty taste and texture that will blow you away! They’re quick and easy to make with shelf-stable ingredients and best of all they have a truly meaty flavor without chickpeas, beans, or lentils. If you miss meatballs, you will love this recipe!
I’ve tried many types of vegan meatballs over the past 20 years of eating vegan. Most recipes use some type of bean or lentils. They taste good, but they don’t really have a meaty texture or taste of an actual meatball. This meatball recipe uses TVP (textured vegetable protein) to give them a truly meaty texture. They hold up to baking, frying, or being cooked in a sauce and can be used on spaghetti or meatball sandwiches.
You’ll love these veggie meatballs because they’re…
- quick and easy to make.
- not made with mushy beans or lentils.
- authentic tasting and full of flavor.
- easily made gluten-free.
What you will need to make vegan meatballs and why…
- TVP – this stands for textured vegetable protein. This is similar to dehydrated tofu. It will soak up the flavor of any broth that you rehydrate it in and has a meaty taste and texture. You can find it in the bulk section of natural food stores or in the Bob’s Red Mill section of most major grocery stores. You can also use Butler Soy Curl crumbles instead of TVP.
- Water – for the base of the broth.
- Soy Sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos – for saltiness and a beefy flavor. For gluten-free meatballs use Liquid Aminos or Tamari.
- Liquid Smoke – for a smoky meaty flavor. This is totally optional and you can omit it if you don’t have any. You can also use smoked paprika instead if you would like.
- Olive Oil – for moisture and richness. You can omit it for oil-free.
- Italian Seasoning – for flavor.
- Garlic Powder – for flavor.
- Onion Powder – for flavor.
- Flax Meal – to hold the balls together. This acts as an egg would in a traditional meatball recipe.
- Oats or Oat Flour – to hold the meatballs together. You can use whole oats and grind them in your blender or buy oat flour.
- Breadcrumbs – for texture and flavor. Any vegan breadcrumbs will work. You can also crush up vegan croutons or use a vegan stuffing mix like Pepperidge Farm’s cornbread stuffing instead of traditional breadcrumbs. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs for gluten-free vegan meatballs.
How to make “meaty” vegan meatballs:
- Make the broth by heating the water, soy sauce, olive oil, liquid smoke, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder in a saucepan.
- Once it boils, turn off the heat and add the TVP and give it a stir.
- Add 2 tbsp flax meal and give it a stir again.
- Toss 1/3 cup oats in your blender and blend for about 30 seconds then add to the TVP mixture. (If you have oat flour, you can use 1/4 cup instead of whole oats).
- Add breadcrumbs to the mixture.
- Give it all a good stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes to cool enough to be able to hold the mixture in your hands.
- Use your hands to roll the mixture into walnut-sized meatballs.
- Place on a cookie sheet, brush with some olive oil and bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes.
Alternative cooking methods:
Cook in sauce – You can also cook your meatballs directly in your spaghetti sauce. Simply heat the sauce in a shallow pan and simmer them for 15 minutes in the sauce. They will absorb some of the sauce flavors this way. Just be careful not to stir the sauce too vigorously or the meatballs may break.
Panfry the meatballs – If you don’t want to wait 20 minutes for them to cook or you want them crispier, you can pan-fry them in a few tablespoons of oil. Cook them over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes rolling them around in the pan frequently so they don’t burn.
Flavor variations:
For spicy sausage style meatballs – add a dash of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp of oregano, and 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds along with the other spices in the broth.
Onion Meatballs – Saute a finely diced small onion in the olive oil until it’s translucent, then add the water and spices and follow the remaining steps of the recipe.
Mushroom Meatballs – Saute 3/4 cup finely diced mushrooms in the olive oil until the juices release, then add the water and spices and follow the remaining steps of the recipe.
Sweedish meatballs – full recipe with Sweedish meatball sauce coming soon.
How to serve these meatballs:
- Over spaghetti – classic spaghetti and meatballs is a favorite!
- In a sandwich – Simmer the meatballs in your favorite spaghetti sauce and then serve on a bun or roll for an amazing vegan meatball sandwich and a super easy dinner!
- With dipping sauce – Sometimes I make these as an appetizer or snack for my kids. They’re delicious dipped in ketchup, barbeque sauce, Korean barbeque sauce, vegan honey mustard, ranch dressing, or teriyaki sauce.
Sprinkle your spaghetti and meatballs with some homemade vegan parmesan for additional flavor.
How long will veggie meatballs keep?
These vegan meatballs will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I freeze these meatballs?
Yes, you can make up a double or triple batch of these and keep them in the freezer ready to heat and serve. To freeze, bake the meatballs as directed, then keep them on the cookie sheet so none are touching each other and place in the freezer for about 3 hours until they are frozen. Take the frozen meatballs off the cookie sheet and place them into a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and then freeze in the bag for up to 3 months.
How can I reheat the meatballs?
Warm the cooked meatballs by reheating on a cookie sheet for about 5-7 min in the oven at 375° F. You can reheat from frozen by heating for an additional 8-10 minutes.
Serve your spaghetti and meatballs with some homemade vegan focaccia bread for a full meal that will impress!
Try my other meaty vegan recipes!
- Vegan Sausage Crumbles
- Easy Vegan Taco Meat
- Vegan Buffalo Chicken
- Soyrizo aka Soy Chorizo
- Vegan Sausage Links
Be sure to follow me on Instagram for daily vegan inspiration and recipe ideas! Tag me at #thehiddenveggies! I love to see what you made too!
Easy to make "meaty" vegan meatballs made with TVP.
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- 1 tsp Liquid Smoke hickory flavored
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
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Make the broth by heating 1 cup of water, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp liquid smoke, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder in a saucepan.
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Once it boils, turn off the heat and add the 1 1/4 cup TVP and give it a stir.
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Add 2 tbsp flax meal and give it a stir again.
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Toss 1/3 cup oats in your blender and blend for about 30 seconds then add to the TVP mixture. (If you have oat flour, you can use 1/4 cup instead of whole oats).
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Add 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs to the mixture.
-
Give it all a good stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes to cool enough to be able to hold the mixture in your hands.
-
Use your hands to roll the mixture into walnut-sized meatballs.
-
Place on a cookie sheet, brush with some olive oil and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15-20 minutes. (You can also panfry the meatballs or simmer them in spaghetti sauce.)
Alternative cooking methods:
Cook in sauce - You can also cook your meatballs directly in your spaghetti sauce. Simply heat the sauce in a shallow pan and simmer them for 15 minutes in the sauce. They will absorb some of the sauce flavors this way. Just be careful not to stir the sauce too vigorously or the meatballs may break.
Panfry the meatballs - If you don't want to wait 20 minutes for them to cook or you want them crispier, you can pan-fry them in a few tablespoons of oil. Cook them over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes rolling them around in the pan frequently so they don't burn.
