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Home » Vegan and Oil-free Recipes » Snacks & Apps

The Easiest Vegan Meatballs (Gluten-Free)

Published: Jan 26, 2021 · Modified: Mar 29, 2021 by 💚 Liz

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Tender and delicious, these are the Easiest Vegan Meatballs ever, and they’re also gluten-free! Made of wholesome ingredients, these little bean balls are great in any kind of sauce, whether it’s part of your entree or you’re sticking toothpicks in them and serving them at a party!

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Vegan Sweet and Sour Meatballs in a bowl

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Hey Internet, I’ve been avoiding making vegan meatballs for the longest time and I honestly don’t know why. I was afraid they’d fall apart, or be mushy, or bland.

Well, these little bean balls aren’t any of those things.

They’re delicious, easy to make, aren’t mushy, and hold up well, even when being simmered in a sauce like with my vegan Swedish meatballs.

I mean if I’m being honest, that recipe was the impetus to create my own vegan meatballs, but I definitely can’t wait to serve these in a spaghetti recipe with marinara, or even a rigatoni bake. Oh wait, what about a meatball sub!!!! Okay that’s next.

Anyway. We’re here to make these meatballs today, and luckily they don’t take much time at all. No day old rice needed, these babies are quick to throw together with minimal ingredients.

You will notice I recommend throwing the “batter” in the fridge for just a little bit to make it firm up, but this just makes rolling easier, so you don’t have to. You could even throw it in the freezer for a few minutes instead.

Finally, these vegan meatballs are totally customizable, so you could use any bean you want, any herbs or spices you want, or even throw in things like sauteed onions, garlic, mushrooms--as long as it’s chopped small enough, it should work!

But before we customize, let’s talk about the basic recipe first.

Ingredients for the vegan meatballs

What You’ll Need

The base of these awesome vegan meatballs is beans. You can use any you like--chickpeas would be really good. I used kidney beans because I liked the color, the texture, and they have a lot of nutrients.

Also you can use canned beans or cooked from scratch, just make sure you drain them. If canned, I’d recommend rinsing them too.

Next up, you’ll need a nice hearty flour to bind it together. I used oat flour, which I made from grinding rolled oats in my blender (easier than you think!), but you could also use store-bought oat flour or chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour, besan, or gram flour).

For a binder, I used ground flaxseed. Flax is packed with nutrients too, most importantly omega 3 fatty acids. Mix this ground flaxseed with a bit of water and let it sit for a few minutes--it will gel into a kind of homogenous, glue-y consistency perfect for binding our meatballs.

I used a fair amount of nutritional yeast here because it gave the meatballs a lot of flavor but it also helped dry out the mixture. If you don’t like nutritional yeast, simply substitute more oat or chickpea flour (same ratio).

Speaking of flavor, I used garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, sea salt, and an Italian herb blend to season my vegan meatballs, but you can use whatever you like! Any herbs would be great in here too.

I actually order all my spices from The Spice House. You can get your spices cheaper if you order a flat pack (cheaper to ship as well) and refill your existing spice jars. <>

