These Easy Vegan Meatballs can be made with barbecue sauce and served as an appetizer or main dish. Or replace the barbecue sauce with marinara for a delicious dish of spaghetti and meatballs. Whichever way you decide to make them, they’re delicious!
From vegan meatloaf to meatballs
This recipe was inspired from my No-Meat Loaf recipe. One day while I was making the no-meat loaf, I happened to notice that the firm consistency of it reminded me of meat balls due to the bulgur used. I decided to give it a try, and I’m so glad that I did.
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Getting that firm texture
The bulgur give these veggie balls a great firm texture that will work great in a number of different ways. Whether used with barbecue sauce as an appetizer or with marinara for spaghetti and no meatballs, these hold together very well.
They are terrific served with marinara and pasta, along side a salad and crusty bread. Other times I bake them with barbecue sauce, and we have them as an appetizer.
What is Bulgur?
Bulgur is a whole wheat grain that is cooked exactly like rice in about 15 minutes. (Follow package directions).
I like to make a big batch of it and store in freezer to use in recipes like tacos, stews, chili beans, etc. because bulgur adds a ground beef texture and soaks up flavors of dish you’re preparing.
Nutrition in Bulgur
Eating bulgur wheat may help to alleviate chronic inflammation, thereby protecting against some diseases.
In a clinical study published in the February 2008 issue of the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,” researchers found that people who consumed higher amounts of betaine, a metabolite found in whole wheat, had lower concentrations of homocysteine, a marker of chronic inflammation that has been linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes.–LiveStrong
Whether served as an appetizer, main dish, or on a sub sandwich, these fabulous veggie barbecue balls will be a hit! Last week, I took a batch to a company dinner and a family reunion, and they got rave reviews!
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BBQ Sauce options
There are so many dishes that could use a great barbecue sauce to enhance the flavors. With its sweet smoky flavor, a good bbq sauce can transform a bland recipe into an culinary masterpiece. This 8-ingredient Healthy BBQ Sauce Recipe can do just that!
Watch our short video to see how easy it is to make!
If you are looking for a premade barbecue sauce, we love this oil-free Bone Suckin’ Sauce.
Other great bulgur recipes to try
Plant-Based Starter Kits
Want to go plant-based but not sure where to begin? We have Plant-Based Starter Kits for only $27 that include a book, DVD set, and all the material shown below. Click photo to find out more and how to order.
- 2 cups cooked bulgur this is a whole wheat grain that cooks just like rice
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs (equals 2-3 slices of bread)
- 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes (with juice drained and reserved)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried sage
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- sea salt to your taste
- barbecue sauce your favorite
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Line 2 large baking pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350. Parchment paper makes clean up so much easier with this recipe.
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Mix all ingredients, EXCEPT barbecue sauce, in a very large bowl. You can use a spoon, but I prefer to use my hands to thoroughly blend ingredients.
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Form into balls and place on baking sheet. If the mixture seems too wet, add a few more oats. If it seems too dry, add a little bit of the juice drained from tomatoes or water. These should hold together to form balls pretty well.
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Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.
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Remove from oven. Drizzle barbecue sauce over top and bake an additional 15 minutes.
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Remove from oven and serve.
Recipe Video
What is your method of cooking bulgur?
Hi Susan, I just cook bulgur according the package directions. 1 cup of bulgur to 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until tender (usually around 15 minutes). Remove lid and allow any extra water to cook out for a couple of minutes. Fluff with fork and serve or use in a recipe. Hope this helps!
Do you think these would freeze well?
Tracy, yes I am sure they will freeze well. I’ve frozen the No-Meat Loaf version of these before, and it did great.
Do you have a suggestion to make these gluten free?
I would think using rice instead of bulgur could work. It will definitely change the texture, but the flavor should be the same.
Just made your meatloaf again. My husband and I love it! These look similar so I know we will love these as well. Thank you!
Every (and I mean EVERY) beggie burger, bean burger, lentil burger I make seems too “pasty” in the center! I made both burgers and ball-shaped versions of this recipe and baked them 15+ minutes extra -still not the “right” texture IMO. The flavor was great, but how do you get them done all the way through without cremating the outside? Thanks so much!
Not sure. Plant-based loafs and burgers are never going to be exactly like ground beef texture. When I make these veggie bq balls (or the no-meat loaf version) with bulgur, they always come out great (not ground beef texture, but not mushy either), and the walnuts give them a bit of a crunch too. The only thing I can think of is that it may be a texture issue.
Have to make these for dinner tonight! #mouthwatering
These sound delicious! One question: Do you take 2 cups of bulgur and cook it, or do you cook some bulgur then measure out two cups of it?
Cook the bulgur first, then measure out 2 cooked cups. Hope this helps!
Perfect! Going to make these for dinner tonight.
Hello! Fire roasted tomatoes in my neck of the woods come in 2 sizes. Are you using the 15 ounces size ?
Hi Kim, yes, I use the 15 oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes.
Please change your ingredient list to remove confusion. Instead of “2 cups bulgur, cooked” it should say 2 cups of cooked bulgur.
I love these!! We have made many, many batches, and have several batches in the freezer. We freeze them after the first baking. When we take them out of the freezer, we bake them for 15+ more or BBQ them. Delicious either way!
Would this work with farro?
I haven’t tried it with farro, but it would definitely be worth a try. I think it could work just fine.