Vegan Meatballs
These deliciously textured 'meaty' vegan meatballs are firm but tender, packed with flavor and hold their shape perfectly in a sauce!
Servings: 36 Servings
Ingredients
- 15 ounce Can Chickpeas Drained
- 1 cup Walnuts (100g)
- 1 medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Finely Chopped
- 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (15g)
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Ground Coriander
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- ¼ tsp Liquid Smoke
- ¾ cup Vegetable Stock (180ml)
- 1 ½ cup Vital Wheat Gluten
Instructions
- Add the drained chickpeas to your mixing bowl and mash with a fork.
- Add the walnuts to the food processor and process into crumbs. Add in with the chickpeas in the mixing bowl.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic.
- Add the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, tomato paste, hoisin sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, coriander powder, oregano, smoked paprika and liquid smoke and mix together.
- Add the vegetable stock and mix in.
- Add the vital wheat gluten and mix in. The mix will be very thick. Don't overmix as this will cause the gluten to become more tough and chewy, just mix it until mixed and then stop mixing.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and scoop the meatballs onto a parchment lined baking tray, using a heaped tablespoon measure and then rolling into balls. Aim for 36 meatballs.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then flip the meatballs and bake for another 15 until they're browned and crispy on both sides.
- Serve right away with ketchup or barbecue sauce or if you want to serve them in a marinara sauce then heat up your marinara sauce and then add the meatballs to the sauce and serve over spaghetti.
- Keep leftovers in the fridge and enjoy over the next 3-4 days.
Notes
Weigh the vital wheat gluten on a food scale for best results in this recipe. If using only the cup method then this is based on a packed cup.
Vital wheat gluten is a crucial ingredient in these meatballs and can't be replaced with regular flour. This is also the reason that these vegan meatballs don't adapt to gluten-free at all.