Ingredients in a food processor

Tips for Making Perfect Vegan Meatballs

  • Before we do anything else, let’s mix those flax eggs. Mix the indicated amount of ground flaxseed (if you have whole flax seeds, you’ll need to grind them in a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or blender first) and water in a small bowl. Stick in the fridge to make it gel faster.
  • Now take the kidney beans and add them to the food processor, pulsing them a few times. You could also use a blender or a fork and a bowl (just mash them up). Add the gelled flax egg, nutritional yeast, spices, and HALF of the oat or chickpea flour. Blend or mix well.
  • Now if you mixed in a food processor or blender, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Sprinkle on the remaining oat or chickpea flour and mix with a fork until thick and well combined.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or throw it in the freezer for about 10 minutes or so. This step is optional, but it does make the meatballs a lot easier to roll, and it helps them keep their shape while they bake.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (or 218 degrees Celsius).
  • Make meatballs with about 2 tablespoons each of the mixture. This is a nice sized meatball, but you can use a smaller or larger amount according to your preference. I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to make this process a lot easier. Scoop out each meatball, roll between your hands to get a nice sphere, and place on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper lined baking tray. If your meatballs are cracking or not staying together well enough, you need a bit more moisture. Stir in 2 tablespoons of water at a time if needed.
  • Repeat until all mixture is used up. This makes a LOT of meatballs, so you can freeze half when you’re done cooking them for a quick meal later on. You could also freeze the formed balls before baking them… Freeze them on the tray first, then when frozen you can place them in a freezer bag or container.
  • Bake them for about 20-24 minutes, flipping halfway through. I’d also recommend rotating the trays at that halfway point. Alternatively, you can air fry them, but I’d recommend only a single layer at a time, and give them a little room to breathe around each other.
  • If you really want to brown them, you could finish in a skillet, but I just like to add them to whatever sauce I’m using and simmer for a bit to infuse the flavor of the sauce into the vegan meatballs.
  • Refrigerate leftover meatballs in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Cooked vegan meatballs on the tray

More Vegan Meat Alternatives

I don’t really miss meat at all, and neither does my husband. But sometimes you want something that resembles something you used to eat. It may or may not taste exactly the same, but it can definitely satisfy that craving.

It’s also really nice to make these meat alternatives at home, so you know exactly what goes in them and you can customize the flavors to your liking.

I hope you’ll check out one or two of these recipes, they’re actually some of the most popular on my blog!

  • Vegan Philly Cheesesteak (my most popular recipe!)
  • Vegan Sausage
  • Lentil Mushroom Loaf
  • Vegan Pastrami
  • Vegan Drumsticks
  • Meatless Crumbles
  • Vegan Gyros
  • Vegan Brisket
  • Instant Pot Seitan
  • Vegan Chicken Nuggets

Anything Else?

As always, I hope you love this recipe–I know I do and so does Mr. Zardyplants, who is vegan but occasionally misses the flavor of meat (but not the cruelty–he insisted I add that line).

These vegan meatballs are:

  • Savory
  • Zesty
  • “Meaty” (hold the cruelty)
  • Chewy yet tender
  • Satisfying
  • Packed with flavor
  • and great for any dish, especially one that someone would normally use meatballs for.

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3 Liz

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Vegan Sweet and Sour Meatballs in a bowl

The Easiest Vegan Meatballs (Gluten-Free)


★★★★

4 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Liz Madsen
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 24-26 meatballs 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Tender and delicious, these are the Easiest Vegan Meatballs ever, and they’re also gluten-free! Made of wholesome ingredients.


Ingredients

Scale

Meatballs

  • 2 15-oz cans (about 3 cups) kidney beans (or any)
  • 1 ⅓ cup oat flour or garbanzo flour, divided in half (see note 3)
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • ¼ cup ground flaxseed + ⅓ cup water
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried herbs (I used an Italian blend)
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp sea salt

Sweet and Sour Sauce (bonus; optional)

