Easy Meatless Meatballs Recipe
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These meatless meatballs are easy, freezer-friendly, and 100% vegan. Baked to tender perfection, they’re fantastic with pasta, subs, and everything in between!
Ah, meatballs. Everyone should have a reliable go-to recipe. They’re super versatile and can be served in many ways.
But did you know you can switch things up with lentils?
These vegan meatballs are also ready in just 4 steps, and you won’t even need a food processor to make them!
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Looking for more plant-based pasta partners? Seitan and vegan eggplant parmesan are in the same league as these meatless meatballs!
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Meatless Meatballs Recipe
- This vegan meatless meatballs recipe is ready in 4 steps—no need to use the food processor. They’re also baked, which means less clean-up!
- Tender and meaty, these meatless meatballs make the perfect vegan substitute for regular meatballs. Enjoy them on their own, or use them in other vegan dishes!
- This recipe works for meal prep! You can make a big batch and freeze the meatballs for a quick weeknight dinner!
Ingredients And Substitutions
Ground flaxseed and water – To make the flax egg, combine ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until it’s gel-like in consistency.
Cooked lentils – You can also use canned lentils to save time. Just drain and rinse them beforehand. Uncooked lentils won’t work for these meatless meatballs.
Yellow onion and garlic – Chop them finely for the best texture and flavor!
Quick-cooking oats – You don’t need to cook the oats for these veggie meatballs. They take the role of breadcrumbs in these veggie meatballs.
Vegan parmesan cheese – We recommend our easy parmesan cheese recipe, but you can also use nutritional yeast to give your non meat meatballs a delicious umami flavor.
Tomato sauce – Adds flavor and color to the mixture.
Italian seasoning, garlic salt, black pepper, sea salt, and red pepper flakes – We’re keeping the seasonings for these vegan lentil meatballs simple, but you can get creative with your favorite herbs and spices.
Baking spray – For greasing the baking sheet to keep the meatballs from sticking.
Tips For Making This Recipe
Avoid Mushy Lentils
To cook the lentils for these veggie meatballs, place them in a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.
Serving Suggestions
We served these plant-based meatballs with cooked pasta and red sauce (this one-pot bolognese sauce is amazing!). However, you can also enjoy them in sandwich rolls (vegan-friendly meatball sub, anyone?) or on top of rice, smothered with curry sauce for a quick and satisfying meal. As an appetizer, just serve them with your favorite dips!
Make-Ahead Tips
You can make a big batch of these meatless meatballs and freeze them for later! Allow the cooked meatballs to cool, then freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 2 hours until solid. Finally, transfer the frozen meatballs to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Vegan Meatless Meatball Recipe FAQs
Do meatless meatballs taste like meat?
Since these homemade meatballs are made from vegetables, they won’t taste exactly like classic meatballs made from actual meat. However, they’re still delicious, meaty, and versatile for various dishes that call for meatballs!
How do I prevent vegan meatballs from falling apart?
Prep your flax egg beforehand! It acts as a binder for the mixture, ensuring that your vegan lentil meatballs can hold their shape well.
What variety of lentils is best to use in this lentil meatball recipe?
I recommend brown lentils for these non meat meatballs because they’re hearty and hold up well for the best texture. You can also use green, but not yellow or red lentils because they’ll get mushy.
How long will meatless meatballs keep in the fridge?
These veggie meatballs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How do you reheat vegan meatless meatballs?
For convenience, you can just reheat the refrigerated plant based meatballs in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. However, the best way to reheat them without drying them out is in the oven at 350ºF for about 10 minutes. If frozen, cover them with foil for the first 10 minutes and reheat again for another 10 to 15 minutes.
More Delicious Vegan Meatless Recipes
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Meatless Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for the flax egg
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils (about 1 cup uncooked lentils, drained and cooled)
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 3/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese
- 1 8-oz can unsweetened tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Baking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Form the mixture into balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 40 minutes, and you’re done!
Notes
- To cook the lentils for these veggie meatballs, place them in a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.
- We served these plant-based meatballs with cooked pasta and red sauce (this one-pot bolognese sauce is amazing!). However, you can also enjoy them in sandwich rolls (vegan-friendly meatball sub, anyone?) or on top of rice, smothered with curry sauce for a quick and satisfying meal. As an appetizer, just serve them with your favorite dips!
- You can make a big batch of these meatless meatballs and freeze them for later! Allow the cooked meatballs to cool, then freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 2 hours until solid. Finally, transfer the frozen meatballs to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
I tried this recipe! so delicious meatless meatballs! paired with Grechka buckwheat http://www.grechka.co.uk instead of pasta though