These healthy vegan meatballs are completely delicious and easy to make, with just 5 ingredients and NO eggs required!
The best vegan meatball recipe
Both kids and adults love the hearty texture and savory flavor of the homemade vegan meatballs, packed with more than seven grams of protein per serving.
Make up a batch for a quick weeknight dinner or your next vegan pasta night.
The best part of the recipe? Unlike many other vegan meatball recipes, this one needs no oil, no mushrooms or flax eggs, no flour, soy, or nuts, and no meat substitutes!
Also try this Vegan Chocolate Cake
Vegan meatball flavors
Italian meatballs: For an Italian style version, add up to a teaspoon each of dried oregano and parsley flakes. You can also add a sprinkle of dried basil and substitute the oats with an equal amount of toasted or panko breadcrumbs.
Cheese meatballs: Add one or two tablespoons of vegan Parmesan or Romano cheese before blending the ingredients. Or press a small piece from a block of vegan cheese into the center of each ball after rolling.
Teriyaki meatballs: Add a fourth of a teaspoon of powdered ginger to the dry ingredients. After baking or frying, cover the vegan black bean balls with your favorite teriyaki sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Vegan sausage meatballs: Before blending the meatball ingredients, add a teaspoon of fennel seeds, a half teaspoon of dried basil, and a shake of black pepper.
Vegan sweet and sour meatballs: As with the teriyaki version above, add a fourth of a teaspoon of powdered ginger. Cover the finished balls in bottled or homemade sweet and sour sauce. Stir in diced pineapple and cooked bell peppers if desired.
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Vegan spaghetti and meatballs
For classic vegan pasta and meatballs, put a pot of water on to boil while the bean balls are in the oven. I like to salt the water, but it’s not required.
Once boiling, throw in your pasta of choice and cook according to the package directions, draining when the noodles are al dente. For best results, do not rinse.
Heat up either jarred or homemade tomato sauce, and stir it with the pasta. Either stir in the vegan meatballs (my preferred method so they get coated with marinara sauce) or add them individually on top of each plate before serving.
Not a tomato fan? Use Vegan Alfredo Sauce or this Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce instead.
Ways to use vegan meatballs
Serve the meatless balls on top of spaghetti.
Turn them into a vegan sub sandwich, hero, or hoagie.
Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, quinoa, or Vegan Mac and Cheese.
Add the black bean balls to stir fries or curry recipes.
Mix with Tofu Scramble for a high protein breakfast.
You can even make vegan meatball sliders or add a pinch of nutmeg for vegan Swedish meatballs and cover them with homemade Mushroom Gravy.
Ingredients for the black bean meatballs
You will need the following five ingredients: cooked or canned beans, quick oats or almond flour, chopped onion, salt, and minced garlic or garlic powder.
Is it okay to substitute a different bean? These can be made with black beans, white beans (such as cannellini or great northern beans), or pinto beans. Kidney beans technically work but I found the taste to be a bit earthy. If you experiment with chickpeas or lentils, be sure to report back with results!
Are these grain free or gluten free meatballs? The recipe calls for either almond flour (or almond meal) or quick oats. If using almond flour, they are grain free and gluten free. Quick oats are naturally gluten free but often share factory equipment with wheat products. If you or someone you are serving the bean balls to has a gluten allergy, you can buy “certified gluten free” oats to avoid any cross contamination.
Can I substitute rolled oats or white flour? To make the meatballs with rolled oats, pulse the oats a few times in the food processor before adding all of the other ingredients. No other changes are needed. If substituting flour for the oats, start with one fourth cup of flour and only add more if the mixture is too soft.
Plant based meatballs FAQ
Can I use dried beans instead of canned? If you would rather cook your own beans to save money or skip the can, use about one and a half cups of cooked beans. This will equal the amount of beans in one standard 15 ounce can of beans.