  • 1 cup canned or bottled pineapple juice (fresh won’t work as well)
  • ⅔ cup coconut sugar (or organic cane sugar, or light brown sugar)
  • ½ cup rice vinegar
  • 3.5 tbsp organic ketchup
  • 2 tbsp reduced sodium gluten-free tamari (or soy sauce if not GF)
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1.5 tsp beet powder (for color)
  • ½ tsp ground ginger, optional
  • 3 tbsp arrowroot powder / cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Make the flax eggs: Mix the indicated amount of ground flaxseed (if you have whole flax seeds, you’ll need to grind them in a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or blender first) and water in a small bowl. Stick in the fridge to make it gel faster.
  2. Blend the beans: Now take the kidney beans and add them to the food processor, pulsing them a few times. You could also use a blender or a fork and a bowl (just mash them up). Add the gelled flax egg, nutritional yeast, spices, and HALF of the oat or chickpea flour. Blend or mix well.
  3. Mix in remaining flour: Now if you mixed in a food processor or blender, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Sprinkle on the remaining oat or chickpea flour and mix with a fork until thick and well combined.
  4. Chill: Cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or throw it in the freezer for about 10 minutes or so. This step is optional, but it does make the meatballs a lot easier to roll, and it helps them keep their shape while they bake.
  5. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (or 218 degrees Celsius).
  6. Form vegan meatballs: Make meatballs with about 2 tablespoons each of the mixture. This is a nice sized meatball, but you can use a smaller or larger amount according to your preference. I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to make this process a lot easier. Scoop out each meatball, roll between your hands to get a nice sphere, and place on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper lined baking tray. If your meatballs are cracking or not staying together well enough, you need a bit more moisture. Stir in 2 tablespoons of water at a time if needed. Repeat until all mixture is used up. 
  7. Bake: Bake them for about 20-24 minutes, flipping halfway through. I’d also recommend rotating the trays at that halfway point. Alternatively, you can air fry them, but I’d recommend only a single layer at a time, and give them a little room to breathe around each other. If you really want to brown them, you could finish in a skillet.
  8. Eat as is or use: If my husband doesn’t eat them all first, I like to add these to whatever sauce I’m using and simmer for a bit to infuse the flavor of the sauce into the vegan meatballs, like these vegan Swedish meatballs.
  9. Instructions for optional Sweet and Sour sauce: Add all ingredients except arrowroot powder / cornstarch and water to a small saucepan and heat over medium high. Bring to a boil. Mix the arrowroot powder / cornstarch with the water and pour into the pan. Whisk until smooth and lower the heat to medium. Stir until thickened--shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
  10. Store: Refrigerate leftover meatballs in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • Note 1: Prep & Cook time estimates do not include chill time.
  • Note 2: This makes a LOT of meatballs, so you can freeze half when you’re done cooking them for a quick meal later on. You could also freeze the formed balls before baking them… Freeze them on the tray first, then when frozen you can place them in a freezer bag or container.
  • Note 3: I used oat flour, which I made from grinding rolled oats in my blender, but you could also use store-bought oat flour or chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour, besan, or gram flour).
  • Note 4: I provided my recipe for the sweet and sour sauce here--it was one of the first times I made it, so it doesn’t have it’s own blog post yet. It’s a good sauce, I’ll have to make one! That said, you can use any sauce you like with these vegan meatballs, such as the gravy for my vegan Swedish meatballs or vegan BBQ sauce or marinara.
  • Prep Time: 11 minutes
  • Cook Time: 24 minutes
  • Category: Entrée, Snack
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-free, vegan meatballs, vegan sweet and sour meatballs

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Comments

  1. Leah

    January 23, 2022 at 11:52 pm

    I made these today and they are sooo good! The texture is really pleasant and the light Italian taste is nice. They really pair well with flavorful sauces - I made a creamy vegan roasted red pepper sauce. I had to leave out the nutritional yeast due to migraines and just subbed it with oat flour. For Italian seasoning, I used oregano, basil, rosemary, and sage. I added about 3 Tbsp water after chilling 10 min. in the freezer and it worked great! It made exactly 24 meatballs and took about 24 min. in my oven to bake. I will definitely make these again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Cindy

    December 15, 2022 at 11:43 pm

    They held together well, but I didn't love the oat flour texture unfortunately.

    ★★

    Reply
  3. Carol

    December 16, 2022 at 4:53 pm

    These are so good--they practically melt in your mouth. Definitely will make again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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About Liz

Paul and Liz holding a small black dog standing in front of Lake Michigan
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Hi, I'm Liz!

I develop plant-based comfort food recipes that are delicious, easy, and budget-friendly. My husband Paul and I created Zardyplants to share our fun, delicious food with the world. But what does the name Zardyplants even mean?

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