These quinoa meatballs are hearty, perfectly textured, and loaded with zesty Italian flavor! Easy to make and incredibly versatile, they're perfect for piling onto pasta, stuffing into sandwiches, or enjoying on their own.
One of my talents is turning plant-based foods into vegan meatballs. Seriously! I've made tofu meatballs, tempeh meatballs, broccoli rabe meatballs, and black bean walnut meatballs, just to name a few. But I realized recently that I had yet to experiment with one of my favorite ingredients for making meatballs. I love my quinoa burgers, so it was time for a quinoa meatballs recipe!
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Quinoa actually works great in vegan meatballs. It's more than just filler — those little seeds add a wonderful, meaty texture to an otherwise pretty basic batch of beanballs. For this recipe, I stared with a base of beans, panko breadcrumbs, and quinoa, and added a handful of zesty Italian seasonings to create a batch of quinoa balls perfect for pasta night. But don't feel limited! You can serve them as a main dish, appetizer, or (my favorite!) stuff them into rolls for some killer quinoa meatball sandwiches.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Quinoa. I used white quinoa, because it's what I had on hand, but feel free to use any variety, or a mix!
- Cannellini beans. If you have a can of black beans, kidney beans, or navy beans on hand, feel free to substitute them.
- Panko breadcrumbs.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Tomato paste.
- Soy sauce. Gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Fresh basil. Stick with fresh, not dried.
- Red pepper flakes. These will add a touch of heat. Feel free to omit them, or increase the amount for extra kick.
- Salt and pepper.
- Olive oil. This is optional, and it will help with browning if you use it. Feel free to omit it for an oil-free version of this dish, or substitute another high-heat neutral oil, like vegetable oil.
- Marinara sauce. I like to dress my quinoa meatballs with my homemade marinara sauce, but feel free to use your favorite recipe or even jarred sauce.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Cook the quinoa. Combine it with water in a small saucepan, heat it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover it. Let it simmer until the water is absorbed, which will take about 20 minutes, then let it sit for about 10 minutes with the lid on.
Step 2: Blend the ingredients. Add the cooked quinoa and all remaining ingredients except for the oil and sauce to a food processor bowl. Pulse the machine just until everything is finely chopped and blended. Don't overdo it — nobody likes a mushy vegan meatball!
Tip: New to cooking quinoa? Check out my guide on how to cook quinoa for extra guidance!
Step 3: Get ready to bake. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 4: Roll the balls. Roll the quinoa mixture into about 24 balls. They'll be about 1 ¼ inches in diameter, each. Arrange them on a baking sheet and, if you'd like, brush or spray them with some olive oil to help with browning.
Step 5: Bake. Bake the balls until they've firmed up and browned, flipping them about halfway through to ensure even cooking. They'll need about 30 minutes in the oven.
Step 6: Serve. Toss the quinoa meatballs with some marinara sauce just before serving. I like to top mine with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese, but that's totally optional!
Leftovers & Storage
These quinoa meatballs are best stored without sauce, so I recommend only tossing as many as you think you'll eat immediately in sauce. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave before adding sauce. If you've already sauced them, no worries! They won't stay as firm, but they'll still be delicious. These vegan meatballs can also be frozen (sauced or unsauced) for up to three months.
Frequently Asked Questions
It can! You can substitute vegan gluten-free breadcrumbs (store-bought or homemade) for the panko breadcrumbs. You'll also need to replace the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari.
I definitely don't recommend that. Baking is necessary for them to set. Cooking them in sauce will achieve the opposite effect — they'll disintegrate in the sauce.
This sometimes happens, mainly due to different moisture levels in different brands of beans. If your mixture is too wet, add a few tablespoons of extra breadcrumbs. If it's too dry, add a few tablespoons of water.
You sure can! You'll need about 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa.
Most of the sodium comes from the soy sauce and added salt. The sodium can be minimized by using a reduced sodium soy sauce and reducing the amount of salt.
More Quinoa Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Quinoa Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry quinoa (rinsed well under cold water if not pre-rinsed)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup cooked or canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Olive oil, for brushing or spraying (optional)
- Marinara sauce, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the quinoa and water in a small saucepan and set it over high heat. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce it to a low simmer. Cover the pot and let the quinoa simmer for about 20 minutes, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Let the pot sit with the lid on for about 10 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. You can begin prepping the remaining ingredients while the quinoa cooks.
- Place the beans, panko breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Add the cooked quinoa and pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped and well combined. Avoid overblending the mixture — you want to keep some texture. Taste-test the mixture and make any adjustments you see fit.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the quinoa mixture into balls, each about 1 ¼ inches in diameter. You should get about 24 of them. Arrange the balls on the baking sheet and optionally brush or spritz them with olive oil (this will help with browning).
- Bake the quinoa meatballs for about 30 minutes, turning them halfway through, until they feel set and are lightly browned.
- Toss the meatballs with marinara sauce and serve.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 24 meatballs.
- Nutrition information does not include sauce.
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Hi, can I freeze these before I cook them, thank you.
Regards
Shirley
You can! They might not hold their shape very well, so I recommend freezing the mixture before rolling. When you're ready, just thaw, roll and bake according to the recipe. Enjoy!