Meatballs are an incredibly versatile dish. From Swedish meatballs to Asian-inspired meatballs, there are countless different ways to serve this protein-packed dish.
Despite the name, there are various vegan meatball options available. Check out the best easy vegan meatball recipes below.
1. Meaty Vegan Meatballs
First up on our list is a traditional Italian-style meatball recipe from Connoisseurs Veg. This recipe combines rolled oats, walnuts, and black beans to create a yummy dish.
The recipe calls for traditional Italian ingredients and seasonings, including:
- Garlic
- Chopped onion
- Oregano
- Tomato paste
- Thyme
- Fennel seed
Feel free to add red pepper flakes if you want to add spice to the mix.
Once you mix the ingredients in your food processor, simply bake for 30 minutes, and your meatballs are ready to serve. These work great with marinara but feel free to use your favorite sauce instead.
2. The Ultimate Vegan Meatballs
This recipe uses an air fryer to cook up the perfect Italian vegan meatball. The recipe uses a combination of mushrooms and chickpeas to get the perfect meaty texture.
The recipes suggest using a large food processor to prep the dish. You’ll mix sauteed onions, seasonings, chopped mushrooms, and chickpeas in the processor. Once combined, create your meatballs and they’re ready for frying.
The air fryer lets you cook these meatballs in 10-12 minutes. Once cooked, you’ll enjoy a crispy outside and mouthwateringly tender inside.
3. Vegan Swedish Meatballs
This recipe coats the meatballs in a creamy vegan gravy. Gluten-free and soy-free alternative recipes are also included in this recipe if you have specific dietary concerns.
Prepping the meatballs involves combining lentils, sauteed onions, garlic, chopped mushrooms, and oats. The meatballs are then baked in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
You’ll also find a recipe for a creamy Swedish gravy on the page. If you serve these meatballs with your favorite pasta, you’ll have a hearty meal for your family.
These also meatballs go great over vegan mashed potatoes.
4. The Best Vegan Black Bean Meatballs
Black Beans make a great umami addition to this dish. This recipe mixes black beans, sunflower seeds, oats, and plenty of seasoning to make a meaty and hearty meatball.
This recipe is ideal for cooks that like to experiment. There are plenty of options on how to cook or what spices to add to the mix. For example, Ela Vegan offers gluten-free options and sunflower seed alternatives for the mixture.
You also have many cooking options for these meatballs. Once prepped, you can air-fry, pan-fry, or bake these delicious meatballs.
5. Mouthwatering Soy-Free Meatless Meatballs
These soy-free meatballs work great as a meal or as tasty finger food.
The main ingredients for this recipe include:
- Mushrooms
- Almond flakes
- Flaxseed
- Bread crumbs
Of course, you’ll need plenty of seasoning to ensure these meatballs taste great. A mix of parsley, onion, cumin, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and chopped chilis gives this recipe all the flavor.
Once prepped, you’ll pan-fry these meatballs in vegetable oil and serve them with your favorite sauces. The recipe suggests flattening the meatballs and making sliders or patties if you prefer a vegan burger instead of finger food.
6. Best Vegan Meatballs
These vegan meatballs are the perfect substitute for a meatball sub. Love & Lemons suggests serving these meatballs with marinara sauce and fresh basil over a crispy baguette. Of course, you can also use them for a spaghetti dish.
You’ll combine onion, mushrooms, black beans, walnuts, and brown rice as the main ingredients in these meatballs. The Italian flavor comes from:
- Garlic
- Tamari
- Chili powder
- Onion powder
- Balsamic vinegar
To make the perfect vegan meatball sub, simply add marinara sauce to the meatballs and serve over basil on a baguette or soft roll. You can also add vegan cheese for extra indulgence.
7. Crave-Worthy Vegan Meatballs
If you prefer lentils to black beans, this vegan meatball recipe is for you. This recipe uses uncooked green lentils, portabella mushrooms, and panko breadcrumbs for the “meat” of the meatball.
Some unique ingredients in this recipe include mushroom powder and nutritional yeast. These ingredients are essential if you want a meaty, cheesy, and savory meatball.
Once prepped, you can bake or pan-fry these meatballs.
8. The Best Vegan Meatballs
If you follow this recipe, you’ll have perfectly-textured meatballs. They’re also packed full of flavor and nutrients.
