Easy Vegan Meatballs
These Easy Vegan Meatballs can be made with marinara sauce and served as a spaghetti and meatball main dish. Another option is to coat them with bbq sauce and serve them as an appetizer. Whichever way you decide to make them, they’re going to be a hit!
If you’ve been looking for a hearty and filling vegan meatball recipe that is so versatile that it can be used in many different recipes, look no further!
From vegan meatloaf to meatballs
This recipe was inspired by 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 meatballs due to the bulgur used. I decided to give it a try, and I’m so glad that I did.
Getting that firm texture
The bulgur gives these veggie balls a great firm texture that will work great in a number of different ways.
Bulgur is a whole wheat grain that is cooked exactly like rice in about 15 minutes. I like to make a big batch of it in my rice cooker and freeze it for use in recipes like this one, spaghetti, lasagna, and nachos.
This amazing grain adds a ground beef texture and soaks up the flavors of dishes you’re preparing.
Whether used with barbecue sauce as an appetizer or with marinara for spaghetti and no meatballs, these meatless meatballs hold together very well.
They are terrific served with marinara and pasta, alongside a salad and crusty bread. Other times I bake them with barbecue sauce, and we have them as an appetizer.
How to make vegan meatballs
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper.
Begin by cooking the bulgur according to the package directions. It cooks on the stove or in a rice cooker in about 15-minutes.
Though it calls for bulgur, a number of people have told me that they’ve subbed with buckwheat groats, quinoa, brown rice, and barley and it still comes out good.
Dice the veggies–onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, carrots, and walnuts. One tip here is that a blender or food processor makes it easy to make bread crumbs. It’s also great for chopping walnuts.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (including the fully-cooked bulgur). Mix with a spoon, or do like I do, and use your hands to mix thoroughly.
Form into balls and place on a 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.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cover with marinara and serve over pasta to make Spaghetti & Meatballs or on subs. Or drizzle barbecue sauce over top and bake an additional 15 minutes to serve as an appetizer.
If you like them really firm, I suggest refrigerating them once they are cooked so they have more time to set up. When they are reheated, the texture is even denser.
*Originally published June 2015.
Italian Vegan Meatball Sandwich
This delightfully messy vegan meatball sandwich is great for dinner, parties, and game-day food. It’s such a versatile meatless marinara sandwich, even kids love it!
If you like parmesan cheese, I have a terrific easy recipe for you to try out.
Making homemade vegan parmesan cheese is surprisingly easy and only requires a handful of ingredients. It keeps for months, so you’ll have it available to sprinkle on any and everything.
BBQ sauce options
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!
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 a culinary masterpiece. This 8-ingredient Healthy BBQ Sauce Recipe can do just that!
If you are looking for a premade barbecue sauce, we love this oil-free Bone Suckin’ Sauce.
Other great bulgur recipes to try
- Crockpot Chili
- No-Meat Loaf
- Vegan Meatball Italian Sandwich
- What is Bulgur: How to Cook and Recipes
- Spaghetti & Meatballs
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
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Vegan Meat Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked bulgur
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs (equals 2-3 slices of bread)
- 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes (with juice drained and reserved)
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 sticks celery diced
- 1/2 green pepper diced
- 3/4 cup carrot diced
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- sea salt to your taste
- marinara or barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350. Parchment paper makes clean up so much easier with this recipe.
- Cook bulgur according to package directions. It cooks on the stovetop or in a rice cooker in about 15-minutes.
- Dice all veggies--onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, and walnuts.
- Mix all ingredients in a very large bowl. You can use a spoon, but I prefer to use my hands to thoroughly blend ingredients.
- Form into balls and place on a 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.
- Bake at 350°F for approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cover with marinara and serve over pasta or on subs. Or drizzle barbecue sauce over top and bake an additional 10-15 minutes to serve as an appetizer.
- If you like them really firm, I suggest refrigerating them once they are cooked so they have more time to set up. When they are reheated, the texture is even denser.
Video
Notes
- Q: What are vegan meatballs made of? There are many different variations of vegan meatballs, but this recipe is made from a whole grain called bulgur, rolled oats, and bread crumbs.
- Q: Are these meatballs gluten-free? No, this recipe is not gluten-free because it uses bulgur. However, buckwheat groats could be substituted for the bulgur and gluten-free breadcrumbs could be used to make these gluten-free. Some folks have also used brown rice and quinoa.
- Q: What is the best way to store these? These meatballs should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Q: Can the leftovers be frozen? Yes, and I freeze them all the time. They hold up well and are delicious the second time around.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
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.
I made these today and they are so good. Thank you for another great recipe. Dolores Jones
Oh, that’s so great! I’m glad you like the meatballs. Thank you SO much for letting me know.
How much garlic is used? I see it in the instructions and I noticed it in the photos but I don’t see it in the list of ingredients.
I just made these today and didn’t add any. I haven’t eaten any yet because I plan on adding marinara sauce tomorrow and have them with pasta.
I’m sure they would be better with some garlic so let me know how much so I can add it next time,
Hi Mary- Good catch on that! I like to add two cloves of minced garlic.
These were fantastic. Great flavor & texture.👍🏻👍🏻