Can you freeze vegan meatballs? You can. Let the bean balls cool before transferring leftovers to an airtight covered container. Store in the refrigerator for four or five days or the freezer for up to three months. When ready to eat, just thaw and reheat the frozen meatballs on the stovetop or in the microwave or oven.
Do they taste exactly like traditional meatballs? The balls are actually not supposed to taste like meaty non vegan meat balls at all. The recipe is delicious in its own right, not as an inferior stand in for the real thing. Just like Trader Joes Meatless Meatballs and IKEA plant balls have their own distinct texture and flavor, so do these.
Don’t want to call them meatballs since there is no meat? Simply name them black bean balls or bites, vegan meatless balls, or veggie balls instead.
Where can I buy vegan meatballs? If you are looking for a vegan version that does taste like ground beef meatballs, I have heard good things from both vegetarians and omnivores about Impossible, Gardein, Beyond, and Morningstar Farms Meatless Meatballs.
Look for vegan meatball brands at Whole Foods, Target, Costco, and many regular grocery stores. Beyond Meatballs and Impossible Meatballs are also available at some restaurants, including select Starbucks and Subway locations.
How to make vegan meatballs
Gather all of your ingredients, and drain and rinse the beans very well.
If you’re making baked meatballs instead of fried, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking tray with parchment paper for easy clean up.
Combine everything in a food processor, scraping down the sides as needed. Stop processing when the mixture still has some texture but no large pieces remain.
Roll into balls. I like smaller meatballs, because they cook more evenly.
Either pan fry in a little oil, or place the balls on the prepared baking tray and cook on the oven’s center rack for 10 minutes, then turn each vegetarian meatball and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the desired texture is reached.
Readers also love this plant based Coconut Curry
Nutrition facts for vegetarian meatballs
This healthy vegan recipe is high protein, low calorie, high fiber, and cholesterol free.
The bean balls are also high in iron and potassium, low in fat and saturated fat, and they have no added sugar.
Full nutrition facts and Weight Watchers points are included below.
The meatballs were adapted from this Veggie Burger Recipe.
Above, watch the vegan meatball recipe video
Vegan Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 can pinto or black beans
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup quick oats or almond flour
- 1 tsp minced garlic or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- see the flavor options listed above
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F if baking instead of frying. Drain and rinse the beans very well. Combine everything in a food processor until evenly blended – stop while it still has some texture but no large pieces remain. Roll into balls (small meatballs cook much more evenly), and either pan fry in a little oil, or place on a parchment-lined baking tray and cook on the center rack for 10 minutes, then turn each ball and bake an additional 10 minutes or until desired texture is reached.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
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Savory Vegan Recipes
Kelly says
I can’t wait to try these. Thank you so much for another wonderful recipe.
Jeanette says
what size can of beans?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hi! It’s one standard 15 ounce can of beans.
Loni says
Hi Katie! Can this be made without garlic and onions? I know it will impact the flavor, but will the texture hold up? I am, unfortunately, recently allergic to garlic and onions but I would love to have a vegan meatball as I’m 1 year plant based and miss the occasional meatball meal!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hmm honestly I do not know about the onion. You could try something else with a similar texture (maybe diced red peppers?). Omitting the garlic will be fine as long as you sub other things to add flavor 🙂
Loni says
I could definitely do diced red peppers- or what about something like celery?
Tracey Eisenberg Holmes says
So, I don’t often comment. I made these today with the following subs: white kidney beans, 1/4 oat flour and 2 tbsp coconut flour. I rolled into balls with wet hands, flattened into tiny little patties and pan fried in a bit of olive oil in a non-stick pan. I added 1 tsp each of oregano and basil as well. they are lovely and I highly recommend. My subs were to have a bit of fun, but it shows the versatility of the recipe. Thanks Katie.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Your version sounds wonderful, and I think you are the first person to try them! 🙂
Colleen says
These look great! Do you know if they will hold up if after baked I let them simmer in my homemade sugo.? I’ve tried a few other recipes and they tend to fall apart.
