Vegan Meatballs
These 'meaty' vegan meatballs are easy to make, loaded with flavor, perfectly textured and hold their shape perfectly in a sauce!
Servings: 30
Calories: 69kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Walnuts (100g)
- 15 ounce Can Chickpeas Drained
- 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Finely Chopped
- 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes (15g)
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Tomato Paste (130g)
- 1 teaspoon Hoisin Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Coriander
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- ¾ cup Vegetable Stock (180ml) or Broth
- 1 ½ cups Vital Wheat Gluten (225g)
- Olive Oil Extra Virgin, For Brushing, Optional
Instructions
- Add walnuts to a food processor and process into crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and set aside.
- Add drained chickpeas, chopped onion, crushed garlic, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, tomato paste, hoisin sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, ground coriander, oregano, smoked paprika, liquid smoke and vegetable stock to the food processor and process until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the walnut crumbs. Mix together.
- Add vital wheat gluten and mix in. The mix will be very thick. Don't overmix as this will cause the gluten to become tough and chewy. Just mix it until mixed and then stop mixing.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Scoop the mixture using a heaped tablespoon measure and roll them into balls. Aim to get around 30 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Brush the meatballs with olive oil (optional) and then bake for 15 minutes on one side, then flip them over and bake for 15 minutes on the other side. They should be browned and crispy on both sides.
Notes
- Chickpeas - we used one 15 ounce can of chickpeas (drained). If you prefer to use cooked chickpeas (not canned) then you can use 1 and ½ cups cooked chickpeas.
- Vital wheat gluten - weigh it on a food scale for best accuracy. If using only the cup method then this is based on a level, packed cup.
- Keep the meatballs the same size. It's ideal if the meatballs are the same size so that they cook evenly. We use a tablespoon measure to measure heaped tablespoons of the dough before rolling it into balls. If you're really precise with it then you can weigh your dough on a food scale and then divide it by 30. That's how much each meatball should weigh. You don't have to be this precise, eyeballing it is fine. But if you're so inclined.
- Brush with olive oil. This step is optional and can be omitted if you prefer it to be oil-free. But the extra oil adds flavor and helps to prevent the outside from drying out. It's only a very small difference though so feel free to omit.
- Storing: Keep them stored in the fridge in a covered container for 4-5 days.
- Freezing: They also freeze very well for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Meatball | Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 0.004mg | Sodium: 246mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg