These tempeh meatballs are coated in a sweet and savory teriyaki glaze. Serve them up with veggies and rice for a hearty vegan main dish, or alone as a scrumptious party appetizer!
Oh, hey there! It’s been a while! Well, it’s been a while in my world. I don’t think there’s been an occasion in the last three years or so where I went a whole five days without sharing a recipe. Actually, if you look closely at my last post, you’ll even see that it’s a rerun (but with snazzy new photos and and some updates). So it’s actually been a week since I shared something totally new.
I attribute the lull to a combination of being busy with holiday stuff, being busy with other stuff, and just needing some good old time off like everybody else. I probably won’t have much else in the way of new material between now and the end of the year, but I promise, come January, I’ll be back with lots of new dishes to share.
For now, I’m just dropping in for a moment to share some tempeh meatballs. I made a batch of sweet and sour tempeh meatballs a couple years ago, and they were one of my all-time favorites. I decided it was time to do some more with that concept, so here I am with teriyaki tempeh meatballs.
If you’re planning a New Year’s celebration, these little guys make fantastic appetizers — just skewer them up and let everyone snack away. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a hearty winter dinner, serve them up with rice, veggies, or like I did: on a sandwich.
Teriyaki Tempeh Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Tempeh Meatballs
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 8 ounce package tempeh, broken into 1 to 2 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons unflavored soy or almond milk
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
For the Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sake optinal, but very nice
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- dash white pepper
- 6 tablespoons cold water divided
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
For Serving
- 2 scallions chopped
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the Tempeh Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400° and lightly oil a baking sheet.
- Place all ingredients into a food processor bowl and pulse, just until ingredients are chopped and well mixed. Don't overdo it.
- Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the meatballs begin to brown, flipping once or twice during baking.
Make the Teriyaki Sauce
- While the meatballs bake, place soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sake, garlic, ginger, white pepper, and 2 tablespoons of water into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir a few times to mix the ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower heat and allow to simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the sauce simmers, place the remaining 4 tablespoons of water into a small bowl. Stir in the cornstarch until fully dissolved.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and allow to simmer until it thickens up, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Finish and Serve
- When the meatballs are done baking, add them to the saucepan and gently stir to coat with the sauce. Serve with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and scallions.
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