Publised on 16/01/2023 by Richard. Last Updated on 07/11/2023 by Richard.

Beautifully bouncy vegan meatballs cooked in a delicious classic marinara sauce. Ideal for spaghetti and meatball subs!

Easy peasy vegan meatballs, and, in my opinion - the PERFECT vegan meatballs. Nothing gets me going like vegan meatballs simmering away in marinara sauce - that smell of the caramelised garlic with a heart punch of tomato acidity. Am I starting to sound like an obnoxious sommelier? GOOD! I take my vegan meatballs VERY seriously *peers at you over over tiny round glasses*.

The great thing about this recipe though is that they're INSANELY easy to make, despite being so dayum delish! Get ready for a spaghetti slurp-fest or even a vegan meatball sub!

Love italian food and want more more more? Why not try my vegan bolognese (or my tofu bolognese)? My all time fave pasta recipes!

🧈 Vegan Meatballs Ingredients

The body of our vegan meatballs is going to be made from vegan mince (aka ground, if you're in the US). I know I'll take some flack for not using lentils or something wholefoodsy, and that's ok - pop off sis! For me, getting a firm, bouncy meatball is EVERYTHING and I strongly believe you can't do that without a specific kind of vegan mince. Here's my ingredients breakdown.

• Vegan mince, aka ground in the US (see note below)
• Onion (finely sliced)
• Garlic (minced to a paste)
• Fresh parsley
• Flaky sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• Stale sourdough
• Soy milk (unsweetened and unflavoured)
• Olive oil

This recipe only really works with fresh varieties of vegan mince (aka ground). TVP or most frozen vegan mince or ground won't hold together and cook in the same way. Look for brands like Meatless Farm, Beyond Meat and Naturli. To get nerdy, you're looking for a mince containing methyl cellulose. This just means it'll be soft when raw and firm once cooked, like real meat.

🥣 Method

As always, full method is included in the recipe at the bottom of the page. However, if you are reading this it means I know you're not a skipper, in which case, head to my latest post on instagram and leave the comment "Sigourney Weaver". I'll know it means I've got a dedicated fan and all the skippers will be clueless - it's fun! Anyway, here's how to make meatballs!

1. First, smush together your vegan mince along with the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. You want a nice uniform texture with no clumps of onion or herbs.

2. Then you're going to soak some breadcrumbs in soy milk and mix them into the vegan meatballs mixture. This helps to keep everything SUPER moist.

3. Now it's time to form the vegan meatballs and fry them up! These meatballs get cooked in a marinara sauce (next step) but they need to be fried first to give them a browned exterior.

4. Now add your vegan meatballs to the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Once everything's hot and bubbly, you're ready to serve!

🧞‍♂️ Hint

Two hints actually! Firstly, it's best to form your meatballs with a cookie scoop, if you have one. This helps keep all the meatballs around the same size and also doesn't compress them too much, which will make them dense.

Secondly, the best bread to use for breadcrumbs is stale sourdough. Next time you're left with some sourdough crusts, freeze them for when you next want vegan meatballs. Defrost and blend until you have fine breadcrumbs!

🥫 Tips for Perfect Marinara Sauce

The simpler the better for marinara sauce, but there are a few musts which I'll expect you to stick to. I'll be watching through that Alexa you got for Christmas and you'll know it's me because i'll tut like this "tut tut tut".

• No onion! The best marinara is made without onion. Just garlic fried in olive oil.
• Don't burn the garlic! You want to cook until it's JUST browned before adding your tomatoes. It's easier to avoid burning by using sliced garlic, rather than crushed or minced.
• Use canned San Marzano tomatoes. Unfortunately, these are more expensive, and obvs not necessary if cooking on the fly, but you WILL notice a difference in flavour.
• Use fresh basil! Some people use dried basil or oregano in marinara sauce. For me the aniseedy taste of fresh basil is essential for a perfect marinara.

🥞 Variations of Vegan Meatballs

Here are some ideas for switching up this recipe and taking things up an extra step!

• Some people (like my mate Dan) include raisins in their meatballs. It adds a sweetness but be careful you don't let them burn when frying the meatballs.
• Some people add fresh mint as well as parsley to their meatballs. I've never tried this but it's bound to be an interesting twisteroo!
• Spicy meatballs are also a big winner! Add some Chilli powder or fresh diced chilli to your mixture, but be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after mixing!

🔪 Equipment

I can see it now! you're assembling your station! Ready for a vegan meatball extravaganza! Here's what you're gunna need!

• 1 large, deep frying pan
• 2 Medium bowls
• Blender
• 1 Cookie scoop
• 1 Large Frying Pan

🤷‍♀️ Vegan Meatballs FAQs

Vegan Meatballs

Richard Makin

Beautifully bouncy vegan meatballs cooked in a delicious classic marinara sauce. Ideal for spaghetti and meatball subs!

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian American

Servings 4

Calories 368 kcal

Equipment

• 1 large, deep frying pan
• 2 Medium bowls
• Blender
• 1 Cookie scoop
• 1 Large Frying Pan

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

For the Marinara Sauce

• ▢ 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ½ an onion (finely sliced)
• ▢ 6 cloves garlic (finely sliced)
• ▢ 400 g peeled San Marzano tomatoes (from a can)
• ▢ Pinch chilli flakes
• ▢ Pinch dried oregano
• ▢ 4 leaves fresh basil
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

For the Meatballs

• ▢ 400 g vegan mince (aka ground in the US (see note below))
• ▢ ½ an onion (finely sliced)
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic (minced to a paste)
• ▢ Small bunch of fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 55 g stale sourdough
• ▢ 70 ml soy milk (unsweetened and unflavoured)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

 

To Make the Marinara Sauce

• Place a large, deep frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and fry until starting to turn translucent, around 2 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes but do not let the onion or garlic brown.
  3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ an onion, 6 cloves garlic
• Open the can of tomatoes and transfer to a medium bowl. Crush the tomatoes with your hands then add to the pan along with any tomato juice. Fill the can half-way with water, swill around to catch any residual tomato juice and add to the pan.
  400 g peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat slightly. Stir in the chilli flakes, oregano and basil then leave to simmer, stirring occasionally for around 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and the oil has risen to the surface and turned a bright red colour.
  Pinch chilli flakes, Pinch dried oregano, 4 leaves fresh basil
• Season to taste with the salt and pepper then remove from the heat and set aside.
  Salt and pepper to taste

To Make the Meatballs

• Place the vegan mince/ground in a medium bowl and add the onion, garlic, fresh parsley, salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands until you have a uniform mixture.
  400 g vegan mince, ½ an onion, 3 cloves garlic, Small bunch of fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Place the sourdough in a blender and blitz until you have rough breadcrumbs. Transfer to a bowl and add the soy milk. Mix to combine then leave to soak for 2 minutes. Add the soaked breadcrumbs to the meatball mixture and, again, mix together with your hands until evenly combined.
  55 g stale sourdough, 70 ml soy milk
• Use a cookie scoop to divide the mixture into roughly equal sized portions (i got about 20) then use your hands to roll into balls. Set aside.
• Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the meatballs and fry for around 5 minutes, swirling the pan often to make sure they brown on all sides.
  2 tablespoon olive oil
• Once browned, reduce the heat and add the marinara sauce to the pan of meatballs. Bring to a simmer. Once hot and bubbling, it's ready to serve. Serve on pasta or in my vegan meatball sub sandwich!

Notes

1. This recipe only really works with fresh vegan mince (aka ground). TVP or frozen mince won't hold together and cook in the same way. Look for brands like Meatless Farm, Beyond Meat and Naturli. To get nerdy, you're looking for a mince containing methyl cellulose. This just means it'll be soft when raw and firm once cooked, like real meat.

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 21gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 0.2mgSodium: 1246mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 216IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 7mg

Keyword perfect vegan meatballs, vegan meatballs

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