The recipe calls for baked black beans. Pre-baking the beans prevents the meatball mix from getting too mushy during preparation. You blend the beans with a mix of:
- Herbs
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Quinoa
- Tomato paste
Serve these meatballs with your favorite marinara sauce, vegan parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley.
9. Copycat IKEA Veggie Meatballs
IKEA’s meatballs are just as famous as their furniture. This recipe lets you copy their recipe and create a vegan version of their world-famous meatballs.
This recipe is loaded with nutrients and veggies, packing a heft protein punch. What gives this recipe its umami flavor is the mix of chickpeas, pea protein, carrots, and green peas. The expertly crafted mix of seasonings takes these meatballs to the next level.
If you prefer a gluten-free version, the recipe suggests using chickpea flour and buckwheat flour. Rice flour is also an alternative but results in a different texture.
10. Spicy Asian Vegan Meatballs
These meatballs feature a spicy Asian-inspired sauce.
You’ll make the meatball mix from chickpeas, farro, and old-fashioned oats. The mixture gets its Asian-inspired taste from:
- Chinese 5 spice
- Green onion
- Garlic
- Sesame oil
Once cooked, you’ll coat the meatballs with the tasty sauce.
The sauce combines Mirin rice wine, garlic, red pepper flakes, ground ginger, and Sriracha sauce. Feel free to make the sauce as spicy as you like.
11. Vegan Cauliflower Meatballs
Instead of beans, this recipe calls for cauliflower as the main ingredient. You’ll mix cauliflower florets, brown rice, breadcrumbs, and flax eggs to form these vegan meatballs.
The recipe calls for traditional Italian seasonings. Once combined in a food processor, you can cook these on your stovetop or bake them if you want to avoid using oil.
These meatballs go great in vegan alfredo sauce, marinara sauce, or Italian-inspired soup.
12. Vegan Russian Meatballs
This recipe is a fusion of vegan meatballs and stuffed cabbage rolls. Traditionally known as golubtsy, this dish is a mixture of cabbage leaves, rice, buckwheat, and minced veggies.
The red sauce is simple to make. You only need to mix vegan sour cream, tomato paste, and vegan Worcester sauce. Once ready, you’ll coat the meatballs and bake until golden.
These meatballs are rich and hearty. They work great as a main dish or a side dish, and they are a unique alternative to the traditional Italian meatball.
13. Easy Vegan Chickpea Meatballs
Chickpeas make a great meatball filling. This recipe from Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen features chickpeas, ground flaxseed, and breadcrumbs as the “meat” in the mixture.
Of course, you’ll want to add plenty of seasonings, and this recipe calls for:
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried parsley
- Fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
When working with chickpeas, you might want to take the skins off for a smoother texture. This is optional since it can be time-consuming to remove all the chickpea skins.
14. Gluten-Free Vegan Meatballs
If you have 25 minutes to spare, you can make these gluten-free meatballs for a decadent dinner. With only 10 ingredients, this is one of the easiest meatball recipes on this list.
You’ll need chickpeas, walnuts, oats, and brown rice as the main ingredients for these meatballs. Flavor comes from a mix of garlic, onion, soy sauce, and ketchup. If you want a traditional Italian meatball flavor you can also add Italian seasoning to the mix.
The recipe also suggests using avocado oil during cooking to get a crispy golden-brown crust on your meatballs.
15. Vegan Lentil Meatballs
These vegan meatballs use lentils as the main ingredient. You grind lentils, nutritional yeast, and almonds together in a food processor to create the base of this dish.
The recipe calls for a traditional mix of Italian seasonings for flavor. Expect to use garlic, white onion, and Italian seasoning in the mix. Red wine vinegar is also added to enhance the flavor.
Flax eggs are used as a binder to hold everything in place while these cook.
16. Easy Vegan Meatballs
These easy vegan meatballs are packed with protein and flavor. The key ingredient is Tempeh. This compressed cake of soybeans has a nutty flavor and is firmer than tofu. It’s also protein-packed.
Italian breadcrumbs are the best option to add flavor and texture to these meatballs. But if you prefer a gluten-free option, the recipe suggests gluten-free panko instead. Of course, you can make homemade breadcrumbs if you prefer.
The recipe gives you detailed instructions on how to prepare the tempeh and meatball mixture. Once ready, you cook the meatballs in a skillet and can serve them with your favorite sauce.
