13 Amazing Vegan Meatball Recipes

Satisfy your cravings, with this collection of 13 delicious recipes for vegan meatballs! Everything from Swedish meatballs in creamy sauce to classic Italian meatballs to teriyaki smothered tempeh meatballs.

I grew up in an Italian family, so I hold my meatballs to a high standard! And I have to say, store bought vegan meatballs are not very good. I haven't found one yet that I like.

But I stopped buying them. Why? Because homemade vegan meatballs are awesome! And there are so many ways to make them. I've created quite a collection over the years, and I have no plans on stopping.

Vegan Meatball Ingredients

The Main Ingredient

I start nearly all of my vegan meatball recipes with a sturdy, meaty, plant-based ingredient, like tofu, tempeh, or beans! The main ingredient should be hearty, have a nice texture, and a bit of moisture to it, so it can be mashed up, combined with other ingredients, and formed into balls.

Binding

You'll usually need to add something starchy or sticky to give your meatballs structure and help them hold together. Breadcrumbs, oats, and different types of flours all work well.

Seasonings

I always include some aromatics, such as garlic, onions, and ginger in my veggie balls. In addition to these, I'll also choose between liquid seasonings like soy sauce and hot sauce, as well as dried spices like oregano, paprika, and cumin.

Sauce

You can't have meatballs without sauce! Marinara sauce works great for Italian-style meatballs, but also consider creamy sauces, Asian-inspired stir-fry sauces, and spicy sauces.

How to Make Vegan Meatballs

Mix up your ingredients! I like to use a food processor, but you can also mash your mixture up by hand using a potato masher. Either way, be careful not to overdo it! Nobody likes mushy meatballs.

Roll your mixture into balls and bake them up! Unlike conventional meatballs, most vegan meatballs will fall apart if you cook them in sauce. You're better off lightly oiling and then baking them.