CCK Media Team says
Hmm we haven’t tried simmering them in sauce, but they DO hold up when mixed into tomato sauce (and we weren’t exactly gentle with the stirring). So they are somewhat durable for sure and hopefully will work for your idea. Be sure to report back if you try!
Lynnsey says
These look good, I’m going to give them a try. I may add some Marmite for more umami flavour.
On a side note, I wish people who haven’t yet tried the recipe would stop leaving comments.
Matt says
Like yourself?
I Agree! These meatballs are great.
Veronica says
Would I be able to blend this in a blender?
CCK Media Team says
You might be able to, but we think the texture would be kind of mushy. As long as you don’t mind the texture issues, you can do it.
Castledark says
yep i did it in a vitamix.
just with careful pulsing.
i stopped before it ALL got pulsed tho,
which worked great
cos i poured it all outa the blender jug
& into a bowl
then i mixed it all together
so the well pulsed pureed bits
were evenly dispersed thru out the
still-a-bit-lumpety-bumpety bits.
which made for a nice mixed texture!
and Man! they tasted Goooooooooood!
but Hang on…was that even the point i was trying to make?
what was that Veronica lady’s question again??
ahahaaaaaahaa
Lori says
I just made these last night and they are amazing! I added a small pkg of cremini mushrooms to one can black beans and garlic, onion, oregano & basil. Yummy!
Thanks for the idea!
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for trying the recipe!
Shannon Cormier says
Love mushrooms! Thanks for the idea. And I like the idea Katie and someone above had of dicing red pepper & celery into the mix. Making these tonight for meatball subs. Let you know how it goes.
Btw, if you haven’t tried Katie’s protein bars, YOU ARE MISSING OUT!
Allyn says
Hi, I made these. I used black beans, pinto beans and beluga lentils. I used the oats, minced onion and minced garlic. For spices, worschester sauce, dried chive, smoked salt, herbs de Provence and back pepper.
I used an emulsion blender. I found them very easy to work with and roll into cohesive balls. I fried them in butter and olive oil. They browned lovely and stayed together beautifully in the tomato Sauce. The flavour was great, but the texture is way off. I will try them again with rice or stale bread.
Thanks for the inspiration!
dawn says
Holy cow, I was a skeptic, but these are fabulous. Not, they do not taste like meat, but that is fine, they are super yummy. I put mine in the air fryer after I baked them just to crisp them up a bit. I can’t wait to buy more beans!
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making them. Love your air fryer idea!
Mom of 3 says
This is an absolutely wonderful recipe. I am not vegan but one of my teens is and everyone – vegetarian or not – loved the vegan meatballs!
Rachael says
These look amazing, but before I make them, am I able to freeze these?
Liza says
These look delicious! But I don’t have a raw onion and I want to make them tonight. Do you think I could use sautéed onions (that’s where my onion went yesterday)?
Thank you!
CCK Media Team says
We think it would work but haven’t tried so really can’t say for sure. Be sure to report back if you try!
Chandra says
This was simple and versatile. I doubled the recipe using pinto beans and added half a tablespoon Italian seasoning, half teaspoon red pepper flakes, half teaspoon black pepper, one teaspoon dried basil, one teaspoon fennel seeds to add to spaghetti and marinara. Baking them right now but the mixture tastes good, hearty, and meaty.