17. Baked Oil-Free Vegan Meatballs
These baked meatballs let you skip using oil in the recipe. Vegan 8 uses a mixture of chickpeas and couscous to create these meatballs that have an amazing texture and flavor.
The meatball mixture is a mix of chickpeas, onion, couscous, Italian seasoning, and brown rice flour. To add an umami flavor, the recipe calls for liquid smoke.
If you’re tired of marinara sauce on your meatballs, the recipe suggests using salsa as an alternative sauce for your meatballs.
18. Easy Vegan Black Bean Meatballs
These meatballs are savory, hearty, and filling. They are also low-fat, oil-free, and healthy. Oh, and they’re easy to cook.
You’ll need flax egg, black beans, and breadcrumbs for the mixture in this recipe. Flavor comes from:
- Vegan parmesan
- Italian seasoning
- Onion
- Garlic powder
- Vegan Worcestershire
- Ketchup
Cook these meatballs for 20-25 minutes in the oven once your filling is prepared. Serve with sauce or as a vegan meatball sub smothered with vegan mozzarella cheese.
19. Vietnamese Style “Meat”-balls
Meatballs are a key ingredient in banh-mi sandwiches and other Vietnamese dishes. This recipe lets vegans enjoy the sweet and spicy flavors of Vietnamese meatballs.
You’ll need extra-firm tofu, chili paste, cilantro, Thai basil, lemongrass paste, sesame seeds, and Sriracha sauce for this mix. Once combined, you fry the meatballs in a skillet until golden brown.
The sauce is critical to this recipe. You’ll mix soy sauce, Sriracha, maple syrup, ketchup, and garlic for the sauce. Coat the meatballs with the sauce and serve on a roll with veggies or pickled veggies.
20. Italian-Style Nut-Free Vegan Meatballs
This recipe lets you avoid nuts. Instead, you use cremini mushrooms, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, rolled oats, and extra-firm tofu for the meatball mixture.
The flavor base of this recipe includes:
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Tomato paste
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce
Once prepped, the recipe lets you cook these meatballs in three different ways. You can use an oven, pan-fry, or air-fry these meatballs. Baked meatballs offer a meaty center, while pan-fried offer a crispy exterior. The air-fryer gives you the best of both worlds.
21. “Honey”-Garlic Vegan Meatballs
Honey and garlic go perfectly together. Liv B combines garlic with a vegan “honey” to create a perfect comfort food dinner.
The sauce makes all the difference in this recipe. It’s packed with flavor. You’ll mix minced garlic, ketchup, brown sugar, maple syrup, and soy sauce to create this sweet and sour sauce.
Prepare the sauce and simmer the meatballs until they’re ready. Once ready, the dish is a perfect complement to rice and stir-fried veggies.
22. Vegan Meatballs
Chocolate Covered Katie creates one of the best easy vegan meatball recipes out there with this simple version. Using only five ingredients, she delivers all the nutrition without skimping on the flavor.
This healthy iteration of classic meatballs is also perfect for fussy eaters as it doesn’t contain any nuts, mushrooms, or heat. The ingredients used in this simple recipe include:
- Salt
- Minced garlic
- Oats
- Black beans
- Chopped onions
You can swap out the oats for almond flour and replace the black beans with pinto beans if you prefer. This recipe is super versatile as it allows you to customize the flavor, adding whatever spices you like best.
These low-calorie and high-protein morsels are perfect for beginner cooks or people looking to get creative. The best part? They’re ready in under 30 minutes.
23. Vegan Italian Seitan Meatballs
These seitan-based meatballs are juicy, tender, and full of flavor. They work great as an appetizer or as part of your main dish.
The key ingredient in this recipe is vital wheat gluten. Combined with lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, and walnuts, you get a meatball that is incredibly meaty and flavorful.
You’ll also use a traditional mix of seasonings to recreate the perfect Italian meatball in this recipe. Expect to add basil, onion powder, and garlic powder to your shopping list if you don’t have them in your pantry.
Each serving of these meatballs has 39 grams of protein. This makes them an ideal alternative to meat-based meatballs.
Easy Vegan Meatball Recipes, Final Thoughts
As you can see from this list, there are many different ways to cook vegan meatballs. From black beans to tofu, you can pick and choose your favorite ingredients when cooking meatballs.
These easy vegan meatball recipes are sure to impress, and they’ll have you going back for seconds!