Annika says
Mine fall apart when frying help what am I doing wrong? I doubled the recipe and got 30 ‘meat’ balls so can’t be a size issue. I have had this problem before with vegetarian meatballs and hence steered clear of them but really want to get it right
Patricia says
These were surprisingly good! I didn’t have a good processor, and blending was tough, just did a few pulses and stirred around, dumped, reloaded a few times, then just smashed the rest with the ba k of a large spoon. Didn’t have fresh onion, so used minced dried, some garlic powder, and aduki beans that had hanging out for awhile in the back of my cabinet. These were perfect for the recipe. I added a few dashes of nutmeg and few dashes of worchestershire sauce. I baked mine in the oven then added to my Swedish meatball sauce for about 5 minutes of simmering. Pretty darn near perfect in regard to flavor and texture. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Kaye Kerr-Callaghan says
Hi, I used emulsion blender also, no problem, very easy recipe,I added more spice, oregano,basil and nutritional yeast to the mix. Turned out great, will for sure make these again. Thanks
Dawn says
Made these tonight. Followed the recipe exactly except for one change: I used cooked lentils instead of beans. Flavor was good but texture was a fail. They totally fell apart (I pan fried them in olive oil). Oh well, I added them to a marinara sauce and served over pasta, kind of like Bolognese. I would not recommend using lentils! 😉 Might try again but next time I’ll follow ingredient list as shown.
lucy says
do you think these would work with chickpea flour rather than rolled oats / almond meal – trying to increase my protein intake so chickpea flour as a sub seemed like a good way but i also don’t want to sub anything that would affect the recipe?!
Anne murdock says
Absolutely phenomenal in taste..super easy yo make.
Thank you so so much from this celiac vegan .
Kathleen A Brennan says
BEST vegan meatballs!!! I love the simplicity of ingredients. I love the simple whole-food recipes. On my first attempt, I used brown and black lentils by Westbrae as it was all I had in my cupboard. I also seasoned the double batch with 3 teaspoons of poultry seasoning. Yes, I was being adventurous! My Husband loved them! I also made a batch for our Mother’s Day gathering served over penne pasta that was tossed with vegan garlic butter. My Mother thought the meatballs tasted like meat, and my carnivore brother went up for thirds!!! I’m looking forward to trying additional gravies and seasonings. Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous recipe!!! ❤️
CCK Media Team says
This makes us so happy, thank you!
Nina says
Lovely recipe thank you! My first time making vegan meatballs and they turned out awesome, I did have too much liquid first from the bean can but I then added more oats and some other things to spice up the balls. It was easy to make the bean balls, and I left them in the oven for around 25 minutes. Even without turning them while cooking, they were a success:) thanks so much, keeper recipe
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making them 🙂
Amy says
Tried recipe with chickpeas, instead.
Waiting for the outcome but smells amazing!
Catherine L says
Vegetarian here- I really struggled to find a vegetarian meatball recipe that wasn’t weird, complicated and involve expensive ingredients. This recipe is so delicious! I am so happy I found this! I struggled w the size of the balls and they ended up being v small, it means it took ages to cook them all which is worth considering when you start. In the end, using two teaspoons to make the balls worked the best for me. I added parmesan, fresh parsley, mixed herbs and loads of garlic and omg my life has been made. I might experiment w making small patties next time but this is so delicious thank you so much for sharing!
Luka says
Hi, do you think using rolled oats is fine instead of quick oats? I’m incredibly new to home cooking stuff like this and I’m still not sure what the difference really is.
Luka says
Nevermind, I just found my answer in the article after reading it for the 1000th time, I dont know how I could miss it so many times
Debbie G says
Yum……I miss sausage so bad. This < I know will be so much healthier. They are really delicious. Can't wait to try all the variations.
thank you
Leah says
Delicious! I made the sausage ones. SO GOOD!!!
Janice Ragan says
I loved making these meatballs and my vegan son loved eating them. I made them into sweet and sour meatballs and I have a question. They looked great until the sweet and sour sauce heated up. The meatballs fell apart once that happened. Same thing when I tried the plant based “ground meat”. Any suggestions?
Lawrence Allan says
Hello I’m newly Vegan and was wondering if this same recipe can easily be used for making vegan sausages and burgers too? I prefer to make my own as much as possible. Thanks
CCK Media Team says
Hi we don’t see why not! For sausage flavor, try adding fennel and playing around with the other spices.